Amorica

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Script error: No such module "about". Template:DMCA Script error: No such module "Unsubst-infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters". Amorica is the third studio album by American rock band The Black Crowes. The album was released on November 1, 1994 by American Recordings. Amorica reached gold status in the United States, shipping 500,000 copies. It reached no. 11 on the Billboard albums chart in the United States and made the charts in several other countries as well.[1]

Description

After touring behind their 1992 album The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, the Black Crowes began developing a new album in 1993 to be titled Tall, but dissatisfaction with the early recordings resulted in the band reconceptualizing the album and re-recording several songs in a more relaxed style,[2] resulting in the Amorica album that was released the following year.[3]

The album cover notably featured a close-up photo of the pelvic region of a woman wearing a United States flag bikini bottom with pubic hair showing at the top. The photo was taken from the cover of the July 1976 issue of Hustler magazine. The album with this cover was subsequently banned from chain stores like Walmart and Kmart, resulting in the cover being censored with a solid black background displaying only the garment.[4]

Other songs recorded during the Amorica sessions were "Feathers," "Tied Up and Swallowed" and "Chevrolet" (a Taj Mahal cover), which were later released as B-sides, bonus tracks or on compilation albums.[citation needed] Those tracks and others were compiled in a 2025 reissue of the album, which includes songs from the aborted Tall album plus additional studio outakes and live recordings from the period.[1][5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarStar[6]
Chicago TribuneStarStarHalf starFile:Star empty.svg[7]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[8]
Kerrang!5/5[9]
Los Angeles TimesStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg[10]
NME8/10[11]
QStarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg[12]
Rolling StoneStarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg[13]
Select4/5[14]
Uncut9/10[15]

The album received generally positive reviews upon its release. "The Crowes haven't ceased their cocky pillaging of the universal jukebox – echoes of the Stones and Led Zep abound," wrote Rolling Stone's Paul Evans, who awarded the album three and a half stars. "But in joining the mix with offbeat kicks (Latino rhythms, wah-wah guitar, strange vocal treatments), they sound remarkably fresh."[16] Tim Sendra from AllMusic noted the change in sound from the band's first two hit albums, with Amorica displaying more jam band-like experimentation when the band could have followed their career trajectory into more mainstream sounds.[6]

In July 2014, Guitar World chose Amorica as one of "50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994", placing it at 50th place.[17]

Three songs from Amorica made the top 10 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart – "A Conspiracy" peaked at #5, "Wiser Time" peaked at #7 and "High Head Blues" peaked at #8.[18] American Songwriter critic Tina Benitez-Eves ranked both "A Conspiracy" and "Wiser Time" as being among the Black Crowes 10 best songs.[19] Allmusic critic Tim Sendra described "A Conspiracy" as having "a little bit of jam band looseness" that's "counterbalanced by the intensity of [the band's] playing and by the intricate arrangements."[6] Daily News critic Jim Farber claimed that as the album's lead single, "A Conspiracy" "bored Top 40 pop radio and video outlets", hurting sales of the album.[20] Music critic Larry Nager described "High Head Blues" as "the song in which the band's love of '60s and '70s retro finally comes together in a sound all its own."[21] The Record critic Barbara Jaeger praised the way "High Head Blues" weaved together guitars, percussion and keyboards.[22] Sendra praised "Wiser Time" for its guitar playing and for its "affecting" vocal performance.[6]

Track listing

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Personnel

The Black Crowes

Additional personnel[23]

Production

Charts

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Chart performance for Amorica
Chart (1994) Peak
position
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[24] 17

Certifications

Certifications for Amorica
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Silver 60,000 
United States (RIAA)[26] Gold 500,000 

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Rolli, Bryan (September 10, 2025). "'Amorica' Returns! The Black Crowes Announce Sprawling Reissue of 1994 Album". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.The Lost Crowes - The Black Crowes | Album | AllMusic, retrieved November 24, 2025
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sendra, Tim. "The Black Crowes Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio &..." AllMusic. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Morse, Steve (March 23, 1995). "The Black Crowes: Rock rebels take home-grown spirit on tour". The Boston Globe. p. 18.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Blabbermouth (September 12, 2025). "THE BLACK CROWES Announce Deluxe Reissue Of 'Amorica'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sendra, Tim. "Amorica – The Black Crowes". AllMusic. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kot, Greg (November 10, 1994). "Black Crowes: Amorica (American)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Eddy, Chuck (November 4, 1994). "Amorica". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Elliott, Paul (November 5, 1994). "Amorican Dream!". Kerrang!. No. 519. pp. 42–43.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Crisafulli, Chuck (October 30, 1994). "The Black Crowes 'Amorica' American". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Patterson, Sylvia (October 29, 1994). "Get Your Rooks Off!". NME. p. 46.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gill, Andy (December 1994). "Draining". Q. No. 99. p. 128.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Evans, Paul (November 3, 1994). "Amorica". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Collis, Clark (December 1994). "Southern def cult!". Select. No. 54. p. 88.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Deusner, Stephen (2023). "High Flyers". Uncut. No. 320, Review of the Year 2023. p. 36.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Evans, Paul (November 3, 1994). "The Black Crowes: Amorica". Rolling Stone. No. 694. pp. 95–96.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994". GuitarWorld.com. July 14, 2014. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Black Crowes: Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Benitez-Eves, Tina (February 28, 2023). "Top 10 Songs by The Black Crowes". American Songwriter. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Farber, Jim (December 12, 1994). "It's Looking Like a Conspiracy Against Black Crowes". Daily News. p. 29. Retrieved March 3, 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nager, Larry (November 8, 1994). "Black Crowes at best when they hold it down". Times Record. p. 13A. Retrieved March 3, 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jaeger, Barbara (December 4, 1994). "Finding their voice". The Record. p. E-4. Retrieved March 3, 2026 – via newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Black Crowes - Amorica". Discogs. October 31, 1994. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in suomi) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  25. ^ Script error: No such module "cite". Select albums in the Formats field. Type Black Crowes in the "Search:" field.
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Further reading

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