Uncle Tupelo - March 16-20, 1992

After ripping it up on No Depression and Still Feel Gone, their first two albums of twangy punk rock, Uncle Tupelo unplugged for this remarkable tribute--half originals, half political and religious covers--to the band's old-time influences. While the new songs of frontmen Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy are consistently strong here (especially Farrar's "Grindstone"), it's the album's haunted covers of old folksongs that are the true keepers. Tweedy's apocalyptic version of "Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down" and Farrar's earnest readings of the beat-down "Moonshiner" and the labor song "Coalminers" are as frightening, beautiful, and passionate as anything the band ever recorded. --David Cantwell Amazon.com essential recording

it simply does not get any better than this

what further can be said?? this is a time-capsule on tape,..a modern folk recollection of an age fading into a sonic fog and rapidly disappearing behind slick suits, fancy ties, cyber-cafes and over-production. here lies a collection of stripped-down acoustic poems, audio folklore and haunting "front-porch" stories depicting the hardships and weight borne by "common folk" and the burden of the "thankless trenchmen" who labor anonymously to serve the common good AND make ends meet. it was certaily an AMBITIOUS undertaking for UT but we (the listening masses) were THANKFULLY rewarded with a absolute classic. never have Farrar and Tweedy sounded more earnest and TRULY inspired by the tracks they laid down (than on this album). from the weary wails of Grindstone and Coalminers to the deep introspection of Black Eye and Moonshiner to the mournful regret of I Wish My Baby Was Born...this is a MUST HAVE for ANYONE who even REMOTELY likes acoustic folk music. this album is an absolute treasure and it has been a mainstay in my cd collection for years. a real beauty. a diamond. September 1, 2005

Solid American Genius

A phenomenon like Uncle Tupelo is at times hard to comprehend. This album solidifies them as one of the best bands of the last twenty years. Moving away from their earlier brilliant albums that meshed rock and country they bring it all home by devoting themselves to daunting and beautiful renditions of traditionals and new material. This is an obvious tribute and demonstration of where they derived their unique sound.
Haunting renditions of songs like Coalminers, Criminals and Lilli Schull do what Tupelo does best: reminds us that music is both a potent tool for protest and catharsis. Farrar's bold lyrics ironically contrast with the fatalistic topics that the songs treat.
This album is very different than their first two but the themes and motivation stay the same. They are a constant lament of loneliness, exploitation and isolation. They are songs about the system manifest in the individual. They reject the morbid romanticism that a lot of the alternative scene seems to attach to the woes of the modern man, which is in a way endorsement of the system that rejects them but gives them identity. This music is not about Tupelo. It is about man, and it is beautiful, haunting and an absolute work of genius... March 20, 2003

DOES this cd need reviewing?

...This cd is wonderful. It's all that music should be. The acoustic simplicity, the picking, the grating voices, the poignant themes, all of them blend together to make one [heck] of a satisfying cd. As previously said, if you listen to Uncle Tupelo, you'll form a band.

But it doesn't matter, because no one (not even Wilco or Volt) will EVER be Uncle Tupelo. October 1, 2002

On tour with Mould

read the other reviews for all the hoohah. what most of them neglect to tell is that this cd was recorded while uncle tupelo was on tour with Bob Mould, who is absolutely legendary as an acoustic performer. i missed these shows, and i'd give my left noogie to have seen them. August 13, 2002

A great transition album.

I was a Tupelo fan from the early 90s, and bought the cassette at about the time it came out, somewhere around 1992 or 1993. Until I looked up this finding on Amazon, I didn't realize that this album was so hard to find. (Maybe the new Uncle Tupelo anthology "89/93" will include some of these tracks.)

The first two albums by Tupelo -- "No Depression" and "Still Feel Gone" -- do incorporate some bluegrass and acoustic music, but there is a really big guitar sound that almost sounds like "country metal". It's not a swipe at their credibility (the lyrics and the spirit of the albums are fine), but in the early 90s, there really wasn't a place to categorize this type of music. But if you want to understand the context between the sonic tempest of "Still Feel Gone" and the alt-country landmark of "Anodyne", this CD of half-traditional, half-original numbers will explain a lot.

With "March 16-20, 1992", it's almost like their unofficial unplugged album. The tone-down in volume doesn't take away from the power of the album. Some other reviewers have commented on the traditional songs they cover, but there are three killer tracks that (if I recall correctly) are originals that give the album a heart all its own.

On the first side is "Shaky Ground", one of the most resonating and textually complex songs you'll hear out of only a singer (Jay) and his guitar, accompanied by a bottleneck guitar at the end.

On the second side is a double-shot. The first is "Fatal Wound", where Jeff sings the lament of someone whose barstool fate has been sealed long before he/she realizes it. This dire song is then followed by an instrumental -- "Sandusky" -- that has the breath of life within it. After all of the depressing nature of the songs preceding it, the song is like a curtain opening to the sunlight.

For an album that might have been categorized as a tribute to their roots, "March 16-20, 1992" serves a purpose far beyond that premise, and deserves attention even today. March 6, 2002

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