Shake Your Money Maker (album)

Last updated

Shake Your Money Maker
The Black Crowes - Shake Your Money Maker.png
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 13, 1990 (1990-02-13)
Recorded1989
StudioSoundscape (Atlanta); Chapel, Paramount and Grandmaster (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length44:50
Label Def American
Producer George Drakoulias
The Black Crowes chronology
Shake Your Money Maker
(1990)
The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion
(1992)
Singles from Shake Your Money Maker
  1. "Jealous Again"
    Released: 1990
  2. "Hard to Handle"
    Released: August 13, 1990
  3. "Twice As Hard"
    Released: 1990
  4. "She Talks to Angels"
    Released: 1991
  5. "Seeing Things"
    Released: 1991

Shake Your Money Maker (also stylized as The Black Crowes Present: $hake Your Money Maker [2] ) is the debut studio album by American rock band the Black Crowes, released on February 13, 1990, on Def American Recordings. It is 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.

Contents

Shake Your Money Maker peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, and two of its singles, "Hard to Handle" and "She Talks to Angels", reached No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. "Jealous Again", "Twice As Hard" and "Seeing Things" were also charting singles in the United States. Shake Your Money Maker is the Black Crowes' best selling album, having sold more than 5 million copies. [3]

On January 8, 2021, the Black Crowes announced that a 30th anniversary edition of the album would be released on February 26, 2021. The new version contains the original tracks remastered in addition to three previously unreleased songs, outtakes, two demos from the Mr. Crowe's Garden era, and a live performance set recorded in 1990 at Center Stage in Atlanta. Previously unreleased track "Charming Mess" was released on the same day as the announcement. [4]

Background and production

Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson had formed Mr. Crowe's Garden in 1984. [5] In 1988 George Drakoulias saw the band at a show they did in New York City and had them signed to Def American the same year; they changed their name to the Black Crowes shortly after. [6]

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" and "She Talks to Angels", whose riff had been written years ago by then-17 year old Rich Robinson [7] with lyrics written by Chris, which were inspired by a heroin-addicted girl he "kinda knew" in Atlanta. [8] The band also chose to record a cover version of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle", which would prove to be their breakthrough single. [9]

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, [10] and subsequently aired on MTV.

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [12]
Kerrang! 5/5 [13]
Melody Maker Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
NME 4/10 [16]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [18]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [19]
Uncut 9/10 [20]

When the album came out in February 1990, critical reception was mostly favorable. Mark Coleman called Shake Your Money Maker "the kind of streamlined, supertight groove album that bar-band dreams are made of" in a review for Rolling Stone , [19] whose readers and critics later voted the Black Crowes "Best New American Band" at the end of 1990; [21] 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. [22] In Entertainment Weekly , Dave Marsh wrote, "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. Authentic bluesmen these Crowes will never be, but their sheer energy earns 'em the right to trash it up." [12] A CMJ review noted that while the band "might have studied their sonic textbooks a little too closely, if the Crowes have more songs like these in store, they could be one of the biggest bands of the new decade." [23] Retrospectively, AllMusic critic Steve Huey praised Rich Robinson's guitar playing and Chris Robinson's "appropriate vocal swagger". [11]

"Hard to Handle", "Jealous Again" and "Twice As Hard" broke into the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, respectively reaching the first, [24] eleven[ citation needed ] and fifth position. [25] By the end of the year, Shake Your Money Maker had sold one million copies[ citation needed ] and eventually sold two million more, [5] thus receiving triple platinum certification [ citation needed ].

In 1991, "She Talks to Angels" and "Seeing Things" respectively reached the first and second position of the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts.[ citation needed ]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Chris and Rich Robinson, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Twice As Hard" 4:09
2."Jealous Again" 4:35
3."Sister Luck" 5:13
4."Could I've Been So Blind" 3:44
5."Seeing Things" 5:18
6."Hard to Handle"3:08
7."Thick n' Thin" 2:44
8."She Talks to Angels" 5:29
9."Struttin' Blues" 4:09
10."Stare It Cold" 5:13
11."Live Too Fast Blues/Mercy, Sweet Moan" (hidden track)
  • Jones
  • Bell
  • Redding
1:08
Bonus tracks (1998 reissues)
No.TitleLength
11."Don't Wake Me"3:33
12."She Talks to Angels" (Acoustic)6:19

30th Anniversary Edition

Disc 1: Original Album Remastered [26]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Twice As Hard" 4:10
2."Jealous Again" 4:36
3."Sister Luck" 5:14
4."Could I've Been So Blind" 3:44
5."Seeing Things" 5:18
6."Hard to Handle"
  • Jones
  • Bell
  • Redding
3:08
7."Thick n' Thin" 2:42
8."She Talks to Angels" 5:30
9."Struttin' Blues" 4:10
10."Stare It Cold" 5:15
11."Mercy, Sweet Moan"
  • Jones
  • Bell
  • Redding
1:11
Disc 2: Outtakes and Demos [26]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Charming Mess" 3:32
2."30 Days in the Hole" 3:46
3."Don't Wake Me" 3:35
4."Jealous Guy" John Lennon 4:57
5."Waitin' Guilty" 3:04
6."Hard to Handle" (With Horns Remix)
  • Jones
  • Bell
  • Redding
3:12
7."Jealous Again" (Acoustic Version) 4:50
8."She Talks to Angels" (Acoustic Version) 6:23
9."She Talks to Angels" (Mr. Crowe's Garden Demo) 5:11
10."Front Porch Sermon" (Mr. Crowe's Garden Demo) 3:57
Disc 3: Live at Center Stage, Atlanta (1990) [26]
No.TitleLength
1."Introduction"0:15
2."Thick n' Thin"2:42
3."You're Wrong"6:32
4."Twice As Hard"4:23
5."Could've Been So Blind"4:15
6."Seeing Things"5:51
7."She Talks to Angels"6:20
8."Sister Luck"5:36
9."Hard to Handle"3:30
10."Shake 'Em on Down"4:28
11."Get Back"4:55
12."Struttin' Blues"5:01
13."Words You Throw Away"13:44
14."Stare It Cold"5:19
15."Jealous Again"5:38

Notes

Personnel

The Black Crowes

Additional personnel
Production

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Shake Your Money Maker
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [46] Gold50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [47] Platinum15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [48] Silver60,000^
United States (RIAA) [49] 5× Platinum5,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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