Uncle Tupelo - 89/93: An Anthology

Uncle Tupelo has received far more attention retrospectively than the band ever did while active. Maybe the best thing about this compilation, then, is that it ignores the myth and exalts the music. Issued eight years after the Jay Farrar/Jeff Tweedy split that yielded Son Volt and Wilco--and compiled with the participation of both parties--the anthology gathers its 21 tracks from every stage of the band's brief career. It's all here: lurching rockers like "Graveyard Shift" and "Outdone," ballads both rich ("Still Be Around") and raw ("Gun"), and more polished acoustic tunes, like the stark "Black Eye" and the bouncy "New Madrid," that came as Tweedy found his voice. There's also Farrar's definitive cover of the traditional "Moonshiner," and on "Chickamauga," his most desperate, galvanizing guitar solos. And, of course, there are the "hits" ("Whiskey Bottle," "The Long Cut"). Interspersed throughout are seven formerly hard-to-find songs, including covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Stooges, live versions of the album cuts "Looking for a Way Out" and "We've Been Had," and the non-album originals "I Got Drunk" and "Sauget Wind." To top it off, everything's been remastered, and the sonic upgrade does wonders to brighten up and animate the older material. --Anders Smith Lindall Amazon.com

Faux accents don't fly.

Lyrics look good on paper but, are hurt by a solid mediocre voice with a faux southern accent I could do without. The vocals could have been more like the familiar Indie-hipster-rock-nasal-geek-Muppet voices used so often in groups The lyrics and music often sound like a Yankees' interpretation of a music he (they) never really knew by not living in The South. The players know their instruments and the clichés and play them as if learned in a class. I really don't get the punk influence I heard of much. They do often sound Indie-rock. I also have not responded well to Gram parsons. After hearing artists like Emmylou Harris, who turned out an incredible rock/country LP "The Wrecking Ball", and possibly the real first alt-country artist, Mickey Newbury, who used a large palate of beautiful compositions on par with The Beatles, it's hard to be impressed by the "Alt" of Tupelo or Gram. I also like Lyle Lovett more than those "innovators".
The two albums I checked out are "Anthology" and "Anodyne", Anthology being difficult to get through twice. I can't get beyond the fake accent and the overly "sittin'-on-the-front-porch" feel to nearly every song. Pat your hands softly and sip a PBR. There is not enough oomph to any of the tracks and just not any staying power for me, save the stale cliché of a song overstated and over....
The last half of "Anodyne" felt glummer. I have to say that at most was a little more pure. Still, it does not have the emotional impact or beauty of a fairly comparable artist, Mark Kozelek, also of the beloved Red House Painters.

June 3, 2008

Great way to introduce yourself to UT, and alt-country.

I'm a fan of bands like The Replacements, Afghan Whigs, Minutemen, etc. and resisted the whole alt-country movement for years, not being able to shake off my pre-conceived stereotype of a band led by some Garth Brooks-meets-Billy Idol hybrid from hell.

But finally, after hearing too many people whose musical taste I respect talk about the greatness of Uncle Tupelo and the genius songwriting of Farrar and Tweedy, I finally decided to check them out.

This was the first CD I bought of theirs, and it was mind blowing for me. Such diversity and range, everything from pure country classics like "No Depression" to songs like "Gun" that could have been written by Paul Westerberg himself. And toss in their incredible cover of CCR's "Effigy" to boot.

I've since become a huge UT fan, have all of their CDs now, and am working my way through the Son Volt and Wilco catalogs. Great, great music. April 30, 2008

Perfect

I find this a very satisfying overview of Uncle Tupelo's career. One of the things I'm struck by is how tight the band was, especially in their 'middle' era, where the drum stops are so perfect. Farrar's guitar in the later tracks reminds me of J Mascis. The other thing that strikes is me is how heavily influenced the band was by the music of Neil Young. For some reason that didn't come out so much, to my ears, when I was listening to them back in the 1980s.

Superb collection, highly recommended. I still follow Wilco and Son Volt, though neither band has ever attained the sheer intensity of the best Uncle Tupelo. October 18, 2007

Looking for Uncle Tupelo?

If you are a SonVolt or Wilco fan this is where it all began. This cd covers a lot of ground. You would have to buy 4 cd's to get all their best songs. Country, rock, a little bit of bluegrass. America's Heart.
Mandatory material! August 11, 2007

Wilco vs. Son Volt

If you're a die hard Wilco fan then your probably going to get this, and you probably should. But if you're still getting into them and Jeff Tweedy is your main focus, then I have to say you'd be better off w/some earlier Wilco albums if you don't have them all. Ofcourse the lead vocals are shared by Tweedy and that dude from Son Volt, who I cant think of his name right now.. I didn't imagine that'd be such a problem until I found myself having to skip over every other song on this anthology because the singing was of mundane vocal range/attitude and the lyrics were reaching for somekind of universal simplicity but always falling into easy klea-shayz. The liner notes are going on and on about this band was inventing some altcountry/roots rock movement in a very official, overblown "Rolling Stones Magazine" type way which is quite unnerving for anyone who might have a Neil Young or REM CD in their collection. And like myself they might end up wishing they were actually buying a new Wilco one to add to it instead of this... But the Stooges cover of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" is so b*dass it alone makes the purchase worth it if you just need that fix and you dont care. For anyone who may not've heard, try the band "Loose Fur" if you like skipping over lesser vocalists (Jim O'Rouke on that one) to get to some great Jeff Tweedy songs for a more recent fare. I have to admit it is cool hearing Mr Tweedy's early stuff forming a better picture of connecting the dots to one of our best song writers going these days... I guess I'd give it 3 And A HALF stars if there was a half option, even though I wanna keep hating on that other singer. March 14, 2007

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