BobLamonta

Hope you enjoy them. In my years as a Crowes obsessive, Deadheads tend to like Three Snakes more than the others, so I'll be curious to hear your take. If you find you enjoy those albums, I could send you some shows from the '96-'97 tour that perfectly encapsulate that era. In fact, the Furthur '97 tour, where they just wailed in front of Dead fans for an hour every night, is probably my favorite period in their history. A mix of the balls out rock music of their youth with the more psychedelic and/or cosmic country leanings of their latter years. Great stuff.

Oh, and Amorica is like a vintage-era Little Feat record turned up to 11. The percussion, the vaguely Latin grooves, the song structures that seem so simple but are generally more complex than you realize... man, that album does it for me every time.

And I agree with Analogman as well. If you like that stuff at all, you've got to check out the "Lost Crowes" which has the Tall album (pre-Amorica) and Band album (post Three Snakes). Both are chock full of country rock ballads that will melt your heart (Wyoming & Me, Thunderstorm 654, My Heart's Killing Me, so many great songs)

I agree that the country-rock thing is probably what they should stick to these days. It's certainly where Chris' head (and throat) seem to be at lately. That being said, I would highly encourage you to go back and give Amorica and Three Snakes another chance. Granted, these albums came out when I was a teenager, so I have especially fond memories of them (early driving albums, if you will), but I still contend that they feature many of the finest songs they ever wrote, impeccably performed and recorded (the latter props going to Jack Joseph-Puig, an engineering mastermind who dealt with a lot of great mid-90s bands like Jellyfish and such). 

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy BTF/UTF, but Amorica has songs like Wiser Time, Descending, Nonfiction, Ballad In Urgency, all sorts of mid-temp, vaguely country-ish rock songs that, to my ears, are more powerful and resonant than anything they've done before or since. Three Snakes is similar. And the ensuing tour for that album is like Grateful Dead Europe '72 good. The kind of thing that anyone with ears would enjoy (I say that as someone who likes, but doesn't love the Dead. Even I can't argue with the results of that period. All classic material).

The one show I caught was an awesome experience. I regret never attending a Midnight Ramble during my years in New York, but I'm glad I at least had a chance to witness something musical on Levon's farm. I saw the March 1st show, which was far enough along in the run that I'd already read a good deal about most of the songs they were performing. Nevertheless, the evening was still full of surprises for me and everyone else. The whole idea behind Cabin Fever reeked of a typical Pete Angelus PR stunt, so the best thing I can say about the experience was how genuine and sincere it all felt in execution. The band appeared legitimately excited to be performing all-new, untested material in front of their die-hard fans (and even in the back where I was, they were still only a few yards away from me - the place is tiny), and their gratitude and relative humility (this is the Robinsons after all) was really refreshing. The swagger was in the songs and the performances, not in the "show," if that makes any sense.

I will pat myself on the back for having attentive ears because after they played Good Morning Captain (which is easily one of my favorites off that album), I remember paying attention to Luther (which I rarely have before or since) and admiring the out-of-control squeal of his guitar after the song finished. Luther is a talented guy, but I rarely heard him throw out little bits of color like that which Ford so reliably brought to the table. Anyway, I remember loving that song and loving his performance on the outro. Cut to hearing the album itself for the first time, many months later. That song finishes, that squeal is there and I smiled to myself knowing they must have stuck with the take I witnessed. When I watched the Cabin Fever DVD, it was confirmed that a number of the more old-school Crowes rock songs had originated from the March 1st show, given that this was the night C&R both wore all black (as seen in the video). Anyway, that album will never mean to me what the Holy Trinity of SHAMC/Amorica/TSAOC will, but it's a damn fine collection of songs, and massive kudos to the band for such a risky and creative move on their part - especially that many years into their career when they could have easily just settled into a comfortable, nostalgic groove.

Sorta like they did in 2013. Final dig, I promise! Plus, I can't blame them for wanting to refill the coffers. If by-the-numbers, greatest hits touring every few years gets us more solo RR tours (and I'll take CRB as well for good measure), then sign me up. Totally worth it.

I really like BTF/UTF as well and was fortunate enough to attend one of the Cabin Fever shows. I know a lot of the 20+ year die-hards were disappointed because it didn't "rock" hard enough, or whatever, but I enjoyed the new direction well enough (though I wish Rich had driven the bus a bit more - "What Is Home" is more interesting to me than most of Chris' work on that album). That being said, anyone who hasn't heard some of the live recordings from '96-'97 really should. Chris' voice is unbeatable from that tour. He's rarely, if ever, yelling or screaming. It's just raw power and  soul. The closest he's ever come to idols like Otis Redding or Rod Stewart. When you hear him belt out the ballads from back then, you're hearing a truly great white soul voice. These days, it's just a shell of the past (with more Southern twang for good measure). My two cents at least...

You're ight about the acoustic shows. Those tend to be my favorite latter-day Crowes recordings, as they emphasize the material and range Chris is most comfortable with these days. I've been listening to a bunch of the Instant Live shows from '05-'06 lately, and even those are pretty weak vocally (compared to the glory days of the mid-90s, that is). Of course, the band is so amazing, it tends to make up for Chris' screeching. I've enjoyed the other lead players at various times, but you can run through a dozen different Ford solos on any given '05-'06 show and it only serves to underscore just how perfectly matched his talents were for this band. No one else comes close.

Even watered-down Crowes is stellar, so I'm sure if I caught a show with the new line-up I'd have fun, but I imagine you're right that there isn't much of a reason to explore the recordings in earnest. Bring on the next Rich solo offering!

One of the most frustrating things about a being a Black Crowes fan is that there are few reliable forums for fan discussion and information. Most of the semi-official boards are drowning in a sea of petty squabbling among the loudest and most obnoxious posters, and these places rarely have any decent insight into legit developments in the Crowes camp. Fortunately, then handful of folks in here are keeping things civil and largely up-to-date, so sincere thanks for that! I can't believe I'm just now hearing about the CRB San Fran Live release (which seemed like a given, though the involvement of Betty Cantor certainly piques my interest - let's see how her ears have aged!).

One other bit of legit news I can throw in the mix is that according to a recent interview with Rich, he will put out a new solo album next April and will tour behind it. Rich is my favorite member of the band, and I really loved his last album, so I'm anxiously awaiting that one.

If I may play the role of lover expatriate for a moment, I'll sheepishly admit that I haven't seen or heard a show from this past tour yet, despite being the type of old-school nerd who has roughly 550 Crowes tracks on his iPod. I really admire Jackie Greene's talent as a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, but the small bits I've seen on YouTube just make me long for the days of Marc Ford like all the other 90s obsessives. That being said, the bigger stumbling block for me for any live Crowes after the early aughts is always Chris, who just doesn't have the ferocity and power of the old days (understandably so). Don't get me wrong, I really love his recent solo work, plus BTF/UTF and all the acoustic, country-rock stuff the Crowes have been doing in recent years to cater to his current vocal sweet spot. That material definitely works for me. On the other hand, I just went through a bunch of Europe '97 shows and holy shit what a rock singer that guy used to be! I mean, take the time to A/B one of the belters like "Sometimes Salvation" from '96 vs. anything since they've reformed and it's a reminder that as amazing as CR may still be, he can't hold a candle to the singer he once was. That Three Snakes tour, for all the drug problems and internal discord, is just unbeatable.

It's late and I'm rambling, but if anyone can point to a '13 show that stands tall alongside the best of the mid-90s and the '05-'06 years (where Chris' voice was often shot, but the band played arguably better than any other era), I'd welcome the recommendation.

Hope a Nashville date gets added. I've seen a couple 'Hawks-less Gary shows and they are always awesome. As heretical as it may be, I think I prefer his tenure as bandleader to when the Univoice was in charge (though HTH and TTGG are basically perfection). He's one of the very best we have and one of the few that I will make a point to see anytime he's in town. Here's hoping he gets us another "Vagabonds" soon. That album was stunning.

Rich has always been my guy in the Crowes. In a band of stellar musicians and interesting personalities, he's always been my favorite. Chris may have the iconic voice, but those songs, those chord progressions, that "sound" is Rich to the core.

That being said, I would imagine that the vast majority of average Black Crowes fans (not die-hard obsessives like the ones who post on internet forums) think of the Black Crowes as Chris' band, and his presence is enough to warrant a ticket or two for the solo revue, whereas Rich is the "brother who plays guitar," ya know?

Rich's (now former) manager posted a resignation note on Facebook apologizing to the fans for the misguided Kickstarter campaign (while simultaneously getting some passive-aggressive digs at the fans as well). He noted that Rich had been against the idea from the beginning, and who knows if that's true, but it's nice to think that Rich would recognize the potential backlash in such an ill-conceived venture.

FWIW, the kickstarter project has been pulled down. They'd only raised 2k or so after the first week, and it was clearly not going as they'd hoped. I love Rich and wish him nothing but the best with his solo venture, but hopefully he'll start getting some better career advice soon.

I posted this on a Crowes board as well, but since this forum as a much higher rate of civilized discussions, I thought I'd weigh in here...

I'm not the type for the apoplectic internet response, but this move by Rich and his management has me shaking my head in disbelief.

Why embark on a tour you can't afford? I only made it through the first minute of that terrible video (Rich was funny, but the hambone playing his manager... oh man), so I'm assuming they aren't necessarily looking to fund the existing dates. If so, that just seems like a colossal mistake. But even if the goal is to expand their tour base and go somewhere other than Western Europe, shouldn't there be evidence in the marketplace that people want this? Like a booking agent who says, "Yeah, I can get more than 4 Bulgarians to watch Rich Robinson and his solo revue. Bring 'em over. We'll pay!"

This whole campaign seems to say, "We know there isn't a significant market for our live show in other countries, but dammit, we still want to go anyway! Please pay for our vacation abroad!"

And $75k?!? That seems ludicrously high for an artist with such a small solo following. The funny thing is, the stink of hubris could be lessened if they made the goal a semi-reasonable $10k (and I'm not sure he'll even get that). The way kickstarter works, you can receive donations waaaaay beyond what you asked for, but if you set your target too high, you don't get a dime. There are truly amazing stories on that site, like the one where a designer needed $15k for an iPod watch thing, and he got almost a million bucks. This will not be one of those stories.

Oh, and for additional evidence of the inspiring brain trust that is managing Rich's solo career. Why am I finding out about this for the first time on an some fan-funded message board? I know I've given my email address to every Crowe-related endeavor over the years (Thirty Tigers definitely has my info), and like all of you nerds, I've spent thousands of dollars over the years devoting my ears to these goofs, so why is it that they can't send me an email blast saying, "Dear asshole we've milked dry in the past... We'd like more of your money, please!' Honestly, that usually works on me. I bought like three copies of Rich's solo album. Just because I'm stupid. You should have targeted an idiot like me. How did you miss that?

I take no joy in the internet pile-on, but man this one really deserves it. It's a good album and a good live show, but it was never going to set the world on fire. Be happy with the small success on this one, Rich. It's still success.

Side-note. I'm halfway through the "I Want My MTV" oral history and there are some choice Angelus bites in there. A fun, breezy read, with no shortage of debauched stories (many from the aforementioned Angelus).

Wild Wood is an amazing album, and of all the Weller solo stuff I've heard (most of which is quite good), it's by far the best. I can't imagine Wilco fans not finding something to enjoy on this album. Great stuff.

I'm curious when Wilco's set begins at these Ryman shows. I'm going Sunday, but I've got family obligations that evening, so I'm hoping Wilco doesn't hit the stage 'til 9p or so. How long has Nick Lowe's opening set typically been?

I did a search and didn't turn much up on Elbow around here. They have a new album out this week, "Build A Rocket Boys!" (digital only in the US for now), and like their previous four albums, it's a stunner. I know they finally exploded in popularity in the UK with the previous album, so maybe they're uncool now (?). They seem too emotionally forthright and unapologetically ornate to be embraced by a lot of the US indie rock fanbase, but given the success of bands like Arcade Fire and The National here, I've always been surprised that Elbow weren't huge in America (at least hipster-rock huge).

Anyway, fans of early Peter Gabriel should definitely check out Elbow's new album (and all their albums for that matter). I'm not generally a lyrics guy, yet Guy Garvey's lyrics frequently get to me, and as a fan of precisely constructed, impeccably arranged art-rock, I'm not sure Elbow has an equal these days.

lowered to $35...

Email sent.

So, I think I've got it figured out: disregarding nostalgia, the mono versions are pretty much pointless.

I disagree. I'm neither old enough (a mere 31) to remember the original LP releases, nor do I have any audiophillic (not a word) tendencies, but I bought the Mono box set because I've always hated the wide separation of the stereo mixes present in most of their catalog. Even the more sophisticated stereo mixes on Sgt. Pepper and the White Album often have drums and bass crammed into the left channel and lead vocals only on the right. That always made these albums seem dated to me, even though I knew the music itself was timeless.

Suffice to say, hearing the mono mixes this week was (cliché alert!) a reintroduction to the band for me. I highly recommend them to anyone who is on the fence. And if you're a headphone-reliant city dweller who can't crank your home stereo (jeers, tiny apartments and social niceties!) and can't listen to music in a car because you don't have one (cheers, mostly reliable subways!) then these mixes are an absolute MUST!

Yeah, the Brothers Of A Feather shows were amazing. Analogous to a solo Tweedy show. Just the songs, stripped down to their essence. I saw two of the NYC shows, and they were concert-going highlights to be sure. I also caught both of the Rich/Luther Circle Sound shows, which were really cool. It seemed pretty clear that they were test-runs for Luther/Rich compatibility more than anything. Great blues covers and such.

Oh, and Rich's friend Patti Smith came up and did some poetry during one of their jams. NOBODY saw that coming.

If anybody's interested in hearing some of these side projects, I've got lots of live stuff (though I'm misplaced my Chris/Marc '02 shows, which are great).

"Hookah Brown" is Rich's solo album with a better singer, John Hogg from British band Moke (who's 2nd album, Carnival is really good and was produced by Paul Stacey, the guy who did all Chris' solo stuff and the last two Crowes records). There are some demos that leaked and all the shows were taped. Some of them sound really good.

The '94 Foamfoot show is awesome. Marc is on fire all night, and I'm a massive Jellyfish fan, so it's awesome hearing Andy Sturmer rip into those drums. Likewise, the Sweet Pickle Salad EP (which is Marc & Chris plus Jellyfish) is stellar. Easily my favorite moment of all the side projects.

If anybody is interested, send me a PM and we can work out a trade or B&P. I've got lots of this nonsense to spread around to willing ears.

tapetrader.com/boblamonta

Oh, and the one Cabin Fever show I saw (3/1) was awesome. Levon's place is tiny (200 people were there, but they filled every crevice of that small barn). The live sound was terrific and the band sounded great (as you can now hear on the finished albums). They played songs two and three times in a row to get a suitable take and were joking around in between. They would also adjust arrangements and tempos slightly between takes. Nothing huge, like rewriting a bridge or anything, but I remember Rich and Chris talking a lot between takes about how many bars a refrain should last, stuff like that. And they definitely had Steve change tempos between certain takes. A really cool process to watch.

There's been talk about whether the final product is truly live, though I think the handful of flubs (and Chris' overall vocal performance) would suggest it most certainly is. Steve, the most level-headed and bullshit-free of the original members, has been handling press for the new album and he said that the songs released are complete takes. He didn't say there weren't any overdubs (I suspect some of the better backing vocals might have been sweetened), but he didn't indicate that anything was patched together or recorded at a later time, etc.

Also, as much as I love the current line-up and the direction they're heading, if you want to hear the band's finest moments as an old-school rock band, pick up one of their '97 Europe shows from liveblackcrowes.com. Sound is perfect and the performances are basically flawless. Chris' voice never sounded better (still had the upper register) and the rest of the band was firing on every possible cylinder. Awesome stuff.

This post was too long... sorry

btw, are the marc ford solo albums any good? how about rich and chris's solo stuff?

I'm a super nerd when it comes to the Crowes; have hundreds of bootlegs, all the solo stuff, blah blah blah. Suffice to say, it's probably no great surprise that, like most bands, they are definitely greater than the sum of their parts. So you definitely want to start with the band's albums first. The Holy Trinity in the eyes of most fans would be Southern Harmony through Three Snakes (I also include the two amazing "lost" albums during that '92-'97 period, "Band" and "Tall") Incredible songs, playing, production, the whole enchilada on those records. I find moments of greatness in the other release as well (again, super nerd fan), but everything else is much spottier.

As for the solo stuff... you basically get each half of the classic Crowes sound with the Robinson solo releases. The killer riffs, open G tuning, and trademark descending chord progressions are all over Rich's album "Paper" (as is his less than stellar voice, which I've grown to love, but is certainly an acquired taste), and the unmistakable voice and tentative genre exploration (the funk, folk, disco, et. al) are on Chris' solo stuff (This Magnificent Distance is a much, much better album than his first one, IMO).

Marc is the wild card. He did no writing/singing with the Crowes, so his first solo album was an introduction in a way. Turns out the guy is a Neil Young fanatic (no real surprise there). "It's About Time" is considered his best solo project (only one I've heard), and like Rich's it suffers from his less than wonderful singing, but the songs are really solid, and the production has an unmistakable 70s Neil vibe to it. Obviously, there is some great guitar playing as well.

I'm really loving the new album. I attended one of the Cabin Fever shows, and it's really cool to see the album turn out as well as it did. A great couple gigs spawned a great couple albums.

There's room in the schedule and there's nothing booked for the days after. My hopes are high.

I'm counting on it now. Just tried to get tickets 5 minutes after they went on sale and there's nothing left. Damn.