The Black Crowes

[Vacant Horizon]

i watched a show on Travel Channel last night - Johnny Colt: At Full Volume - seems like this may be a regular show? he went to Thailand and did some adventure-y things - did some Thai fighting/boxing, got a Thai tattoo on the back of his head, did some rock climbing, was around cobra snakes, etc... kind of interesting to watch...

 

?

[Vacant Horizon]

i tried listening to the vinyl sequence and i didn't like it. bands know what's the cream of the crop. the first disc is excellent. however, i don't think the last song fits. it's better on the second disc. aside from greenhorn which is amazing, the second disc seems like the band is experimenting with some new sounds that they may get into next time around.

 

btw, i love luther. such a regular guy. watched some vids of him on youtube and he is just so cool. can't wait to dive into the allstars too. seen them open for several bands, but never paid much attention, except for when he played an electric sitar:)

[Analogman]

?

 

Johnny Colt

 

Much like Wilco, The Black Crowes have had several members over the years.

[Vacant Horizon]

Johnny Colt

 

Much like Wilco, The Black Crowes have had several members over the years.

 

 

okay.

[Analogman]

Speaking of that, it's funny how they are separated in the photo on the cd sleeve. I think the cover art on the new album is sort of crappy.

[Vacant Horizon]

Speaking of that, it's funny how they are separated in the photo on the cd sleeve. I think the cover art on the new album is sort of crappy.

 

 

you don't like the After the Frost cover? i like it. i wish the new wilco had something similar. i tend to like minimalist landscape fotos though. i wish there was a different foto for the bonus album.

 

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

[Analogman]

you don't like the After the Frost cover? i like it. i wish the new wilco had something similar. i tend to like minimalist landscape fotos though. i wish there was a different foto for the bonus album.

 

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

 

I have only heard/own the Chris solo albums. I think the album cover is boring, and does not really suit the music. I would have used a photo from the actual recording session.

[Vacant Horizon]

I have only heard/own the Chris solo albums. I think the album cover is boring, and does not really suit the music. I would have used a photo from the actual recording session.

 

 

oh yeah, something from that awesome barn they recorded in.

[Analogman]

It could just be me. I have never really cared for any of their album covers, except for The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. Although, anything is better than the Three Snakes and One Charm cover art.

[BobLamonta]

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.

[Vacant Horizon]

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.

 

 

thanks for the info. really need to check out ford's releases if he's into neil.

 

so you were at the cabin shows! tell us more!

 

btw, didn't rich have a band called hookah brown and circle something? any info on those?

[mjpuczko]

out of the 3 members who put out solo albums, i still think marc's first one is my favorite. had no idea what to expect and there are some great songs on it. sure, his voice isn't like chris' (not many have that voice) but it fits his songs nice. marc's last two albums have been more blues based & are just average to good. some great guitar playing but songwriting seems to have fallen off. i will say, i love chris' solo work but live, it was probably the best show i've ever seen. it was in a smaller club in minneapolis, cold february day & not many people there. he played for like 3 hours with some amazing covers thrown in. i've never heard rich's solo album. i should check that out sometime.

[Analogman]

thanks for the info. really need to check out ford's releases if he's into neil.

 

so you were at the cabin shows! tell us more!

 

btw, didn't rich have a band called hookah brown and circle something? any info on those?

 

After the announcement of the band’s hiatus, Rich formed a new outfit called Hookah Brown. The band (featuring John Hogg on vocals, bass, guitar and keyboards, Bill Dobrow on drums and Fionn O Lochlainn on bass, guitar, harmony vocals and electric piano) was an attempt to create a sound that was a little different from The Black Crowes. Robinson handled most of the songwriting, with Hogg contributing lyric and melody ideas to some material. After their debut gig at Arlene's Grocery in New York City, the band entered Robinson's Globe Studio to record a few original tracks. Included on this demo were "Cut the World," "Know Me" and "Black Cloud," among several others.

 

After completing the demo sessions, Hookah Brown began touring clubs and other small venues throughout the United States. The gigs were well received and it appeared that the band was on the cusp of success, both commercially and critically. In April 2003, however, it was announced that Hookah Brown would be going their separate ways and that Robinson would be continuing as a solo act. The guitarist later revealed that the expense of operating a full band on tour without the backing of a record label proved too much and forced the disbanding of Hookah Brown. In fact, John Hogg abruptly left Hookah Brown, followed by Fionn O Lochlainn & Bill Dobrow after a contract was presented to them by Robinson's New York lawyer.

 

Robinson continued to tour throughout the end of 2003 and well into 2004. His band featured a consistently rotating line-up, with drummer Bill Dobrow and bassist Gordie Johnson (ex-Big Sugar) being the only fairly regular faces. By August, Robinson had a full album of original material ready for release. Entitled Paper, the record featured many new songs in addition to some reworkings of material from the Hookah Brown period. Robinson handled guitar, bass, and other instruments as well as taking over the lead vocals, with the gaps being filled in by Joe Magistro (drums), Eddie Harsch (keyboards), Donnie Herron (fiddle, violin) and his own son Taylor Robinson (percussion).[1]

 

During breaks from touring with The Black Crowes, Robinson found time to assemble another band, Circle Sound. Featuring Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi All-Stars), Bill Dobrow, Sven Pipien (The Black Crowes) and Rob Clores (The Black Crowes) in addition to himself, the band played a handful of gigs on the east coast and are expected to perform again in the future.

 

Since we are talking about side projects, and whatnot:

 

Foamfoot

 

On January 8th, 1994 at the Troubadour in Hollywood, several members of the Black Crowes joined up with a handful of other artists for Foamfoot. Chris Robinson and Marc Ford of the Black Crowes played with Jimmy Ashurst (The JuJu Hounds), Eric Bobo (Cypress Hill), Gary Louris (The Jayhawks) and Andy Sturmer (Jellyfish). The show was an impromtu gig, however, it was recorded for possible release by the band.

 

Walk in My Shadow ~ written by Paul Rogers

Bottle of Red Wine ~ written by Eric Clapton & Bonnie Bramlett

Tin Soldier ~ written by The Small Faces

Take the Highway ~ written by Marshall Tucker Band

Deal ~ written by Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter

Love Me Till The Sun Shines ~ written by The Kinks

Long Time Gone ~ written by Crosby, Still, Nash

Jemima Surrender ~ written by Levon Helm & Robbie Robertson

One Way Out ~ written by S. Williamson

Presence Of The Lord ~ written by E.C. with Blind Faith

 

Sweet Pickle Salad

 

Chris Robinson (Black Crowes) - vocals

Marc Ford (Black Crowes) - lead guitar

Craig Ross (Lenny Kravitz) - guitars

Andy Sturmer(Jellyfish) - drums

Jimmy Ashurst (Ju Ju Hounds) - bass

Roger Manning (Jellyfish) - keyboards

 

Tracklist:

1 - One man's anger

2 - Limits

3 - Clothes and food

4 - State of the notion

[mjpuczko]

if you can get your hands on the marc ford/chris robinson shows from the malibu inn (i think 2001), do it. they are freakin' amazing.

[Analogman]

It's this one, isn't it?

 

January 27th 2002 (Crowesbase link)

 

Red Balloon (Marc & Chris only)

He's A Friend Of Mine (Marc & Chris only)

I Used To Be A King

Stealin'

Dark End Of The Street

The Man In Me

Sing Me Back Home

Old Blue (w/Chris on guitar)

Long Black Veil

What's Happening?!?!

The Dolphins

- encore -

Got Love?

Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad

[mjpuczko]

yep. and there's one from february i believe.

 

they are worth getting just for dark end & used to be a kind. chris picks the best damn covers.

[Analogman]

yep. and there's one from february i believe.

 

they are worth getting just for dark end & used to be a kind. chris picks the best damn covers.

 

You are right. It did not come up when I did a search the first time.

 

February 10th 2002 (Crowesbase link)

 

Hard Time Killin' Floor (Marc & Chris only)

Are You Ready For The Country? (Chris on guitar)

Wheels

Ballad Of Easy Rider

Evening Blue

Southbound Train

It's Not Easy

Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man

What's Happening?!?!

I Know You Rider

- encore -

King Bee (Chris on guitar)

Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun (Chris on guitar)

[Vacant Horizon]

yep. and there's one from february i believe.

 

they are worth getting just for dark end & used to be a kind. chris picks the best damn covers.

 

 

dude, yes. great covers!

[BobLamonta]

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

[mjpuczko]

i agree, 1997 was probably the peak. i'd start, personally, with 1995-1997. that 2 year stretch was great. sadly, i only saw two shows during that time. i really think once they got back together in 2003 or whatever, they were amazing & tight as hell. two bad marc left. and even more so, imo, ed. i miss ed more than marc. especially live. i've said it before, that new keyboardist has been terrible at the few live shows i've seen with him. sounds like he has oven mitts on.

[Analogman]

I saw Moke. It was the same Mountain Stage show where I saw Jay Farrar.

 

I have some shows, as well as, The Covers Collection, Foamfoot, Sweet Pickle Salad, and the Tall discs that mjpuczko sent me.

 

There is also:

 

Chris and Rich Robinson

Birds of a Feather: Live at the Roxy

 

1. "Horsehead"

2. "Cursed Diamond"

3. "Over The Hill" (John Martyn cover)

4. "Magic Rooster Blues" (new Black Crowes song)

5. "My Heart's Killing Me"

6. "Better When You're Not Alone" (DVD only)

7. "Forgiven Song" (Rich Robinson solo song)

8. "Someday Past The Sunset" (previously unreleased Chris Robinson solo song)

9. "Welcome to the Goodtimes" (DVD only)

10. "Roll Um Easy" (Little Feat cover)

11. "Soul Singing" (DVD only)

12. "Cold Boy Smile" (new Black Crowes song)

13. "Bring On Bring On" (DVD only)

14. "Driving Wheel" (Tom Rush cover)

15. "Leave It Alone" (Rich Robinson solo Song)

16. "Polly" (Gene Clark cover)

17. "Darling Of The Underground Press"

18. "Jealous Again" (DVD only)

19. "Forever Young" (DVD only)

20. "Thorn In My Pride"

 

If I recall correctly, one of those shows made its way to a BT site. The show includes songs that were going to be on their next album, which they did not put out due to the departure of Marc and Ed. At least, I think I recall reading that somewhere.

[mjpuczko]

i think i have quite a bit from the 2003-2005 shows plus a few shows from the 90's. also the cover me with a dream, foamfoot & sweet pickle salad. maybe even mr crowes' garden (though i've never listened to it). i should go through my crowes cd jacket. i even have some decent New Earth Mud shows

[BobLamonta]

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.

[Analogman]

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.

 

That's right. He also played on her album Twelve.

[Analogman]

I also have:

Rehearsals for unreleased "The Band" album, The Band/Nashville Sessions, and a 2 disc B-Sides collection.

 

The shows I have are:

10/9/1996

5/25/2005

8/5/2005

8/9/2005

10/10/2005

2/21/2009 (Mp3's only - that is how it was sent to me)

 

There is a version of Dreams on the Cover Me With A Good Dream set from this show:

 

29 March 1995 - Fox Theater - Detroit, MI (Crowesbase link)

 

It is amazing.