Entertainment For Lively Minds
The price of the Jayhawks anthology
The Jayhawks are probably my favourite band and I was pleased to see them featured in the Cult Heroes feature in this months magazine. The Sound of Lies is the great undiscovered album of all time in my opinion.
They have an anthology out this week. There is a single CD which is a really good compilation of the best songs from their releases over the years. I would imagine that fans like myself will have all of these. then there is a 'deluxe' edition which has the demos, covers, live versions plus a DVD of a few of their songs. I guess most devotees would go for this. However the price of the deluxe version is £26.99 on Amazon, Play etc... You are being asked to pay £16 extra for the additional material. This seems absolutely outrageous. The recent Nick Lowe had two CDS of 'greatest hits' plus a really good DVD of a live concert. All for £2 more than a normal CD.
Perhaps if there is someone from American, the label, who reads this they could explain the pricing and whether they expect anyone to buy it at that price. (you can buy it from America at around £15).
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My thoughts exactly
Like you I've got everything on the single album and found myself astounded at the on line De Luxe version price. I looked in HMV the other day and it was £33 there. Fopp was up around the £27 mark.
I'll forego the pleasure.
I've still got the price sticker on Sound of Lies...
I paid £14 when it came out in HMV Manchester ('97?) so American's importers always price high I think...
They are
a relatively recent discovery for me - The non-rarities anthology is on Spotify
ITunes are charging £7.99 a piece.
Doing some long drives this weekend and they strike me as perfect companions - the anthology aside - which one album should I get? Sound of Lies?
It's a toss up
between Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow The Green Grass.
The metaphorical coin is spinning in my head and comes up....
....Green Grass!
I agree
All their albums are excellent, but TTGG must win because it has "Miss Williams' Guitar" - a stormer for any car journey.
While we're on the subject, any Golden Smog fans out there, the Jayhawks/Wilko et al supergroup?
Yes indeed
But I doubt if you're surprised.
Notice of the release of Blood On The Slacks passed me by, so a few months back I was extremely pleased to come across it in out local 2nd hand emporium and shell out just £3 or £4 for it. Money well spent.
Out the earlier releases I'd say Weird Tales is the best, although thinking about it, I haven't listened to another fine day too much.
look around
I too am a big fan
just ordered here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B0027WNRGS/ref=sr_1_olp_1?ie=UT...
£14.95 .... £1.21 postage and it flies all the way from amaerica
madness!!
x
One of my favourite bands too.
I do prefer their later albums though. Smile is excellent and there ain't a bad track on Rainy Day Music.
Yes Twang.....a Golden Smog fan too.
Deluxe anthology winging its way here from USA for £16.16!
Smile
has pretty good songs but is a bit overproduced. I'd prefer a little less polish.
If I only had a car...
...I'd put Smile on the stereo.
Sound of Lies is very good indeed, but it's a bit "Blood on the Tracks" lyrically.
Used to be able to get
Tomorrow the Green Grass and Hollywood Town Hall as a twofer - in fact I think I got mine from FOPP for a princely fiver.
Agree about the absured UK pricing for the Anthology so if you allow me to get on my soapbox for a minute go to www.villagerecords.com - it is an awesome site run by a fanatic who knows more about Americana than anyone else I have come across. You will get it for about £18.00 at todays exchange rates, it takes only about 5 days and I guarantee you will revisit the site again and again.
Golden Smog - another Great Band and again pretty sure I got the first 2 albums as a twofer in a slipcase. Where all these types of deals when you want them?
Anthology plopped on the mat this morning
Had to get it from America for a sensible price (think it worked out about £16, but it seemed to take bloody ages to get here!).
You can split The Jayhawks body of work into 2 really. Blue Earth, Green Grass and Hollywood are when Mark Olson was on board.
Once Olson left the sound definitely became more poppier for Sound of Lies and Smile, whilst Rainy Day Music was much less "produced" imo.
All their albums are great. My personal faves are Green Grass, SoL and RDM.
Mark Olson's solo work is well worth a listen "The Salvation Blues" is brilliant.
massive fan here
Have not bought the Anthology because of the ridiculous price. Also, I want to wait for the expanded reissues of the individual albums which seem to have a treasure trove of material that may make this set redundant. Something like 16 unheard songs on TTGG.
I agree that Smile was heavy going but you can't blame them for chasing the Wilco bucks. Rainy Day Music was more than an adequate compensation, going back to the more raw sounding material.
Ironically I found Golden Smog a bit uninspired.
On a similar theme,
I was more than a little shocked to discover that the price of the 'deluxe' version of the forthcoming Porcupine Tree was pitched at the princely sum of £50.
Now it looks like a nice piece, and I believe it's being pitched as a piece of art, but i'm sorry, that's taking the mick....think i'll stick with the standard version thanks
please convince me
always thought of them as some kind of counting crows type of band(sorry) but if any of you can recomend an album i will seek it out
Most of their stuff
is available for about a fiver. Definitely get "Hollywood Town Hall" and "Tomorrow the Green Grass" from the olson era and of the latter stuff "Sound of Lies" would be my recommendation.
Sure you won't be disappointed - they are pure class.
Yesterday
I did a long drive west setting off at dawn
And thanks to the great advice I received on this thread - I bought "Hollywood" and "Tomorrow the Green Grass" and played them as soundtrack for the journey.
Suddenly the M4 morphed into Interstate 80...
"I'd run away with you..."
Glad to have been of help.