Earlier this year the Black Crowes released the 30th Anniversary Deluxe version of their classic debut album Shake Your Moneymaker. And while the album technically came out 31 years ago (Feb. 13th, 1990), it's still nice to have the Brothers Robinson back in our lives again.
So with that, let's look at the Top 31 Black Crowes songs, spanning their career from 1990's Shake Your Moneymaker to 2009's Before The Frost/Until The Freeze.
31. "Virtue And Vice"
1999's By Your Side was the Crowes much ballyhooed 'return to rock' after dabbling in more hazy, experimental territory on 1994's Amorica and 1996's Three Snakes And Once Charm. Needless to say, it worked.
This song - a titanic Zeppelin-esque riff monster - is a fitting album closer, reminding you the Crowes could rock as hard as any band, they just didn't always choose to do so.
30. "Black Moon Creeping"
A deep cut off the Crowes second - and best - album, 1992's The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion, this loose-limbed but hard-rocking jam is a great showcase for the double guitar-interplay the Crowes featured heavily on this album. Marc Ford's talk box riffs and solos steal the show, but Rich Robinson's rhythm guitar and Steve Gorman's drums drive it home.
29. "Goodbye Daughters Of The Revolution"
By 2008's Warpaint the Crowes had re-entered their 'jam band' phase, with Chris Robinson's solo career casting a large shadow over the band's final two albums.
With that being said, the leadoff cut for their penultimate album has the vibe of a lost track from The Southern Harmony... with North Mississippi All-Star's Luther Dickinson's slide guitar painting the song beautifully throughout and propelling a catchy, but upbeat song to an all-out jam once the solo kicks in at 3:00.
28. "Good Morning Captain"
Recorded in front of a live studio audience the Crowes last album is a sprawling double album of electric and acoustic material fitting of a band who had long earned the right to make an album like this.
The leadoff track from that album rambles along with the same mid-tempo vibe as an Exile On Main Street deep cut until the chorus hits with Chris and Rich's vocal harmonies and Dickinson's slide guitar to lift it out of the murk.
Adam MacDougall's keys also add to the jam-band vibe, highlighted by the banjo and guitar harmony breakdown at 2:10 that would make Phish envious.
27. "Go Faster"
As previously mentioned, By Your Side was the Crowes big #ReturnToRock much like Metallica's Death Magnetic was their big #ReturnToThrash (or their return to using an actual snare drum).
And you have to hand it to Chris and Rich - they wasted no time slamming us over the head, right out of the gate with "Go Faster" - a souped-up, rollicking, four-on-the-floor rocker that features Rich letting rip with one Open-G riff after another, and Chris deciding to make sure he was heard more by honking away on the harmonica - think uptempo 90's-era Aerosmith without all the cheese.
26. "Good Friday"
The Crowes most underrated album finds them branching off into Led Zeppelin III-esque acoustic territory with nary a true rock and roll song amongst the bunch ("Nebekanezer", "Halfway To Everywhere", "Blackberry" notwithstanding).
Looking back, it's easy to see why this album was seen as disappointing. In 1996, radio was entering a post-grunge era where happy, upbeat and alternative music like No Doubt, Sublime, Sugar Ray, and Rancid sat along more straightforward rock like Matchbox 20, Hootie and The Blowfish, and Goo Goo Dolls.
With its echoing slide guitar, sad harmonica fills and overall stoner vibe, songs like "Good Friday" didn't fit anywhere in that spectrum, nor a jam-band spectrum alongside Phish, Widespread Panic, or Dave Matthews.
At least we can enjoy this album now for what it is - a great collection of songs that is effectively Led Zeppelin III crossed with The Band for Gen X'ers.
25. "...If You See California"
From Chris Robinson's 2004 solo album This Magnificent Distance, this isn't technically a Black Crowes song but features everything you would want in a slow-burning, open-road, mid-tempo ballad from the band.
All told, the Crowes do ballads better than rockers. And songs like this show why Chris is better doing "Wild Horses" over "Brown Sugar" each day of the week.
24. "Bring On, Bring On/How Much For Your Wings"
A lovely pair of experimental, open-tuning acoustic numbers that slot nicely next to each other on the back half of Three Snakes And One Charm. The Crowes never really got the credit they deserved for being able to pull off songs like this.
"Bring On, Bring On" features some beautiful "Ramble On"-style light and shade between the verse and chorus (the riff in the chorus is deceivingly heavy) before shifting gears to a coda that takes the song to a whole new level. "How Much For Your Wings" also gives us a tight, catchy, rhythm-heavy chorus like its predecessor, but still retains a loose drum circle/campfire feel.
Who else was making music like this in 1996?
23. "No Speak No Slave"
Dual-lead rhythm guitars? Check.
Riffs on top of riffs on top of riffs? Check.
Wah-Wah guitar solo? Check.
Chris Robinson singing, scatting and swaggering like Mick? Check.
This is as 'caveman' as the Crowes would get on "Southern Harmony...". And simply put, it rocks.
22. "I Ain't Hiding"
A song born out of the natural evolution of a band - who at this point - was over 20 years into their career. Disco beats, guitars that sound like synths, and shaft-style funk guitars; this isn't the Crowes trying to find a way to retroactively fit on the Boogie Nights soundtrack, but instead a band who wanted to keep trying new things. Does it work? Maybe, maybe not.
But that isn't the point. The fact that they can pull off an Allmans! At The Disco style song is all you need to know about this band.
21. "Seeing Things"
If there ever was a Crowes song that could slot perfectly into a sad, road trip, movie montage, or a triumphant 'moving on with my life' scene, it's this one.
Chris Robinson takes center stage on this slow-building power-ballad that, lyrically, shows these guys were actually just a couple of dudes from the South who always dreamed of bigger and better things.
(Side note - the backup chorus singers give this song that perfect *chefs kiss* to elevate it into the stratosphere.
20. "Sting Me"
The Crowes aforementioned second album was - for all intents and purposes - recorded in about 10 days and was, more or less, them hitting 'record', playing each song all the way through and then saying, "Yep, that's good. Next song". Some bands like Metallica take 10 months to record an album, recording each riff, drum part and vocal separately and piece by piece.
While that may work for metal, it's like going into a factory and watching an assembly line process and package food, as opposed to a chef and his constituents working in sync, in rhythm and cohesively through the kitchen on a busy Saturday night.
Every song on this album - including this rollicking album opener - has that feel that a band can only get from playing live, playing together and playing a song straight through, mistakes be damned.
19. "Better When You're Not Alone"
The 90's was the peak of a genre of music loosely defined as 'roots rock' - bands like Counting Crows, Blues Traveler, Hootie And The Blowfish, Sister Hazel, Gin Blossoms, The Wallflowers, to name more than a few - that tried to tap into a combination of Creedence, Mellencamp and Springsteen-style heartland rock, with a healthy dose of Tom Petty and R.E.M thrown in as well.
Strummy, acoustic guitars always formed the backbone of the songs, pianos and organs usually added color and every song was fairly upbeat, but still laid back (just like pretty much every Tom Petty song).
The Crowes, for the most part, fit under this same context with some of their songs but weren't seen in nearly the same light. A great example is this song, which has all the elements anyone would want in a 90's 'roots rock' song, but just didn't resonate because *shrug emoji* the Crowes weren't nice enough (Counting Crows, Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms), weren't classic rock royalty (Wallflowers), or couldn't hang at the frat house (Hootie, Sister Hazel).
It's probably for the best, though, that songs like this didn't get a million radio spins and is living out the rest of its time looping endlessly in Walgreens.
18. "Hotel Illness"
Another song that fits even better into the 'roots rock' genre, "Hotel Illness" sounds just as good the first time as it does the 700th time. Chris Robinson's harmonica and melody drive the song throughout, but listen closely for the subtle but tricky drum fills, piano lines, and slide guitar parts sprinkled throughout. Americana at its finest.
17. "Thick 'N Thin"
By the late 80's and early 90's hair-metal was still going strong, while grunge and alternative rock was on the rise. And in the middle of this came along the Crowes with their debut album full of Stones + Faces + Humble Pie 60's and 70's style Rawk N' Roll.
This song, a throwback raver in the style of a souped up Little Richard and Chuck Berry, sounded like nothing at the time - and even though it wasn't breaking any new ground, it's exactly what was needed at that time.
16. "Horsehead"
When the Crowes made By Your Side they were essentially a three-piece, with Rich Robinson handling all the guitar parts during recording. Perhaps that's what led to this album being more of riff-heavy than any Crowes release before or since, but either way, it works - especially on this song.
Arguably the heaviest song in the Crowes catalog, "Horsehead" riffs and swings like a cross between "Black Dog", "Misty Mountain Hop" and "The Ocean" with incredible push/pull + tension/release dynamics layered throughout. The slide guitar, coupled with the full backup singer chorus is heavy and heavenly at the same time.
15. "Lickin'"
The lead single off 2001's Lions, "Lickin" is more gutbucket riff and roll in the vein of "Horsehead" with the sleaze level (and amps) turned to 10.
An interesting aspect of this song is how minimal and dry the production is. Rich's guitar is panned hard left (a la Van Halen I) with no overdubs throughout, save for the guitar solo. There are no keys, organs or harmonica's. And while "Walk Believer Walk" from Warpaint does rawk with a heavy groove and strut, "Lickin'" would be the last time the Crowes rocked this hard and this raw on record.
14. "A Conspiracy"
Speaking of heavy (and groovy), "A Conspiracy" - our first song from Amorica on this list - shows why Steve Gorman is one of the most underrated drummers in all of rock.
This song's drum part may sound deceptively simple, but each section - the verse, pre-chorus and chorus - follows a different time signature, changes tempo ever so slightly, and most importantly is definitely recorded in one take.
For anyone still not convinced, check out the transition from the second chorus to the organ solo at 3:01 then back to the pre-chorus and final chorus. This is like driving a school bus around a cliff on black ice, but Gorman not only handles it perfectly he makes it sound easy, which is actually the hardest thing to do.
13. "Thorn In My Pride"
If we were ranking Black Crowes songs in tiers, Tier I would begin with "Thorn In My Pride", the second single from "Southern Harmony...". This song spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Album Rock Tracks chart(!?) in 1992* which explains A) How different rock radio was in the 90's and B) Just how popular the band was at the time.
While there are many Crowes songs in this style - laid back, bluesy jam with a chorus that sticks in your head - this has everything you would want in a Crowes song, and simply put, if an algorithm was going to 'build' a song from scratch by this band (yes, this is a thing) it would likely create "Thorn In My Pride".
* The idea of fairly mellow, slow-building, six-minute plus jam (with a 51-second intro, guitar solo and minute and a half long coda that changes key!), spending a month at the top of the rock charts in 2021 is, totally and completely, unfathomable.
12. "Sister Luck"
Another Tier I balled in the vein of "Thorn In My Pride", we're going to slot "Sister Luck" one spot higher for the simple fact that this song wipes the floor with every ballad that Aerosmith was putting out (to much higher fanfare) around the same time. If you stripped away all the cheese, all the sugar, all the empty calories that you get with late-era Aerosmith ballads, you get a song like this.
Listening to "Sister Luck" after hearing "Crazy", "Cryin'" or "Amazing" is a perfect palette cleanser and shows how the Crowes' minimalistic approach to songs like this works a million times better.
(Side note - the live version from the Shake Your Moneymaker 30th Anniversary release is spectacular)
11. "Twice As Hard"
Side 1, Track 1 on a debut album is always a dubious spot - especially during the CD era when skipping songs all of a sudden was one click away*
So how do you introduce yourself as a band? Like this. “Twice Is Hard” slaps, grooves, and swings. It’s heavy, melodic, and familiar all at once. When we get around to a “Best Of Side 1, Track 1’s” this will likely make that list too.
* It’s interesting that skipping songs is still basically unchanged 30 years later, even in the streaming era. Sure, you can swipe your headphones, or verbalize a song change to Siri. But 90% of people still likely tap their phone or computer to change songs.
10. "My Morning Song"
The most underrated song in the Crowes’ cannon. As the penultimate track on “Southern Harmony…” it doesn’t get a prime slot on the track listing, but perhaps the Robinsons were saving their best for last. Rarely do the Crowes mix heavy grooves with psychedelic textures in the same song. Except here.
The songs bursts hard out of the speakers with dueling guitars (checkout the deft slide work by Rich) and doesn’t let up for a full three minutes, before taking a left turn into more ‘hazy’ territory - (this part of the song sounds like a minute and half minute snippet of every Widespread Panic live show) - then building back to a full climax for the third chorus.
Check out the live version to see how the Crowes were really a jam band disguised as a hard rock band.
9. "Sometimes Salvation"
The most soul-searching song in the Crowes repertoire, “Sometimes Salvation” has a very “Simple Man”-esque quality to it. In the midst of this big rock and roll machine Chris brings you down to earth with one of the best, most affecting vocal performances of his career. Also, Marc Ford’s guitar solo (and tone) is perfect.
8. "Descending"
If “She Talks To Angels” is the Crowes “Free Bird” (more on that song later), then this is their “Tuesday’s Gone” - a beautiful/sad/hopeful tour-de-force of a ballad that’s perfect for late nights and early mornings when your mind wanders and you start to reflect on the day, the year, and everything in between.
(It also goes without saying keyboardist Eddie Harsch takes this song to another level with his piano playing)
7. "Kickin' My Heart Around"
The first of three songs in the Top 7 that are classic “Crowes, Track No. 2, gutbucket rawk ‘n roll songs” revolves around a personal story.
On my first trip to New York City (March of 2005), it was recommended I check out this bar/restaurant on West 22nd St. that had a reputation for serving great barbecue and was seen by the locals as a ‘Southern Bar’. I can’t remember the name of the place or know if it’s still in business, but I do remember when I walked in the last few notes of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” was wrapping up over the loudspeakers before immediately transitioning into “Kickin’ My Heart Around”.
The bartender immediately started air-guitaring Rich’s slide part, before switching to air-drums when the song kicks in, to then bobbing his head furiously when the main riff started at 0:23.
Needless to say, I was sold and stayed there for the next eight hours day drinking before walking home and passing out early that night (I forgot to mention it was also St. Patrick’s Day and an entire division of the FDNY came in after the parade and filled the bar to the brim).
Moral of the story? Getting drunk on St. Patty’s Day is fun. Getting drunk on St. Patty’s Day in NYC is more fun. Getting drunk on St. Patty’s Day in NYC at a bar filled with FDNY while listening to the Black Crowes is something you don’t forget (even after drinking for eight straight hours).
6. "Soul Singing"
A song that encapsulates the Crowes entire mantra and raison d’être as a band into a four minute masterpiece.
We’ve got…
1) A perfect sing-along chorus.
2) The long-standing brotherly conflict that occurred during its creation.
"I'd written this part where although the vocals changed the music stayed the same throughout. I thought we should add something or just not finish it, but Chris thought it was already a song, and a good one. So we talked about that one for a while", Rich recalled.
3) The Crowes fully morphing into the band from “Almost Famous” as Kate Hudson not only dated Chris Robinson, but also influenced the song as well.
Chris did grant that "Soul Singing" was written with Hudson in mind, and explained that the album's track order roughly follows a path from confusion to clarity that mirrored his own.
Every band has a sing-along chorus on at least one song. Every band has internal conflict. Every band has girlfriends who create turmoil within the group.
But when it’s the Crowes, it just means more.
5. "Wiser Time"
The closest the Crowes came to sounding like the Grateful Dead on record. This song foreshadows how the Robinsons approached writing road-weary ballads over the second half of their career (i.e. - more weed, less alcohol) that led to albums like “Before The Frost … Until The Freeze”.
Plus, this is the only Crowes song to feature a guitar solo (slide acoustic), a keyboard solo (electric organ), then another guitar solo (dual lead electrics) back-to-back-to-back. Phew!
4. "Hard To Handle"
One of the most interesting anecdotes from the recording of “Shake Your Moneymaker” is producer extraordinaire Brendan ‘O Brien being forced to record the guitar solo you hear on “Hard To Handle” because original Crowes’ lead guitarist Jeff Cease couldn’t get it right.
Cease was fired from the Crowes before they recorded their second album, saying about the band, “It was a very critical atmosphere and everyone was under scrutiny.” Cease later found his footing as a member of Eric Church’s band.
All drama aside, you have to hand it to the Crowes for becoming a household name because of a cover song and then not disappearing off the scene immediately like some bands.
And speaking of Mr. O’Brien and his production, this song does not become nearly as successful without its huge drum sound. In retrospect, this album (much like the first Stone Temple Pilots record that he also produced) almost sounds ‘too big’ and too perfect. But at the time, that was what was needed. And because of it, we still have Chris Robinson in our life.
3. "Remedy"
One of the Crowes strengths - that started with the “Southern Harmony…” album - was their ability to sound tight and together as a band, but also loose and swinging at the same time.
Part of this is in the recording process (playing together and playing live) but it’s more so Steve Gorman’s and Rich Robinson’s playing. Not since Bonham and Page did a drummer and guitarist sound like this together. This song in particular is one of the best examples of this interplay (and likely explains why Jimmy Page later toured with the Crowes in the early 2000’s playing Zeppelin songs and blues covers).
Heavy guitars that groove but don’t crunch. A drum part that liberally incorporates the crash and ride cymbals for the intro, verses, pre-chorus before switching to syncopated hi-hat rhythm for the chorus. A perfect marriage of Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones for Gen X’ers
2. "Jealous Again"
And speaking of the Stones…
The Crowes catchiest song struts with a very Stones-like swagger and energy that had been missing in rock since the mid-70’s. Styles of music cycle on and off, but after a decade chock full of synths, hair metal, reverb-drenched drums and very static, overproduced music, hearing “Jealous Again” in 1990 must have been a revelation of sorts.
The “stop, understand me” breakdown is pure rock + blues done perfectly.
*(“Hard To Handle” doesn’t qualify as the Crowes catchiest song because it’s a cover)
1. "She Talks To Angels"
During an episode of VH1's Storytellers (bring this show back Netflix or Hulu!), Chris Robinson explained “She Talks To Angels” is not about one person, but rather a "hot dog" (as he put it) of people that they knew from the Atlanta club scene in their early days. "Not all the best parts" explained Chris.
He went on to say there was always a girl in the club scene back then with really dark makeup (like Siouxsie And The Banshees), and after thinking about her one day, he scribbled the lyric "she paints her eyes as black as night."
From there he wrote an entire fictional biography about our dark makeup (and heroin addicted) lady friend along with the other members of the aforementioned ATL club scene into what became "She Talks to Angels."
On paper, that sounds like how Robert Smith wrote lyrics to Cure songs.
But in this case Chris (and brother Rich) created a masterpiece of classic and southern rock that has stood the test of time and continues to keep getting better.
Sometimes bands get lucky, sometimes bands are just good. Sometimes bands are both lucky and good. The Crowes came along at a time when rock ‘n roll needed a band who natural, organic and real.
This song is exactly that. And always will be.
