The Jayhawks - Back Roads and Abandoned Motels Exclusive Orange Color Vinyl LP

Have followed the Jayhawks since Tomorrow the Green Grass. Love their entire catalog. Each album has its own unique character. When I read about this album and the fact that it was songs previously written by Gary Louris and recorded by others I wasn’t sure what to think. On the one hand seems like an easy way to put out an album, but also some time tested songs. I received my pre order last week and it has been on a constant loop ever since. This is a Jayhawks album! And a great one. My favorite since Rainy Day Music. I wonder if their time in the studio with Ray Davies has made them an even more polished band. I was happy to hear Karen’s vocals on two songs after gaining a new appreciation for her talent on Americana. So happy to have another productive time from this band that has been putting out quality for decades.

You get 11 songs totaling 45minutes and 45 seconds. The choice of leadoff songs was offputting. I was expecting the voice of Gary Louris as I've been a Jayhawks fan since 1992's Hollywood Town Hall. Instead you get female singer, good but it doesn't sound like the Jayhawks. Seems it would have been better not to lead with that song . A minor complaint but still a strange decision.The group collaborates with the Dixie Chicks on an number of songs, and it works. The harmonies are good on all the songs. A worthwhile contribution to the Jayhawks catalogue.

If you've already read about the background of the songs on this new Jayhawks album, you realize it's not a totally new album, at least in the sense that some of these songs were previously recorded by other artists. But even allowing for the cobbled together nature of this album, it's no less satisfying. More glorious slabs of musical sunshine as sung and performed by the Jayhawks. Man, this music just makes me smile. And I need more of that in these turbulent times.I've been a Jayhawks fan for a few decades already, but as much as I love the old recordings when Mark Olson was in the band, I have to confess that I prefer the albums, such as this one, where Gary Louris writes most of the songs and does the singing. His stuff just strikes a chord with me. That said, I also like the female vocalist they have added in recent years, Karen Grotberg. She is a fine addition to the band and fits their sound well.What more can I say? I won't rehash the entire song list, but only say that these are VERY good songs, ones that will stick in your head for a long, long time. More please!

I am a lifelong Jayhawks fan and have all their albums. This album delivers on the very quality of the Jayhawks sound. Great to hear them back in their songwriting form and performing the way only they do so well. One of the best bands to come out of Minneapolis. This is a must buy if you are fan. If you never heard them. This album is a great introduction.

I have on my top 100 list the Jayhawks "Smile" CD. The one is as good if not better. Excellent writing. Their time with Ray Davies has paid off. Several of the songs stretch to new territory. They have also added lead vocals to Karen Grotburg. This give Lauris a new avenue to explore. Every song is worth owning.

While these songs, in the main, had been written by Gary Louris for/with other artists, make no mistake about it, this is definitely a Jayhawks album. And a very good one at that. The material feels brand new, not at all recycled, and the tracks hang together seamlessly with the certain easy grace that is the hallmark of the Jayhawks best efforts. Come Cryin' to Me, Gonna Be a Darkness, and El Dorado have already emerged as personal favorites. Glad to have added it to my collection. Highly recommended.

This is an exceptional Jayhawks album that fits well with their resurgence of the past several years. I was looking forward to listening to it on LP. Unfortunately my stereo wasn't working when the record arrived. When my stereo was working again and I attempted to play it, I found it was horribly warped, warped so badly it couldn't even be played. This was outside the one month return period, so it looks like I'm stuck with a useless, unplayable piece of plastic. I'm very disappointed in Amazon for selling this defective item and not standing behind it.

Amazon YOU OWE ME SOMETHING ELSE! This is one of the worst CDs I've ever listen to. There is nothing about the CD that was rock blues or anything close. Whoever produced this produced this should quit the music industry. And the singers should at at best stick to TV jingles or CDs for elevator music.

As a diehard Jayhawks fan, any album by the group is welcome, even if Back Roads And Abandoned Motels is not strictly speaking a formal Jayhawks album, rather a collection of songs written by Gary Louris for other singers and groups that the Jayhawks didn’t record themselves but decided to commit to disc so we can hear them as “Jayhawks” songs. As an album, Back Roads and Abandoned Motels fits neatly into the group’s canon and is a bit of a departure from the group’s customary jangly alt-country that has served them well for decades. Opener, the mid-tempo Come Cryin’ To Me, features keyboard player Karen Grotberg comfortably handling lead vocals and sounding a little like Sheryl Crow, which ain’t a bad thing. As the album progresses, little gems come up, resplendent with the trademark close harmonies we all know and love, and you soon forget that this isn’t a “proper” Jayhawks album with Bitter End and A Long Time Ago as good as anything the group has recorded. Five stars for sure.

I really love The Jayhawks but was not blown away by Paging Mr. Proust, however, this is just brilliant. It features songs written for other artists and never recorded by the band before and two new songs.For me it harks back to The Sound of Lies, which is one of my favourite records and I feel this is going to be also. Outstanding tracks are hard to chose when everything is this good but I will go with ‘Everybody Knows’, ‘Backwards Women’ and ‘Need you tonight’ as a starter. That said there really is not a lack lustre song here and the mood and pace is varied to be able to cater for the broad church of their fan base. This is a record I completely and utterly recommend.

Not an out and out classic but solid and thoroughly listenable. No bad songs, The Jayhawks being one of the few bands I've heard who generally avoid padding out an album with filler. Nothing that's on a par with their best (I'm thinking Tomorrow the Green Grass era) though if you're a fan it's an enjoyable listen.

Gary Louis is such a good songwriter. I've only picked up on Jayhawks over the last couple of years but each album offers up brilliant songs. This one is no exception. I managed to see them live last year and it confirmed how great and probably underrated they are. Buy it you won't be disappointed.

Have a look at the Jayhawks. They have been around for a zillion years and have put out some great records, very varied. I like the later stuff, like this.