The Black Crowes Albums Ranked

The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1984. Their discography includes eight studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the following year. The follow-up, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, reached the top of the Billboard 200 in 1992. After a hiatus between 2002 and 2005, the band regrouped and toured for several years before releasing Warpaint in 2008, which hit number 5 on the Billboard chart. After the release of a greatest hits/acoustic double album Croweology in August 2010, the band started a 20th anniversary tour that was followed by a second hiatus. The band sold more than 30 million albums, and is listed at number 92 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. Here are all of The Black Crowes albums ranked.

Don’t miss out on the TIMELESS Black Crowes music below! Click to experience the power of raw blues rock!

9. Warpaint (2008)

“Others have said it below, but I’ll just reaffirm: the tone is in the right place, no weak spots, best Crowes jam affair since Amorica. They’ve quit worrying about album sales, turning back towards what works. One big positive is that they’ve got a second guitarist who is kicking in a strong Crowes vibe. They’ve got Gorman on the skins, and the rest falls into place. There’s gold in them hills.”

8. The Lost Crowes (2006)

I’m a huge Crowes fan. The album has a different vibe to it. Still very good. Some of the songs aren’t quite as polished, doesn’t mean it is bad. If you are a fan of the Crowes you’ll like it. I think the band was having some creative differences. As we all know they got it together. What I like about the album is listening to the songs in their beginning stages. Then when you listen to Amorica. At least for me I have a deeper appreciation for the music. It’s worth having in your Crowes collection.”

7. Lions (2001)

“Not sure if it’s a peak or a low point for the band…. The production sounds great, the material while not their best is definitely inspired. They were changing and here it shows more than any other album. Not my favorite album by them where I prefer the first three or four personally… Still a great album and the last before they’d take a break and come back somewhat reinvented. Not a bad album at all by their standards they set.”

6. Before the Frost … Until the Freeze (2009)

“Others might say that Before the Frost…Until the Freeze marks a return to form for The Black Crowes. I disagree. This album is just an continuation of the musical progression of the band. The Robinson brothers have matured and so has their music. This album sounds like The Black Crowes. How can it not with the distinctive vocals from Chris? But it sounds like The Black Crowes have grown up. And that is a good thing. The previous release, Warpaint, was fine, but I have already listened to this album more times than Warpaint. But after listening to this record, you can see how Warpaint laid the foundation for this excellent album. Sure there are a few songs that I don’t care for, but they are few and far between. And that is without even mentioning that this is a double album for the price of one. You can’t beat that. Lastly, this album was recorded live in studio with an audience. Anyone who has ever seen The Black Crowes knows that they are at their best live and I think recording these songs live was an excellent choice and really brings out the best in the material.”

See More: The Black Keys Albums Ranked

5. Three Snakes and One Charm (1996)

“Bring On, Bring On and How Much For Your Wings are for me the heart of this album. The big picture is that the Crowes were distilling their expansive Amorica approach into shorter more compact messages. They’re both great allbums, I prefer Amorica, but I love this one too. A couple songs annoy me, for example Blackberry, but overall there’s a lot of good stuff here. Under a Mountain .. just great tune, great way to begin an album. You know you’ve landed in the right place when that organ kicks in with the slide guitar, and the bass, and that sultry beat. Very assured, dramatic, and balanced sound. Sadly, all this would be lost, as the band lost their way thereafter, trying to play without Marc Ford or a decent substitute, and then putting on the Ritz as Jimmy Page’s backup band. It wouldn’t be until Warpaint that they’d reemerge.”

4. By Your Side (1999)

“This album did not sell well back when it was released, and their label subsequently dropped them–a shame, because were it not for the general public’s downspiraling of musical tastes back in the late nineties, the album would have done much better. Korn, Limp Bizkit, and other crap were ruling the charts. Mainstream rock wasn’t as bad back then as it is now, but starting to get there…the last 20 years or so of the general decline in quality of what the public considers good music just makes my stomach turn.”

3. Amorica (1994)

“Possibly The Black Crowes’ finest hour, running close to ‘The Southern Harmony…’ – this album is a journey from start to finish; shades of dark and light, joy and melancholy… ‘Cursed Diamond’ gives me goosebumps everytime; the playing is just incredible, especially the guitar interplay between Marc Ford and Rich Robinson… a classic album that I couldn’t live without. If I was still that way inclined, I should imagine it would sound very good with headphones, Jack Daniels and a herbal jazz cigarette….”

2. Shake Your Money Maker (1990)

“This, to me is just straight ahead “good solid rock & roll”. It is what it is, but done extremely well. I have exhausted it in my car, where it continues to get rave revues. This is “THE” band that has never attained the status they richly deserve. It is also so sad that the biggest problem they had/have is that Chris Robinson & his brother cannot get along @ all. This is one tasty little nugget that I is very good, & strong rock. It is not heavy metal. Kind of reminds me of very early (“12×5″) type rock.”

1. The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992)

“With their second release, the Black Crowes not only avoid the dreaded “sophomore slump”, but make the finest album of their career. There’s not a weak track or stumble here. Their influences are still plain to see, but, some of them are a bit different than on Shake Your Money Maker. There’s less of a Stones vibe, but far more of a Faces groove, with a loose limbered approach to the material. Said looseness, (especially from the rhythm section), also brings to mind Little Feat, as drummer Steve Gorman begins to sound & feel a lot like a cross between Feat drummer Richie Hayward & Stones drummer Charlie Watts, giving the songs both a strong backbeat & an appealing sloppiness. The rhythm section also swings even more than on their first album, making music you can dance to.”