Reviews
Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's.", Ranked #9 in Entertainment Weekly's list of the Top 10 Albums Of 1992 - "...Imagine a hearfelt combination of Gram Parsons, the Everly Brothers, and Neil Young's six-string..." Alternative Press (3/01, p.104) - Included in A.P.'s "10 Essential Alt-Country Albums"., 7 - Good - "...their music feels timeless...there's plenty to admire...the road to nowhere still sounds like a cool place to be...", 3.5 Stars - Good Plus - "...their definitive statement...when Louris's and Olson's voices rise together, the resulting magic somehow seems like nothing you've heard before...this album is as raggedly beautiful as any in recent memory...", 4 stars out of 5 -- "The Mark Olson/Gary Louris songwriting team takes full flight on HOLLYWOOD, mixing spiky Crazy Horse guitars, creamy Everly Brothers harmonies, and a soulful, pensive undertow...", 3 stars out of 5 - "...The warm country rock of Gram Parsons and The Flying Burrito Brothers filtered through the mesh of indie attack from years in the scene that spawned Husker Du...", "...The country-tinged rock of the Jayhawks is both ingenious and unaggressive...this just makes the band more likable, as it emphasizes the high-quality songwriting...", "...the Jayhawks are no retro band, and I hear neither condescending contempt nor fawning reverence in this remarkable album...If Gram Parsons was still alive, he'd be proud just to be in this band...", Highly Recommended - "...The songs on HOLLYWOOD TOWN HALL are simplistic, yet rich with enlightened comments about everyday life...countrified guitar work and heart-wrenchingly beautiful melodies make every song sound sad...", "...an effortless mix of sawdust harmonies and craggy electric guitars...sounds like the Everly Brothers backed by the Rolling Stones during their DEAD FLOWERS era..." - Rating: A, "...the songs flow effortlessly and easily, establishing a comfortable familiarity on first hearing and wearing well....HOLLYWOOD TOWN HALL is a tunefully melancholy place worth visiting over and over...", "The Jayhawks sound like a band following their own muse, which made them beloved cult artists but not rock stars.", 4 stars out of 5 -- "A magnificently layered set of songs, rich in melodic twists and densely-constructed musical ideas...", 4 stars out of 5 -- "It's the core band that shines brightest on HOLLYWOOD TOWN HALL....Louris's guitar, fed through a Fuzz Face pedal, screams even on the 'quiet' numbers.", Ranked #15 in the Village Voice's List of the 40 Best Albums of 1992., Included in Q's "Best Alt.Country Albums of All Time", "...While the merging of country and rock is often a shaky union, on HOLLYWOOD TOWN HALL, The Jayhawks show the two can exist in perfect harmony...", "...If wearing your older brother's boots from the '70s is your thing, then the Jayhawks truly deliver...the Jayhawks generate the harmonica, steel-guitar, horse-riding thing so passionately you might relinquish the present angst for a dose of the feel-good past..."
