The Black Crowes: Who Killed That Bird Out On Your Windowsill

By: Erik Swift

November 2006

DVD Features Video: 1.33:1 Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 DVD released on 10/03/2006 by Rhino Running Time: 90 Mins Tracks: 1. Black Moon Creeping (Studio footage) 2. Thick N Thin (Montage) 3. Jealous Again 4. You’re Wrong (MTV Unplugged) 5. Sometimes Salvation (Studio) 6. Twice As Hard (Montage) 7. Hard To Handle 8. Jealous Guy 9. Hotel Illness (Montage) 10. She Talks To Angels 11. Sister Luck (Montage) 12. Thorn In My Prise 13. My Morning Song 14. Stare It Cold (Live In Moscow) 15. Remedy 16. Thick N Thin 17. No Speak No Slave (Montage) 18. Sting Me

Saying The Black Crowes have had a great high lately is usually accurate. A few million tokes were needed when they scattered in 2001, splintering into singer Chris Robinson’s New Earth Mud and his guitarist brother Rich’s late, great Hookah Brown. Andy Hess landed the bass job in Gov’t Mule while Eddie Harsch played keyboards for The Detroit Cobras. Guitarist Audley Freed disappeared after a NEM stint and drummer Steve Gorman hit the west coast to chill. Proving that absence makes the heart grow fonder, 2005 saw the Robinson brothers end their hiatus to assemble the ultimate Crowes lineup with Harsch. Welcoming guitarist Marc Ford back after an eight-year absence was the big surprise; he and Chris renewed their friendship during the Crowes’ layoff, and the two co-authored “Sunday Sound,” the best cut on the first NEM album. Solid bassist Sven Pipien returned for the first time since 2000, and the band’s revelatory shows garnered rapturous reviews…regardless of Hookah drummer Bill Dobrow’s erratic work. After two months Gorman grabbed the sticks again in the band’s home turf of Atlanta. The Black Crowes were finally back, and serious about it.

Talk of a new album abounded, and a Christmas single and bright acoustic performances this past spring by Chris and Rich, their first, signaled positive grooves all around. The delay from August to September of the welcome release of “The Lost Crowes” – two stellar discs of scrapped ‘90s sessions long relegated to the vaults – was due to manufacturer artwork errors, which was no indication of what lay in wait. Despite hitting the ivories since touring behind the band’s monster debut, “Shake Your Money Maker,” there had been signs for months that Harsch was on his way out. That Ford left so quickly after him brought an abrupt end to 18 months of peaceful existence for the rejuvenated sextet. Ford’s second departure was retribution for years of defense of his first, an ouster trashing his drug abuse by band members allegedly using the same chemicals: in a major buzz kill, his lawyer announced his exit to Crowes message boards 36 hours before the first night of a two-month tour. The reunited Black Crowes’ high has tapered.

Ford’s first tenure is on display during the arguably happier times chronicled in “Who Killed That Bird Out On Your Window Sill…The Movie.” This band has only kept the same lineup for five of its 17 years, and seeing original guitarist Jeff Cease’s name crossed off at the end of the “Jealous Again” video reflects the Crowes’ constant flux. A visual scrapbook that only ardent fans could locate in VHS bargain bins for the last decade, its arrival on DVD is a total letdown. There is no bonus material here, absolutely none. It sucks because its 83 minutes goes so quickly, and this early look at The Black Crowes could have become something more.

The highlights of this Rhino DVD remain the live performances, especially an MTV Unplugged version of “You’re Wrong,” shredded with the acoustic swords of the band until a premature edit ends it. Another gem is “Stare It Cold” from a warm September 1991 day on Moscow’s fringes in Tushino Airfield, a site where comrade Stalin roamed in the 1930s. Playing to nearly 500,000 at the band’s sole Russian appearance to date (supporting Metallica, Pantera and AC/DC as part of a free Monsters Of Rock gig), the rhythmic pounce of Gorman and then-bassist Johnny Colt kicks the crowd in their glasnost. Quality covers abound, including an Atlanta version of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” so old it features Chuck Leavell on keyboards, and a studio performance of “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” that again ends too soon.

During “Who Killed That Bird Out On Your Window Sill…The Movie,” one can sense that regaining consciousness only happens during a daylight hour, life is not complete without a mullet, and Chris’ wit knows no boundaries (my favorite Chris’ism: regarding record label execs’ market research, “When was the last time they went over to a pot dealer’s house,” Chris asks, to find out what he was listening to?) Montages alternate between the brief, the overlong and the boring while the “Money Maker” video clips are standard MTV fare. The adventurous music starts when the band’s sophomore album “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion” drops, and the trippy (“Thorn In My Pride”) tops the hippie (“Remedy”).

Unfortunately, the opportunity to equal the unearthed audio glory of “The Lost Crowes” with a visual release of the same depth is lost. For starters, where is the entire “Unplugged” show? “Torn And Frayed” from “Storytellers” would have been a nice inclusion. So would the “Saturday Night Live” premiere of “Nonfiction” two years before its release on “Amorica” or their 2000 appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Page for a blistering take on Led Zeppelin’s “The Wanton Song.” Not only would that have been wise but it would turn this into a career-encompassing release. However, The Black Crowes are too smart for that. They’re always changing, and knew after the 1992 release of “Who Killed That Bird Out On Your Window Sill…The Movie” that any look at them is instantly outdated. Enough bitching - what’s here is very cool…but it could have used some spice.

Reviewer’s Opinion: BORROW IT!!