The Jayhawks Rainy Day Music on 180g 2LP + Bonus Tracks

The Jayhawks couldn’t be more excited to announce that the long-awaited reissues of Sound of Lies, Smile and Rainy Day Music will come in August 2014 on American Recordings/Universal. Smile was never released on vinyl (in the US) and Sound of Lies and Rainy Day Music were only originally released on vinyl in very limited quantities. The new 2LP editions will released on 180g high quality vinyl and will contain bonus tracks. All of the original tracks were remastered in April 2014 by renown mastering engineer Vic Anesini at Battery Studios in NYC using original analog sources whenever possible, offering a fresh new look at these classic albums. 

The Jayhawks were definitely swimming against the tide when they emerged from a crowded Minneapolis music scene halfway through the 1980s - a memorable decade that saw the likes of the Replacements, Soul Asylum, Husker Du and Prince put Minnesota on the musical map in a big way. Forging a rootsy sound that wasn't quite rock or country - "Hank Williams on speed" somebody once memorably called it - The Jayhawks quickly turned into one of the most important bands of the post-punk era. 

Over the course of two decades, several albums, countless memorable live shows and enough personal drama to fill a couple of Behind the Music episodes, this beloved band soared to heights few ever achieve while wining the hearts and minds of numerous critics, fans and peers in the process. Named after "The Hawks" - as in "Levon and the Hawks," the name of Dylan's backing band in the '60s before they became known as "The Band" - The Jayhawks and their fellow travelers even helped make the world safe again for artists who weren't afraid to fuse traditional rock, country and folk influences into something that was both timeless and modern, just like the best American bands always have.

After a revelatory acoustic tour in 2003 with the core trio of Louris, Perlman and O'Reagan, the next chapter in The Jayhawks Saga found them retrenching somewhat to the "classic" sound of their earlier albums. Sparingly produced by Ethan Johns, Rainy Day Music was chock full of catchy songs that tied together sounds and influences from every chapter of the band's career. The band - now reduced to a trio with the addition of touring member Stephen McCarthy, a veteran roots rocker and guitar slinger - mounted the heaviest touring schedule and promotional blitz of their career, resulting in their highest charting album ever. Guest artists include Bernie Leadon, Jakob Dylan and Matthew Sweet.