Hollywood Town Hall

Rolling Stone (5/13/99, p.58) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's." Rolling Stone (10/29/92, p.70) - 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..." Spin (7/92, p.75) - 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..." Entertainment Weekly (1/7/93, p.124) - 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". Entertainment Weekly (9/25/92, p.66) - "...[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 Q (9/00, p.135) - Included in Q's "Best Alt.Country Albums Of All Time" Q (6/00, p.126) - 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..." Uncut (p.97) - 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..." Alternative Press (2/93, p.51) - "...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..." Village Voice (3/2/93, p.5) - Ranked #15 in the Village Voice's list of the 40 Best Albums Of 1992. Stereo Review (2/93, pp.120-121) - "...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..." Audio Magazine (1/93, p.152) - "...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..." Reflex (11/10/92, p.71) - "...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..." Stereophile (12/92, pp.263-265) - "...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..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.112) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t'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." NME (Magazine) (10/3/92, p.37) - 7 - Good - "...their music feels timeless...there's plenty to admire...the road to nowhere still sounds like a cool place to be..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.92) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] magnificently layered set of songs, rich in melodic twists and densely-constructed musical ideas..."

It was one of the more unlikely major label releases of 1992 -- nothing to do with grunge, certainly not a last holdout from '80s mainstream sludge. On the flip side, it wasn't really the incipient alternative country/No Depression sound either, for all that there was a clear influence from the likes of Gram Parsons and fellow travelers throughout the grooves. This wasn't a sepia-toned collection of murder ballads or the similarly minded efforts that were almost overreactions to Nashville's triumphalism throughout the '90s. At base, Hollywood Town Hall found a finely balanced point -- accessible enough for should-have-been success (sclerotic classic rock station programmers were fools to ignore this while still playing the Eagles into the ground) but bowing to no trends. Its lack of variety tells against a bit -- while there are certainly stronger moments than others, most of the songs do have a tendency to blend into each other -- but the core strengths of the group come through. George Drakoulias fleshed out the sound just enough, with the side help of performers like Benmont Tench and Nicky Hopkins adding fine extra touches without swamping the identity of the group. Piano and organ may be prevalent, but it's really Olson and Louris' great harmonies that are the core of things, giving songs like "Crowded in the Wings" and "Settled Down Like Rain" a high-and-lonesome sparkle. Callahan's a good drummer, if not particularly noteworthy, but he keeps the pace steady without dominating the tracks, Drakoulias keeping him back in the mix a bit. Olson's eventual departure isn't really explained by this disc -- he might have been tired of the attempt to aim for commercial success, but this sounds more like something made for the group's own satisfaction that connects beyond it as well. ~ Ned Raggett