Black Crowes: Amorica 2025

Amorica arrived in 1994 as a deliberate left turn. Following the massive success of Shake Your Money Maker and The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, the Robinson brothers faced enormous pressure to deliver another commercial juggernaut. Instead, they gave us something darker, looser, and more psychedelic.

The infamous bikini cover generated more headlines than the music deserved, which is a shame because Amorica contains some of the band's finest work. "Wiser Time" alone justifies the album's existence. As such, the cover was censored in the U.S.

This 30th anniversary reissue, overseen by Chris and Rich Robinson alongside producer George Drakoulias, goes deep into the vault. Chris Athens handled the remaster, working from the original quarter inch production master tapes. Athens has a solid reputation in mastering circles, and his work here aims to preserve the gritty, unpolished character that defined the original sessions rather than cleaning things up for modern ears.

The 5LP Super Deluxe box spreads the main album across the first three sides of a 2LP 180g set, with Side D collecting three bonus tracks including the Taj Mahal cover "Chevrolet" and new mixes of "Song of the Flesh" and the instrumental "Sunday Night Buttermilk Waltz." The real draw for collectors is the additional material.

Tallest presents nine newly mixed songs from the legendary scrapped Tall sessions, the album the band recorded before Amorica and then abandoned because they felt the energy wasn't right. Drakoulias and Martin Pradler went back to the original multitrack recordings for fresh mixes. The Marie Laveau Sessions offer seven previously unreleased tracks from October 1992, recorded at Kingsway Studios in New Orleans during an off day from the How High The Moon Tour. A 10 inch LP rounds out the box with four live tracks from the AIR Studios London radio broadcast in October 1994.

Packaging is generous. The box includes a fanzine with an interview featuring both Robinson brothers discussing the album's creation, a 20x30 inch poster, bumper sticker, and slip mat. For those who just want the album itself, a standalone 2LP edition on black or clear vinyl is available.

Specific pressing plant details remain unclear, which is increasingly common with major label reissues. Why? Because collectors tend to steer clear of plants that are known to have manufacturing issues or wait until the verdict is out before committing. What we know is that the source material is as good as it gets for this album, and the involvement of the original production team suggests care was taken with the audio chain. Given how mixed the reviews were for the 2015 reissues by the Crowes, we were hesitant but took a chance anyway.

The Vinyl Verdict
Our copy arrived and had RKS (Ryan K. Smith) and Sterling stamped on the vinyl, so we knew it would sound good if the plant delivered on its end. Smith's work is consistently excellent, and Sterling's reputation speaks for itself. Combined with Chris Athens' remaster from the original quarter inch tapes, the audio chain here is as good as you're going to get for a major label reissue. The actual vinyl on our copy is quiet and well centered, with the kind of dynamic punch this album needs to land properly.

Amorica has always been the underrated entry in the Crowes catalog, overshadowed by its predecessors and dismissed by critics who didn't know what to make of its sprawling, jammy tendencies. Thirty years later, it sounds like the band at their most fearless. This reissue finally gives it the archival treatment it deserves.

A comprehensive package that rewards deep listening. The unreleased material alone justifies the investment for serious fans. 💵

💰Invest
💵 Consider
💸 Pass