Shake Your Money Maker (album)
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Shake Your Money Maker is the debut album by the American blues-rock band The Black Crowes, released in January 1990. It's the only album by the band to feature guitarist Jeff Cease. The album is named after a classic blues song written by Elmore James. The Black Crowes have played the song live many times over the years, but it is not included on this album.
Shake Your Money Maker peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200, and two of its singles, "Hard to Handle" and "She Talks to Angels", reached number 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. "Jealous Again", "Twice As Hard" and "Seeing Things" were also charting singles in the US.
Background and production
Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson had formed Mr. Crowe's Garden in 1984.[2] In 1988 George Drakoulias spotted the band during a show the band gave in New York City and got them signed to Def American in 1988 ; they changed their name to The Black Crowes shortly after.[citation needed]
The recording sessions began in the summer of 1989 in Atlanta and Los Angeles, with Drakoulias producing the album. Some tracks include retained songs from the Mr. Crowe's Garden era such as "Could I've Been So Blind"[citation needed] and "She Talks to Angels", whose riff had been written years ago by then-17 years old Rich Robinson[citation needed] and whose lyrics were inspired to Chris by a heroin-addicted girl he "kinda knew" in Atlanta.[3] The band also chose to record a cover version of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle", which would prove to be their breakthrough single.[citation needed]
Four music videos for "Twice As Hard", "Jealous Again", "Hard To Handle" and "She Talks to Angels" were filmed to promote the band and the album,[citation needed] and subsequently aired on MTV.[citation needed]
Release and reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| Robert Christgau |  [5] |
| CMJ | (favorable) [6] |
| Rolling Stone | [7] |
When the album came out in January 1990, critical reception was mostly favorable : Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars and its readers and critics voted the Black Crowes 'Best New American Band' in 1990[8] ; the band appeared on the cover of the magazine's 605th issue (May 1991) following their firing from the ZZ Top tour in March that year. The issue's interview of Chris and Rich Robinson compared the band to 1970s acts, with journalist David Fricke explicitly citing Faces and The Rolling Stones and Rich Robinson mentioning Aerosmith.[9] Allmusic gave the album four out of five stars, praising Rich Robinson's guitar playing and Chris Robinson's "appropriate vocal swagger".[1] Robert Christgau, however, disliked the album, giving it a dud (which is the lowest grade in Christgau's rating system).
"Hard to Handle", "Jealous Again" and "Twice As Hard" broke into the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, respectively reaching the first, fifth and eleventh position. By the end of the year, Shake Your Money Maker had sold one million copies[citation needed] and eventually sold two million more,[2] thus receiving triple platinum certification. In 1991, "She Talks to Angels" and "Seeing Things" respectively reached the first and second position of the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts.
Track listing
All songs written by Chris Robinson and Rich Robinson, except where noted.
- "Twice As Hard" – 4:09
- "Jealous Again" – 4:35
- "Sister Luck" – 5:13
- "Could I've Been So Blind" – 3:44
- "Seeing Things" – 5:18
- "Hard to Handle" (Allen Jones, Alvertis Isbell, Otis Redding) – 3:08
- "Thick n' Thin" – 2:44
- "She Talks to Angels" – 5:29
- "Struttin' Blues" – 4:09
- "Stare It Cold" – 5:13
- "Live Too Fast Blues/Mercy, Sweet Moan" – 1:17 (unlisted track)
- Bonus tracks
- "Don't Wake Me" – 3:33 (Bonus track on 1998 Sho' Nuff Box Set version)
- "She Talks to Angels (Acoustic)" – 6:19 (Bonus track on 1998 Sho' Nuff Box Set version)
"Live Too Fast Blues/Mercy, Sweet Moan" follows the bonus tracks.
The bonus tracks were originally part of the recording sessions at Soundscape Studios in Atlanta.[10]
Personnel
- Chris Robinson – vocals
- Rich Robinson – guitar
- Jeff Cease – guitar
- Johnny Colt – bass guitar
- Steve Gorman – drums
- Additional personnel
- Chuck Leavell – piano, organ
- Brendan O'Brien – "a potpourri of instruments"
- Laura Creamer – background vocals
- Production
- George Drakoulias – producer
- David Bianco – remixing
- Brendan O'Brien – engineer
- Lee Manning – assistant engineer, mixing, mixing engineer
- Rick Rubin – executive producer (credited on the sleeve only after the album became successful)[citation needed]
- Kevin Shirley – mixing
- Michael Lavine – photography
- Ruth Leitman – photography, cover photo
- Greg Fulginiti and Leon Zervos – mastering
- Pete Angelus – personal manager
- Alan Forbes – artwork, art direction, design
- Tag George – assistant engineer
Charting singles
Billboard charts (North America)
| Year | Title | Chart | Highest
position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Jealous Again | The Billboard Hot 100 | 75 |
| 1990 | Hard to Handle | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
| 1990 | Jealous Again | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 5 |
| 1990 | Twice As Hard | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 11 |
| 1991 | Hard to Handle | The Billboard Hot 100 | 26 |
| 1991 | She Talks to Angels | The Billboard Hot 100 | 30 |
| 1991 | Seeing Things | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 2 |
| 1991 | She Talks to Angels | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
References
- ^ a b Huey, Steve. "Shake Your Money Maker – Review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Black Crowes – Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ^ Chris Robinson (interviewee) (August 7, 2007). Moving From SYMM TO SHAMC (1992). YouTube. Event occurs at 1:54. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
'She Talks to Angels', you know, is about a girl I kind of knew in Atlanta, who was a goth girl, who was into heroin.
- ^ Shake Your Money Maker at AllMusic
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Artist 1386". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ 2000[dead link]
- ^ "Shake Your Money Maker by The Black Crowes". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ Black Crowes at the Rolling Stone website
- ^ "[1]." What's So Bad About The Black Crowes? at the Rolling Stone website's archives.
- ^ Shake Your Money Maker re-issue liner notes.