This Desert Life

This Desert Life
Studio album by Counting Crows
Released	November 1, 1999 (1999-11-01)
Recorded	1998 in a house in California
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	59:46
Language	English
Label	Geffen
Producer	David Lowery, Dennis Herring
Counting Crows chronology
Across a Wire: Live in New York City (1998) This Desert Life (1999) Hard Candy (2002)
Singles from This Desert Life
"Hanginaround" Released: November 2, 1999 (1999-11-02) "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" Released: 2000 (2000) "All My Friends" Released: 2000 (2000)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Entertainment Weekly	C+ link
Q	link
Robert Christgau	link
Rolling Stone	link
Spin	(6/10) link

This Desert Life is the third studio album from Counting Crows. The cover art is by noted comic book artist Dave McKean, best known for his work with Neil Gaiman, and is in fact an adaptation of the cover art McKean did for Gaiman's picture book The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish.

Track listing

All songs written by Adam Duritz except as indicated.

1. "Hanginaround" (Duritz, Dan Vickrey, Ben Mize, David Bryson) – 4:07
2. "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby"  – 7:46
3. "Amy Hit the Atmosphere" (Duritz, Matt Malley) – 4:36
4. "Four Days" – 3:28
5. "All My Friends" – 4:49
6. "High Life" (Duritz, Vickrey) – 6:20
7. "Colorblind" (Duritz, Charlie Gillingham) – 3:23
8. "I Wish I Was a Girl" (Duritz, Gillingham) – 5:53
9. "Speedway" (Duritz, Vickrey) – 3:44
10. "St. Robinson in His Cadillac Dream" – 15:40
11. "Kid Things" (hidden track)

The CD cover lists tracks one through five as "side one" and tracks six through ten as "side two". "Kid Things" is a hidden track as part of "St. Robinson in His Cadillac Dream". The vinyl release of this album also contains "Kid Things" as a hidden track along with another hidden track called "Baby I'm a Big Star Now", which is featured in the film Rounders. They are both on the side D with a text asking you not to play that side.

The song "Amy Hit The Atmosphere" was featured in the television show Roswell. In the show, the main character Max is shown listening to the song and it is stated he listens to This Desert Life frequently when upset.

"Colorblind" was also featured in the film Cruel Intentions, as well as the soundtrack album, and was covered by progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me in their 2006 album The Anatomy Of, as well as Natalie Walker on her 2006 LP Urban Angel. This music is also appeared at the end of the episode "Missing" of Roswell.

Personnel

Counting Crows

• Dave Bryson – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar,
• Adam Duritz – piano, vocals, art direction
• Charlie Gillingham – synthesizer, piano, Hammond organ, Mellotron, acoustic guitar, Chamberlin, Wurlitzer, vocals
• David Immerglück – bass, mandolin, electric guitar, pedal steel
• Matt Malley – bass, vocals, twelve-string guitar
• Ben Mize – drums, percussion, vocals,
• Dan Vickrey – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, sitar, vocals

Additional musicians

• Chris Seefried – backing vocalist
• David Lowery - backing vocalist, producer
• Dennis Herring – producer, keyboards, loops, mixing
• Gary DeRosa – backing vocalist
• Cinjun Tate – backing vocalist
• Bob Ludwig – mastering
• Matt Funes – viola
• Eve Butler – violin
• Joel Derouin – violin
• Larry Corbett – cello
• David Campbell – string arrangements, conductor, orchestration
• Joe Chiccarelli – engineer
• Jim Champagne – engineer
• Richard Hasal – engineer
• Clay Jones – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin
• Ok Hee Kim – engineer
• David McKean– art direction, illustrations
• Bill Merryfield – art direction, creative director
• Martin Pradler – engineer
• Jack Joseph Puig – mixing
• Rocky Schenck – photography
• Jim Scott – mixing
• Jeff Sheehan – engineer
• Janette Sheridan – production coordination

Release history

Charts

Album

Single

Certifications