THE PERFECTION OF A GUITAR PLUGGED STRAIGHT INTO A GLOWING VALVE AMP

The Black Crowes’ classic debut 30 years on

The Black Crowes’ 1990 album Shake Your Money Maker is one of the all-time classic debuts in American rock ’n’ roll. As a belated 30th anniversary reissue is released this month, Total Guitar salutes the brilliance of Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson and his back-to-basics approach.

OPEN TUNINGS

Rich Robinson embraced Open G (DGDGBD) for this album, prompting many comparisons with Keith Richards. While the Crowes were worthy heirs to the Stones, Robinson’s use of the tuning went beyond that. His riffs attended the Jimmy Page school of heavy blues, and his slide playing had an Allman Brothers ring.

VINTAGE GEAR

Astonishingly for an album started in 1989, there was not a Floyd Rose in sight. Rich Robinson relied on a 70s Tele Custom, a ’68 blonde Tele with a neck humbucker (furthering the Keith Richards comparisons), and a Les Paul Goldtop. The guitar tone was the perfect bridge between the 80s and 90s: heavy enough to swing with Guns N’ Roses, but raw enough to stand beside Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.

SOUL POWER

Shake Your Money Maker is an allusion to the Elmore James song and a line from James Brown’s Sex Machine, while breakthrough single Hard To Handle was an Otis Redding cover. This was a band in touch with rock’s R&B roots. Such was their commitment to keeping it old school that producer George Drakoulias had to persuade them even to use a click track.

THE THREE-CHORD CLASSIC

Perfectly timed with the rise of MTV Unplugged, acoustic ballad She Talks to Angels was unpretentious and affecting. Performed in Open E tuning (E B E G# B E), Robinson proved what could be done with three chords and some tasteful embellishments.

THE ONE-AMP RIG

Robinson and lead guitarist Jeff Cease only had one amp between them in the studio, probably a Marshall Silver Jubilee. After a decade where guitar rigs resembled fridges, The Black Crowes reaffirmed the perfection of a guitar plugged straight into a glowing valve amp, turned up to antisocial levels.