Blue Earth [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Performer: The Jayhawks
Engineer: Jeff Bjork; Dale Goulette; Tom Herbers
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: The Jayhawks: Mark Olson (vocals, 6- & 12-string guitars, harmonica); Gary Louris (vocals, guitar); Marc Perlman (acoustic & electric basses); Thad Spencer (drums). Additional personnel: Jim Rondinelli (vocals); Dan Gaarder (guitar); Charlie Pine (organ); Norm Rogers (drums). Producers: Jim Rondinelli, Tom Herbers, The Jayhawks. Personnel: Mark Olson (vocals, guitar, 12-string guitar, harmonica); Gary Louris (vocals, guitar); Jim Rondinelli (vocals); Dan Gaarder (guitar); Charlie Pine (organ); Marc Perlman (acoustic bass, electric bass); Norm Rogers, Thad Spencer (drums). Audio Mixer: Jim Rondinelli. Recording information: Control Sound; Creation; Johnny Audio; Lakesity Recording; Paisley park. Photographer: Dan Carrigan. Even amid the rash of alt-country bands that cropped up in the mid-to-late '90s, it's not easy to lose sight of the Jayhawks; the Minneapolis quartet has been making honest, superbly crafted, country-tinged roots rock since the late '80s. On BLUE EARTH, the follow-up to the band's debut, frontmen/singers/guitarists/songwriters Gary Louris and Mark Olson burrow even deeper into the tradition of "Cosmic American Music" pioneered by Gram Parsons and SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO-era Byrds. The record draws on various traditional sources, from the country-fried melodicism of "Dead End Angel," through the Neil Young-style balladry of "Ain't No End," to up-tempo hillbilly jags such as "The Baltimore Sun," yet never sounds stale or derivative. The magic created by Louris and Olson's guitar interplay and perfectly calibrated harmonies (note the gorgeous twang and lilt of album's opener, "Two Angels") charges these tracks with a clear, utterly unpretentious light. Though The Jayhawks would go on to refine their sound on later albums, BLUE EARTH is still a standout recording. The songs which make up Blue Earth originated as demos, and save for some minor studio tinkering, are presented here in their original embryonic state. As a consequence, the record lacks punch; spare and economical, the songs are simply too primitive to come to life in this setting. Nonetheless, the growth of the band's songwriting skills over their debut is substantial; while many of the themes -- drifting, drinking, and lost love -- remain the same, they're handled with greater insight and clarity than before, with a keen eye for detail and nuance. [In 2003, Ryko reissued Blue Earth and included three previously unheard demos.] ~ Jason Ankeny

Rolling Stone (5/15/03, p.136) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A delicate stomp delivered with a sweetness so foursquare it seems almost innocent....The sound of a bar band breaking through to the next level..." Uncut (6/03, p.137) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...The relaxed power of the Jayhawks' playing suits Olson's world of small-town, languorous hedonism..."

Along with Uncle Tupelo, the Jayhawks were part of the 1980s wave of alt-country (as opposed to 1970s-style country-rock) bands, filtering the influence of artists like Gram Parsons through an alternative rock sensibility. The band's first three albums were powered by two strong singer-songwriters, but when Marc Olson left to collaborate with his wife Victoria Williams, Gary Louris became the leader and moved the band toward a more rock-pop direction for the next couple of albums. 2003's RAINY DAY MUSIC, though, found the Jayhawks adopting a more acoustic, Crosby, Stills & Nash-like sound.

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