- Purchase a product from the Music Store sold by Amazon.co.uk and receive £1 to use on an album download in our MP3 Store. Here's how (terms and conditions apply)
Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Hide Your Colors | |||
| 2. Closer To Your Side | |||
| 3. Tiny Arrows | |||
| 4. She Walks In So Many Ways | |||
| 5. High Water Blues | |||
| 6. Mockingbird Time | |||
| 7. Stand Out In The Rain | |||
| 8. Cinnamon Love | |||
| 9. Guilder Annie | |||
| 10. Black-eyed Susan | |||
See all 14 tracks on this disc
| |||
| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. Mockingbird Time: A Documentary | |||
| 2. She Walks In So Many Ways: The Ocean Way Rehearsal Sessions | |||
| 3. Closer To Your Side: The Ocean Way Rehearsal Sessions | |||
| 4. Tiny Arrows: The Ocean Way Rehearsal Sessions | |||
| 5. King Of Kings | |||
Product Description
Review
With Mark Olson returning as co-leader of The Jayhawks after 16 years away, Mockingbird Time marks a long-awaited reunion for nostalgic fans. Its familiar noises are pleasing, too - though it's hard to believe this was ever a band which made music that sounded new.
Long ago, The Jayhawks in their first flight seemed like a fine idea: loping country rock without frills, brotherly harmonies, a bar-band bluesy edge (especially in Gary Louris' grinding guitar) and, above all, Olson's throaty, plaintive tenor. In the early 90s this modest synthesis even sounded like it might be the way ahead. The austerity of indie pioneers like Cowboy Junkies had swept away the Eagles generation, and The Jayhawks looked ready to bring an edgier sort of country into the mainstream.
When the breakthrough never happened, they split. Olson stretched out in a rootsy meander with the Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers, while Louris' stewardship of The Jayhawks slid increasingly towards 60s pop mannerisms and airy philosophising.
Which, on the whole, is where we find them on Mockingbird Time. Classic pop inspirations loom large, apparently by design: the Beatles influence of the opening track is underlined by George Martin-style strings, and guitars ring like Roger McGuinn's Rickenbacker on the Dylan/Byrds pastiche She Walks In So Many Ways.
There must be worse fates than ending up as a classic pop jukebox, and there's excitement as well as devotion in all this archaeology. Looking backwards, after all, The Jayhawks are working with a much broader palette than in their days of early promise. They sound like they're having fun. And in the more oblique moments - generally the ones that Olson makes his own, like the slight but melodically angular title-track, or the fiddle-heavy folk rock of Black-Eyed Susan - there is an understated, nostalgic reminder of a distinctive voice.
--Ninian Dunnett
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Somer things are best left alone,
By
This review is from: Mockingbird Time (Audio CD)
I have read several reviews of various media recently where there have been extreme differences of opinion, e.g Bjork, and come to the conclusion that, as they must be, all opinions are subjective. Having said that, I detect a thread of disappointment running through even the 4/5 star reviews of this album, and Altcountryfan is closest to the heart of the matter. The Jayhawks always belonged to that group of artists who remained admired and loved by too few fans to become major players, no matter how much they deserve to be. Like other lovers of this band, I was so looking forward to this album, having bought all the Olson/Louris solo/joint albums, which all have their moments, and I was so disappointed for several reasons. 1) The production is very poor and cheap, obviously little money/support from the record company 2) The songs do sound formulaic and dominated by the voice of Gary Louris 3) Where oh where are the guitars that made Tomorrow the Green Grass such a joy. I know that sometimes first thoughts are not always the basis of lasting views, but I have played this album several times, and nothing has changed my view. Now if you want to hear something that does hit the spot from first listen, try Joe Ely Satisfied at Last, surely aprophetic title.After listening to this album several times, I wrote the above review and was fairly certain that this was an album that would be part exchanged sometime in the near future. However, the other day I decided to give it another go, and hey, I heard a different album. The production is still sadly lacking, but the tunes do have a greater depth than I first thought, despite somewhat pedestrian titles. If you are a Jayhawks fan, give it time, and it may grow on you as well
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Welcome Back....,
By
This review is from: Mockingbird Time (Audio CD)
If, like me, you've been getting excited about the return of the Jayhawks, then i would say the first thing you've got to do before listening to 'Mockingbird Time' is lower your expectations just a bit. Come on, it was never going to be as good as the album we've dreamed about! In fact, for the Jayhawks, it feels very much like business as usual. You know what you're gonna get and it doesn't disappoint. 'She Walks In So Many Ways' & 'Hide Your Colours' stood out from the off, alt-country with a touch of The Byrds about them. 'Tiny Arrows' And 'Black-Eyed Susan' are proving to be growers. After giving it more than a few listens, i would say it's a fine album and a worthy addition to the Jayhawks catalogue. The overall feel is of 'Mockingbird Time' as the natural follow-up to 'Tomorrow The Green Grass'. Sadly, the return of the Jayhawks will go un-noticed by most of the world, but for me, i'm just glad to have them back.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Make what you will of their two decades down the road,
By Orryl Oak (Bristol UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Mockingbird Time (Audio CD)
It's funny isn't it? Here there's someone saying what were 'they' thinking of 'inviting' Mark back because of the 'rambling, shapeless' form to his songs (wouldn't something like that be the best foil for the more solid country/jangle-pop of Gary's -apart from Vagabonds- ouevre anyway?). Here, someone's saying 'boo' for there being too much Gary in the vocals and there, someone opining 'yeah', for the same reason.Having been a listener to their collected work since 'Tomorrow..', if I consider the latter perhaps the best 'Hawks album, I'd never want them to recreate it. The 'Hawks consist of 3 discrete bands now, and no ideal synthesis of these will, or ought, be seen. We all (even favoured musos) move on with changed perspectives, divergence of ideals, and experiences of life and love: the travails and burdens of the former, and the impermanence of the latter. It's a long road of up and down: one day clear tree-flanked freeways guarding purpling distances, another, closed-over backroads claying the wayfarer's boots 2 sizes larger whilst brambles and briars knock your hat off or drag at your hair. To be fair, these are now a disparate group of musicians, travellers who have met up again on the high road, and who continue to skilfully soundtrack their journey (one comprising both floating and odd-sock days) from a changed perspective, but a continued rare and articulate honesty. Perhaps, in the end, when its comes to the Jayhawks, Gary Louris, Mark Olsen..we're not so much listeners, as spectators.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
