Shake Your Money Maker

Annoying bar music.

Give me the Stones or give me Hootie but don't give me both. D+

This album was a breath of fresh air in a period that had hard rock / hair metal being pushed aside by grunge. Along come the Robinson brothers with their blues-base true-rock record.

This was a very important album for me. I bought it right when it released and listened to it constantly. I also saw them on this tour, at a small club in Oakland called The Omni. Sadly, not around any more. They are an amazing live band. I've always loved how loose and bluesy this album is. It definitely deserves to be on this list.

Fantastic blues rock record. A classic.

This album is full of typical bar rock. Southern band raised on the Stones, Humble Pie, and Otis Redding. Nice to listen to, sing along to, listen to while downing a few beers at your local watering hole, maybe gaining enough courage to go on stage and karaoke to one of these tunes. Mostly, this album could be indistinguishable from any other southern bar band album, although I do love Chris Robinson’s voice. The songs are familiar feeling in a way that made them feel like Insta-classics. Seeing Things is the bluesiest track. I love the song, but I don’t love Robinson singing it. The Otis Redding cover Hard to Handle fits his voice well and I recall it being a big hit. Thick n Thin is a swinging bop. She Talks to Angels has a special place in my heart forever, and this album gets a whole star just for that song alone. I’ve both been that girl and I know that girl. Overall, solid album.

I legitimately forgot this album and band existed. It's weird how some bands stick around in the Zeitgeist while others fade completely despite having similar track records. The album starts out really strong, but then the songs start to sound a bit samey. It's good, but it fades into the background because there's not a lot of tempo variation. There are some slower songs, but I can't say that I'm terribly impressed with songs like Seeing Things. Some of the other songs are good but start to feel like cultural appropriation (lookin at you, Hard to Handle. Talks to Angels is a good song that feels more original. 3/5

<3

I don't own a combine harvester, so this album is not for me. There is no passion or originality here. Proof that being boring is often worse than being straight up bad. I had more fun listening to the Spotify ads in between.

One of my favorite albums, from one of my favorite groups. Not to mention one of the best debut albums

A real classic. This was already one of my favorites. It is full of great roots rock. She Talks to Angels is an all-timer

This album was fine, but I don't have a ton to say about it. It was probably refreshing at the time to hear a throwback to music from the early 70's (got a lot of Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones vibes from the Black Crowes) so I can see why it was successful; however, the band didn't seem to take many chances to make themselves unique within the blues-rock genre. Interestingly enough, I feel like this group could have really only succeeded in that very specific year of 1990: this probably was a breath of fresh air in the aftermath of 1980s synth and glam rock, but I feel it would come off as boring or date the following year when grunge and alternative took over the scene. Their biggest song, Hard to Handle, and the opening track, Twice as Hard, were the standout tracks to me upon the first listen, and while the rest of the songs are solid, they do kind of blend together by the end of the record. Not a bad album by any means, but it ultimately did not give me a reason to come back. 2.5/5.

No need to skip any, very enjoyable. Love the piano rock

I enjoyed the Black Crowes when I first heard them in the early '90s. Some of their songs are superb in my opinion, and I think most of my favorite Black Crowes songs are on this album (e.g., Hard To Handle, She Talks To Angels, Jealous Again, Sister Luck, and more). I love the guitar work on this album but I never know if it's Rich Robinson or Jeff Cease I'm hearing when I'm admiring what I hear (like that real sweet bluesy lead in 'Sister Luck'). I know Jeff Cease is named lead guitarist for this album, so I'll give this another couple listens to see what I pick up (no, that's not meant as a guitar pun). I hadn't listened to this album in a very long time - probably decades - and, dang, it really holds up well. Love the rootsy-bluesy-gritty-rock-meets-gospel sounds. Chris Robinson is a really great singer. I would've loved to have seen them in concert when they toured to support this album.

Always been a favorite.

Awesome southern/blues rock album

Safe for Hard to Handle, I had no idea this band was a thing and loved being able to find hard, bluesy rock in the 90's as opposed to having to travel in time to Led Zeppelin.

At the top of their game!

Bloody excellent album!

This is a jam, got this blues rock thing.

🖤🖤🖤

Decent southern rock. Not genre defining, but solid. Love the voice, good hooks.

This is alright rock music. Some nice riffs, some nice choruses, singing's teetering between good and decent. "Hard to Handle" is the obvious highlight here, and easily the best song on this album. I kept wishing I liked this a lot more but I just didn't. It was fine

These guys are fine. I guess they opened the door for others to borrow some pretty recognizable sounds of the 90s. Nothing really stood out to me, but I was also fully immersed in that decade as I was growing up and all of the bands kinda blended together as their sounds washed over me.

“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.”

Came out in the 90s, sounds like its from the 70s, still good in the 20s. Its classic rock made 20 years after classic rock stopped but they put their own twist on it, very soulful.

Hit after hit after hit after hit: Twice as Hard, Jealous Again, She Talks to Angels & the incomparable Hard to Handle. What a debut album for the kings of southern rock. The instrumentation and harmonies and laid back, summer saturday BBQ groove of this album gets an A+ from me. Need this one on vinyl!

Good, solid, slammin' rock and roll! Kind of a surprise 5 stars for me. I knew I liked their songs that I'd heard before, but didn't realize they all came from the same album! Hard to Handle has been one of my favorite rock songs since their version hit. Jealous Again & Twice as Hard are nearly as good, with great edge, wonderful hooks and tight playing. She Talks to Angels show a bit of a softer side, but still packs a punch. Even the lesser songs on this album show off the strength of the ensemble, with the fantastic organ sounds bringing a feel of the best of The Band or Procol Harum. This album, simply, rocks and will be in my collection in regular rotation, esp. for road trips with the windows down!

The Black Crowes are a band I drifted away from and then came back to (Stone Temple Pilots is another). Their hits really "hit" but their b-sides and album tracks are middling. But the first album is very solid. I recently picked up the anniversary edition (if you can, try to get the Target version. It is basically the music in the box set without all the extra crap, trinkets and tchotchkes.) It's funny how everyone assumes "Hard To Handle" was a Crowes original. I never understood why they couldn't play that one with Page (they couldn't do any Black Crowes material on that fantastic album they did because of recording rights, but "H2H" could have been done...?) Although my favorite track of theirs is not on here, this is a very good (if not great) album. Solid all the way through.

Really surprised here. I have always loved the Black Crowes on the radio but I also always asked myself whether they were just a band with a bunch of good singles. I have never listened to any of their albums cover to cover. Even before I started listening to this album I looked at the track listing and thought whoa. That was the surprise - this album looked stacked. It did not disappoint. Big sound, lethal guitar work, heavy southern and blues rock (honkytonk piano to boot), great vocals. Turns out most of the songs I love from these guys (Twice as Hard, Jealous Again, Hard to Handle) are on this album. And if I ever get good enough to play guitar in front of people I will play She Talks to Angels - my singing also sucks but if I can pick & pluck my way through that song it won't matter. A true classic (can't believe Rich Robinson wrote that at 15). The non-hits were just as good (Sister Luck, Think N Thin, and Struttin Blues were particularly good). So I have my answer - they were amazing on one album. I still say they were largely average the rest of their career (second album was alright). But THIS album! A beauty.

The Wolfmother paradox - the ability to imitate your influences with such perfection that the final product is devoid of any personality or imagination. What should be an oil painting becomes a blueprint. His mumbling and at times incoherent singing is actually kind of endearing to the point of hilarity, especially on Hard to Handle - so fun to sing along with. (also my album highlight, verging on perfect rock song). Five stars for making me think about it so much

Definitely on my list now💪😎🤘

Fantastic! I didn't think I would like this album much, but I was proved very incorrect. It's a lot of fun. The drums are tight, the vocals are energetic, the guitars are rocking, I like it a lot. "Hard to Handle" is obviously the best known song of the album, but pretty much every song is good too. Very glad I heard it.

Amazed. Perhaps not every single track was perfect, but the first one hits so hard and there are lots of good ones scattered throughout the album. Not just the singles. So much so that I went looking for bonus tracks and other albums as soon as this was done and I never have energy for that. This is a keeper for life now.

Love this album. Honestly feel it is one of the most underappreciated of the 90s. Absolute classic. 5/5

wow, this is a far better album than i remembered... solid, straight-ahead rock and roll

Feels like a CD I should have bought in my 20s

Decent. Better than I thought. I really dislike "Hard to Handle" so I thought the whole album was gonna be like that and thankfully it wasn't really. Dude was very hard to understand for most of it but musically it sounded really nice and my kind of southern rock. Wish the vocals were more intelligible but otherwise solid.

Great album and it landed right when it was most needed. We were coming off the hair-band era and needed some southern rock that everyone could get behind. I was never a big Chris R fan in the day, but his scoopy vocals really add character and grit to their otherwise clean sound. 4.0

Great stuff, thin Lizzy meets wolf mother, first track is exceptional

southern rock that was played all over the summer it came out. I remember it well. given what was popular when it came out, it wasn't a huge surprise they got lots of air time.

I was too cool for this album when it came out but picked it up in the mid 2000s. Now it reminds me of Napster and bud light, both of which are gone from my life, but this album lives on.

Crowes can competently cos-play classic cock-rock.

It's a generic early 90's hard rock album with 60's rock influence. The old school influences aren't enough to set it apart, in my opinion. Not bad, just mediocre.

I had no idea the sound recording in town halls could be so good. Who's responsible for capturing this 70's country-rock tribute act? Where was it recorded? Has anyone tracked down members of the audience to get their take on this historic moment? Surely these aren't originals. Not in 1990.

Incredibly generic Seeing Things is good. Thick N Thin sucks so much. That sound is everything I dont like about this genre. Woefully bad Hard to Handle is a pale imitation of the original Even the good parts are quite cringey It's actually worse second time around

a collection of cleanly recorded, highly derivative Stones song-types. They can play their instruments well but they forgot to bring anything new to the table.

The exact non-descript music you've heard playing faintly on the speakers of your local terrible dive bar on a Tuesday evening - nothing even remotely worth paying attention to and you're only there because the drinks are dirt cheap.

Really disliked this. I believe they were touted as the new Rolling Stones of the 90’s, but none of this has the swing/swagger of Stones music from the 60’s to the end of the 70’s. Hard to Handle is like Peter Frampton or Huey Lewis, kinda fun to sing along to, but lifeless and formulaic overall.

Go eat a dick you little crowey cunts. This hurt my hymen.

Great album, but Southern Harmony is my favourite of theirs. I'm hoping that's on the list too.

This is a great first rock album, full of the Crowes trademark energy that lasted them throughout their stellar career.

Can’t believe I’ve never heard this album before

Southern blues rock at its finest. 5/5

Holy!! This is legitimately everything I love about rock music.

Excellent Album!! Hearing the sound quality of a 90s album playing top quality rock n' roll is a true delight! The songs are energetic, vibrant and alive! I Love It! 5 Stars

Rocking bar music. For those who love a little Hootie mixed in with their Stones.

I’m a sucker for blues based rock

I’m gonna give this album a 5 because it’s fun and I don’t have a big dump in my pants.

blues/southern rock

An absolute banger. One of the best debut albums ever. Loved it in ‘89, still love it now. A nice trip down memory Lane, remembering driving around in Harvey Tattersall’s truck listening to this.

Such a great debut album.

Classic for me. Listened through most of high school and beyond. Got me into southern American rock.

Lots of great songs

I can’t believe I’ve never given the Black Crowes a chance. I loved this album and will definitely be adding it to my rotation.

Loved it!

Great album. Recently featured on Rick Beato's youtube channel, so i was looking forward to this album

Excellent album. Great Blues-southern rock from the 90s when there were many grunge rock bands. The Crowes were a throwback to bands like Zeppelin and the Stones. I prefer their sophomore effort, "The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion" to this, but it still rates 5 stars.

10

90s sound mixed with blues-based rock roots? Yeah, there was only ever going to be one rating for me on this album. Favorite track: Stare It Cold

First CD I ever bought, and it’s still great.

This is an exceptional album. All killer, no filler. It deserves 4 stars but I'm inflating it to 5 stars to protest the fact that Southern Harmony & Musical Companion - their album - was excluded from this list. And yet they include Kings of Leon? Blasphemy.

One of the greatest debut albums ever. The two worst things about this record are that for some reason it got lumped into the hair metal scene at the time and that it features what is likely their most well known song (so unfair)- a massively overplayed cover, even if it is great. It has never made any sense to me that this band managed to make this album and then they topped it- TWICE- and those two albums are barely known. I’ve seen the Crowes multiple times and they are one of my favorite bands. Btw- they were about 20 when they recorded this. Rich wrote the music for She Talks to Angels when he was 17 years old. Best Song: Seeing Things Worst Song: none.. Strutting Blues I guess

Great vibe and consistent.

Love this album. Fave songs, "Hard to Handle", "She Talks to Angels", and "Twice as Hard" 5/5

:)

Very nice

Exceptional southern rock, chock full of bangers. Jealous Again, She Talks to Angels, and a literally perfect cover of Hard to Handle are the obvious highlights, but it’s a great rock and roll album from beginning to end. Great playing, tight but still live sounding production, and some of the best vocal performances in southern rock are found here.

Overall a pretty good album. I loved the bluesy Southern rock sound this band puts out and recognized a couple songs (Hard to Handle & She Talks to Angels), which are proper tunes. This album came up at a good time, as I was in a bluesy listening mood recently. I think I would normally give this album a 4, but I'll land on 5 as I was just really in the mood for it.

I haven't listened to the whole album in awhile. Actually - not a bad song on the set. It is not a 5-star in the mode of Exile on Main St., but it deserves 5 stars.

Loved it when it came out. Love it now. Love the Crowes period.

That was awesome. Loved this album. Will listen multiple times this weekend

Extremely solid core blues rock.

Viel besser, als ich es nach einem Konzert im Juli 2001 in Erinnerung hatte. The Black Crowes waren damals mit Neil Young und Crazy Horse auf Tour. Leider war damals von den Crowes nur infernalischer Lärm zu hören. Gesang und Melodien waren nur zu erahnen. Heute habe ich das Album also erstmals komplett so gehört, wie es sein muss. Genau das, was ich mag!

I loved it, loved everything about this album

In the mid-2010's, I had a short phase during college when this album was all I listened to. It was probably a mixture of me finding The Black Crowes refreshing amidst the sea of grunge and alternative during their era, and the pure nostalgia of listening to a blues-rock record that sounded older than it was, all while the ultra-modern sounding EDM was permeating the airwaves. I think I kept coming back because of the album's heart and authenticity. It's a breath of fresh air with every listen and it never gets old. Like coming home after a long time in an unfamiliar place. Before today it had been a while since I listened to it in full, but the same feeling was still there as I went through the entire album. Standouts are Twice as Hard, Jealous Again, Could I've Been So Blind, Hard to Handle and She Talks to Angels.

Too often overshadowed by the genius of their sophomore effort, The Black Crowes' Shake Your Money Maker stands confidently alongside albums like Are You Experienced and Appetite for Destruction as one of rock's greatest debuts. Caw!! 5

Great party album!

Great album, good combination of their hits with lesser known songs.

This was a vibe at work. I was having a good time at work listening to the album and then hard to handle started playing and I confirmed this is a 5 in my book.

Nice finding!

Great from start to finish.

FIVE STARS

Still solid.

Love it

Crazy this came in 90 when grunge was coming on strong and pop was dying because this isn’t anything but pure rock and roll. Really fantastic album with some really good tracks.

This album was a very pleasant surprise. I've barely heard of the Black Crowes prior to getting recommended this album by the generator. It isn't a grower, it's a classic that'll get you hooked by the first minute. A few records have done that to me, not even some of my favourite albums could enthral me at the first listen. That's how special this album is. 5 stars, nothing less.

An absolute showstopper of an album. Southern/Bar rock at it's finest

Let's rock

Great Album! Almost every song on it is a hit!