Customer Reviews

Southern Harmony & Musical Companion (Reis)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When The Crowes hired guitarist Marc Ford just before this albulm was recorded, they gave him something like 30 songs to learn, but when he showed up for the first day of sessions, lo and behold, he found that Chris and Rich had scrapped all those songs an had rewritten the whole album in two weekends. They proceeded to record the entire deal in eight days, and after some aggrivating attempts at mixing, Chris took the album home and "hot mixed" it in one night.

Four days writing, eight days recording, and one all night mix. THIS is what rock is all about. The finished product is a masterpiece, and all in a fortnight.

Rather than rehashing which songs are which, it is better to point out the fact that this is a heavily themed album. There are stings, thorns, illness and bad luck, but there are also remedies, harmony and salvation. This album cuts to the core of life, where everything can seem to be right, yet still falls apart, and where perspective is maintained and salvation is found. As they quote Bob M, "Think you're in Heaven, but you're livin' in Hell"

When baby bands come out with their sophmore effort, it often falls flat (to put it mildly), but the Crowes were in their finest form on this one, proving that the "Stones Clones" can in fact forge their own way. Although I am a massive fan of the '67-72 Stones, I challange anyone to find Mick singing the blues better than Chris on "Bad Luck, Blue Eyes Goodbye", or injecting more venom than is on "No Speak No Slave". Well, Mick's venom is pretty thick on "Turd On The Run" I'll admit. But I digress...

This gospel tinged diamond of rock and roll has lived up to its name better than any other album in my life. In the last twelve years it has certainly been by best 'companion'.
Do yourself a favor and get yourself a new best friend with "Harmony". If you have a soul, "My Morning Song" will change your life.

If I could give it six stars, I wouldn't hesitate.

Much is made of the so-called "sophomore slump," even in music. So many bands that burst on the scene with attention-grabbing debut albums seemingly fall on their faces the second time 'round.

The Black Crowes, however, gave us one of the best rock n' roll albums of all time with in their second offering, The Southern Harmon & Musical Companion. I will say it again: it is one of the best rock n' roll albums of all time.

When an album is this good, it isn't really necessary to do a song-by-song breakdown. Just take these words to heart: this is a must-have album for rock n' roll fans. Period.

the black crowes released the southern harmony and muscial companion in 1992.'southern harmony'was the black crowes second album.the crowes were still strong and in top form on this album.by the time the crowes started to record this second album original member jeff cease[rythym guitarist] left the band and was replaced by marc ford.i really like this period of the black crowes. i think they made some of their best music on the first two or three albums.there is alot to like on this album such as;remedy,sting me,thorn in my pride,black moon creeping,bad luck blue eyes,sometimes salvation no speak,no slave and the extra bonus cut on this remastered version;99 lbs.this album 'southern harmony'and money maker are two of the best albums the crowes ever did.the prices here at amazon are great.if you get this album play it loud!!

With this album, The Crowes showed they were more than a Stones rip-off. Their first album was loud and raucous testosterone rock, but with their sophomore album, The Crowes infused far more soul into their songs. These songs are some of the best I have ever heard that demonstrate a thirst for, a search of, and even a disillusionment with redemption I have ever heard. Marc Ford's guitar and Ed Harsch's keys add character to the line up. With this album, The Crowes, even though they still borrowed heavily from their influences, showed there was something to their sound that set them apart. My only gripe with this cd is the mix. Yes, the songs do sound great. But there are several instances where Chris's vocals are swallowed in the mix. The lyrics are a big part of this album and Chris certainly knows how to deliver a song with a punch. His vocals should always be given their proper space. This is a minor complaint and it in no way takes away from this being a true time tested classic.

2 years pass, a new keyboardist, and a new guitarist in, The Black Crowes release their sophomore album, The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion. What an album! Though not as immediate and hook-filled as Shake Your Moneymaker, it is much more rewarding and more assuring to a patient listener. The band is more pronounced with their Memphis/60's soul influences, and the production job is very rich.

The album kicks off with Sting Me, a greasy rocker with a Stones swagger, along with Remedy, a great funky rock song with some amazing vocal work by Chris. Thorn In My Pride showcased a new Black Crowes, one with more depth and a little psychedelia thrown in the mix. Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye reminds one of late 60's Joe Cocker, and Sometimes Salvation is downright scary in it's explosive power.

No track on this album sounds like a throwaway. Hotel Illness keeps the Faces-stomp quite prominent on this album, but the last few tracks show an entirely different Crowes. Black Moon Creeping is heavy southern funk, while No Speak No Slave could be a Zeppelin-outtake if it wasn't for the twin guitars. Finally, My Morning Song is an epic powerhouse of rock, soul, blues, and psychedelia, with an explosive climax that will leave you hitting the repeat button many times. A lowkey cover of Bob Marley's Time Will Tell ends the album on a beautiful note. One of the best albums of the 90's, and one of the best rock and roll albums ever made. Get it!

The Black Crowes sophomore effort, "The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion", is one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated albums of the 1990s...or dare I say, of all time.

While casual listeners tend to gravitate towards their debut, "Shake Your Moneymaker", that record, while very, very good, was also pushed by the record company to be more 'radio friendly' in order to put the Crowes on the map. It worked, as of course the record spawned the Crowes 2 biggest hits ('Hard to Handle' and 'She Talks To Angels) and made them a household name.

But "Southern Harmony..." is the first time that the Crowes got a chance to really be the Crowes without and outside influences, and they crafted a masterpiece of swirling, psychedelic-tinged blues rock showcasing the warm, rich voice of Chris Robinson, the telepathic guitar interplay of Rich Robinson and Marc Ford, and the wildly underrated organ and keyboard work of Eddie Harsch. But all those things would mean nothing without great songs, the Crowes had them in spades during this period.

The album kicks off with a 1-2 punch of amped-up boogie rockers: the Stones-meets-Free stomp of 'Sting Me', punctuated by some soulful gospel backing vocals and Robinson's oh-so-tasty guitar solo, and the album's first single, the freight-train riff-rocker, "Remedy".

Up next is what very well may be the best Crowes tune ever, "Thorn In My Pride". A textbook example of 'less is more' instrumental interplay, the tune starts with a gorgeous, descending acoustic guitar line, accented by a sweet melody line on the hammond organ. Steve Gorman then eases his way in with his subtle percussion figure, and Ford completes the casserole with some restrained yet extremely tasty Keith Richards-like lead fills. This all before the vocal even starts. Robinson's delivery is laid-back yet powerful. Each instrument has its own pocket, a perfect place in the mix, each one clear and true without attempting to hog the spectrum. The song is the very definition of a performance whose whole is far, far greater than the sum of its parts. Brilliant.

"Bad Luck, Blue Eyes, Goodbye" follows, and this smoky blues-ballad is nearly "Thorn in My Pride"'s equal. An absolutely gorgeous vocal from Chris Robinson and absolutely perfect, loose-yet-tight playing from the rest of the band.

The guitars are turned up a little more for 'Sometimes Salvation', a descending, start-stop number once again featuring a fiery and passionate vocal from Robinson. "Hotel Illness" comes next with some crying harmonica and a bouncy, shuffling beat reminiscent of Exile-era Stones.

"Black Moon Creeping" cranks the Les Pauls and Teles up once more with its driving, insistent beat and great interplay between Chris's lead vocals and the gospel back-ups in the chorus. "No Speak No Slave" slows down the tempo a notch but does not lose a shred of intensity and thrives on some great riffage from Rich and Marc Ford.

The record climaxes with its true epic, the cascading "My Morning Song". It's a mean, tough, yet beautiful anthem. All the elements that make this band great come together on the intense chorus. The Crowes are often tagged as Stones imitators, but the orchestration and intensity here push them far out of that realm.

The album ends on a perfect note, with a laid-back, acoustic reading of Bob Marley's "Time Will Tell" providing a soulful breather after the crashing intensity of "My Morning Song".

It's hard to call an album 'perfect', but this one gets just about as close as humanly possible. There's a reason that just about every tune from this record remains a centerpiece of the Crowes live set to this day - the songs are so good, so fully realized, the playing so soulful. Each instrument compliments the next rather than trying to ape it. The songs seem to wrap around you and with each listen you discover another layer.

If you've never heard this record, or are only familiar with the radio hit "Remedy", do yourself a HUGE favor and get a copy of this masterpiece pronto.

If I had to choose five albums to live with for the rest of my life and nothing more, this would be in there. I've never understood the comparisons to the Stones. This band transcends anything Mick and co ever did. Soul, fantastic harmony, brilliant guitar work, gospel. Thorn in My Pride is one of the great rock and roll tracks I've ever heard.

This release will forever be one of my top albums of ALL TIME!! There's no question about it. During the extensive touring in support of their debut Shake Your MoneyMaker, the Crowes added Eddie Harsh on keys on a permanent basis and by the end of the tour, guitarist Jeff Cease had been let go from the band. Marc Ford was chosen as a replacement and his band Burning Tree had opened for the band on a few occasions previously. From the chugging riff of Sting Me, its obvious that the Crowes have finally arrived and proved that they were no one-trick-pony.

This lineup would sustain them for the next 5 years and this release made me a die-hard fan in the process. Ford's leads run rampant on this disc and Harsh's keyboards balance out the depth and power of the ensemble with tracks like Thorn in My Pride, Remedy, No Speak No Slave and the semi-epic My Morning Song. Remedy was another big single from this album and it features all of the elements that make the Black Crowes the Black Crowes. Chris Robinson's vocals are not unlike Steve Marriott from Humble Pie, in that he wails and has alot of that Blue-eyed Soul. Speaking of which, Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye is a prime example of Chris' vocal range set to a song that has a bluesy quality immersed within Ford's lyrical guitar leads and gospel-like female backup vocals. Hotel Illness has a Stones-like swagger to it replete with harmonica and a lead by Rich Robinson. Black Moon Creeping is another Crowes' staple that features a bit of talk-box guitar interlaid within Eddie's Wurlitzer organ and some more soulful female back-up vocals. The album closes with a cover of Bob Marley's Time Will Tell and has a late night bar-room vibe with a taste of homage to Marley culminating within a record that, as an overall statement, remains the definitive release for what makes the Black Crowes a great rock band.

For the early nineties, I don't see another release that has as much substance and homage to early 70's hard rock as this disc displays(save for maybe, Izzy Stradlin's debut album with the Ju Ju Hounds). Alot of folks who loved MoneyMaker might have gotten lost when this follow-up appeared, but, for me, this is the album that truly brings it back home. 5 major stars

As good as the songs and performances are, this particular edition is an absolute friggin' disaster. It's an overcompressed, distorted blast of midrange square waves. What a shame.

This album solidified my love for the Black Crowes. In the past I had been hesitant to get into them too much. But, I think that was because I was basing my judgement on 'Lions', which I didn't care for at the time. This album, however, is 100% solid. There isn't a track I don't like. It works great in a playlist with a lot of Black Keyes, too. I highly recommend it if you're looking to get into the Black Crowes, or if you already have a few of their albums and are looking for another good one.