Blue Earth

This record is killer. Just a little quieter than Hollywood Town Hall, which I consider a wonderful set. Olson's writing seems even stronger on Blue Earth, though, and the couple tracks Louris sings are equally fine. I had heard the 1986 set and was very impressed. Too bad the radio knuckleheads failed to play this stuff when it was current. If you like any Olson or Jayhawks and have yet to hear this, please try it now.

One of my fave bands, great CD.

I dig The Jayhawks!

i don't find this disc as compelling as hollywood town hall, but then again, to me HTH is the crown jewel of their work, i rate this equal to their Tomorrow... disc though, not quite as polished, pop, or hook-laden as some of their other stuff, and THAT makes this an excellent disc to me....I like their earlier, less polished sound. Easily my second favorite disc of their stuff.

When I saw these guys live in a bar in Minneapolis back in 1988 (I was there organizing an anti-war protest, and was taken to see "the best band in town" by an anarchist friend) there was no fashionable alt.country movement to join. And unlike Uncle Tupelo and some others, Olson, Louris & Co. never played punk rock as far as I know. They just heard a sound, up there in the North Country.Eight of these songs are by Mark Olson, and four are co-written by Olson and Louris. This is absolutely beautiful, melodic, poignant country rock. My favorite tracks are "She's Not Alone Anymore," "Commonplace Streets," The Baltimore Sun," and "Sioux City." BLUE EARTH was to be followed by just two more brilliant albums, HOLLYWOOD TOWN HALL," which has a uniformly downbeat tone, and TOMORROW THE GREEN GRASS, which has a more "Beatles-esque" pop feel, and a greater diversity of mood. Both are present in BLUE EARTH. It was the template for all that was to follow.Personally I never thought it made sense to have the Jayhawks without Mark Olson -- it would be kind of like trying to have the Beatles without Lennon OR McCartney! He was the soul of the band, the main singer and songwriter, and he gives the group its distinctive, sweet sensibility. More power to Louris and the others for wanting to continue, but the post-Olson recordings lost the magic for me.I'm glad to see Mark and Gary have reunited as of 2009.

Theres no getting around it, with or without Mark Olson, The Jayhawks are undisputedly some of the most talented musicians in the music world today. It is interesting to see the evolution of their sound, almost starting with this cd (their first cd is rare, and few people have it). "Blue earth" is mesmorizing in its rich, organic, country-pop sound...Yes, the sound is country but still instinctly pop, and the songs resinate over and over in your head. Its a good thing, because these songs are incredibly well written with a raw energy. Once you get a taste of this album, you will hear these songs over and over again in your head, and you will want to play the album repeatedly. This one is a real classic, perhaps a one of a kind sound that stands alone compared with other alt-country music giants like Uncle Tupelo, Gram Parsons, Lucinda Williams, Whiskeytown, etc..I have plenty of alt-country music cds, and this one is unique. How can such musicians blend pop, rock, and country so well? These guys have done it for a long time...and even though "Rainy Day Music" is far away from "Blue Earth" in sound, you can still hear the genuine quality songwriting and pop eloquency that reigns with every album.

Personally, I think this album is awesome. It's my favourite Jayhawks album but I'm not sure it's the perfect place for someone new to them to start at. The Jayhawks with Mark Olsen were the definitive manifestation of the band in my opinion. Later albums are less country-ish but still great music with well crafted songs. The best of these, for me are "The Sound of Lies" and the rootsy, Byrds influenced "Rainy Day Music", although "Smile" is the slickest with all the hooks and catchy melodies you could desire. Start with "Hollywood Town Hall" and "Tomorrow the Green Grass" if you want the classic stuff - with Mark Olson and Gary Louris both still in the band, together they became one of those mysterious and exotic magical puddings, like Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris, Robert Foster & Grant McLennan (the Go Betweens) or even Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook and Cris Difford (I'd suggest Lennon and McCartney except that no-one will know who they are). All very good on their own but outrageously creative and productive when working together.On "Blue Earth" though, one song appeals to me more than any other Jayhawks tune; "ain't no end". It doesn't get mentioned in reviews but I think it's one of their finest. Olson's charismatic vocal style and Louris' dirty and loose guitar work make this one a real stunner. The 3 bonus tracks are also worthy inclusions. "Blue Earth" is raw, unpolished and unashamedly country - in a very good way.

Wonderful

I have every Jayhawks album, this is my favourite.

Sur ce deuxième opus paru en 1989, nos Jayhawks, en bons amoureux du rodéo, se "byrdisaient" un brin. Bien sûr, la country demeure toujours présente (elle le sera toujours peu ou prou), mais on entend déjà clairement les influences folk / pop qui exploseront sur les albums suivants, contribuant à faire des Jayhawks bien autre chose qu'un simple groupe d'alternative country.De fait, avec cet album les Jayhawks faisaient leur entrée dans le club très fermé des grands groupes US puisant leurs racines au tréfonds de la culture populaire américaine, et cela sans jamais que leur musique ne paraisse désuette ou démodée; un club fermé comprenant déjà le Band, Credence Clearwater Revival, les Byrds, CSN&Y et, pour une référence plus récente, Sixteen Horsepower.Un album en 12 titres, très sympa, moins aride que le précédent, avec toujours la même équipe au commande : Mark Olson (chant, guitare), Gary louris (guitare, chant), Mark Perlman (basse), à l'exception du batteur, Norms Rogers, avantageusement remplacé par le brillant Thad Spencer.Un album auquel j'aurais plutôt mis 3 1/2, mais qui mérite bien retrospectivement un 4 d'encouragement !

Gran Bel disco Alt-Country, forse il migliore dei Jayhawks per alcuni aspetti, difficile da reperire in Italia. Olson e soci si trovano alla grande, grazie a Blue Earth firmarono per l'American Records che li portò alla ribalta...Da avere per tutti gli amanti del genere...

grandissimo disco molto sottovalutato ma ricco di grandi sonorità.........cene fossero di questi dischi!!!!!!soldi ben spesi soldi ben spesi soldi beeeeennnnn sssspeeeessssiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

89年発表のデビューアルバム。が、デビュー前にも限定枚数（聴きたいけどなかなか手に入らない！）でリリースしているので実質セカンド。この時点ではこれと言った特徴の無いアコースティクなカントリーロック路線ではあるが、メロディは非常に綺麗で、続く2枚の名盤を予感させるような作品。

Very good.