Music from the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology

Jayhawks

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 7, 2009)
• Original Release Date: July 7, 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony Legacy
• ASIN: B0027WNRGI
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,288 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Two Angels

2. Ain't No End

3. Waiting For The Sun

4. Martin's Song

5. Clouds

6. Settled Down Like Rain

7. Blue

8. I'd Run Away

9. Over My Shoulder

10. Miss Williams' Guitar

11. Trouble

12. Big Star

13. The Man Who Loved Life

14. Smile

15. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me

16. What Led Me To This Town

17. Tailspin

18. All The Right Reasons

19. Save It For A Rainy Day

20. Angelyne

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Formed in Minneapolis in 1985 around the songwriting duo of Mark Olson and Gary Louris - along with bassist Marc Perlman - the Jayhawks brought together the best elements of country, folk, and rock. After four studio albums (including Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow The Green Grass) and numerous U.S. tours, Olson parted company in 1995, leaving Louris to carry on with a revolving lineup of bandmates, releasing the critically acclaimed albums Sound Of Lies, Smile and Rainy Day Music.

But that wasn't to signal the end of Olson and Louris' partnership. The duo reunited for three songs on Olson's 2007 solo album The Salvation Blues, and they decided to continue working together under their own names. An album, Ready For The Flood, was released by New West this past January.

With Olson and Louris currently on the road performing both new songs and classic Jayhawks tracks, the time is right to release the Jayhawks' first-ever compilation. Music From The North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology spans six Jayhawks albums, including their debut on Twin-Tone (Blue Earth) and the five albums cut for American Recordings. Music From the North Country is a single disc career overview put together under the guidance of Gary Louris.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to one of the best bands from the 90s, July 7, 2009

By	Mark Blevins (Lindside, WV United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This single disc collection pulls the highlights from six of The Jayhawks albums. As a long time fan, I've already got all of these songs, but there is a great three disc set with one disc of rarities and a DVD of videos and a short performance for long time fans. I wrote this review for people not familiar with The Jayhawks.

The Jayhawks sound like a 90s version of late 60s Byrds, with some Crosby, Stills and Nash thrown in. Their sound gets tagged as alternative country, but have a lot of folk-rock in their sound. Gary Louris is a unsung guitarist with a unique sound. The harmonies of Mark Olson (who left in 1995 and is gone for tracks 11-20 on the CD) and Louris mix to sound as one. The first ten tracks are marvels of country-rock, folk-rock - whatever you want to call it, it's great music. If you like this, download "Tomorrow the Green Grass" and "Hollywood Town Hall." Both have great songs not included on this disc.

After Olson left, the band became experimental. "Sound of Lies" had some psychedelic touches and "Smile" had the band going pop. "Rainy Day Music" was a throwback to their earlier sound and is also a great record. But for a Jayhawks primer or shoulda-been hits collection, you can't beat this single disc collection.

I discovered them back when I was working in a little AM station in southern WV right out of high school. The station was throwing away CD singles, two of which were "Blue" and "Bad Time," by The Jayhawks. I took them home, popped in the CD player, and have been a big fan ever since.

Fans can quibble about what isn't here - I would have picked "Two Hearts" over "Miss Williams' Guitar" from Tomorrow the Green Grass and "Think About It" over "Big Star" from the Sound of Lies album (which is also a great song.) I'm glad the band is finally getting their due, and I hope more people pay attention this time around. The best news I've heard lately is that the mid-90s lineup is reforming for a few shows. I liked the Olson and Louris record earlier this year, but I would love to have a new Jayhakws album.

Still, for those curious or those who've heard a song or two, this is a great introduction to one of the finest bands from the 90s.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A cornucopia of Jayhawks music, July 7, 2009

By	William Merrill "eclecticist" (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Music from the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology(Deluxe Edition) (Audio CD)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent outtakes and demos for Jayhawks fans on the deluxe edition, July 9, 2009

By	Mark Blevins (Lindside, WV United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Music From The North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology (MP3 Download)

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.