Customer Reviews

Music from the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology(Deluxe Edition)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've really been grooving on this new Jayhawks anthology. The deluxe edition is definitely the way to go. The first disc is the "North Country" hits collection, featuring pretty much all of the best loved Jayhawks songs, including "Blue" (my fave). I already own most of the band's albums, pre- and post-Olson, but this is a handy way to get so many of the tunes I like all in one place. The 2nd disc is an assortment of b-sides, outtakes, radio performances and the like, many previously unreleased. The songs are nowhere near as great as the "hits" on disc one, but they still make for some pretty good listening, and hearing them appealed to the collector and curious fan in me. There's a lot of loose and sloppy (fun) stuff on disc two. The third disc (DVD) is a mildly interesting set of music videos plus two EPK's (electronic press kits), featuring interview footage, live performances (ex., SXSW 97), and other miscellanea.

Hearing this music again (disc 1) or for the first time (disc 2), I was struck by how the Jayhawks are in some ways an original and authentic sound, but at the same time, how much they owe to country-rock predecessors like Richie Furay-era Poco, Flying Burritos, etc. The early-Poco similarity was especially strong on many songs. And some of the material on disc two veers pretty strongly into traditional country territory.

One final note is that a "big box retailer" is selling a version of this deluxe edition that has a FOURTH disc of rarities, an EP containing five cuts, live songs and outtakes, all but one previously unreleased. If you get that version, it's just about like getting a Jayhawks box set.

American 88697 47043 2 is in tri-gatefold card sleeve with an extensive booklet and song choices overseen by key band member GARY LOURIS. This is the DELUXE EDITION - Disc 1 has 20 remastered tracks from their 6 studio albums (this disc is the one used for the standard single CD version); a bonus Disc 2 which contains 20 rarities (14 of which are previously unreleased) and a bonus DVD that gives you 7 Music Videos Plus 2 EPKs (Electronic Press Kits).

Here's a detailed track-by-track breakdown...

Disc 1 (76:29 minutes):
1. Two Angels
2. Ain't No End (1 and 2 from "Blue Earth", 1989)
3. Waiting For The Sun
4. Martin's Song
5. Clouds
6. Settled Down Like Rain (3 to 6 from "Hollywood Town Hall", 1992)
7. Blue
8. I'd Run Away
9. Over My Shoulder
10. Miss Williams' Guitar (7 to 10 from "Tomorrow The Green Grass", 1995)
11. Trouble
12. Big Star
13. The Man Who Loved Life (11 to 13 from "Sound Of Lies", 1997)
14. Smile
15. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
16. What Led Me To This Town (14 to 16 from "Smile", 2000)
17. Tailspin
18. All The Right Reasons
19. Save It For A Rainy Day
20. Angelyne (17 to 20 from "Rainy Day Music", 2003)

Disc 2 (76:10 minutes):
1. Falling Star (from "The Jayhawks", privately pressed US-only debut LP limited to 2000 copies, never officially on CD before)
2. Old Woman From Red Clay (Alternate Take of "Two Angels" from "Blue Earth")
3. That's The Bag I'm In (A Fred Neil cover Recorded Live for KFAL Radio in Minneapolis in October 1989)
4. Won't Be Coming Home (1991 Demo, Later Made Famous by GOLDEN SMOG)
5. Stone Cold Mess (Outtake from "Hollywood Town Hall" Sessions, 1992)
6. Mission On 2nd (Outtake from "Hollywood Town Hall" Sessions, 1992)
7. Lights (Victoria Williams cover specially recorded for the Various Artists compilation "Sweet Relief: A Benefit For Victoria Williams", 1993)
8. Darling Today (Non-Album B-side of USA CD single of "Blue", 1995)
9. Break My Mind (Non-Album B-side of USA CD single of "Bad Time", 1995)
10. Get The Load Out (Non-Album B-side of a European CD single of "Bad Time", 1995)
11. Poor Little Fish (Early Version, An Outtake from the "Sound Of Lies" Sessions, 1996)
12. Someone Will (1998 Demo for "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" from "Smile", first aired on "Live From The Women's Club Official Bootleg" CD in 2003)
13. Cure For This (1999 Previously Unreleased Track, has emerged as "Goodbye Kiss" by Janey Winterbauer and Marc Perlman on their "25:32:47" EP in early 2009)
14. I Can Make It On My Own (1998/1999 Demo from the "Smile" Sessions)
15. Rotterdam (1999 Demo of "All The Right Reasons")
16. Follow Me (2001 Demo by Tom O'Reagan)
17. In The Canyon (2001 Demo, Outtake from the "Rainy Day Music" Sessions)
18. Tailspin (2001 "Early Version" Demo from the "Rainy Day Music" Sessions)
19. I Think I've Had Enough (2001 Demo from the "Rainy Day Music" Sessions)
20. Help Me Forget (2001 Demo from the "Rainy Day Music" Sessions)

Tracks 2 to 6 and 11 to 20 are previously unreleased

"...Anthology..." is produced by JOHN JACKSON and PD LARSON (who also does the liner notes) with superb mastering by GREG CALBI at Sterling Sound in New York. The sound quality is really clean and musically upped a notch ("Blue" in particular is gorgeous - lyrics for this review above). The 26-page booklet gives detailed backgrounds to each song (especially the unreleased stuff) and even if the print is tiny, it makes for a really entertaining and informative read.

I'd expected the quality to dip on Disc 2, but for the most part it's actually a strong rival for the sheer melody of the songs on Disc 1. It's really impressive stuff. Fans will adore "Rotterdam" the demo version of "All The Right Reasons" (surely one of their strongest songs) while the "Poor Little Fish" alternate is them stretching out into soundscapes they normally wouldn't go anywhere near - and winning - I love it. Their cover of the Victoria Williams song "Lights" for her cancer relief CD project is both fantastically musical and poignant. The quirky videos for "Big Star" (bevies of babes petting the boys) and "Save It For A Rainy Day" (ballerina outfits and swimming pools) are just icing on an already rather cool little cupcake.

"Music From The North Country" is a superb overview of a great American band in the tradition of Big Star and R.E.M. - and classily done too. It truly is a shame that they're gone.

Recommended - big time.

The three disc set of "Music From the North Country" is essential for Jayhawks fans. Even though disc one is made up of music most long time fans will already own, the second disc makes the purchase worthwhile. Disc two starts out with a tune from the Bunkhouse album from 1986 and proceeds to tap early versions of "Two Angels," here known as "Old Woman From Red Clay," and "A Break in the Clouds," on this set as "Stone Cold Mess." It's fascinating to me to hear these songs in their earlier stages.

"Stone Cold Mess" in particular is interesting because "A Break in the Clouds" is one of my favorite songs off the Smile album and I had no idea the song, or a version of it, had been around for so long. The second disc also includes several B-sides, mainly from the "Blue" single. The song "Get the Load Out" is a great hard rocker, not something the Jayhawks are generally known for, but they pull it off with no problem.

The third disc is a DVD with several music videos and two electronic press kids, one from the Hollywood Town Hall era and the other dating from Smile. The deluxe edition also contains liner notes on all the B-sides and rarities. The notes are well written and informative.

If you are a Jayhawks fan, I would recommend this three disc set. The price is right and there are some gems on that second disc. Amazon is also offering five demos not available anywhere else for download. I bought the three disc set and then downloaded the five songs from Amazon individually. Most of the demos date from the Smile era, with one from 2001. They're not essential, but "Save Me From Myself" and "Second Nature" are both strong tunes.

I hate to give this just three stars because I love The Jayhawks, especially the early Louris-Olson version. When Olson left to move to Joshua Tree with Victoria Williams (and create some great, hard-to-find music with the Creekdippers), The Jayhawks music just didn't have that "magic" anymore. It was good, but not great.

I admit that I downloaded this -- and kind of regret it now. The first CD is a good career-spanning "best of" collection. But I've got most of it already.

The second CD of outtakes, demos, alternate versions, and live takes shows a band in the making and is interesting to listen to -- once or twice. There's a third CD with 5 additional songs on it that is about the same as CD 2. It's OK, but nothing stunning.

I really, really didn't need the first CD, and I wish this had been available in two formats -- as the 3 CD set, and as a 2 CD set for those of us who are only duplicating our collections by getting the first CD.

If you are new to The Jayhawks, or only have one or two CDs, then I highly recommend this -- more for CD 1 than the other stuff. The second and third CDs are for confirmed Jayhawks fans only, IMHO. There's good stuff there, but nothing that will keep me coming back to listen to it again and again.

Disc one provides an overview of the Jayhawks' career. But, since the band never really had hit songs, it's hard to justify the song selection on this disc -- I would have probably made some different choices which reflect my favorites. It's also a bit schizophrenic, since each Jayhawks album is significantly different from the others, and hence these songs, which run chronologically, represent some real stylistic shifts. Still, a newcomer could use this disc as a means to figuring out which original album(s) to purchase, and a long-time fan would probably enjoy it as a sampler.

Disc two, a collection of demos, b-sides, and alternate takes, is great on its own -- good songs -- but especially interesting for a longtime fan as it includes earlier versions of some album tracks; it's cool to hear how the songs evolved, sometimes marginally ("Old Woman from Red Clay") and sometimes hugely ("Stone Cold Mess"). This disc also demonstrates the songwriting prowess of Louris and Olson --"Darling Today" was a b-side? Holy Cow! The song is a few minutes of pure pop pleasure, guaranteed to make you smile, and it was a b-side? Most bands would be lucky to have EVER produced such a great song! For the price I paid, that song alone makes this a worthwhile purchase.

This anthology does the job - it gives a thorough and thoughtful overview of an overlooked band. I can't think of many, if any, great Jayhawks tracks that aren't anthologized in this collection. If you want to explain the greatness of this late and lamented band, this collection will make your point effectively. The supplemental disc of rarities both highlight the depth of the band's talent, while proving, by and large, that the band made the right choice in keeping most of these off their albums. Very highly recommended.

The Jayhawks
"Music from the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology"
(Sony-BMG Legacy, 2009)
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The twin legacies of Alex Chilton and Gram Parsons hover over these classic indie/billy twangcore tunes... This is a great 2-CD retrospective tracing the band's various phases and expansions, with shifting lineups and changes in style. I've always heard the Jayhawks as more of a rock band, though the twang is definitely there. It's interesting to hear them move from the mystically-oriented early days with Mark Olson in the band into a more streamlined rock style when the band was led by Gary Louris -- the programming of Disc One (the studio "hits") does a remarkable job of making these changes sound like a cohesive whole. Disc Two features demo tracks and other rarities, and gathers plenty of goodies for longtime fans to enjoy. (I'm sad that they didn't include their sublime cover of Grand Funk Railroad's "Bad Time" -- one of the catchiest tracks they ever recorded -- but I guess you can't squeeze everything in on every best-of...) The deluxe package also includes a third disc of video material, which is also kinda fun.... Overall, this is a very good document of the band's first couple of decades, a fan's delight as well as a strong introduction to one of the key bands in the 1990s alt-country scene. (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue Guide To Hick Music)

CD Wonderful, I wish more people had access but unfortunately few know how to enjoy the good music