Greatest Hits 1990-1999: A Tribute to a Work in Progress

1	Jealous Again 4:33
2	Twice as Hard 4:09
3	Hard to Handle 3:08
4	She Talks to Angels 5:29
5	Remedy 5:24
6	Sting Me 4:41
7	Thorn in My Pride 6:05
8	Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye 6:30
9	A Conspiracy 4:46
10	Wiser Time 5:33
11	Good Friday 3:51
12	Blackberry 3:26
13	Kickin' My Heart Around 3:41
14	Go Faster 4:03
15	Only a Fool 3:44
16	By Your Side 4:27

Barnes & Noble

For more than a decade, this l'il ol' band from Atlanta has let other folks vie for the title of most important rock-'n'-roll band in the world, instead busying itself with being the most rock-'n'-roll rock-'n'-roll band in the world. That single-minded dedication helps explain how they outlasted hair metal, outlived grunge, and out-outlawed just about everyone else without breaking stride. This 16-song collection presents a cogent, consistent snapshot of the Crowes' first decade of recording, culling songs from all five of the band's studio albums. Sensibly enough, the spotlight shines most brightly on the breakthrough debut SHAKE YOUR MONEYMAKER (from which they cull four songs, including the cocksure cover of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle") and 1999's BY YOUR SIDE (well-represented by the aching "Kickin' My Heart Around" and the power-packed "Go Faster"). The "progress" referred to in the disc's title is sometimes difficult to pinpoint, but the ferocity with which Chris and Rich Robinson guard the music they hold dear makes that pretty much a moot point. You couldn't ask for a better introduction to the Black Crowes -- nor could you find a much more appropriate soundtrack for a summer's debauchery. David Sprague

All Music Guide

At the end of the decade, the Black Crowes parted ways with American/Columbia, which made sense for both parties. The band didn't sell records like they used to, and they preferred to be independent anyway. It wasn't an entirely amicable parting -- the label wouldn't let the band record old songs for an independently released live album -- but as the last album in the contract, the compilation Greatest Hits 1990-1999: A Tribute to a Work in Progress, is a nice addition to the catalog anyway. Basically, the album has every song a casual fan would want ("Jealous Again," "Twice As Hard," "Hard to Handle," "She Talks to Angels," "Remedy," "Sting Me," "Wiser Time," "A Conspiracy," "Kickin' My Heart Around") and is a nice listen for the hardcore. There are several great songs missing and there's perhaps a little bit too much of By Your Side here, but the only glaring omission is "Sometimes Salvation"; so, in other words, it's pretty close to a perfect compilation of that first decade. Gathered like this, the Black Crowes' finest songs are all the more impressive. The band not only sounds tight, but they sound diverse, able to handle full-throttle barroom ravers as easily as folk ballads, soulful vamps, blues, and laid-back Southern rock. Even more impressive, it's easy to see what good songwriters the brothers Robinson are. Yes, they're classicists, cribbing from the Stones and Allman Brothers and everything in between, but they know how to put it all together, write good hooks, and deliver them expertly. Greatest Hits is proof of that, and it's some of the best pure hard rock since the golden age of album rock. Stephen Thomas Erlewine