The Black Crowes

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: Every post on this site is meant to be a constantly evolving diary of my musical views. Therefore, any and all posts should be considered incomplete at any given time.

Like many of the early-90’s bands that rose to major prominence, Black Crowes are a band I liked at first, but fell off my radar when I became an indie-snob in the mid-90’s. I briefly re-visited an appreciation for them in the early 2000’s, purchased their first 4 albums in the Sho’ Nuff boxset, but then I sold those albums. Fast forward to 2021, and suddenly, I can’t get enough. I attribute that to hearing about the Shake Your Money Maker deluxe edition. Their first LP is a masterpiece, and re-visiting them prompted me to dive headlong into their catalog.

Black Crowes are a fascinating band, seemingly driven by the polar opposite personalities of the brothers Robinson (Chris and Rich). Chris is a frontman on the level of Mick Jagger or Axl Rose. Or Liam Gallagher, and speaking of Oasis, the Crowes also share mirror the trajectory of the Brit-rock legends. Rich, on the other hand, is a quiet anti-star. And judging from long-time drummer Steve Gorman’s excellent tell-all Hard to Handle, the brothers fight. ALOT.

Yet somehow, they’ve managed to make a career of it, and there’s been a lot of great music beyond first 2 very well-known LP’s.

All things considered, the story is pretty simple: Atlanta-area brothers adore early R.E.M., start their own band in the late 80’s, attract some industry attention, get re-introduced to the Stones, transform their sound accordingly, and become perhaps the last of the legendary classic rock bands. 

So let’s dive in to the Black Crowes’ discography!