Recovering the Satellites

Recovering the Satellites is the second studio album by Counting Crows, released on October 15, 1996, in the United States. Released three years (and two years of worldwide touring) after their debut album, it reached No. 1 in the United States and was a top seller in Australia, Canada, and the UK as well. For years, singer Adam Duritz felt this was his favorite album by the band.[1] Joining Duritz in recording the album were founding band members David Bryson (guitar), Charlie Gillingham (keyboards), Matt Malley (bass), as well as new additions Ben Mize (drums) and Dan Vickrey (guitars). Multi-instrumentalist David Immerglück played on the album as a session musician as well. Counting Crows brought in producer Gil Norton for Recovering the Satellites. (The track "Miller's Angels" was produced by Marvin Etzioni.) Three singles were released from the album, with "A Long December" being the best charting, reaching number 6 in the US and number 1 in Canada. The album itself peaked on the top spot of the Billboard Hot 200 album chart and has been certified double-platinum in both the US and Canada.

Recovering the Satellites
Studio album by
Counting Crows
ReleasedOctober 15, 1996 (1996-10-15)
RecordedJanuary–March 1996, Hollywood, San Francisco and The Sound Factory, Hollywood
GenreAlternative rock
Length59:22
LanguageEnglish
LabelGeffen
ProducerGil Norton
Counting Crows chronology
August and Everything After
(1993)		 Recovering the Satellites
(1996)		 Across a Wire: Live in New York City
(1998)
Singles from Recovering the Satellites
  1. "Angels of the Silences"
    Released: September 23, 1996
  2. "A Long December"
    Released: December 1996
  3. "Daylight Fading"
    Released: May 20, 1997

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyC[3]
The Independent(unfavorable)[4]
Q[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
Spin(6/10)[5]

Writing for Rolling Stone, Anthony DeCurtis gave the album four out of five stars. He said that the band's second album develops the sounds of August and Everything After and that they "largely achieve their serious ambitions". He praised Adam Duritz's lyrics and called the album "deeply satisfying".[6]

In a review for Allmusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album a rating of four stars out of five. He called it a "self-consciously challenging response" to their successful debut album. He described the songs as "slightly more somber" than those on the first album but "more affecting". He noted an occasional "pretentiousness" on the album but praised "A Long December" as particularly articulate.[2]

Andy Gill from The Independent gave the album a more negative review. He criticized Duritz's song-writing as "self-pity[ing]" and called him a "classic solipsistic soul-barer, he just won't shut up about himself". He called the album "bland" with "obvious" influences (including R.E.M., Bruce Springsteen and Lynyrd Skynyrd). Gill had some praise for producer Gil Norton's work on the album.[4]

In a review for Entertainment Weekly, Ken Tucker also had negative feelings about the album, and gave it a "C" grade. He criticized Duritz's "yowling" and "moans" and called Counting Crows a "pastiche of its influences".[3]

Track listing

All tracks written by Adam Duritz unless otherwise indicated

  1. "Catapult" (Duritz, David Bryson, Charlie Gillingham, Matt Malley, Dan Vickrey, Ben Mize) – 3:34
  2. "Angels of the Silences" (Duritz, Gillingham) – 3:39
  3. "Daylight Fading" (Duritz, Vickrey, Gillingham) – 3:50
  4. "I'm Not Sleeping"(Duritz, Bryson, Gillingham, Malley, Vickrey, Mize) – 4:57
  5. "Goodnight Elisabeth" – 5:20
  6. "Children in Bloom" – 5:23
  7. "Have You Seen Me Lately?" – 4:08
  8. "Miller's Angels" (Duritz, Vickrey) – 6:33
  9. "Another Horsedreamer's Blues" – 4:32
  10. "Recovering the Satellites" – 5:24
  11. "Monkey" – 3:02
  12. "Mercury" – 2:48
  13. "A Long December" – 4:57
  14. "Walkaways" (Duritz, Vickrey) – 1:12

Personnel
Counting Crows
Additional musicians

Charts
Album
Year Chart Position
1996 The Billboard 200 1[7]
Canada Albums 3

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[8] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[9] 2× Platinum 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[10] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[11] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[12] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

gollark: Great!
gollark: With what velocity does it go?
gollark: Excellent.
gollark: Obtained any egg?
gollark: How goes it?

References
  1. http://lipulse.com/2016/08/11/adam-duritz-reconnecting-rob-thomas/
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Recovering the Satellites: Review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
  3. Tucker, Ken (October 25, 1996). "Recovering the Satellites Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
  4. Gill, Andy (October 11, 1996). "Album Reviews: Counting Crows Recovering the Satellites". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
  5. "Counting Crows - Recovering the Satellites CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  6. DeCurtis, Anthony (November 4, 1996). "Counting Crows: Recovering the Satellites". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
  7. https://www.billboard.com/music/counting-crows/chart-history/billboard-200
  8. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  9. "Canadian album certifications – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites". Music Canada. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  10. "New Zealand Certification - "Recovering the Satellites"". Recorded Music NZ.
  11. "British album certifications – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 January 2019. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Recovering the Satellites in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  12. "American album certifications – Counting Crows – Recovering the Satellites". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 5 January 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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