The Black Crowes have rarely strayed from form since their 1990 debut, Shake Your Money Maker, introduced them as one of rock’s best revivalist bands of the last decade of the century.
And while band turnaround and turmoil often came close to derailing their story, they’ve persevered to make some of the best-unfettered rock ‘n’ roll music of the era, as you will see in the below list of The Black Crowes Albums Ranked Worst to Best
Brothers Chris (vocals) and Rich (guitar) Robinson’s often public spats have threatened to pivot the spotlight from what matters most. But their tumultuous relationship has also fueled their best records, from that explosive debut to their 2024 reunion album Happiness Bastards.
READ MORE: The Black Crowes, ‘Happiness Bastards’ Album Review
Whether drawing inspiration from (and comparisons to) ’70s giants like the Rolling Stones and Faces (as well as the Allman Brothers Band and Led Zeppelin) or making a later turn toward more stage-bound exploratory pieces, the Black Crowes have lined up a set of records that often stand with the best of their reference points. (Their second album, 1992’s The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, sounds like a great lost Stones album from the mid-’70s.)
The below list doesn’t include the live album they made with Jimmy Page in 2000 or the reworking of their back catalog on 2010’s acoustic Croweology, but you will find the stage recording Before the Frost … , a 2009 LP of new songs performed in front of an audience. Through it all, the Black Crowes never abandoned their Southern roots or status as torch-bearers of an earlier era.
The Black Crowes Albums Ranked
From their lightning-bolt introduction to their reunion LP more than three decades later, they’ve rarely strayed from form.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
