THE prospect of a new Counting Crows album has me planning a long car journey through rugged countryside where I can howl along tunelessly to my heart’s content. But as this collection of live recordings from their latest tour begins with a rehash of Dylan’s Girl From The North Country, I experience echoes of disappointment.

The unmistakable introduction to Round Here provokes screaming from fans, full of anticipation I remember standing in a soggy Hyde Park in 2008, anxious to hear my favourite songs performed in unison, artist and fans together. That day, screams fell quiet as Adam Duritz, full of energy, heart on his sleeve, changed every heartbeat of the song, leaving fans silent. This new ten-minute version, padded out with pleas to a new fixation, make me wish he would incorporate his latest whims into his performances by putting his creativity into recording new songs rather than murdering their own and others’ greatest hits.

This album will leave you reaching for the original stuff.