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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 12 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 30 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Geffen
Release Date: 25 March 2008
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Alternative
Summary
The fifth album is split in two parts, with one half produced by Gil Norton and the other half by Brian Deck.
Also By This Artist: Hard Candy
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
All Music Guide
Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings is a rock record in the grandest and most polished sense of the word: it wears its lineage proudly, and imparts emotions directly and brazenly honestly no matter how pretty or shiny the picture is.
Read Full Review >Billboard
The band stretches out in some new directions on the trance-y 'Washington Square' and incorporates psychedelic overtones into 'Insignificant' and 'Le Ballet d'Or.' 'You Can't Count on Me' sounds like the flip side of a Bruce Springsteen love song, and such tracks as '1492,' 'Cowboys' and 'Come Around' rock with sweeping dynamic energy.
Read Full Review >Hartford Courant
Adam Duritz and company haven’t sounded so committed, so determined, so tuneful, in years.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
The disc's first half, produced by Pixies vet Gil Norton, is surprisngly fast and scrappy. But the pace slackens in the mellower remainder, produced by Brian Deck. [28 Mar 2008, p.65]
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
The hair-shirt single "You Can't Count on Me" and the cheerily grim "Hanging Tree" are little masterpieces of pop craft, their arrangements and Duritz's invitingly petulant wail often echoing golden-era R.E.M. Sometimes that craft is enough: The latter song is so packed with guitar fireworks that its buzz-killing lines about freezing to death barely register.
Read Full Review >Uncut
There are moments--notably 'You Can't Count On me'--but the band behind him are wringing diminishing returns from their polished country-rock. [May 2008, p.92]
Blender
On the harder-rocking half, Duritz is nearly emo-esque in his self-loathing.... The disk's Sunday Morning half, is more acoustic, quieter, reflective. But after the epic bender that precedes it, it's also just kind of a drag. [Apr 2008, p.78]
Read Full Review >PopMatters
It’s an album of extremes, often capturing the far fringes of the band’s sound, with little in between to act as a buffer.
Read Full Review >musicOMH.com
Considered as a whole, or even as two self-serving parts, Saturday Nights And Sunday Mornings is so generic and unenlightening that you will probably not remember hearing it within an hour or so.
Read Full Review >The Guardian
Listened to--as the band recommend--in one sitting, it is trudging and effortful.
Read Full Review >Slant Magazine
The electric guitar interludes sound obligatory, particularly when paired with lyrics that don't approach immediate or visceral
Read Full Review >Paste Magazine
It's only fair to consider Saturday Nights, Sunday Mornings in the context of the rest of the Crows’ catalog, and with that in mind--to borrow a phrase from Duritz--this one might fade into the grey.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 30 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Rich Rainey gave it a10:
I have always loved this band. It's popular to put them down, esp Adam, and say their songs are not so good, but when I hear those comments, I have to wonder if I'm listening to the same songs. His lyrics and singing style, as well as the arrangements and quality of musicianship have always been top notch for me. This album is no exception, and I'm glad they are still making records.
Tom H. gave it a7:
Rates behind first two albums, but ahead of last two.
Aaron A. gave it a10:
I have been a long time fan of the Crows so I can't be totally sure that my rating is biased, but I am confident that this is definately one of their best albums. As with all albums there are some songs that I don't like that much, but the ones I do like are incredible. In my opinion critics are being pretty hard on this album because the crows haven't been in the spotlight for years and years. If this album was by Jack White the critics would of fallen all over it, or if the Crows were still underground the critics would of called this album groundbreaking. Either way, it's a great album with a few duds scattered throughout. Definately worth a listen. Whatever you do don't judge this album by the first radio release "You Can't Count on Me", there are so many better songs to be found here.
Kevin S. gave it a7:
The opener set me up for some disappointment. Starting off with a great song that doesn't reflect the rest of the album is a mean trick. There are some really nice songs on here though. Unfortunately, that embarrassing rant about tacos and skinny girls at the end of "Los Angeles" was enough to make me not want to put the disc in again. I know it's not supposed to be serious, but it's seriously cringe-inducing.
Wade T. gave it a9:
Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings manages that rare trick of an experienced band sounding fresh and new without going outside of their skills. These are still Counting Crows songs, but they manage to seem just different enough to not seem like a retread of previous albums, an element that downplayed the enjoyment of Hard Candy and This Dessert Life. If you read the liner notes apparently Duritz stayed off the piano allowing the sound of players behind him to seem more like a tight-rock outfit, not sessions players adding to a solo record. You Can't Count On Me is a lush organic piece of pop rock that recalls Cat Stevens and Cowboys seems like the dazzling epic rocker Duritz and company have never been able to pull off previously. The Counting Crows seem like a band on Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings, allowing them to fly higher then they have in some time.
Jim gave it a10:
What a comeback by a great band. Their 2nd best album after August imo. They are back.
Jason F. gave it a10:
Great album.
