History Music / TheBlackCrowes

* ''Warpaint'' (2008): The comeback album. After reuniting in 2005, they'd worked out a several new songs through live jamming. When it came time to record, they decided not to record these road-tested songs, feeling that the material wasn't representative of where they were now. So they made Warpaint. Being from Atlanta, they've always had a bit of a southern edge to them, but this was their first album that could explicitly be called {{Southern rock}}. The most controversial thing surrounding the album, however, had nothing to do with The Crowes: Maxim magazine ran a negative, pre-release review. The Crowes then pointed out that, since the album hadn't been released, and they hadn't sent an advanced copy to the magazine, [[CaptainObvious that there was no way Maxim could have heard the album]]. Maxim was forced to admit that their review was based on hearing a few excerpts of select songs, and that they hadn't actually heard the record. The brothers Robinson, having disliked journalists since the band's earliest days, seemed more bemused than anything.

* Warpaint (2008): The comeback album. After reuniting in 2005, they'd worked out a several new songs through live jamming. When it came time to record, they decided not to record these road-tested songs, feeling that the material wasn't representative of where they were now. So they made Warpaint. Being from Atlanta, they've always had a bit of a southern edge to them, but this was their first album that could explicitly be called {{Southern rock}}. The most controversial thing surrounding the album, however, had nothing to do with The Crowes: Maxim magazine ran a negative, pre-release review. The Crowes then pointed out that, since the album hadn't been released, and they hadn't sent an advanced copy to the magazine, [[CaptainObvious that there was no way Maxim could have heard the album]]. Maxim was forced to admit that their review was based on hearing a few excerpts of select songs, and that they hadn't actually heard the record. The brothers Robinson, having disliked journalists since the band's earliest days, seemed more bemused than anything.

The Black Crowes were a {{hard rock}}/{{blues rock}}/{{southern rock}} band active from 1989 to 2002, and again from 2005 to 2015. Formed by brothers Chris (lead singer) and Rich Robinson (rhythm guitar), in Atlanta, GA, their sound was a deliberate throwback to the hard rock of the pre-punk era. They took influence from, and were often compared to, Music/{{Faces}}, {{Music/Led Zeppelin}}, and especially Music/{{The Rolling Stones}} (Entertainment Weekly went so far as to say, in a review of their first album, "The Black Crowes are to the early Rolling Stones what [[Creator/ChristianSlater Christian Slater]] is to the young [[Creator/JackNicholson Jack Nicholson]]: a self-conscious imitation, but fine enough in its own right.").

Regardless of whether you considered them as carrying the torch of roots rock, or plainly ripping off the past, one can not argue with album sales. The Black Crowes were one of the best-selling rock bands of TheNineties, having sold over 30 million records. As everyone else went forward with electronic experimentation, The Crowes seemed to challenge themselves to go in reverse. While their first two albums are pure hard rock, their third (Amorica, [[ContemptibleCover the one with the female pubic hair on the cover]]) had a rougher, more {{garage rock}} sound. Their next album went for {{psychedelic rock}}, which was followed by a record of [[SoulMusic soul]]-influenced rock, then {{blues rock}} before going "on hiatus" (really, an unannounced breakup).

* Shake Your Money Maker (1990): Debut album, contains some of their most popular hits. This album was a surprise success; in the era of {{heavy metal}} and the rise of {{alternative rock}}, nobody expected a blues-based album to reach number four on the Billboard 200. This is their only album with original guitarist Jeff Cease, and is named after a blues song by Elmore James (a track the Crowes had been playing for years, but which is not present on the record). The album brought them many comparisons to Music/{{The Rolling Stones}}.
* The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992): Building off the success of their first album, this one made it all the way to number one. Musically, it's very similar in style to their first, but with more counterpoint and syncopation. The debut of fan-favorite guitarist Marc Ford. The name of this album comes from the full title to William Walker's influential hymn book, originally published in 1835, which was the first written record of many Southern gospel songs.
* Amorica (1994): [[ContemptibleCover The one with the woman's crotch on the cover]]. First, they recorded an album named "Tall," but decided against releasing it. Some of those tracks would be reworked and rerecorded for this record. This was their first stylistic change. While still definitely a hard rock record, this record saw much studio experimentation, with significant overdubs being used to create each track (in contrast, their first two records were almost "live in the studio" affairs). The record sees a more hard-edged, {{garage rock}} sound. Critics appreciated the growth, the general public was... less enthusiastic. Some accused them of attempting to jump on the {{grunge}} bandwagon that they had originally scorned (not knowing that the sound they were aiming for is the sound [[OlderThanTheyThink grunge evolved from]]).
* Three Snakes and One Charm (1996): Feeling inspired after opening for {{The Grateful Dead}} a year earlier, this album carries a {{psychedelic rock}} flavor. Also, they felt that Amorica's studio experimentation did more harm to the tracks than good, so this album sees a return to a "no-frills" recording style. This is Chris Robinson's favorite Crowes record.
* By Your Side (1999): [[HistoryRepeatsItself First they recorded an album called "Band," but decided against releasing it]]. An attempt to recapture the commercial success of their first two albums. This record has a more {{soul}}/R&B influenced sound, with a polished, radio-friendly production (produced by Kevin Shirley, comparisons were made to {{Aerosmith}}'s Nine Lives). Critical reaction was mixed, but sales did pick up slightly from their last two records. This record was supported by a co-headlining tour with {{Lenny Kravitz}}.
* Lions (2001): Coming off a tour with Jimmy Page, this is their most Led-Zeppelin sounding record. More blues-influence than they'd done since their first two records, but with a harder sound. Some of the soul sounds of their previous record are still present, and a deliberate attempt was made to get hits. Ultimately, sales were about the same as for By Your Side, and after years of animosity between the Robinson brothers, the band broke up (though they announced it as "going on hiatus").

* Before The Frost... Until the Freeze (2009): Double album of new material, recording live and acoustically in front of an audience in Woodstock, NY. Their most folk/country rock album by far. They took influence from, and got positively compared to, [[Music/TheByrds Gram Parsons]]. Only the first disc, Before the frost... was physically released; it came with a download code to get the second half, ...Until the freeze. A double disc vinyl set was also released, featuring the the full album, but with a different running order.

* Live at the Greek (2000): Live, double album recorded at the Greek Theater with [[Music/LedZeppelin Jimmy Page]]. A surprising best-seller, it's notable for being one of the first albums sold as downloadable content over the internet. The digital copy was made available in February, while a physical CD wasn't released for another four months. Downloads were so much higher than expected that the server crashed multiple times. Somewhat uniquely, customers were able to create their own tracklist, and only pay for the songs they wanted. The album is mostly Led Zeppelin covers, with a few blues standards thrown in; The Black Crowes' record company refused to allow their own songs (which were played evenly with the Zeppelin material) to be released. Bootlegs of the lost numbers circulate amongst fans of both artists.
* The Lost Crowes (2006): Double-CD of tracks from the unreleased "Tall" and "Band" sessions. Some tracks are early versions of tracks that would be rewritten for Amorica and By Your Side, while others were abandoned altogether. Still, these are not the complete sessions, as fan bootlegs contain [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes several more tracks from both albums that were not included]]. It does provide a great insight into how albums take shape, {{what could have been}}, and gives official release to some heavily bootlegged material.
* Croweology (2010): Another double album, this time of live, acoustic recordings of their greatest hits. Many songs extend several minutes beyond their original album length, thanks to extended jams. Both hard rockers and ballads are present, showing the full range Crowe material getting the acoustic treatment.

* {{Contemptible Cover}}: To the general public, the only memorable thing about Amorica was it's cover, which itself was the cover of Hustler's bicentennial issue: a close-up of a woman's crotch, wearing an American-flag thong, with some pubic hair sticking out of the sides. To the band's shock and confusion, nobody batted an eye to the American flag imagery, but the minor bits of hair caused {{Moral Guardians}} to protest, and after major retailers refused to carry the album, an alternate cover was created. The alt. cover has everything except the thong blacked out. Re-issues use the original cover, however.

* [[Music/DoubleEntendre Double Entendre]]: The scrapped album that became ''Amorica'' was named "Tall." A pretty innocuous title, it could reference them being at "the height of fame" or something. It's also old {{jazz}} slang for getting high...

* {{Mascot}}: Kinda. They don't have a named character, but a pair of cartoon crows show up on a lot of their posters and merchandise. Early on, they were drawn like stoned versions of WesternAnimation/{{Heckle and Jeckle}}, but in later years, perhaps in an effort to avoid lawsuits, they've changed into a more unique design. Nowadays, they usually appear to be tired blues musicians.
** Fun fact: bassist Johnny Colt has the original Heckle and Jeckle design tattooed on his left forearm. One has to wonder how he felt about that ink after quitting the band in '97.

* {{Nobody Loves the Bassist}}: They've gone through four bass players. On the Lions album, Rich played all the bass parts himself. However, Johnny Colt is a pretty well-respected bassists, and the rhythm section formed by him and Steve Gormon was especially praised on Amorica and Three Snakes and One Charm.
* {{Out of Genre Experience}}: The band never defined their sound strictly enough to qualify for this, however, it was certainly out-of-genre for [[Music/WeirdAlYankovic Weird Al Yankovic]] when he directed the music video for their single, "Only a Fool." It's not even a particularly humorous video. But for some reason, it was shot by one of the funniest satirists in music.
* {{PunBased Title}}/{{Stealth Pun}}: America + amor ("love" in Spanish) = Amorica
* {{Punk Rock}}: totally averted by the band, as The Black Crowes. However, when they first formed in 1984, as Mr. Crowe's Garden, they were a punk band. They took inspiration from fellow Atlanta [[AlternativeRock alt rockers]] {{REM}}, and even performed a showcase gig at CBGB's. While their musical style would move past punk into their more well-known sound, they held tight to many alternative rock ideals, e.g. a disdain for corporate sponsorship (which got them kicked off a tour with {{ZZ Top}}), support of alternative media (the High Times cover), and free distribution of their music (the ...Until the Freeze album).

* {{Rockumentary}}: Who Killed That Bird Out on Your Window Sill. Released in 1992, and mostly focusing on their tour in support of The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. Also has interviews, music video shoots, and select live performances, including some of their MTV Unplugged show, and part of their 1991 Monsters of Rock set, where they played in front of 1.6 million people in Moscow, Russia.
* {{Shout Out}}: They were originally named Mr. Crowe's Garden, as a tribute to the children's book Johnny Crow's Garden by L. Leslie Brooke; the Robinson bros. used to be read the book by their parents when they were children.

* {{The Stoner}}: The band made the cover of the July, 1992 issue of High Times magazine. They smoke. Well, except for Rich (maybe), who is famously...
* {{The Teetotaler}}: Rich Robinson, standing in stark contrast to his older brother, Chris. At least initially. In a Rolling Stone interview given in 1990, Chris said he worried for his brother, since he didn't drink or do drugs, and he wanted to make sure he could unwind. In later years, Chris would call the whole band "dedicated stoners." Yet, after breaking up, Rich was said to have been the only one sober throughout all the band's history. It is unknown if Rich still abstains from substances, but if he does imbibe, he's certainly never had any problems because of it.

* Shake Your Money Maker (1990): Debut album, contains some of their most popular hits. This album was a surprise success; in the era of {{heavy metal}} and the rise of {{alternative rock}}, nobody expected a blues-based album to reach number four on the Billboard 200. This is their only album with original guitarist Jeff Cease, and is named after a blues song by Elmore James (a track the Crowes had been playing for years, but which is not present on the record). The album brought them many comparisons to {{The Rolling Stones}}.

The Black Crowes were a {{hard rock}}/{{blues rock}}/{{southern rock}} band active from 1989 to 2002, and again from 2005 to 2015. Formed by brothers Chris (lead singer) and Rich Robinson (rhythm guitar), in Atlanta, GA, their sound was a deliberate throwback to the hard rock of the pre-punk era. They took influence from, and were often compared to, Music/{{Faces}}, {{Music/Led Zeppelin}}, and especially {{The Rolling Stones}} (Entertainment Weekly went so far as to say, in a review of their first album, "The Black Crowes are to the early Rolling Stones what [[Creator/ChristianSlater Christian Slater]] is to the young [[Creator/JackNicholson Jack Nicholson]]: a self-conscious imitation, but fine enough in its own right.").

* {{The Band Minus the Face}}: After their second breakup, Rich Robinson formed The Magpie Salute with other former Crowe's Marc Ford and Sven Pipien.

* [[Music/DoubleEntendre Double Entendre]]: The scrapped album that became Amorica was named "Tall." A pretty innocuous title, it could reference them being at "the height of fame" or something. It's also old {{jazz}} slang for getting high...

* {{Spiritual Successor}}: Both brothers have started their own bands to carry on the Crowe's legacy. Chris now fronts The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, a jam band. Rich has rounded up several former Crowes to form The Magpie Salute.

* {{Keep Circulating the Tapes}}: While they have many classic examples (which can be read about in the "trivia" section) they also personally endorse the practice. Taking inspiration from their heroes, {{Music/The Grateful Dead}}, they are perfectly fine with fans recording shows and trading them, as long as no money changes hands.

* {{Big Name Fan}}: [[Music/LedZeppelin Jimmy Page]], to the extent that he toured with the band, essentially acting as a third guitar player in The Crowes. They released a live album, recorded at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.

* Live at the Greek (2000): Live, double album recorded at the Greek Theater with [[Music/LedZeppelin Jimmy Page]]. A surprising best-seller, it's notable for being one of the first albums sold as downloadable content over the internet. The digital copy was made available in February, while a physical CD wasn't released for another four months. Downloads were so much higher than expected that the server crashed multiple times. Somewhat uniquely, customers were able to create their own tracklist, and only pay for the songs they wanted. The album is mostly Led Zeppelin covers, with a few blues standards thrown in; The Black Crowe's record company refused to allow their own songs (which were played evenly with the Zeppelin material) to be released. Bootlegs of the lost numbers circulate amongst fans of both artists.

* Before the frost... Until the Freeze (2009): Double album of new material, recording live and acoustically in front of an audience in Woodstock, NY. Their most folk/country rock album by far. They took influence from, and got positively compared to, [[Music/TheByrds Graham Parsons]]. Only the first disc, Before the frost... was physically released; it came with a download code to get the second half, ...Until the freeze. A double disc vinyl set was also released, featuring the the full album, but with a different running order.

** [[GunsNRoses Slash]] has also said of them, "The Black Crowes were one of the bands that came out around the time that Guns N Roses was [[Music/UseYourIllusion just peaking]] and there weren't too many, you know, blues bands around. Just guitars, bass drums kinda bands. They're still just one of those bands that just does what they do, and do it well. And they do it with heart. And they still have, for the most part, the same sound they had when they started out, and that was against the grain to begin with." The beginnings of what would eventually become Velvet Revolver also began when Slash was jamming with Crowes drummer Steve Gorman.
** [[Music/PeterFrampton Peter Frampton]] applauded them for bringing a dirty, fuzzy sound back to blues rock, after the clean, synth-heavy 80s.
** Shortly after the release of {{Music/Nevermind}}, Mtv News identified Chris as being a Big Name Fan of {{Music/Nirvana}}. In an interview, Chris said, "Everyone was so fascinated by Nirvana, because they sold so many records. Why couldn't you be fascinated by them because [[Music/KurtCobain that guy]] writes really good lyrics, and they rock, you know? No one really mentioned any of that."

* {{Promoted Fanboy}}: Chris is a lifelong fan of [[Music/TheGratefulDead The Gateful Dead]], and was ecstatic when the Crowes opened for them in '95. He has since shared bills with several Dead members successor bands, and his own post-Crowes band (The Chris Robinson Brotherhood) is heavily Dead influenced.
** Chris also had this to say to Rolling Stone magazine: "To me it's so obvious I'm a [[Music/TheSmallFaces Steve Marriott]] rip-off that I never think about [[RodStewart Rod]]. I admit it. Steve Marriott is the guy, him and [[Music/{{Free}} Paul]] [[Music/BadCompany Rodgers]] and [[Music/TheAllmanBrothersBand Gregg Allman]]. The thing I do with the mike stand, I picked that up from [[Music/{{Aerosmith}} Steven Tyler]]."

** Chris also had this to say to Rolling Stone magazine: "To me it's so obvious I'm a [[Music/TheSmallFaces Steve Marriott]] rip-off that I never think about [[RodStewart Rod]]. I admit it. Steve Marriott is the guy, him and [[Music/Free Paul]] [[Music/BadCompany Rodgers]] and [[Music/TheAllmanBrothersBand Gregg Allman]]. The thing I do with the mike stand, I picked that up from [[Music/Aerosmith Steven Tyler]]."

** Do yourself a favor and do a Google image search for "Black Crowes poster" or "Black Crowes art." For nearly every one of their live shows, they have a unique poster painted, something that few (if any) bands have done since the mid-70s. Their preferred art style is also a throwback to 60s era {{psychedelic rock}} bands. Many posters feature their "mascots," a pair of stoned, blues-musician black crows, who look suspiciously like {{Heckle and Jeckle}}.

* {{Mascot}}: Kinda. They don't have a named character, but a pair of cartoon crows show up on a lot of their posters and merchandise. Early on, they were drawn like stoned versions of {{Heckle and Jeckle}}, but in later years, perhaps in an effort to avoid lawsuits, they've changed into a more unique design. Nowadays, they usually appear to be tired blues musicians.

The Black Crowes were a {{hard rock}}/{{blues rock}}/{{southern rock}} band active from 1989 to 2002, and again from 2005 to 2015. Formed by brothers Chris (lead singer) and Rich Robinson (rhythm guitar), in Atlanta, GA, their sound was a deliberate throwback to the hard rock of the pre-punk era. They took influence from, and were often compared to, Music/{{Faces}}, {{Music/Led Zeppelin}}, and especially {{The Rolling Stones}} (Entertainment Weekly went so far as to say, in a review of their first album, "The Black Crowes are to the early Rolling Stones what Christian Slater is to the young {{Jack Nicholson}}: a self-conscious imitation, but fine enough in its own right.").

** Chris also had this to say to Rolling Stone magazine: "To me it's so obvious I'm a [[Music/TheSmallFaces Steve Marriott]] rip-off that I never think about [[RodStewart Rod]]. I admit it. Steve Marriott is the guy, him and Music/{{Free! Paul}} [[Music/BadCompany Rodgers]] and [[Music/TheAllmanBrothersBand Gregg Allman]]. The thing I do with the mike stand, I picked that up from [[Music/Aerosmith Steven Tyler]]."

* {{Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly}}: Of a sort. While they're most easily classified as {{hard rock}}, their specific sound/sub-genre shifts with each album.

* {{Double Entendre}}: The scrapped album that became Amorica was named "Tall." A pretty innocuous title, it could reference them being at "the height of fame" or something. It's also old {{jazz}} slang for getting high...

* {{Ascended Fanboy}}: Chris is a lifelong fan of [[Music/TheGratefulDead The Gateful Dead]], and was ecstatic when the Crowes opened for them in '95. He has since shared bills with several Dead members successor bands, and his own post-Crowes band (The Chris Robinson Brotherhood) is heavily Dead influenced.
** Chris also had this to say to Rolling Stone magazine: "To me it's so obvious I'm a [[Music/TheSmallFaces Steve Marriott]] rip-off that I never think about [[RodStewart Rod]]. I admit it. Steve Marriott is the guy, him and Music/{{Free! Paul}} [[Music/BadCompany Rodgers]] and [[Music/TheAllmanBrothersBand Gregg Allman]]. The thing I do with the mike stand, I picked that up from [[Music/Aerosmith Steven Tyler]]."

* By Your Side (1999): [[HistoryRepeatsItself First they recorded an album called "Band," but decided against releasing it]]. An attempt to recapture the commercial success of their first two albums. This record has a more soul/{{R&B}} influenced sound, with a polished, radio-friendly production (produced by Kevin Shirley, comparisons were made to {{Aerosmith}}'s Nine Lives). Critical reaction was mixed, but sales did pick up slightly from their last two records. This record was supported by a co-headlining tour with {{Lenny Kravitz}}.

* [[Myspeld Rökband]]: There's an extra "e" in "crowes," either to look cool or for copyright reasons.

* Before the frost... Until the Freeze (2009): Double album of new material, recording live and acoustically in front of an audience in Woodstock, NY. Their most folk/country rock album by far. They took influence from, and got positively compared to, [[Music/TheByrds Graham Parsons]]. Only the first disc, Before the frost... was physically released; it came with a download code to get the second half, ...Until the freeze. A double disc vinyl set was also released, featuring the "full album," but leaving out several tracks (to fit the time requirements of vinyl LPs), and, bizarrely several tracks that were left off the CD/download versions.

* {{Myspeld Rökband}}: There's an extra "e" in "crowes," either to look cool or for copyright reasons.