Before The Frost...Until The Freeze

After putting out the mediocre "Lions" album and then breaking up for several years, The Black Crowes made a nice creative comeback with "Warpaint" in 2007. The comeback continues with "Before The Frost", an album of all new material recorded live before a small audience in upstate New York. I am really enjoying this album and will take a bold step in stating that this may be my all time favorite Black Crowes release. The album is really quite mellow in spots with country, blues and folk influences abounding throughout the material. That is not to say that the album does not rock in spots including the second track "Been A Long Time" which features a smoking jam at the end showcasing the talents of guitarist Luther Dickson. The album even includes a disco song "I Ain't Hiding" which on paper should never work, but is surprisingly one of the highlights of the album. I normally loathe anything that comes close to disco, but not only is this song infectious, but it manages to rock as well. There is not really a weak track on the disc. "Good Morning Captain", "Appaloosa", "Houston Don't Dream About Me", and "The Last Place That Love Hides", are all slow and mellow, but retain great lyrics and a down home almost country feel. The songwriting on this album is top notch throughout ranks right up with the best this band has come up with. All in all if you are a Crowes fan this album is a must purchase. It may not rock as hard as some of its predecessors, but the band prove that they are still a force to be reckoned with 20 years after their formation.

'Before The Frost...Until The Freeze', released September 2009, are two superb albums which stem from the same sessions held before a live audience at the cozy Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY. You buy one and get the other one by downloading it for 'free' from their website. Interesting concept, although I'm not quite sure I prefer it this way. The downloadable album '...Until The Freeze' is a must-own and must not be overlooked. It might as well be the gem in the package, in fact. But both albums sound fresh and honest and are full of highlights, some unexpected. I can't help but wonder what's next... It appears that the surroundings in which the albums were recorded played a major role on the creation/delivery of this project, with Levon Helm's influence and feel dominating in quite a few places. Larry Campbell, Levon's band's producer and guitar player, guests on both albums, adding banjo, pedal steel and fiddle to the sound of a more mature and somewhat mellowed down Black Crowes. I wonder whether Levon's brilliant 2007 release, 'Dirt Farmer', had something to do with the studio choice... Levon has just passed away, may his soul rest in peace. To Chris's and Rich's credit, the songwriting is very strong, surprisingly fitting. 'Before The Frost...Until The Freeze' must be their most important release since, perhaps, 'Amorica' in 1994.

"Before The Frost...Until The Freeze" is my nomination for the best album of 2009, and anyone who loves Blues-Rock will fall in love with this gem. The live-studio feel to the album captured the best of both worlds. The performance is tight, but the applause and "thank you's" give you the feeling that you're listening to the Black Crowes on stage. The 20 songs make it a good album for the road, as well as a "filling" album - there's only a mild "I wish there was more" feeling at the end of the album ... because it's so good. A lot of reviewers complained that "Warpaint" didn't have enough uptempo songs, but this release has a great mix of faster and slower songs. There's also a more folk-sy or country-rock vibe to some of the songs which I enjoyed. A lot of reviewers give 5 stars to any album they remotely like, but this one is absolutely worthy of my 5-star rating for the amazing music and the great value for the digital download.

Others might say that Before the Frost...Until the Freeze marks a return to form for The Black Crowes. I disagree. This album is just an continuation of the musical progression of the band. The Robinson brothers have matured and so has their music. This album sounds like The Black Crowes. How can it not with the distinctive vocals from Chris? But it sounds like The Black Crowes have grown up. And that is a good thing. The previous release, Warpaint, was fine, but I have already listened to this album more times than Warpaint. But after listening to this record, you can see how Warpaint laid the foundation for this excellent album. Sure there are a few songs that I don't care for, but they are few and far between. And that is without even mentioning that this is a double album for the price of one. You can't beat that. Lastly, this album was recorded live in studio with an audience. Anyone who has ever seen The Black Crowes knows that they are at their best live and I think recording these songs live was an excellent choice and really brings out the best in the material. I hope the band keeps evolving and putting out new material of this quality. If you go back and listen to Amorica or Southern Harmony and then listen to Before the Frost...Until the Freeze, you will see how far the band has come.

Once you hear the 1st note you know this is going to be a great album, and I haven't even heard a lick from the 2nd album, Until The Frost (website won't allow download yet). The opening track, Good Morning Captain, is as good as a Black Crowes song gets. Luther Dickenson & Adam MacDougal are showcased right from the start. Not to take anything away from Marc Ford or Eddie Harsch, but Luther & Adam appear to have their heads in the right place and bring a much heavier souther flavor to the Black Crowes. To make the album even better, it was recorded live at Levon Helm's barn in Woodstock. The band sounds tight, and Larry Cambell even appears on a few songs playing banjo. All in all, there isn't a bad song on the album (even the techo-like "I Ain't Hiding" is pretty cool). I've followed these guys their entire career, and this is clearly the best line-up to date. With 2+ years playing together and two great albums (Warpaint was also excellent), the Black Crowes are on top of their game and one of the best live shows to see today. I can't wait to hear the album at Penn's Peak on the 9th. Thanks again guys for another outstanding album.

This one does not disappoint! What an incredible release from the Crowes and a diverse one as well. These guys have proven once again that they are amazing song writers and live performers. I would say the first half is a little more strong than the second contrary to what a few other reviews stated. I do prefer the more rocking guitar solo oriented songs so that is why I did not like the mellow country/ bluegrass stuff quite as much. My favorites include Good Morning Captain, Been A Long Time, I Ain't Hiding, Garden Gate, and Greenhorn. This is absolutely a requirement for any Crowes fan. I rank it a notch below the first two masterpieces but probably better than Amorica. I only saw these guys once and they blew the roof off of the Howlin' Wolf in New Orleans sometime in the late 90's! One last note on the vinyl, CD and "free" MP3 gimmick- I do not like it. Provide the full product. Some people do not like MP3s!! Also, 500,000 copies of the vinyl of this album (all 20 songs) should be released tomorrow on 180 gram vinyl! I am sick and tired of these limited vinyl releases that get scooped up immediately and then the price balloons to $300. Vinyl has made a MASSIVE comeback and sales are SURGING. Those who appreciate vinyl know that it produces the HIGHEST quality of sound available as it was MEANT to be heard. I wish more artists would really make a big push to increase the volume of vinyl records released. I know it is a decision of the record labels but come on Chris, make this happen!!!

I really loved Warpaint and really love this album also. It is a very laid-back jam style album with great lyrics. I totally dig the disco/funk style tune too. The main reason for this review is to let everybody know, who is wondering about the download of the second half of this release that it is available in both MP3 and FLAC formats. I am not sure what kbps the MP3 is because I downloaded the FLAC version. If you are not familiar with the FLAC format, I will try to explain. FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec. It is a lossless compression. Where MP3 removes most of the high and low frequency information from the selected track and compresses the heck out of it, FLAC keeps all the musical information in a simple 2:1 compression. [...] I would highly recommend downloading the FLAC format. Yes, if you get the MP3 files, you can instantly put it on your portable player but you will never have the original music. If you download the FLAC version, you can burn a lossess CD for play and to keep. You can then very easily convert that CD to MP3 or convert from the FLAC file directly to MP3. There are many free programs to convert the FLAC file to MP3. Just Google it and start reading. I promise it is not hard. I will be happy to try and answer any questions anyone might have about FLAC.

This album is a bit mellow, but I really enjoy it. This album really deserves 5 stars. I was a bit concerned as typically I do not enjoy live albums. Very few groups can pull it off and sound as good as they do in the studio. But I’ve seen The Black Crowes in concert; therefore, I knew what I was getting into and was willing to risk it. I have to say, The Black Crowes did a great job, and I find myself listening to this album over and over. The recording quality is also very good. :) I gave it three stars due to the following: Unfortunately, the CD version shipped and sold from Amazon only contained 11 of the 20 songs. “Until the freeze” portion was not physically included in this item as indicated by the listing title and song list. I don’t know if all the content was ever officially released on CD, because as other reviewers mentioned, the record company instead included a redeemable MP3 download for the 9 other songs. In my purchase and replacement, the download card was missing. It was factory sealed; therefore, I don’t suspect any foul play. It appears “Until the Freeze” content is no longer available, although I do not know about the vinyl version. Although not all is lost, IF Amazon continues to offer it’s MP3 rip with physical purchases, then all 20 songs are still downloadable via Amazon Music. I was able to download all 20 songs at the time of this review. I would assume, but do not know for sure, this also applies to MP3 purchasers as well. I hope that helps clear up any confusion for people who are interested in getting all of the “Before the Frost … Until the Freeze” content. Hopefully Amazon continue to offer downloadable versions of all 20 songs that belong to this memorable set.

前作『Warpaint』から1年、もう彼らの新作が2枚組（！）で届きました。 2枚組と書きましたが、『Before the Frost...』を購入すると 『...Until The Freeze』のダウロード・コードを書いたカードが封入されており、 指定のウェブサイトでMP3かflacでのダウンロードができます。 flac形式のファイルとは聞き慣れないかも知れませんが、 CD並みの音質に拘る方にはこちらをお勧めします。 圧縮方式の1種なのでフリーソフトなどでWAVやMP3に変換が必要ですが flacのまま再生したりCD-Rに焼くソフトも出ています。（どれも合法です） 尚、1回のダウンロードしかできない様なので、中古品での購入には注意しましょう。 『Before the Frost...』 しっとりとした雰囲気の前作『Warpaint』と打って変わって 全体を通してカラっとした雰囲気、小気味の良いギターリフと グルーヴィーな曲が中心。 再生ボタンを押した瞬間に踊りだすこと請け合い。腰に効きます。 早くライブでジャムセッションを堪能したい。 キャッチーな曲ばかりですが、 それと同時に彼らの多彩なルーツと懐の深さが垣間見れる 世の中で『ロックンロール』と呼ばれるものすべてを内包するかのような快作です。 前作ではアクの強いリードギターを見せたルーサー・ディッキンソン、 ツアーを通じてバンドになじんだのか、ストレートなプレイを魅せてくれます。 リードと言えば、今回はリッチのリードプレイが多いのも嬉しいところ。 前作はピンと来なかったという方や、『By Your Side』からクロウズの ファンになったと言う方にもお勧め。 『...Until The Freeze』 こちらはかなりレイドバックしたアコースティックな内容で上級者向け のっけから、シタールやフィドルがフィーチャーされた "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"を彷彿させる サイケデリックな楽曲からスタートしますが 全体としてはカントリー／ブルーグラス的楽曲が中心となります。 『Before the Frost...』『...Until The Freeze』 この2枚はタイトル、ジャケットやサイトのデザインからもわかる様に 陽と陰の関係にあり、2つで1作品。クロウズの魅力の全てが詰まっています。

Black crowes live recording makes great listening on vinyl!

Ich bin wahrlich nicht im Besitz aller Crowes Alben. Bis zu "Warpaint" kannte ich sie nicht einmal. Aber jenes album ließ aufhorchen. Und dieses hier in Kombination mit dem Download-album "Until the freeze" (das mehr country- und folk-lastige Stücke beherbergt) und der DVD zur Aufnahme (Cabin Fever) ist ein echter Schmaus. Das reicht locker an die Großtaten von Gov't Mule, den Allman Brothers, Rolling Stones etc. heran. Ich habe selten CDs in letzter Zeit so oft hintereinander gehört und mich so warm erfreut. Welch kompositorische Finesse! Alle beteiligten Musiker (auch Gastmusiker) sind Spitze und spielen fast spielerisch leicht miteinander zusammen. Das Ganze ist zwar live, aber sicherlich im Nachhinein noch abgemischt. Der Grundtenor ist aber live, wie man auf der DVD sehen kann. Und das Ganze haut einen wirklich um!! Wer micht total begeistert, ist Luther Dickinson als "zweiter" Gitarrist. Das Repertoir dieses Mannes ist enorm; technisch nur brilliant. Bin mal gespannt, ob er auch bei Warren Haynes mal auftaucht. 2 seiner Vorgänger haben ja mit dem dicken Bären schon zusammengespielt. Also: große Songs, traumhafte Arrangements, perfektes Zusammenspiel - KEIN Ausfall (!!). Eine wirkliche Empfehlung für Leute, die auf Southern-Blues-Rock (und drum herum) stehen.

Buen producto, vendedor genial.

Another good Black Crowes album!