Posted by R. Griswold (162.202.220.138) on May 17, 2022 at 21:28:08:
In Reply to: Happy 30th Anniversary to the Southern Harmony and Musical Companion posted by joop on May 14, 2022 at 11:14:48:
Hey Joop, great post. I am close to your age but wasn't as locked in as you, so you were ahead of me and a tick older.
After hearing SYMM in 8th grade/early freshman year of high school and playing that cassette constantly, I still wasn't ready to think they were the real deal quite yet.
Everything else you said is all accurate and I still just remember somewhat questioning that the singles I was hearing on the radio, were in fact coming from the same band that had put out SYMM. I knew it had to be, but they sounded more mature and different so I questioned it for a short minute when hearing Remedy on the radio for the first time. They sounded funkier and thicker so to speak, across the board.
As you say, some of us were looking for any excuse to hitch a wagon to a Zeppelin or a Stones of our own generation. Personally, I saw Grunge as a little gimmicky and I wasn't interested in seeing another new hair metal band, as that was beyond gimmicky, so it was the Crowes that hit the sweet spot.
I've shared this story before for sure, but I remember thinking it vividly and realizing they were right then and there the real deal for me, as opposed to some generic band being marketed during an obvious time of rock music transition.
Most everyone else in the early high school years were immediately glomming onto Nirvana, PJ and STP almost like it was some kind of a cult thing to do, and I was wondering who in the holy hell was on keyboard and lead guitar for the Black Crowes instead.
If I was a tick older my Crowes fan path would have been a bit closer to yours, but needless to say, I took them seriously in 1992 and even more serious with Amorica.
Still a top 10 rock record for me in any era. It came off timeless then and it still does now.
I grabbed a used 1st press for $30 from Greece about 5 years ago and just had to have it. One of the few more modern albums I needed to have in its original pressing.