Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Know of a great band you think we'd like to hear about? Got some music news? Or just want to talk about music in general? Post it here.

Moderators: Jonicont, mark lynn, Maluca3, Tequila Cowboy, BigTom, CooleyGirl, olwiggum

User avatar
StevieRay
Posts: 1796
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:15 pm
Location: A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there

Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by StevieRay »

Uncle Tupelo is a major influence on the type of music we all listen to. There's not much so far about them here on 3DD; so, I'm gonna take my turn at AOTW and post some basic info about this important music. My hope is to provoke some contribution & discussion amongst the highly knowledgeable 3DD community members who will make this an interesting thread to visit.

Jay Farrar met Jeff Tweedy in English class. Tweedy and Farrar identified The Ramones and The Sex Pistols (respectively) in an exercise that challenged these two mid-eighties Belleville, IL. high school students to identify their favorite bands. Other classmates no doubt regurgitated whatever horrific eighties noise was trendy that week... but these two kids noticed each-other based on punk rock.

Farrar and Tweedy joined forces with self trained drummer Mike Heidorn when Jay's brother Wade went to college full-time. Jay had grown up immersed in folk albums and literary classics. His father collected Louvin Brothers, Carter Family, etc. and his mother operated a bookstore. Jeff had a Cheep Trick poster on his bedroom wall and daydreamed of being on stage someday. Also, here were two completely opposite personalities. Jeff wore his emotion on his sleeves, and, had the social drive that Jay was sorely missing... and, meanwhile, Jay was the talented musical genius steeped in craft and style that Jeff worshiped initially. Safe to say - these two kids needed each other for what was to come. Tweedy played base and sang harmony vocals in the beginning - but, by the time of UT's debut album "No Depression" - he was trying his hand successfully at songwriting alongside Farrar.

Image

The most accessible account I've found of the band's short history is Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot's book about Wilco "Learning How To Die" which came out about the same time as Sam Jones' documentary film "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart." This book contains the essential info regarding UT. For example: how many of you 3DD'ers know that Farrar used the same guitar on "No Depression" that Jay Mascis had on Dinosaur Jr's 1988 debut release "Bug?"

The second album "Still Feel Gone" is really just a continuation of the first (both were recorded and produced by the same personnel).

Image

"March 16-20, 1992" is the masterpiece. It was recorded in Athens, GA. at John Keene's studio (with David Barbe); and, was made possible by R.E.M.'s Peter Buck who basically brought Jay, Jeff, and close UT collaborator and sometimes band-member Brian Henneman (Bottle Rockets) to his home and effectively sponsored the project. Songs were in some cases literally learned and recorded in a day during these sessions. What makes this album so fascinating is the timing. Right at the moment when "grunge" emerges on the west coast with Nirvana and so-forth - Uncle Tupelo (a band otherwise poised to capitalize on this indie-rock wave of popularity) delivers a folk-Americana acoustic offering.

Image

The last Uncle Tupelo album is Anodyne. The lineup features what is basically "A.M." era Wilco: John Stirratt on bass, multi-instrumentalist Max Johnston on violin and such, and Ken Coomer on drums. Mike Heidorn had barely appeared on "March 16-20, 1992," but, this wasn't the reason for him leaving: he fell in love with a girl back home in Belleville, IL. and, decided life on the road was not for him. Heidorn had in many ways been the 'glue' that held UT together, and his departure was surely the beginning of the end.

Image

Jay Farrar broke up Uncle Tupelo when he decided to leave the band at the end of '93. He agreed to what became their spring '94 tour as a gesture to Tony Margherita, the band's manager, who owed against his credit cards for band related expenses.

A great link for further reading is:

http://www.factorybelt.net/

Here's a bunch of youtube stuff that is the best of what I could find on UT:

UT interview:


Moonshiner:

Whiskey Bottle (that's Brian Henneman between Jay and Jeff)

Chickamauga:

No Depression

Postcard From Hell

Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down

I Wanna Be Your Dog

Atomic Power

Life Worth Livin'

Graveyard Shift

Gun

Screen Door

John Hardy

Before I Break:

Sauget Wind

Effigy (CCR cover)

Punch Drunk
Last edited by StevieRay on Mon Oct 11, 2010 6:23 pm, edited 4 times in total.

User avatar
StevieRay
Posts: 1796
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:15 pm
Location: A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by StevieRay »

If I might use a metaphor comparing Renaissance era Italian artists to the work of two bands that emerged from Uncle Tupelo, I might suggest that: the Wilco sonic soundscape trifecta that is "Being There," "Summerteeth," and "Yankee, Hotel, Foxtrot" seem to me as a Michelangelo's Sistine Ceiling when compared to Raphael's "School Of Athens" that might represent Son Volt's precise and hugely impactful "Trace."

Which Renaissance master most closely resembles Brian Henneman?

User avatar
Steve French
Posts: 2889
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 1:26 am
Location: Had no idea what it was but what's an extra 20?

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by Steve French »

I dont know anything about Renaissance masters (I only learned recently they have fairs still) but I love UT.

My intro to them is the "Anthology" bought a few years ago, then getting the albums. I agree March 16-20 is a masterpiece but my favourite song of theirs is "New Madrid" Interestingly there are a bunch of Wilco versions on youtube but none by UT I could find. I love those lines


So come on back from New York City
Roll your trucks in at dawn
Walk with me to the fountain
And hold onto my arm
Come on, do what you did
I've never taken a pissbreak during a DBT show but if I had it would have been during Dancing Ricky.

User avatar
StevieRay
Posts: 1796
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:15 pm
Location: A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by StevieRay »

Steve French wrote:... but my favourite song of theirs is "New Madrid" Interestingly there are a bunch of Wilco versions on youtube but none by UT I could find. I love those lines


So come on back from New York City
Roll your trucks in at dawn
Walk with me to the fountain
And hold onto my arm
Come on, do what you did..


to continue your musing on that:
..Roll me under New Madrid
Shake my baby and please bring her back
'Cause death won't even be still
Caroms over the landfill
Buries us all in its broken back


Basically, that's proto-Wilco if you ask me

beantownbubba
Posts: 21748
Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2010 10:52 am
Location: Trying to stay focused on the righteous path

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by beantownbubba »

Verrrry interesting, stevie. My knowledge of UT is basically limited to No Depression, but I don't know that i've heard that march '92 album referred to as their masterpiece. Is that the conventional wisdom or just u? (doesn't matter either way, i'm just curious).

U lost me at Michaelangelo, tho.
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard

User avatar
StevieRay
Posts: 1796
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:15 pm
Location: A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by StevieRay »

beantownbubba wrote:U lost me at Michaelangelo, tho.


;) I very much doubt I lost you on that. Raphael = Michelangelo's rival for contracts @ The Vatican for frescos containing pictoriography of various subjects important to the proprietors. Both trained in the Florentine school, each a consummate master.

User avatar
Steve French
Posts: 2889
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 1:26 am
Location: Had no idea what it was but what's an extra 20?

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by Steve French »

StevieRay wrote:
beantownbubba wrote:U lost me at Michaelangelo, tho.


;) I very much doubt I lost you on that. Raphael = Michelangelo's rival for contracts @ The Vatican for frescos containing pictoriography of various subjects important to the proprietors. Both trained in the Florentine school, each a consummate master.


sot ey're like the Beatles and the Stones of their era?

or the Sabbath and Led Zeppelin perhaps?
I've never taken a pissbreak during a DBT show but if I had it would have been during Dancing Ricky.

User avatar
StevieRay
Posts: 1796
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:15 pm
Location: A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by StevieRay »

Would it be appropriate to say, UT is this:
Image
meets this:
Image
???
Last edited by StevieRay on Mon Oct 11, 2010 1:01 am, edited 3 times in total.

User avatar
StevieRay
Posts: 1796
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:15 pm
Location: A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by StevieRay »

Steve French wrote:So they're like the Beatles and the Stones of their era? Or, the Sabbath and Led Zeppelin perhaps?


I don't know. What I can extrapolate; however, is, these albums might have been in rotation at one point within earshot of Jay Farrar and/or Jeff Tweedy:
Image
Image
Image
Image
Last edited by StevieRay on Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Zip City
Posts: 17313
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 5:59 pm

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by Zip City »

I've thought (and am probably wrong), that part of the tension between Jay and Jeff was that Jay didn't respect Jeff as a songwriter. In what should have been a two-headed monster of singing/songwriting, Jay fancied himself the "leader" of the band.

True/false?
And I knew when I woke up Rock N Roll would be here forever

User avatar
Tequila Cowboy
Site Admin
Posts: 20230
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 6:12 pm
Location: The Twilight Zone, along with everyone else

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

Nice write up and running commentary, SR. While not the first alt-country band, UT certainly carved a path to make it a viable genre. I think one of the most interesting things is what happened after the split. Son Volt pretty much continued the same road UT paved (sure it evolved but UT would have as well I'm sure) while, after getting his feet wet with AM, Tweedy and Wilco veered as far from alt-country as they could. I think this shows that these two guys could never have coexisted in the long term (personal issues aside).
We call him Scooby Do, but Scooby doesn’t do. Scooby, is not involved

User avatar
The Black Canary
Posts: 3233
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:24 am
Location: Cambridge, MA

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by The Black Canary »

Great write up SR, sounds as though they touched something deep inside you with thier music and that you are more than just a fan of their sound. It is nice when music reaches in the inside workings of a person, it shows in your writing!!! Well done :D
so what is it like living with your mommy again BWAHAHAHAHAH

bold99
Posts: 137
Joined: Mon May 03, 2010 11:10 am

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by bold99 »

Zip City wrote:I've thought (and am probably wrong), that part of the tension between Jay and Jeff was that Jay didn't respect Jeff as a songwriter. In what should have been a two-headed monster of singing/songwriting, Jay fancied himself the "leader" of the band.

True/false?


That was part of it. I think toward the end, especially on the last album, Jeff really started to step up as a songwriter and singer. He found his voice and was getting the recognition. I don't think Jay liked this at all. I remember hearing stories of how Jay wouldn't sing backup on Jeff's songs. I think some of it was just the tension in the personal relationship. There is a story that came out in a Farrar interview a few years back about Tweedy hitting on Farrar's soon to be future wife in the back of the bus one night. Jay basically told their manager he was done and never said a word to Tweedy that he was leaving the band.

Nice write-up..they are one of my all time favorite bands and def a band you can link to DBT for sure..and you see the influence in bands like Two Cow Garage and so many others. Both guys were just great singers/songwriters and had a really unique combination of influences that somehow came out in their sound...from punk to classic country.

I doubt a reunion will ever happen but if it did I'd been there front row. I'm a way bigger fan of Wilco now but I do enjoy Son Volt as well. Trace is an amazing album but like was stated before Farrar kind of just stayed on the same UT path and Wilco really went a different direction and I think for the better.

User avatar
StevieRay
Posts: 1796
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:15 pm
Location: A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by StevieRay »

bold99 wrote:There is a story that came out in a Farrar interview a few years back about Tweedy hitting on Farrar's soon to be future wife in the back of the bus one night. Jay basically told their manager he was done and never said a word to Tweedy that he was leaving the band.


Farrar did in fact "quit" the band on Christmas Day 1993 in a phone call to Tony Margherita. Jay and Jeff had a shouting match later after Jeff was informed by Tony. The story about Jeff stroking Monica's hair while she was asleep, while certainly an issue, was not the whole story. Jay had been unhappy for some time. The '94 tour was when he refused to sing harmony vocals on some of Jeff's songs (post-resignation).

Fair to say that regardless of the circumstance at the end: neither of these guys would be where they are now without the other. Jeff knew next to nothing about how to play music when he first met Jay who was gifted with a voice of gold, and, had grown up with music oriented family members. Meanwhile Jeff had the drive and vision combined with inter-personal social skills that helped them rise beyond the small town environment of Bellville. Mike Heidorn was the mutually respected, easy-going, and fun-to-be around guy that kept the two from serious confrontation.
Last edited by StevieRay on Mon Oct 11, 2010 12:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
StevieRay
Posts: 1796
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:15 pm
Location: A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by StevieRay »

beantownbubba wrote:...I don't know that i've heard that march '92 album referred to as their masterpiece.


"No Depression" is their best known album, but the unimaginatively named "March 16-20, 1992" was their creative peak. That's both my opinion and conventional wisdom.

It seems odd because the "No Depression" album has subsequently been coined as a moniker for an entire genre of music; but, make no mistake - the "March" album is the pinnacle of the brilliant partnership between Farrar and Tweedy - and, meanwhile: Henneman's acoustic picking, Keene and Barbe's production, etc. help create something that moves significantly away from the first two recordings (that had been made in Massachusetts)... which had a "Dino Jr.-like" production. Again - the timing, also, represents a sort of "Fuck You" to the music business... absolutely brilliant to look at in hindsight.
Last edited by StevieRay on Mon Oct 11, 2010 11:10 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Penny Lane
Posts: 6190
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:54 am
Location: musky woodland predator fuck stink

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by Penny Lane »

thank you, Stevie. great write up, lots of little tidbits in there that i didn't know.
i love this band, find the music very comforting, and yeah, it's clear they lasted as long as they could.
tweedy was never meant to share the spotlight or creative vision with anyone for more than a little while, but during the early years, i always picture jay treating jeff like Jay M treated lou barlow, however like bold99 said, i could see how that would be hard for the roles to start changing.
and you're right, this thread sparks some great discussion, there's so much about that period i know nothing about cuz i was stuck in my brit pop phase
In my blood, there's gasoline..

User avatar
Clams
Posts: 14850
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 1:16 pm
Location: City of Brotherly Love

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by Clams »

Penny Lane wrote:thank you, Stevie. great write up, lots of little tidbits in there that i didn't know.
i love this band, find the music very comforting, and yeah, it's clear they lasted as long as they could.
tweedy was never meant to share the spotlight or creative vision with anyone for more than a little while, but during the early years, i always picture jay treating jeff like Jay M treated lou barlow, however like bold99 said, i could see how that would be hard for the roles to start changing.
and you're right, this thread sparks some great discussion, there's so much about that period i know nothing about cuz i was stuck in my brit pop phase



I agree about this thread. Lots of good nuggets. Musically, I took a complete snooze during the 90's and I missed a lot of great music. I wish I had gotten on board the UT train (among others). Good job with the first post and with emcee-ing the thread, Stevie Ray.
Everyone needs a friend, everyone needs a fuck

Zip City
Posts: 17313
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 5:59 pm

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by Zip City »

It's easy to point to Farrar as being the dick here, but we all know that Tweedy isn't exactly a peach to work with either (see how he treated Jay Bennett, etc.)

I think it's a shame (in a way) that Wilco drifted so far from alt. country. Their music is good, and i would love to catch a live show, but the people who criticize them for being "dad rock" aren't really too far off the mark.
And I knew when I woke up Rock N Roll would be here forever

User avatar
StevieRay
Posts: 1796
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:15 pm
Location: A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by StevieRay »

Zip City wrote:I think it's a shame (in a way) that Wilco drifted so far from alt. country. Their music is good, and i would love to catch a live show, but the people who criticize them for being "dad rock" aren't really too far off the mark.


I couldn't disagree more. Tweedy's sense of artistic renewal has been uncanny. Had he stayed in the comparative safety of that enormous bundle of styles that 90's critics called "Alt-Country" - he and Wilco might perhaps have drifted away into somewhat bland & unremarkable "dad rock" musical territory. He would never have worked with Jim O'Rourke, he would have never hired Glenn Kotche or Nels Cline, etc.
Last edited by StevieRay on Mon Oct 11, 2010 3:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Smitty
Posts: 10900
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 9:30 pm
Location: Fruithurst, Al
Contact:

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by Smitty »

StevieRay wrote:
Zip City wrote:I think it's a shame (in a way) that Wilco drifted so far from alt. country. Their music is good, and i would love to catch a live show, but the people who criticize them for being "dad rock" aren't really too far off the mark.


I couldn't disagree more. Tweedy's sense of artistic renewal has been uncanny. Had he stayed in the comparative safety of that enormous bundle of styles that 90's critics called "Alt-Country" - he and Wilco would perhaps have drifted away into somewhat bland & unremarkable musical territory. He would never have worked with Jim O'Rourke, he would have never hired Glenn Kotche or Nels Cline, etc.


Agree completely - which is strange because I'm definitely overall more of a fan of alt-country than the experimental/post rockish music ala YHF/AGIB, but when it comes to Wilco I prefer the post-Being There albums -
I love UT and I'm grateful for inspiring basically the whole alt-country scene (along with the bottle rockets) but I'm glad they split into two great bands.

Here's a couple of my favorite Uncle Tupelo bootlegs:

The Blue Note, Columbia, MO
11-29-90
(Soundboard)

01 Life Worth Livin'
02 Punch Drunk
03 Watch Me Fall
04 Postcard
05 Gun
06 Discarded
07 Flatness
08 Outdone
09 Sauget Wind
10 Train
11 Wasn't Born to Follow
12 Atomic Power
13 Nothing
14 Before I Break

01 That Year
02 Country Home
03 True to Life
04 D Boon
05 I've Been Working On the Railroad
06 Factory Belt
07 Country Home
08 Do Re Mi
09 Freak Scene
10 Whiskey Bottle
11 No Depression
12 No Matter What
13 I Got Drunk
14 Graveyard Shift


Part One
Part Two

The Last Uncle Tupelo Show
Mississippi Nights, St. Louis, MO
May 1, 1994


01 No Depression
02 Chickamauga
03 Watch Me Fall
04 Grindstone
05 Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down
06 Fifteen Keys
07 The Long Cut
08 Anodyne
09 New Madrid
10 Slate
11 Atomic Power
12 Postcard
13 Gun
14 High Water
15 Acuff Rose
16 True To Life
17 We've Been Had
18 Give Back The Key To My Heart

01 Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
02 Whiskey Bottle
03 Looking For A Way Out
04 Gimme Three Steps
05 Sandusky
06 Steal The Crumbs
07 Nothing
08 Life Worth Living
09 Willin'
10 Truck Drivin' Man
11 Effigy
12 Stay Free
13 Wherever


Part One
Part Two

also get over to atruersound.com and get 3 great Uncle Tupelo demo tapes.
Last edited by Smitty on Mon Oct 11, 2010 12:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.

User avatar
StevieRay
Posts: 1796
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:15 pm
Location: A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by StevieRay »

Zip City wrote:see how he treated Jay Bennett, etc.


It's been said that Tweedy gave Bennett exactly "enough rope to hang himself with." At least JT fired Bennett in person... when he let Ken Coomer go he had Tony Margherita do it for him over the phone (not Tweedy's finest moment). Fact was, however, in spite of Jay Bennett's incalculable brilliance and mind boggling mad scientist's knowledge of the studio - he himself had a ton of personality issues. It's pretty sad, actually. The guy had all the talent in the world.

User avatar
'Scratch
Posts: 1310
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 4:39 pm
Location: Along the Locatong

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by 'Scratch »

Killer post SR, and long overdue. Uncle Tupelo is still one of my favorite bands and few are better for long road trips across the heartland. Nice work.
Not forever, just for now.

User avatar
bovine knievel
Posts: 9348
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:40 pm
Location: Pollyanna doesn't live here.

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by bovine knievel »

Great job, SR!

For a bunch more nuggets on UT, might I suggest this...

Image
“Excited people get on daddy’s nerves.” - M. Cooley

User avatar
Clams
Posts: 14850
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 1:16 pm
Location: City of Brotherly Love

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by Clams »

Speaking of bootlegs, there's this, which is outstanding....

Coffee Creek – Live in Cicero’s Basement – June 11th, 1992

http://atruersound.com/?p=1139
Everyone needs a friend, everyone needs a fuck

User avatar
Smitty
Posts: 10900
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 9:30 pm
Location: Fruithurst, Al
Contact:

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by Smitty »

Clams wrote:Speaking of bootlegs, there's this, which is outstanding....

Coffee Creek – Live in Cicero’s Basement – June 11th, 1992

http://atruersound.com/?p=1139


That's great, this one's a must-have too:

Here is a classic. A must for any Bottle Rockets, Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt Fan! The one and only performance of the "The Dust Bowl Club" (aka Brian Henneman, Jay Farrar, and Tom Parr). Sometimes listed by traders as a Coffee Creek show, which is incorrect; Coffee Creek always featured Jeff Tweedy and Mike Heidorn and only played covers, whereas this show was mostly Brian's originals with some covers mixed in. Only one recording of this radio broadcast has surfaced, and it has all the between-song conversation edited out.


The Dust Bowl Club

9/14/91 SBD

KDHX Studio-St. Louis, MO

Waltz across Festus [Ernest Tubb as Waltz Across Texas]
Coffee Monkey
Green Acres [Vic Mizzy]
Is Anybody Going to) San Antone? [Doug Sahm]
Loganberry
Wallflower [Bob Dylan]
Turn for the Worse
Indianapolis
Manhattan Countryside
I Ain't Got No Home in This World Anymore [Woody Guthrie]
Moonshiner [Uncle Tupelo]
Hotel California [The Eagles]
I Saw the Light [Hank Williams]
Roll Another Number (For the Road) [Neil Young]
Waiting on a Friend [Rolling Stones]
Never Won a Grammy
Hillbilly Love
Stoned Faces Don't Lie [Doug Sahm]
I Drink Stag/Partyman
Okie From Muskogee [Merle Haggard]
Wave That Flag

http://www.mediafire.com/?zmbuott25yi
E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.

User avatar
Smitty
Posts: 10900
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 9:30 pm
Location: Fruithurst, Al
Contact:

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by Smitty »

E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.

User avatar
'Scratch
Posts: 1310
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 4:39 pm
Location: Along the Locatong

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by 'Scratch »

Listening to Black Eye right now.
Not forever, just for now.

User avatar
3milelake
Posts: 1879
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 4:00 pm

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by 3milelake »

Nice one StevieRay. I'm a huge, late to the party UT fan. You provided some nice tidbits I didn't know. Post break up debate kind of bores me now although its interesting that people feel so strongly about it 16 years later. Their collaboration spawned many great records & that should be good enough for any true fan of the original band...

User avatar
3milelake
Posts: 1879
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 4:00 pm

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by 3milelake »

Very nice! Pretty damn good quality too.

Smitty wrote:That's great, this one's a must-have too:

Here is a classic. A must for any Bottle Rockets, Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt Fan! The one and only performance of the "The Dust Bowl Club" (aka Brian Henneman, Jay Farrar, and Tom Parr). Sometimes listed by traders as a Coffee Creek show, which is incorrect; Coffee Creek always featured Jeff Tweedy and Mike Heidorn and only played covers, whereas this show was mostly Brian's originals with some covers mixed in. Only one recording of this radio broadcast has surfaced, and it has all the between-song conversation edited out.


The Dust Bowl Club

9/14/91 SBD

KDHX Studio-St. Louis, MO

Waltz across Festus [Ernest Tubb as Waltz Across Texas]
Coffee Monkey
Green Acres [Vic Mizzy]
Is Anybody Going to) San Antone? [Doug Sahm]
Loganberry
Wallflower [Bob Dylan]
Turn for the Worse
Indianapolis
Manhattan Countryside
I Ain't Got No Home in This World Anymore [Woody Guthrie]
Moonshiner [Uncle Tupelo]
Hotel California [The Eagles]
I Saw the Light [Hank Williams]
Roll Another Number (For the Road) [Neil Young]
Waiting on a Friend [Rolling Stones]
Never Won a Grammy
Hillbilly Love
Stoned Faces Don't Lie [Doug Sahm]
I Drink Stag/Partyman
Okie From Muskogee [Merle Haggard]
Wave That Flag

http://www.mediafire.com/?zmbuott25yi

User avatar
StevieRay
Posts: 1796
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:15 pm
Location: A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there

Re: Artist of the Week - Uncle Tupelo

Post by StevieRay »

3milelake wrote:Their collaboration spawned many great records


It's absolutely fascinating to continue the comparison into the post UT years.

I recently created separate "Tweedy" and "Farrar" playlists in my iTunes. The object was to take every Tweedy song from Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, "Mermaid Ave.," and Golden Smog and put that in one list... and, then take every Farrar song from Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, solo Jay Farrar, and "One Fast Move Or I'm Gone" and put that in the other list.

Each list has exactly 140 songs.

These two have continued to be driven by each other's output far beyond Uncle Tupelo. One thought I had is: perhaps the huge double-album scope of "Being There" was in part an answer to the absolute majestic glory of "Trace." Also, does it occur to anyone that the literary beauty of "One Fast Move Or I'm Gone" might be an answer to the spectacular "Mermaid Avenue" project?

Post Reply