I like Counting Crows, their best was their first album however IMO, and their releases more or less go down in quality chronologically.
Although I can understand why you'd make this argument (discovered CC in high school...August and Everything After was a big part of my life way back when), I have to disagree with you.
AaEA was the breathrough album, but I feel that Hard Candy is far more definitive of the group's style. Have you seen them in concert?
If I had to rank, it would go like this:
AaEA > HC > RtS > TDL > AaW (Films about Ghosts, anyone? Haven't heard it yet.)