When Marc Ford joined the Black Crowes, the 26-year-old Californian's background differed from that of his Atlanta-bred bandmates. But the vibes were immaculate, leading to the recording of 1992’s The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. The number one platinum album is beloved by Black Crowes fans and general rock fans alike.
“I heard something from it the other day,” Ford says. “I was like, ‘Wow, man, that’s really good! Those kids were onto something!’ It’s strong music. It still stands.”
A big reason for that is Sting Me, a cut that’s become a wall-rattling Crowes staple; and Remedy, which reached number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts. Aside from kicking off the album as back-to-back bangers, the songs have another thing in common: Ford's tasteful yet sinful soloing.
Ever the laidback technician, he recalls that brothers Chris and Rich Robinson only had frameworks of the tracks: “I flew in, and the next two days, we were running over these new songs. And a couple of days later we were recording them. There was no time to work anything out; you were just getting shapes thrown at you. The songs weren’t even finished!”
He adds: “Some people, like Steve Cropper, love red-knob Twins. I don’t really know how to use them, but we just made it work. There weren’t many amps to choose from; it was the best choice in the room at the time. I found a kind of cleanish, basic sound. I put a Tube Screamer and a Fuzz Face with it, and that was it.”
Gear aside, what’s helped Sting Me stand the test of time is Ford’s solo. He says it came from a place of thought and care. “It’s about joining the conversation – it’s about what has to be said musically. It’s got to have relevance to the rest of the song. The attitude has to add to the story.
“I wasn’t planning notes. I was just thinking, ‘Attitude and melody-wise, what’s required here?’ It was instinctual. We barely knew the songs when we recorded them; it was all cut live.”
He adds that didn’t do many overdubs, if any. “I just heaved one out there and hoped it landed! I remember the excitement we felt. We knew we were onto something cool, but there wasn’t time to sit around and analyze it.
“I do remember there were a few solos that I did when the room would light up. I’d be like, ‘Absolutely not – that’s not my best!’ I knew where all the fuck-ups were. I hadn’t learned to hear what was there versus my expectation.”
At the time, Ford was hung up on technical greatness – ironic for a player with immaculate feel and phrasing – but he was “forced to live with some things. I was like, ‘Man, this is horrible and embarrassing!’ But six months later, I was like, ‘Okay, I get it. I’m really glad they left that on there!’”
The experience of laying down Remedy was similar. “I keep going back to needing to somehow tell a story,” he says. “It has to come from a lyrical point of view. If someone screams at you with word after word, you can’t hear that for very long. It’s like, ‘Okay, I get the point. You’re heated!’
“But you can’t sustain a conversation that way. You’ve gotta slow it down and be clear to get the message across. That was my approach. It’s impressive to hear a lot of notes, but I only do that to create urgency, never to show off. I’m just trying to communicate.”
Like Sting Me, the feeling inherent in Remedy “came from a lot of mistakes, and the frustration and inability to get it right.” He continues: “I knew in my head that phrasing things in a lyrical way, leaving space, and having it be thoughtful would work.”
“I wasn’t very good at it yet, but I didn’t want run-on sentences. I wanted the solo to have punctuation. In my 20s I was more apt to go, ‘Check this out!’ and stuff it down your throat. But at the same time I had respect for the music, which always meant more to me than a kick in the pants.”
The low-key wilderness aspect of Remedy made its guitar moments classic. “I remember not knowing what to do with the changes,” Ford admits. “I was like, ‘What would Chuck Berry do?’ I just tried to find something that worked.
“It’s simple, it doesn’t take a lot of effort, and it got the point across. A song like Remedy is direct and to the point. There’s a lot of rhythm and just enough melody to keep it interesting. The solo wasn’t thought out; it was just an emotional fit. Thankfully, I had the tools of pause, conversation and silence, and they snuck in there!”
These days he’s busy with Lucinda Williams and his solo career. But when he does hear any of those Black Crowes songs, he feels ironclad in his decisions from 34 years ago. “I wouldn’t change anything,” he states.
“It was a perfect storm. It was the perfect meeting of opportunity and preparation – I was ready for that, and it showed. It was exciting and it grew me as a player. It was bitchin’, man!”
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