Shake Your Money Maker (album)
| Shake Your Money Maker | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by The Black Crowes | ||||
| Released | January 24, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1989 at Soundscape Studios, Atlanta; Chapel Studios, Paramount Studios and Grandmaster Studios, Los Angeles. | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:42 | |||
| Label | Def American | |||
| Producer | George Drakoulias | |||
| The Black Crowes chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Robert Christgau |  |
| CMJ | (favorable) |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
| Melody Maker | |
| Q | |
| Rolling Stone | |
Shake Your Money Maker is the debut studio album by American rock band The Black Crowes, released in February 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.
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. Shake Your Money Maker is the Black Crowes' best selling album, having sold more than 5 million copies.
Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson had formed Mr. Crowe's Garden in 1984. 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.
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 years old Rich Robinson and whose lyrics were inspired to Chris by a heroin-addicted girl he "kinda knew" in Atlanta. The band also chose to record a cover version of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle", which would prove to be their breakthrough single.
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