The Jayhawks have spent much of their career balancing country songwriting with a rock-band approach, and Sanctuary Park continues that tradition. That makes Buffalo Springfield Again a useful predecessor. The 1967 album mixed country instrumentation, folk-rooted harmonies and electric rock without treating those elements as separate styles. The Jayhawks work from a similar foundation, but with the benefit of decades spent refining their own version of it.
Now
Sanctuary Park reunites the Jayhawks with producer Bob Ezrin, who previously worked with them on Smile. The new record puts more emphasis on the band playing together than on major studio reinvention. “Keeping Our Heads Above Water” pairs lyrics about persistence with an upbeat arrangement, while “Hands Upon the Wheel” brings pedal steel and close harmony to the foreground. “American Midnight” is more pointed, giving Gary Louris’ songwriting a sharper contemporary edge.
Then
Buffalo Springfield Again helped define an early form of country-rock before the term had much practical use. Richie Furay’s “A Child’s Claim to Fame,” featuring James Burton on dobro, is openly country in its arrangement. Stephen Stills’ “Bluebird” keeps the group’s folk harmony base but gives the guitars more room. Elsewhere, Neil Young’s “Mr. Soul” pushes toward a tougher rock sound. The album’s importance lies partly in how naturally those approaches coexist.
Parallels
Both records rely heavily on vocal harmony to give the music continuity. The arrangements can move between acoustic country material and louder electric songs without losing the identity of the band. On Sanctuary Park, the acoustic “Leap of Faith” sits comfortably alongside the more forceful title track. Buffalo Springfield Again makes comparable shifts between Furay’s country writing and Young’s heavier material. In both cases, the songwriting and vocal blend hold the album together more than any single genre designation.
Breaks
The circumstances behind the two records are quite different. Buffalo Springfield Again was made during a period of internal strain, with Stills, Furay and Young often pursuing their own material separately. Sanctuary Park reflects a band with decades of shared experience. The Jayhawks sound less interested in testing how far individual members can pull the music in different directions. Their strength here comes from ensemble playing and familiarity.
Liner Notes
The connection between these albums is less about direct imitation than about a shared way of organizing country and rock elements. Buffalo Springfield showed that dobro, harmony singing and electric guitars could belong on the same record without requiring a strict genre choice. The Jayhawks have spent much of their career developing that idea in their own Midwestern style. Sanctuary Park continues the line with mature songwriting, understated playing and a band-first approach.
About the author: Gainesville, FL area creative by day. Music is my muse. I host Twangville’s weekly Readers‘ Pick.