Customer Reviews

Tomorrow The Green Grass

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

*** This Review Is For The 2011 2CD LEGACY EDITION ***

The Jayhawks "Tomorrow The Green Grass" showed that after two accomplished Indie albums (1986 and 1989) and their stunning 1992 breakthrough effort "Hollywood Town Hall" - here was a truly great Americana band hitting their stride.

This January 2011 2CD Legacy Edition is a massive overhaul of their revered 4th album - and American 88697 72732 2 breaks down as follows...

Disc 1 (68:20 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 13 are the album "Tomorrow The Green Grass" released February 1995 on American Recordings 43006
Track 14 is "Tomorrow The Green Grass", a studio recording, non-album B-side from the 1995 single "Blue"
Tracks 15, 16 and 18 are "You And I (Ba Ba Ba)", "Sweet Hobo Self" and "Sleep While You Can" and are all PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Track 17 is "Last Cigarette", a studio recording, non-album B-side from the 1995 single "Bad Time" which features Karen Grotberg on Lead Vocals

Disc 2 (72:17 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 18 are called "The Mystery Demos" and are all PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
1 to 10 are Mark Olson and Gary Louris 'Demos' recorded 6 February 1992 in Minneapolis with Mike "Razz" Russell on Violin
11 to 18 are Mark Olson and Gary Louris 'Acoustic Demos' recorded October 1992 in Los Angeles with the album's producer George Drakoulias overseeing the session

The album produced 3 singles - "Bad Time" (backing vocals by Sharleen Spiteri of Texas), "Blue" and "I'd Run Away" which featuring a plethora of outtakes and previously unreleased tracks across worldwide releases. I mention this because the eagle-eyed fan will notice that there are 3 B-sides NOT featured here (and there was room for them) - they're on the superlative "Music From The North Country" American Recordings 2CD/1DVD compilation from 2009. The band probably didn't want to duplicate what fans have already bought - but it's worth mentioning that if you want a fuller picture, you'll need 'both' releases despite this being a supposed all-encompassing 'Legacy Edition'.

The 3-way card digipak features a 24-page booklet with liner notes by band-archivist PD LARSON - photos of the boys in the studio - out on the road, pictures beneath the 2 see-through plastic trays etc. It's very nicely done and in keeping with the original black and white artwork.

The original tapes have been remastered by VIC ANESINI (he also did the "Music From The North Country" set - see separate review) and the sound quality is BEAUTIFUL - so sweet and warm. Tracks like "Blue" and "Two Hearts" were standouts anyway on the original CD, but here they sound just gorgeous. The remaster also makes you rehear a lot of the lesser-lauded gems on the record like "Pray For Me" (with Victoria Williams on Backing Vocals - lyrics above) and the pretty "Ann Jane" - they now sound 'so' good.

As you can imagine - the previously unreleased stuff is a mixture of the great and the ordinary. The 2 B-sides on Disc 1 are only OK, but the 3 outtakes are surprisingly good - especially "Sweet Hobo Self". The plaintive "You And I (Ba Ba Ba)" could have been a great lost classic - it starts out so well, but then seems to get lost in a lyrical mess that the band forgot to come back to - to sort out.

Disc 2 offers up a whopping 18 demo versions. With so many songs recording in one gulp - and being demos - mistakes and glitches are left in and the production is basic (a lot of hiss on the Oct 1992 sessions) - but it actually imbibes the songs that didn't make the final cut like "Won't Be Coming Home" and "Poor Michael's Boat" with a stripped down intimacy that will thrill hardcore fans. The "Blue From Now On" demo for instance is as gorgeous in rough-cut as is the finished version (eventually just called "Blue"). Some are dull though like "Red's Song" and "Bloody Hands" - some surprise you like the excellent "Ranch House In Phoenix" while "Nothing Left To Borrow" is as lovely as The Jayhawks get. While it's not quite the wow the Deluxe Edition of Whiskeytown's "Strangers Almanac" is (see separate review) - it's still very good indeed.

To sum up - the remaster is superlative, the packaging is excellent and the 'works-in-progress' extras give us a 'deeper' feel for the album and are often shockingly good.

Recommended.

Members of the Jayhawks have described their music as "loud folk music" and thats a pretty good description. Tomorrow The Green Grass is "middle period" Jayhawks and it is possibly their finest recording - although every single one of their albums are excellent. This is American folk rock at its best and you can hear why there are so many comparisons to Gram Parsons and Neil Young. This one is a requirement for any music fan who's serious about their music collection. After this, buy "Hollywood Town Hall", then "Sound of Lies", then "Smile", and then "Blue Earth" - in that order.

I listen to a lot of cd's. You could almost say it's an addiction. Most of the ones I buy these days, I listen to 3 or 4 times, then forget about. I guess listening to such a wide variety of music over the years has made me a little hard to please. Something's really got to stand out to get my attention. You can see where I'm going here - these guys got my attention! This Jayhawks cd is almost constantly in my cd player - not because I have to justify buying it by listening to it a certain number of times, but because I honestly can't wait to hear it again. I have to force myself not to listen to it over and over because I'm afraid I'll get tired of it like I always do, but so far it just gets better each time. Heck, I have to force myself not to listen to each song 2 or 3 times in a row! A prize like this more than justifies all the money I've thrown away on disappointments that end up collecting dust in my cd collection, and believe me I've wasted a lot of money over the years. If you decide to get this one, do yourself a favor and listen to it at least 5 or 6 times before you make a judgement, and especially before you post a review. Something this good just can't be fully appreciated with one listen. The 5 star rating gets thrown around a lot, and I'm as guilty as anyone, but these guys really deserve it.

I consider this disc one of the ten that I would take to the proverbial desert island. I am always in the mood for it. I have yet to play it for anyone with ears who did not shortly ask me, "Who IS this?".

I find these reviews most helpful when the reviewer indicates some of the music that he/she enjoys in general. My tastes are fairly eclectic, but to give you an idea of where I'm coming from, some of my bands/artists of choice would include: Grateful Dead, Counting Crows, Liz Phair, Buffalo Tom, Oasis, Sublime, Barenaked Ladies, Sheryl Crow, Beatles, REM, Stones, Belle & Sebastian, Tom Waits, etc. etc.

There's not much I can add to the numerous rapturous reviews of this album by other listeners, other than an emphatic "I agree!" I would note for the record that I was not immediately blown away by this disc, but as at least one reviewer noted, you owe it to yourself to listen to it five or six times to truly appreciate the great harmonies, jangling guitars and overall excellence of this CD. It just grows on you. "I'd Run Away," "Real Light," and "Pray For Me" are awesome, as is their cover of Grand Funk's "Bad Time," which I like even better than the original. A great album.

I can't understand why amazon.com has omitted this from its "essential" Jayhawks list. If you only by one Jayhawks album, make it this one. Hollywood Town Hall is good but a little too free-form; Sound of Lies is repetitive and depressing and difficult to get through in one sitting. This is the one album with Louris, Olson and Grotberg all in the band, and they just got it right. The songs will stay in your head for a long time; you'll be humming them without even realizing it. Forget the annoying labels "alternative", "indie", and "country rock" -- this is real rock & roll.

To say that "Tomorrow the Green Grass" is not as great as the Jayhawks' classic "Hollywood Town Hall" is not so much a criticism of this album as it is a compliment to HTH. "Tomorrow the Green Grass" is an excellent album in it's own right. It represents the band's move from the alt-country/"no depression" sound of their 1st three albums to a more straight ahead rock sound, but still hinges on the gorgeous vocal harmonies and poetic lyrics of Mark Olson and Gary Louris. The addition of keyboardist Karen Grotberg gives depth to the more lush production without completely overpowering the jangle & fuzz guitar sound that made their earlier work so much fun to listen to. Stand out gems are the album's opening and closing tracks ("Blue" and "Ten Little Kids," respectively.) This would be Olson's last album with the band, but what a way to go...

Being a huge fan of classic rock my entire life, this 33 year old finds it very refreshing to come across a band as talented as the Jayhawks. If you enjoyed their prior endeavors, you will plunge deeply into a state of nirvana with this one. With so many fly by night groups popping up on the music scene, it really is a pleasure to come across the Jayhawks. Their blend of beautiful vocal harmonies, steady guitar rhythms, and intelligent lyrics will make you realize 1)Why they are in the class w/The Beatles, ELO, etc., and 2)In today's world they don't get much airplay on the radio- their music is simply too deep to be cheapened by the sound that has plagued our airwaves for far too long !!! If you are not sure which CD to purchase next, you owe it to yourself to add this one to your collection. You won't regret it !!

On their first follow-up to "Hollywood Town Hall", the Jayhawks have produced a tapestry of heartache and whimsy, innocence and angst, that is peculiarly American-sounding. Combining their various influences---country, folk, classical, and blasting rock and roll---the boys from Minneapolis put them all through a blender and produce one hell of a milkshake. "Blue" opens the show with a plaintive ex-lover's lament; you can just about hear the poor fellow's heart smashing on the floor as she walks out of his life. "Miss Williams' Guitar" is surprisingly upbeat, even rollicking, which makes sense; it is a valentine to guitarist/singer Gary Olson's wife, singer-songwriter Victoria Williams, and has a sweetness and a strength that, no doubt, echo the lady herself. "Ten Little Kids" ends the album with the laughter and boundless of children---literally; you can hear them, joining in on the hijinks. Gary Louris, the other singer-guitar player, pitches in fine vocals along with partner Olson, and the songcraft couldn't be at a higher pitch. This record may have perplexed fans of the rocking "Town Hall", with its emphasis on piano, violins, and acoustic guitars; one complete listen, though, and your cares will wash away, which is dsadly more than can be said of the lovelorn narrators in these wonderful, wistful songs. There just isn't enough that can be said about the Jayhawks; they are the modern heirs (and heiress, as their fiddle player happens to be a fetching young lass) to the Band, the Allmans, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and loads of other artists, who have all been filtered through the group's artistic lens. Check 'em out, before the Food and Drug Administration officially declares them an addictive substance---which they are!

in 10+ years since hearing a couple of fine tracks off the Jayhawks 'Tomorrow the Green Grass' upon its release in '96, i realised i never got around to buying it (now a v. difficult opus to track down here in Australia). Since it arrived the other day from US (via Amazon) i haven't stopped playing it, & the tunes have stuck in my head since. Not merely a 'country' tinged album, the songs hold more to their basis than first appears, as do their musical arrangements. It has easily withstood the test of time hearing it again now...what some may term classic...but i simply term, damn fine!