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| | | Keyword Search: The Jayhawks | Home » Music From the North Country: Jayhawks Anthology | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | 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. | | | Product Details: | | | Audio CD Release Date:
| July 07, 2009 | | Studio:
| Sony Legacy | | Number Of Discs:
| 1 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 15 reviews |
| | | Track Listing: | | | 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 | |
| | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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 Meat n' ScrapsMay 30, 2010
I first saw this band in 1992 and I still must say it was one of the best shows ever as well as acquiring all of their full release cd's. Though this cd is an excellent compilation with respect to Disc 1 (the Meat), there are only a few gems on disc 2 (the scraps). Easy to see why the remainder of the tracks on disc 2 were omitted off the main releases and released in the anthology or as B-Sides, etc.
Unless you are an avid Jayhwaks fan, I would recommend starting with Hollywood Town Hall and then go forward or backward. I would loathe to see a new or first time listener disregard the Jayhawks as a great band after hearing disc 2 and not revisit this band again.
 Good intro for neophytes, great document for longtime fansMar 24, 2010
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.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
"...Never Thought That I'd Miss You...That I'd Miss You So Much..."Nov 08, 2009
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.
A wonderful anthology for a beloved bandNov 02, 2009
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.
0 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Music from the North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology(Deluxe Edition)Sep 07, 2009
CD Wonderful, I wish more people had access but unfortunately few know how to enjoy the good music
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