Tomorrow the Green Grass is an album by the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 alternative country

Alternative country

Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...

 and rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band The Jayhawks

Jayhawks (band)

The Jayhawks are an American alternative country and rock band that emerged from the Twin Cities music scene during the mid 1980s. Their country rock sound was influential on many bands who played the Twin Cities circuit during the 80s and 90s like Uncle Tupelo, The Gear Daddies and The Honeydogs...

, released in 1995. It peaked at number 92 on The Billboard 200

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 charts.

History

Tomorrow the Green Grass was the last release with singer-songwriter Mark Olson

Mark Olson (musician)

Mark Olson is an American musician. He is one of the founding members of acclaimed alternative country bands The Jayhawks and The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers and a respected singer/songwriter in his own right....

. It is also Karen Grotberg's first appearance as a group member.

"Miss Williams' Guitar" is a tribute to Victoria Williams

Victoria Williams

Victoria Williams is an American singer-songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. She is noted for her descriptive songwriting talent, which she has used to immerse the listener of her songs into a...

, Olson's girlfriend at the time (they later married). He would later leave The Jayhawks and form The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers

Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers

The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers are an Americana group formed by songwriter Mark Olson and his wife Victoria Williams after Olson left his previous band The Jayhawks...

 with Williams. The song "Bad Time" is a cover

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of a Grand Funk Railroad

Grand Funk Railroad

Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...

 song from All the Girls in the World Beware!!!

All the Girls in the World Beware!!!

All the Girls in the World Beware!!! is the ninth studio album by American hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released by Capitol Records in December 1974, it was the group's second album released that year...

. The song "Tomorrow the Green Grass" appears on the soundtrack for the movie "National Lampoon's Senior Trip" as track number 13.

Reception

Tomorrow the Green Grass received generally positive reviews. In his review for Allmusic, critic Jason Ankeny praised the album and called the album the group's finest. Music critic Robert Christgau

Robert Christgau

Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...

 wrote the album was "always sincere, never wimpy" and Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

gave the album an A- rating and wrote "This is everything a country- rock album should be. Even those who normally can't stand the genre are likely to be seduced by the plaintive vocal harmonies, pristine melodies, and scrappy-but-lyrical guitar solos..."

Track listing

All songs written by Mark Olson

Mark Olson (musician)

Mark Olson is an American musician. He is one of the founding members of acclaimed alternative country bands The Jayhawks and The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers and a respected singer/songwriter in his own right....

 and Gary Louris

Gary Louris

Gary Louris is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter of alternative country and pop music. He was a founding member of the Minneapolis-based band The Jayhawks, and their principal songwriter and vocalist after the departure of Mark Olson; he is often credited with the band's subsequent move from...

 except as noted.

1. "Blue" – 3:09
2. "I'd Run Away" – 3:34
3. "Miss Williams' Guitar" – 3:06
4. "Two Hearts" – 3:22
5. "Real Light" – 3:25
6. "Over My Shoulder" – 3:41
7. "Bad Time" – 3:27 (Mark Farner
   Mark Farner
   Mark Fredrick Farner is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lead guitarist for Grand Funk Railroad, and later as a Contemporary Christian Musician.-Early life and career:...
   
   )
8. "See Him on the Street" – 3:09
9. "Nothing Left to Borrow" – 3:24
10. "Ann Jane" – 4:00
11. "Pray for Me" – 3:39
12. "Red's Song" – 3:58 (Mark Olson/Gary Louris/Marc Perlman)
13. "Ten Little Kids" – 4:33 (Olson/Louris/Perlman)

2011 Legacy Edition track listing

All songs written by Mark Olson

Mark Olson (musician)

Mark Olson is an American musician. He is one of the founding members of acclaimed alternative country bands The Jayhawks and The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers and a respected singer/songwriter in his own right....

 and Gary Louris

Gary Louris

Gary Louris is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter of alternative country and pop music. He was a founding member of the Minneapolis-based band The Jayhawks, and their principal songwriter and vocalist after the departure of Mark Olson; he is often credited with the band's subsequent move from...

 except as noted.

Disc 1:

1. "Blue" – 3:09
2. "I'd Run Away" – 3:33
3. "Miss Williams' Guitar" – 3:06
4. "Two Hearts" – 3:22
5. "Real Light" – 3:25
6. "Over My Shoulder" – 3:40
7. "Bad Time" – 3:26 (Mark Farner
   Mark Farner
   Mark Fredrick Farner is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lead guitarist for Grand Funk Railroad, and later as a Contemporary Christian Musician.-Early life and career:...
   
   )
8. "See Him on the Street" – 3:09
9. "Nothing Left to Borrow" – 3:24
10. "Ann Jane" – 4:00
11. "Pray for Me" – 3:39
12. "Red's Song" – 3:58 (Mark Olson/Gary Louris/Marc Perlman)
13. "Ten Little Kids" – 4:33 (Olson/Louris/Perlman)
14. "Tomorrow The Green Grass" – 3:35 (non-album b-side)
15. "You And I (Ba-Ba-Ba)" – 4:35 (previously unreleased)
16. "Sweet Hobo Self" – 3:08 (previously unreleased)
17. "Last Cigarette" – 3:24 (non-album b-side)
18. "Sleep While You Can" – 3:51 (previously unreleased)/"Blue From Now On" – 2:47 (hidden bonus track; previously unreleased early demo)

Disc 2 "The Mystery Demos" (all tracks previously unreleased):

1. "Pray For Me" – 3:42
2. "Won't Be Coming Home" – 3:50
3. "No Place" – 4:56
4. "Precious Time" – 3:29
5. "Poor Michael's Boat" – 2:54
6. "Ranch House In Phoenix" – 4:51
7. "Cotton Dress" – 3:14
8. "She Picks The Violets" – 3:58
9. "Bloody Hands" – 3:45
10. "Up Above The River" – 3:47
11. "Over My Shoulder" – 3:33
12. "Blue From Now On" – 3:18
13. "Hold Me Close" – 4:32
14. "Turn Your Pretty Name Around" – 4:01
15. "You And I (Ba-Ba-Ba)" – 5:08
16. "Red's Song" – 4:29
17. "Nothing Left To Borrow" – 4:06
18. "White Shell Road" – 4:07

1-10 are from Demos, February 6, 1992

11-18 are from Acoustic Demos w/George D., 10-92

Personnel

• Mark Olson
  Mark Olson (musician)
  Mark Olson is an American musician. He is one of the founding members of acclaimed alternative country bands The Jayhawks and The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers and a respected singer/songwriter in his own right....
  
   – vocals, guitar
• Gary Louris
  Gary Louris
  Gary Louris is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter of alternative country and pop music. He was a founding member of the Minneapolis-based band The Jayhawks, and their principal songwriter and vocalist after the departure of Mark Olson; he is often credited with the band's subsequent move from...
  
   – vocals, guitar
• Marc Perlman – bass
• Karen Grotberg – piano, organ, Wurlitzer, background vocals

Additional musicians:

• Don Heffington – drums
• Greg Leisz
  Greg Leisz
  Greg Leisz is an American multi-instrumentalist, playing lap and pedal steel guitars, guitar, mandolin, and bass.- Biography :Leisz was influenced early on by the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers, especially pedal steel player "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow...
  
   – pedal steel guitar
• Lili Haydn – violin, viola (on "I'd Run Away")
• Tammy Rodgers – violin (on "Over My Shoulder")
• Benmont Tench
  Benmont Tench
  Benjamin Montmorency Tench, III is an American keyboardist best known as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early years:...
  
   – organ
• George Drakoulias
  George Drakoulias
  George Drakoulias is a Greek-American music producer and A&R executive at the American Recordings label. He is often considered a protege of Rick Rubin....
  
   – baritone guitar solo on "Two Hearts"
• Sharleen Spiteri
  Sharleen Spiteri
  Sharleen Spiteri is a Scottish recording artist and songwriter, best known as being the lead singer of Scottish rock/blues band Texas. Texas began their career in 1986, and shot to fame in 1989 with their UK Top Ten single, "I Don't Want a Lover" released from Southside...
  
   – background vocals (on "Bad Time")
• Victoria Williams
  Victoria Williams
  Victoria Williams is an American singer-songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. She is noted for her descriptive songwriting talent, which she has used to immerse the listener of her songs into a...
  
   – background vocals (on "Ten Little Kids" and "Pray For Me")
• Mike "Razz" Russell
  Mike "Razz" Russell
  Mike "Razz" Russell is a multi-instrumentalist and member of The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers. He has played fiddle on records for The Jayhawks and Joe Henry....
  
   – violin (on Mystery Demos 1-10)

Production notes

• George Drakoulias – producer
• Clif Norrell – engineer
• David Bianco – mixing
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering
• Paul Buckmaster
  Paul Buckmaster
  Paul John Buckmaster is a Grammy Award-winning English artist, arranger and composer.He began learning the cello at the age of 4 and graduated from the Royal College of Music at age 16....
  
   – string arrangement on "Blue"
• Marina Chavez – photography, cover photo
• Linda Cobb – art direction, design
• Tony Glover – liner notes
• Victor Janacua – assistant engineer
• Jamie Seyberth – assistant engineer
• Jeff Sheehan – assistant engineer

External links

• Jayhawks fan site discography.