The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion

For the original tunebook, see Southern Harmony.
The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion
Studio album by
The Black Crowes
ReleasedMay 12, 1992
Recorded1991–1992
GenreBlues rock[1]
Length50:33
LabelDef American
Producer
The Black Crowes chronology
Shake Your Money Maker
(1990) 		The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion
(1992) 		Amorica
(1994)
Singles from The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion
  1. "Remedy"
    Released: April 20, 1992
  2. "Thorn in My Pride"
    Released: 1992
  3. "Sting Me"
    Released: 1992
  4. "Hotel Illness"
    Released: 1992

The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion is the second studio album by American rock band the Black Crowes, released on May 12, 1992. It was the first album by the band to feature Marc Ford on lead guitar, replacing Jeff Cease, who was fired the year before, and the first to feature keyboardist Eddie Harsch. The album's name derives from the full name of the Southern Harmony, an influential 1835 hymnal compiled by William Walker.

Release

[edit]

It was a record for an album to feature four album rock number-one hits (previously set by Tom Petty in 1989, with three).[2] The album itself reached the top spot of the Billboard 200 album chart, propelled by the success of these singles.

A box set featuring the remixed album along with previously unreleased songs and live tracks was released in late 2023.

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
Kerrang!5/5[5]
Mojo[6]
NME9/10[7]
PopMatters8/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Select5/5[10]
Uncut9/10[11]
The Village VoiceB−[12]

In 2005, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion was ranked number 477 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[13]

In 2006, the album was ranked number 100 on Guitar World magazine's list of the greatest 100 guitar albums of all time.[14]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Chris Robinson & Rich Robinson, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sting Me" 4:39
2."Remedy" 5:22
3."Thorn in My Pride" 6:03
4."Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye" 6:28
5."Sometimes Salvation" 4:44
6."Hotel Illness" 3:59
7."Black Moon Creeping" 4:54
8."No Speak No Slave" 4:01
9."My Morning Song" 6:15
10."Time Will Tell"Bob Marley4:08
Bonus tracks (1998 reissue)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Sting Me" (Slow) 5:48
12."99 lbs."Don Bryant4:18
Japanese bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Shake 'Em On Down" (Live)Bukka White4:08

Personnel

[edit]

The Black Crowes

Additional musicians

  • Chris Trujillo – congas[15]
  • Barbara Mitchell and Taj Harmon (now Taj Artis) – choir[16]

Production

  • Pete Angelus – personal manager
  • The Black Crowes – producer
  • George Drakoulias – producer
  • Janet Levinson – art direction
  • Brendan O'Brien – engineer, mixing
  • Chris Robinson – art direction
  • Mark Seliger – photography
  • Howie Weinberg – mastering

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[32] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[33] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[34] Gold 7,500^
United States (RIAA)[35] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Kemp, Mark (2004). "The Black Crowes". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 75–76. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  2. ^ Chris Ford (May 12, 2015). "23 Years Ago: The Black Crowes Release 'The Southern Harmony + Musical Companion'". Diffuser.fm.
  3. ^ Sendra, Tim. "The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion – The Black Crowes". AllMusic. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  4. ^ Altman, Billy (May 22, 1992). "The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion". Entertainment Weekly. No. 119. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  5. ^ Jeffries, Neil (May 9, 1992). "True companion". Kerrang!. No. 391. p. 15.
  6. ^ Mulvey, John (March 2024). "The Black Crowes: The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (Super Deluxe)". Mojo. No. 364. p. 96.
  7. ^ Pouncey, Edwin (May 9, 1992). "Crowes' Feat". NME. p. 75. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  8. ^ Webb, Peter Thomas (January 9, 2024). "The Black Crowes' 1992 Album Is Remastered". PopMatters. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  9. ^ Curtis, Gregory (June 25, 1992). "The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion". Rolling Stone. No. 633. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  10. ^ Collis, Andrew (July 1992). "Southern Fried". Select. No. 25. p. 70.
  11. ^ Deusner, Stephen (2023). "The Black Crowes: The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion: Super Deluxe Limited Edition". Uncut. No. 320, Review of the Year 2023. pp. 34–36.
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert (December 1, 1992). "Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  13. ^ Rensen, Michael (2005). Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. p. 16. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
  14. ^ "Guitar World's (Readers Choice) Greatest 100 Guitar Albums Of All Time". Chud.com. August 13, 2006. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  15. ^ "The Black Crowes - The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion". Discogs. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  16. ^ Alex Gyde, ed. (2003). Practising Popular Music (pdf). 12th Biennial IASPM-International Conference Montreal 2003. Geoff Stahl. p. 205. Retrieved August 22, 2019. the women backing vocalists are credited in the liner notes as "Barbara and Taj,"
  17. ^ "Australiancharts.com – The Black Crowes – The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  18. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Black Crowes – The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  19. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2150". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  20. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Black Crowes – The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  21. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  22. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Black Crowes – The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  23. ^ "Charts.nz – The Black Crowes – The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  24. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Black Crowes – The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  25. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Black Crowes – The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  26. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Black Crowes – The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  27. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  28. ^ "The Black Crowes Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  29. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1992". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  30. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  31. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1993". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  32. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1992 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  33. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Black Crowes – The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion". Music Canada.
  34. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – The Black Crowes – The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion". Recorded Music NZ.
  35. ^ "American album certifications – The Black Crowes – Southern Harmony and Musical Companion". Recording Industry Association of America.
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