Synopsis
The Black Crowes are shown in motion as a young band living the road life, moving between travel, backstage moments, soundchecks, and live performances. The video mixes candid-looking footage with shots of Chris Robinson working the stage and the band tearing through its swaggering version of Otis Redding's soul classic. Empty-venue preparations and crowded concert scenes underline the contrast between the routine grind of touring and the explosive energy that made the group an early-1990s rock attraction.
Factoids & Trivia
- "Hard To Handle" is a cover of the 1968 Otis Redding song, co-written by Redding, Al Bell, and Allen Jones.
- The video was released in 1990 to promote the Black Crowes' debut album, "Shake Your Money Maker."
- Its road footage follows a familiar early-1990s rock-video formula, but the emphasis on travel, soundcheck, and performance keeps the band looking like a working live act rather than a heavily styled studio creation.
- Alpine Valley Music Theatre in Wisconsin appears during a soundcheck sequence, with the band performing in front of an empty venue.
- The video helped push the song beyond rock radio and became one of the Black Crowes' most visible early MTV appearances.
- The single eventually reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 after re-entering the chart in 1991, becoming the band's highest-charting US single.
- The recording's guitar solo was played by producer and engineer Brendan O'Brien rather than Rich Robinson. O'Brien also contributed the organ solo.