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1990 - April: The Black Crowes ”Shake Your Money Maker”
The Black Crowes got their start as “Mr. Crowe's Garden” when Chris and Rich Robinson formed the band while attending Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia. The name comes from the children's book “Johnny Crow's Garden” by Leonard Leslie Brooke. They changed their name after moving to New York City where they met producer George Drakoulias who introduced them to music like The Faces and Humble Pie, and signed them at Def American.
Their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, gets its name from an old Elmore James blues song, though that song does not appear on the album. It was recorded in the summer of 1989 in Atlanta and Los Angeles. This debut turned out to be a rocket of an album, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard 200, and it has sold over 5 million copies. Readers of Rolling Stone magazine voted the Black Crowes “Best New American Band” at the end of 1990.
The Black Crowes are often compared to late 60's and early 70's acts like the Faces and the Rolling Stones. The group at the time consisted of Chris Robinson on vocals, Rich Robinson on guitar, Jeff Cease on guitar (the only Black Crowes album for which he would be a member), Johnny Colt on bass and Steve Gorman on drums.
The group would break up a couple of times, and reformed for a third time in 2019. They released an EP of newly recorded tracks called 1972 which consists of covers of songs released in 1972. They released a double live album in 2023 called Shake Your Money Maker Live.
Bruce presents this album which reinterprets the blues.
Jealous Again
The debut single from the band and the album would reach number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 5 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks charts. The song is about jealousy and the inner turmoil that it causes. There was a lawsuit against Gretchen Wilson for her song “Work Hard, Play Harder,” which was settled out of court. Chris and Rich Robinson were given songwriting credits for the track, along with an undisclosed sum in the settlement.
Struttin' Blues
This deep cut will be unfamiliar to those who haven't played the album or CD, but it gives you a good flavor for the album as a whole. It is pretty much a straightforward blues piece. “My baby got her engine hummin' Struttin' blues gonna' find me again.”
Twice As Hard
This is the starting track to the album. The lyrics are about the difficulties of leaving a relationship for the second time, or perhaps about getting off drugs. One theory is that it is a little of both, with the first time being when the guy leaves his love over her use of drugs, and the second time when he says goodbye at her funeral.
She Talks to Angels
One of the bigger hits from the album, this song reached number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Albums tracks. The riff and the lyrics are older, going back to their early days. The picture of the girl is an amalgam of girls they saw at clubs in Atlanta who would dress goth. Much of the lyrics were written early in Chris and Rich Robinson's life when hey really hadn't lived the drug lifestyle that they talk about. The song inspired Hootie and The Blowfish's song “Let Her Cry.”
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
Main theme from the television series “Twin Peaks”
David Lynch's quirky show got its start in this month.
STAFF PICKS:
Big Blue '82 by Daniella Dax
Wayne gets the staff pick party hopping with this deep but danceable cut. Danielle Dax is an experimental musician from England who tells a simple story of being newly in love with this song. Although not as well known in the States, Dax was big in the club circuit in Europe before switching to a career in interior design in 1996.
Nothing Compares 2 by Sinead O'Connor
Lynch brings us the unmistakable sound of O'Connor's biggest hit and cover of a song originally penned and performed by Prince. While the original was a funk and soul ballad, O'Connor strips the ballad down to a raw, emotional piece focusing on her powerful vocals.
Big Love by Robert Plant
Rob features Led Zeppelin's vocalist on a track from his third album, “Manic Nirvana.” This was the playful first single, and is filled with double entendres. Sexual innuendoes were common in Led Zeppelin songs, so this continues the tradition. It is about an affair with a flight attendant when it references “free air miles.”
Kiss This Thing Goodbye by Del Amitri
Bruce closes out the staff picks with a shuffle beat song off Del Amitri's second studio album, “Waking Hours.” Del Amitri will be better known to U.S. listeners for their 1995 single, “Roll to Me.” This song tells the tale of a love that has been over for a while, and the couple need to make the decision to move on.
LAUGH TRACK:
Heartbreaker (At the End of Lonely Street) by Dread Zeppelin
What do you get when you cross Led Zeppelin with an Elvis impersonator? Find out as we leave this week's podcast.
Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?”
NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.
Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock-worthy memes we can share.
Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!
**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.
View all episodes
By Rob Marbury, Wayne Rowan, Bruce Fricks, John Lynch
4.9
4747 ratings
The Black Crowes got their start as “Mr. Crowe's Garden” when Chris and Rich Robinson formed the band while attending Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia. The name comes from the children's book “Johnny Crow's Garden” by Leonard Leslie Brooke. They changed their name after moving to New York City where they met producer George Drakoulias who introduced them to music like The Faces and Humble Pie, and signed them at Def American.
Their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, gets its name from an old Elmore James blues song, though that song does not appear on the album. It was recorded in the summer of 1989 in Atlanta and Los Angeles. This debut turned out to be a rocket of an album, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard 200, and it has sold over 5 million copies. Readers of Rolling Stone magazine voted the Black Crowes “Best New American Band” at the end of 1990.
The Black Crowes are often compared to late 60's and early 70's acts like the Faces and the Rolling Stones. The group at the time consisted of Chris Robinson on vocals, Rich Robinson on guitar, Jeff Cease on guitar (the only Black Crowes album for which he would be a member), Johnny Colt on bass and Steve Gorman on drums.
The group would break up a couple of times, and reformed for a third time in 2019. They released an EP of newly recorded tracks called 1972 which consists of covers of songs released in 1972. They released a double live album in 2023 called Shake Your Money Maker Live.
Bruce presents this album which reinterprets the blues.
Jealous Again
The debut single from the band and the album would reach number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 5 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks charts. The song is about jealousy and the inner turmoil that it causes. There was a lawsuit against Gretchen Wilson for her song “Work Hard, Play Harder,” which was settled out of court. Chris and Rich Robinson were given songwriting credits for the track, along with an undisclosed sum in the settlement.
Struttin' Blues
This deep cut will be unfamiliar to those who haven't played the album or CD, but it gives you a good flavor for the album as a whole. It is pretty much a straightforward blues piece. “My baby got her engine hummin' Struttin' blues gonna' find me again.”
Twice As Hard
This is the starting track to the album. The lyrics are about the difficulties of leaving a relationship for the second time, or perhaps about getting off drugs. One theory is that it is a little of both, with the first time being when the guy leaves his love over her use of drugs, and the second time when he says goodbye at her funeral.
She Talks to Angels
One of the bigger hits from the album, this song reached number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Albums tracks. The riff and the lyrics are older, going back to their early days. The picture of the girl is an amalgam of girls they saw at clubs in Atlanta who would dress goth. Much of the lyrics were written early in Chris and Rich Robinson's life when hey really hadn't lived the drug lifestyle that they talk about. The song inspired Hootie and The Blowfish's song “Let Her Cry.”
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
Main theme from the television series “Twin Peaks”
David Lynch's quirky show got its start in this month.
STAFF PICKS:
Big Blue '82 by Daniella Dax
Wayne gets the staff pick party hopping with this deep but danceable cut. Danielle Dax is an experimental musician from England who tells a simple story of being newly in love with this song. Although not as well known in the States, Dax was big in the club circuit in Europe before switching to a career in interior design in 1996.
Nothing Compares 2 by Sinead O'Connor
Lynch brings us the unmistakable sound of O'Connor's biggest hit and cover of a song originally penned and performed by Prince. While the original was a funk and soul ballad, O'Connor strips the ballad down to a raw, emotional piece focusing on her powerful vocals.
Big Love by Robert Plant
Rob features Led Zeppelin's vocalist on a track from his third album, “Manic Nirvana.” This was the playful first single, and is filled with double entendres. Sexual innuendoes were common in Led Zeppelin songs, so this continues the tradition. It is about an affair with a flight attendant when it references “free air miles.”
Kiss This Thing Goodbye by Del Amitri
Bruce closes out the staff picks with a shuffle beat song off Del Amitri's second studio album, “Waking Hours.” Del Amitri will be better known to U.S. listeners for their 1995 single, “Roll to Me.” This song tells the tale of a love that has been over for a while, and the couple need to make the decision to move on.
LAUGH TRACK:
Heartbreaker (At the End of Lonely Street) by Dread Zeppelin
What do you get when you cross Led Zeppelin with an Elvis impersonator? Find out as we leave this week's podcast.
Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?”
NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.
Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock-worthy memes we can share.
Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!
**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.
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