The Jayhawks Smile 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.

The band enlisted flamboyant uber-producer Bob Ezrin (Lou Reed, Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Kiss) for Smile (2000), the band's sixth album and second release after the departure of Mark Olson. Teeming with an adventurous spirit and some of the best songs Gary Louris has written to date, Smile boldly charted new territory for the band (even incorporating drum machines into a Technicolor soundscape that included everything from hard rock to psychedelia), effectively providing a clean break with their supposed traditional roots. 

1.  Smile

2.  I'm Gonna Make You Love Me

3.  What Led Me to This Town

4.  Somewhere in Ohio

5.  A Break in the Clouds

6.  Queen of the World

7.  Life Floats By

8.  Broken Harpoon

9.  Pretty Thing

10. Mr. Wilson

11. (In My) Wildest Dreams

12. Better Days

13. Baby, Baby, Baby