7th Street Entry - 02/22/85 - Minneapolis, MN

More Bootlegs >09/1/90 HYATT HOTEL
>06/21/10 FIRST AVENUE


At the time of this show in First Avenue’s smaller annex club, the 7th St. Entry, the Jayhawks had only existed as a band for a few weeks and had played in public just a couple of times to small audiences that were more than a little taken aback by a twangy sound and style that were decidedly out of step with the prevailing musical winds blowing through Minnesota at the time. Even though they were the opening band, this particular gig was a huge break for the young ‘hawks because the headliner was a bona fide legend, Alex Chilton, who had spent the last several weeks in Minneapolis working with the Replacements and just generally hanging out. Chilton played several memorable live shows during this Minneapolis residency and this one was no exception. The Jayhawks short 10 song set show a young band full of energy and confidence, essentially serving as a launching pad for an intense, tumultuous 3 year period that would eventually lead to a major label recording contract. Not surprisingly, covers were featured prominently at this point in the bands career and the ones performed in this set provide great insight to what was fueling the Jayhawks’ creative juices at the time: classics from the likes of Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Woody Guthrie, Sir Douglas Quintet, The Louvin Brothers and Hank Williams (check out the insanely fast, punky version of “Honky Tonk Blues!”). During this time the Jayhawks were clearly under the influence of the first generation of rockers who had mined similar territory to what they were now exploring; the Jayhawks sound at this time owed a great debt to the late period Byrds / Flying Burrito Brothers axis. The originals from this set were quickly lost to the sands of time with one very notable exception – “Martin Luther,” an early version of “Martin’s Song,” one of the key early Jayhawks songs that appeared on Blue Earth as well as the classic Hollywood Town Hall. With nothing but potential in front of them, this show is a highly important document if for no other reason than it marks the first in a very long line of memorable appearances at the First Ave. / 7th St. Entry complex. This is pretty much where the legend of The Jayhawks begins. (PD Larson - Jayhawks archivist)