The Soundtrack Of My Life

Counting Crows main man Adam Duritz on the records, artists and gigs that are of lasting significance to him.

- Niall Doherty

It's more than three decades since Counting Crows blew up big with their multimillion-selling debut album August And Everything After. But, as new album Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets! demonstrates, the US rockers' knack for soulful and stirring anthems remains as potent as ever. As you'll see, there's a variety of influences that go into the band's melting pot, as frontman and band leader Adam Duritz takes us on a tour through some of the sounds that have shaped his life.

THE FIRST MUSIC I REMEMBER HEARING

My parents had a lot of Beatles albums. I remember listening to them. And they took me to see The Jackson 5 at a rodeo in Texas when I was a kid. That was my first concert. Those two things battle in my first musical memories, a mixture of The Beatles and The Jackson 5.

THE FIRST SONG I EVER PERFORMED LIVE

I have a very distinct memory of being out behind school and singing the Kiss song Beth to a bunch of girls. I remember thinking: “Oh yeah, this performing thing has some vibe to it.” I got a big reaction out of it!

THE GREATEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME

Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis. That's always stuck out there for me. It's such a beautiful, brilliant, groundbreaking and also an incredibly listenable and great record.

THE GUITAR HERO