Track Record – The Black Crowes

For this Track Record, I’m delving into a great American rock band – The Black Crowes.

The Flight of the Black Crowes

I remember when the first Black Crowes album came out in 1990. For people like me, it was a breath of fresh air in a world full of hair metal and glitzy pop music. Now, I enjoy pop music a bit more, but at that time it dominated everything. When I first heard Shake Your Money Maker, I was hearing things like the Rolling Stones, Faces, Skynyrd, and Led Zeppelin. In other words, I was hearing things that I liked. This band melded all of their influences into a solid debut album that checked all the classic rock boxes. Then came their intense sophomore effort, and things really elevated. I’m familiar enough with most of these records to conclude that they never were able to duplicate that one-two punch, but they’ve made (and are still making) better music than a lot of the other remaining true rock bands out there. The soul and swagger don’t just leave your body when you get old.

These are my gut reactions when listening to the entire catalog of The Black Crowes.

 

Shake Your Money Maker (1990)

This album hit me like a brick way back, and it never left what I call my “bank,” or songs that are in my head that I could probably conjure up and play with a band without much practice, at least on drums. The band clearly wore their influences on their sleeves at a time when things like Grunge and Rap were dominating the charts. “Twice as Hard” was my favorite tune that year. “Jealous Again,” “Sister Luck,” “Seeing Things,” and “Stare It Cold” were all on constant rotation. “Sister Luck” to me was just like listening to a Rolling Stones tune.

The band would shoot into super-stardom with the ballad “She Talks to Angels” and their cover of “Hard to Handle” which remains a cover band staple to this day, and they sure knew how to “handle” the material. They proved that they weren’t kids who fiddled around with guitars. They used open tunings and respected their genre, even though the media didn’t know what to do with them. They’d end up on magazine covers with metal bands and grunge artists. It was a very unique time. Anyway, this is a solid album produced by George Drakoulias, the guy who signed them.

Line up:

• Chris Robinson – vocals
• Rich Robinson – guitar
• Jeff Cease – guitar
• Johnny Colt – bass guitar
• Steve Gorman – drums

 

The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992)

So it turned out that the band was just warming up with their debut album.

Guitarist Jeff Cease was fired and replaced by Marc Ford, keyboardist Ed Harsch was added, and what I consider to be a perfect album ensued. I was 22 when this one came out, and I remember looking at the cover and wondering if it was even the same band. It had only been two years since the first album, but they somehow matured. Instead of just sounding like their influences, they used their influences and created their own compositions worthy of standing on their own. “Remedy” burst onto the radio and never left. “Sting Me” and “Hotel Illness” were always my two favorite tracks, but the whole album from start to finish is a wonderful celebration of roots rock music, complete with rock, soul, blues, country, americana, and folk influences. If you don’t own it, go get it now. Every track is a winner.

Line up:

• Chris Robinson – vocals, percussion, blues harp, guitar
• Rich Robinson – guitar
• Marc Ford – guitar
• Johnny Colt – bass guitar
• Steve Gorman – drums
• Eddie Harsch – keyboards

 

Amorica (1994)

This is where the band got a little weird for me. I remember when this one came out. I put it on in the record store where I was working at the time, and while it started off cool with percussion and some fun guitar work, the alum sort of took some odd left turns for me and I didn’t immediately love it. It took a few years and a few more listens before I started to like it as a whole instead of just a couple of songs. The video for “A Conspiracy” was the first thing I remember being weird. I was wondering why Chris Robinson was wearing all that makeup. It seemed forced. I also didn’t think it was a strong first single.

“Gone” was (and still is) my favorite track on this record. “Wiser Time” is a wonderfully constructed and energetic track centered around some great soloing crescendos. I didn’t love “High Head Blues” way back, but it grew on me down the road a bit, though I never thought it was one of their better songs. I do love the percussion, though. I hear little bits of “She Talks to Angels” while listening to “Descending” for some reason. “Cursed Diamond” is an intense, soul-bearing song that I did not appreciate when the album was released. It wanders a bit, but when that tight riff hits, it’s pretty powerful in a Led Zeppelin kind of way. “Nonfiction” is nice, but tempts me to skip it if I’m not in the mood. “She Gave Good Sunflower” is a silly hippy song title, but the song isn’t terrible. It’s got that Rolling Stones distorted electric piano thing going on. I like “P.25 London” for its harmonica and guitar interplay.

I think this album succeeds in bringing the band to the next step in their evolution. A few of these songs aren’t so great, but no matter what track you plop the needle down onto, the guitars are always going to be solid. Rich and Marc really shine on this album. In fact, it almost seems like a lot of this record contains songs that are just excuses to showcase all this guitar playing. I’m kind of OK with that, I think. I like the album more now than I ever have in the past. I don’t think it holds my #3 spot though.

Line up:

• Chris Robinson – vocals, percussion, blues harp, guitar
• Rich Robinson – guitar
• Marc Ford – guitar
• Johnny Colt – bass guitar
• Steve Gorman – drums
• Eddie Harsch – keyboards

 

Three Snakes and One Charm (1996)

I feel that there should be more love for this record than there is out there, though I don’t have any way to measure this other than my own assumptions. Folks tend to sing the praises of Amorica, but you don’t hear too much about this record, though I feel just about the same about both of them. I think they are good records, but not as good as their first two. However, they had evolved past those records, so it all makes sense. I had the same journey with this record as the previous one in that I didn’t love it when it first came out, but also didn’t hate it. With both records there were good songs and others that didn’t move me. Then again, few albums can do that.

Anyhow, the standout tracks for me are “Under a Mountain,” “Good Friday,” “Nebakenezer,” “Blackberry,” and “Bring On, Bring On.” If I had to pick, I’d put “Good Friday” at the top of the list there. The rest of the tracks feel like typical Crowes fare. I know a lot of people like songs like “Girl from a Pawnshop” but it’s meh to me. At least the female backing vocals show up, finally. All of the performances are great, even on the tracks I don’t love as much. “(Only) Halfway to Everywhere” is cool, but definitely sounds like something they’ve done before, with some horns on top. “Let Me Share the Ride” definitely has a Little Feat feel to it.

When put next to Amorica, it’s hard to choose which is better. I think this album is more focused on the songs and the structure, while Amorica is looser and more experimental. They have their own sounds, I think.

Line up:

• Chris Robinson – vocals, percussion, blues harp, guitar
• Rich Robinson – guitar
• Marc Ford – guitar
• Johnny Colt – bass guitar
• Steve Gorman – drums
• Eddie Harsch – keyboards

 

By Your Side (1999)

The band had now gone through some serious changes. They recorded an album that was rejected, so they moved labels. Guitarist Marc Ford was fired for excessive drug use. (It always makes me laugh when bands with drugged-out vibes fire members for drug use.) He was replaced by Audley Freed, but he didn’t play on this album. Bassist Johnny Colt left of his own accord and was replaced by Sven Pipien. Whatever the case, they made what I feel is a stellar album. The previous two were pretty dark, at least in vibe. This one had a lighter side, but reminded me of a good, classic rock album. It still reverted back to their old tricks on tracks like “HorseHead” and “Heavy,” but as the Crowes, they are allowed. They balance out the album just fine.

You want to talk about being more focused? This is the record where it happened. Almost all the typical jam vibes were replaced with solid rock songwriting. There isn’t a lot of psychedelic wandering or goofy lyrics. It’s a delicious blend of rock, gospel, and Americana. When this was released, I didn’t even know they had a new album coming out. I was in a store and saw it on the rack. I grabbed it without knowing anything about it and took it home for a listen. I was totally blown away, which is why I think this album sits comfortably in my #3 spot after their first two albums. These tunes made me feel something. When the amount of tracks I enjoy on a record soars past 50%, I’m fully invested. Whatever made them change course, it definitely worked. Rich, who played all the guitars on the album, somehow split himself into two, complimenting himself with different sounding guitar parts. I didn’t even know this when I got the album. I thought it was two players.

The one-two punch of “Go Faster” and “Kickin’ My Heart Around,” followed up by “By Your Side” is ridiculously effective. The chorus of “Only a Fool” will evoke the best of Stax, with its backup vocals and horn parts. Speaking of horns, the deep cut “Welcome to the Good Times” rose to the top of my list of favorite tracks pretty quickly. I love the rhythms and the overlapping horn solos. It sounded like a New Orleans jam to me, with some jingle bells holding down the tempo. “Go Tell the Congregation,” and “Diamond Ring” will not disappoint. “Virtue and Vice” sounds a little more like it belongs on Three Snakes, but you can’t deny its power.

Yeah, it’s slightly different, but it’s unmistakably Crowes. For all those critics who kept asking them to “return to their roots,” this is the one time they actually succeeded. I hope one day they make another album this good. I really enjoy it.

Line up:

• Chris Robinson – vocals and harmonica
• Rich Robinson – guitar
• Steve Gorman – drums
• Eddie Harsch – keyboards
• Sven Pipien – bass guitar

 

Lions (2001)

Odd goings on were happening around this time. The band moved labels again. Don Was was the producer, a bit of an odd choice for this band, I think. Sven Pipien was fired for whatever reason, so bass duties were shared between Rich Robinson and Don Was. Chris had started up a relationship with a 13-year-younger Kate Hudson (they would split in 2006). Life was happening.

As for the album, this is a tough one to get through. The label gave them artistic freedom, but Don Was was a very loose producer. Kevin Shirley, who produced By Your Side was structured, and took them in a certain direction which resulted in a great album. I don’t know what happened, but I do not think this is a great album, although I do like maybe three songs. The rest isn’t terrible, but it’s just there. Sometimes bands need a better producer. It’s a shame they couldn’t keep Shirley around. This felt like they reverted back to their jammy stuff.

I’ll say this. When I first heard the song “Lickin’,” I thought it was pretty great, and it’s still my favorite track on the album. I might be only person who thinks this, but I loved that it was different. It was one of the only really tight and focused tracks from the album. “Soul Singing” is my next favorite track, though it didn’t hit me right away. “Midnight from the Inside Out,” “Come On,” and “Greasy Grass River” are decent, but it sounds like they are trying to ape Jimi Hendrix every other song. Critics went on about their Led Zeppelin influence, but I heard a lot of Jimi. “Miracle to Me” is the one that felt almost like Led Zeppelin to me. “Cosmic Friend” should have started two minutes later, or maybe not at all.

I can’t tell if I like the fact that all of the songs run right into each other or not. I think this album was maybe necessary, but I can’t say I love it as a whole.

Line up:

• Chris Robinson – vocals, harmonica
• Rich Robinson – guitar, bass guitar, piano, vocals
• Steve Gorman – drums, percussion
• Ed Harsch – keyboards
• Audley Freed – guitar

 

Warpaint (2008)

After Lions, the band announced a hiatus. Then some odd line up changes happened which I won’t list here. There were solo albums and tours and such. Old members either left or returned, then left again. It was another strange time for the band. Eventually, they returned with this album, with a couple of new members on keys and guitar.

Things start off strong with “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution,” a track I really like. It’s melodic, catchy, and not overrun by too many loud guitars. “Walk Believer Walk” is like an old blues romp. “Oh Josephine” sounds like it could be playing in an old west saloon. In fact, the whole thing feels a little folk/country or Civil War era to me in the same way that The Band’s The Band or Big Pink albums do, or Elton John’s Tumbleweed Connection, or even the Eagles’ Desperado. I like when albums feel like they’re pulled out of time and placed elsewhere. That’s the vibe I get from Warpaint.

A couple of the tracks get a little heavier (“Evergreen,” “Wee Who See the Deep,” “Wounded Bird”), but they don’t detract from the vibe. There’s still a little Led Zeppelin floating around in songs like “Movin’ on Down the Line.” “God’s Got It” is another standout track for me. I’m a sucker for a good gospel stomp. I like this record quite a bit. When they start going into these areas of Americana, country/bluegrass, folk/blues, gospel, New Orleans style, and such, I really enjoy it. Not that I don’t like their older material, but this direction really works for them.

Line up:

• Chris Robinson – vocals, harmonica, percussion
• Rich Robinson – guitars
• Luther Dickinson – guitar, mandolin on “Locust Street”
• Steve Gorman – drums
• Adam MacDougall – keyboards
• Sven Pipien – bass guitar

 

Before the Frost…Until the Freeze (2009)

By the time this album came out, I had lost interest in the band. Actually, I lost interested after Lions. I didn’t even know Warpaint was a thing until long after its release, which is a shame because it would have rekindled my interest. I also had no idea that Frost/Freeze was a thing until years later. It was an odd experiment, so perhaps that’s why. It’s a double album, but only the first part was available on CD. Then you had to use a code to get the rest of it. It was all recorded live in front of an audience at Woodstock.

“Good Morning Captain” sets the tone here, and it’s a good one. The band is clearly continuing the rootsy sound they had on Warpaint. This is probably my favorite track. There’s another track that seems to come out of nowhere called “I Ain’t Hiding,” and it’s basically a disco track. I don’t know enough of the band’s history to know why this happened. Was it a joke? Were they serious? It’s kind of fun, but at the same time it’s very odd to hear Chris singing something like this. I do find it admirable that they try different things from time to time. The guitar solo is pretty kicking. Other notables are the Zepplin-esque “What is Home” from Rich, “Make Glad,” “Garden Gate,” and “Shine Along.” Some of the harmonies are great, especially on “So Many Times.”

So without mentioning every song here, suffice it to say that it’s an enjoyable collection, but outside of a few tracks, it’s not very memorable, though the performances and the talent are all still there. It’s nice to throw on now and then.

Line up:

• Chris Robinson – vocals, harmonica, gutiars
• Rich Robinson – guitar, sitar, vocals
• Luther Dickinson – guitars, mandolin
• Steve Gorman – drums, percussion
• Adam MacDougall – keyboards, vocals
• Sven Pipien – bass, vocals
• Larry Campbell – banjo, fiddle, pedal steel
• Joe Magistro – percussion

 

Croweology (2010)

I’m guessing that the band enjoyed the acoustic vibe of their previous album so much that they wanted to make another double album. For whatever reason, they wanted to re-record a ton of their existing material in a mostly acoustic setting with some different vibes, arrangements, and instrumentation. Necessary? No. Fun to listen to? Sure. Something I want to hear more of? Not really. It plays like a greatest hits album, and I know many people who have confused these versions with the album versions, thinking that this was a greatest hits collection. So in a way, I wish it didn’t really exist.

Line up:

• Chris Robinson – vocals, harmonica, gutiars
• Rich Robinson – guitar, sitar, vocals
• Luther Dickinson – guitars, mandolin
• Steve Gorman – drums, percussion
• Adam MacDougall – keyboards, vocals
• Sven Pipien – bass, vocals
• Charity White and Mona Lisa Young – backing vocals
• Joe Magistro – percussion
• Donny Herron – pedal steel, lap steel, banjo, fiddle

 

Happiness Bastards (2024)

After Croweology, the band went on another hiatus with sporadic live releases and the occasional show(s) until Rich announced the band was dead in 2015 due to internal squabbling about the business end of things. Everyone moved on, Ed Harsch died in 2016, and in 2019, the Robinsons seemed to realize they were nothing without each other and reunited. Smart move. So after a bunch of touring, they decided an album was in order. The band had changed a lot by then with drummer Steve Gorman leaving, replaced by Brian Griffin. Nico Bereciartúa took over on guitar. Erik Deutsch played keys. It wasn’t the same band so it wasn’t going to be the same vibe, of course. Someone close to me said that this album sounded like someone told AI to spit out a Black Crowes album. It’s hard to argue with that, but I’m going to give it another listen.

I don’t know much about its creation, but it does sound like typical Crowes fare. It’s better on repeat listens (this is maybe my third, and we saw the accompanying tour.) The whole album is a lean 38 minutes long. It’s pretty upbeat and fun, but the tracks you hear live are the only ones that really matter: “Bedside Manners,” “Rats and Clowns,” “Wanting and Waiting,” and if you’re into such things, there’s a duet with Lainey Wilson called “Wilted Rose.” I feel like she’s underused here, basically relegated to a backup singer.

With this album, I’m feeling a touch of AC/DC, and I don’t mean in guitar tone. The last zillion albums by AC/DC all sounded the same to me. This album seems like it’s going be the beginning of that, especially after hearing the following album, which has a similar sound. They seem to be trying to write angry, fun, party rock with the occasional ballad. We’ll see if I’m right five albums from now. I mean, it’s a new sound so that’s cool, but I miss the old stuff. Maybe they’ve evolved or matured again. At least they’re still making music.

Line up:

• Chris Robinson – lead vocals, harp
• Rich Robinson – guitar, vocals
• Nico Bereciartúa – guitar
• Erik Deutsch – keyboards
• Sven Pipien – bass, vocals
• Brian Griffin – drums

 

A Pound of Feathers (2026)

At this point, line up changes are just inevitable. Chris and Rich Robinson have now become Ray and Dave Davies, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Pete Townshend and… well… Pete Townshend. As long as the two of them are in the band, no one else really cares anymore. They’ve always written the tunes, and this album is no different. It was done a lot quicker this time, but the result, while better than the previous album, is closely matched in tone and attitude. Sonically, it’s a teeny bit rawer, but they’re basically doing the same thing. I think this collection of songs is more enjoyable, however.

The standouts are “Profane Prophecy,” “Cruel Streak,” “Pharmacy Chronicles,” “It’s Like That,” and maybe “Doomsday Doggerel.” I’m not sure I love the production on this record. The vocals sometimes sound like they’re coming out of a tin can connected to another tin can by a piece of string. The guitars are a little boxy. But as usual, the performances are solid.

But they are falling into that “all of our albums are gonna sound the same” trap. This is the second with this new sound. Will they go for the trifecta? Have they already peaked and written their best material? Are they making albums just to have an excuse to tour? Have they become a nostalgia act? We’ll see. Regardless, it’s always nice to hear from a great American rock band. Cheers to this fun catalog!

Line up:

• Chris Robinson – vocals
• Rich Robinson – guitars, bass, vocals
• Cully Symington – drums
• Erik Deutsch – keyboards
• Mackenzie Adams, Leslie Grant – vocals

 

Leave me a comment below with your favorite album, track, or album ranking.