Trace
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (19 September, 1995)
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Editorial Review

Trace is obsessed with time. "Can you deny there's nothing greater ... than the traveling hands of time?" asks frontman Jay Farrar early on, and song to song, he deliberates time's tyranny. Farrar's voice always sounds beaten but never quite broken here, and when on the impossibly catchy "Windfall" he wishes "may the wind take your troubles away," it feels like nothing short of a blessing. Trace is alternative country's most perfect moment: the Uncle Tupelo-ish electric crunch rocks for something better, even as its twangy steel and fiddle never forget the very country fact that time will beat us all. --David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (62)

Gets better with each listen...
I am a bit different than most of the other reviewers, in that i still like the other two Son Volt CDs a bit better than this one.

However, that's saying I like gold over diamonds, if you catch my drift. I'll take both if you please, and a whole pile's worth while you're at it...

This is good, good stuff, and I would like nothing better than to meet in person all the other people that wrote reviews and said that they "get it"... Y'all must be good people to feel this music the way I do. It sure does get you to thinking about life and where you've been and where you are going and...

"Ten Second News" is worth the price of the whole CD, it gets better and better with each listen...

And for what it's worth, how come no one else really commented on "Mystifies Me"? I think it's the perfect close to this CD - rolling, rambling, rythimic, and very haunting in a certain sense. I'm 6 listens in a row as I type this...

Good music is timeless - I still listen to my Poco and Little Feat and Jackson Browne and Steve Earle from when I was just a teenager, and I am willing to bet this one will be with me for the rest of my life too...

Transcendant.From the first listening , Even more now
Before being able to fully explain the beauty of a lyric your attention turns to the beauty of a harmony and melody remains like a familarscents that accompanies one of those memories you love. Or something
Great album. i was lucky to find it after hearing something in 'Drown' that has now become a after-thought on this beautiful completely transcendantalbum.
it's a good

Epic, magnificent
Jay Farrar is a unique talent, and all the Son Volt albums are great.Real music that smears the boundaries of country, folk, and alt-rock, and you won't even know it. ... Read more

Asin: B000002N1V
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

89/93: An Anthology
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (19 March, 2002)
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Editorial Review

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 ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Listen up you freaks in Nashville...
When I bought this compilation, I already owned quite a few UT albums.The music contained on it some of the best country music ever created.It is such a shame that Uncle Tupelo isn't played on country radio, because these guys bring a new perspective to how great country music really is...so if you know someone that needs to be educated on some heritage, buy them this album as a gift.
In my opinion the key tracks are Fatal Wound, Gun, Moonshiner, (done Dylan style,) I Wanna Be Your Dog, (Stooges cover,) and Sauget Wind.But make no mistake:THIS ENTIRE COMPILATION WILL BLOW YOUR MIND.The only complaint I have about this thing is that they failed to include the cover of "Truck Drivin' Man," which is on the album Anodyne.

The Birth of Legends
I hearily agree with the reviewer who commented that that this was one of the greatest anthologies he ever bought. To have a collection of twenty one songs written by the modern geniuses Jeff Tweedy and Jay Ferrar is indeed quite a treat. As you probably know, Uncle Tupelo was responsible for starting and stimulating the 'alt-country' genre that is so oftenly mentioned today. Countless bands try to mimic and recreate this sound, but very few have gotten the sound right like Uncle Tupelo did. The formula was a combination of country mountain twang, punk rock energy and an earnest, heartfelt delivery. Uncle Tupelo had this methodology down to a tee, and the resultant songs are proof thereof. On 89/93, eleven of the songs are Jay's, and ten are Jeff's. Although it was implied that this was more Jay's band, I think that Jeff wrote the best songs. 'Black Eye' is one of the most beautiful songs the band ever recorded. The cover of Iggy Pop's 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' is just flat out awesome. Fatal Wound is a great but infinitely sad song that foreshadows Jeff's mastery of melancholy on his Wilco albums Being There and Summerteeth. The last track, 'We've Been Had', is amazing too. Jeff sang with all the passion of a disillusioned twentysome year old with absolutely no where to go, and I think that wandering enthusiasm is what this band showed best. It's probably obvious by now that I prefer Tweedy and Wilco over Ferrar and Son Volt, but Jay was the founder of this band, and he wrote a number of incredible songs too. 'I Got Drunk' is so plain, but it's so good and so true. 'Looking For A Way Out' is a beautiful acoustic number that further illustrated how these guys were ramblin' men. And the wonderful 'Sauget Wind' is as pretty of a song as you'll hear anywhere. These guys made indispensable music, and 89/93 chronicles their greatness wonderfully. I recommend this to all listeners.

the perfect anthology! and a whole new experience
what a one disc anthology should be!
great choice picks made by the founders themselves.
not a bad song in the bag!
this one covers all their true best and then some you might've missed.
I was really taken by the 1989 demo of Outdone. the flow of the song is the best I have ever heard it before!
every song is given a different feel than the albums gave. WHAT! you ask. the different song order I say. this disc as a whole feels really good all the way through. the album releases cut the songs open with a sharp intense blade showing the center meat of UT. 100% pure..........

if you are a new or old fan of UT then this is a great disc to have. it's a whole new experience and a great introduction.



... Read more

Asin: B000063CN9
Subjects:  1. Alternative Country    2. Alternative Country-Rock    3. Alternative Pop/Rock    4. Americana    5. Pop    6. Rock   

G.P./Grievous Angel
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (22 March, 1990)
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Editorial Review

On his two early-1970s solo albums, collected here on one disc, Gram Parson lends his fragile, aching tenor to music that's the definition of what he called "country soul." Neither of these titles is quite as strong as the work Parsons had previously done with the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, but with originals as great as "She" and "In My Hour of Darkness"--not to mention backing from Emmylou Harris and the core of Elvis's early-'70s band--both GP and Grievous Angel still stand as country-rock classics. --David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (64)

Hit the road with Graham
Hey, this stuff rocks and croons, and as every genre
has excellence to display, chose this alt
country gem, no matter what your bag is.
Emmy Lou fills the bill.

ExcellenceDoubled!
Both LP's are 5+ stars, each!

Having seen Gram perform LIVE 3 times, makes me a bit biased.
So you'd think, huh?But I'm actually guilty of seeing many artists at least twice in those Great Days.

These 2 LP's, though, are among my Top 10 LP's, now CD's too, of All-Time, still!Gram Parsons music is timeless, indeed.

When you think of 60's or 70'smusic being timeless, there are many artists that come to mind.

For me, it's the following: Beatles, Fairport Convention, Ian Matthews, Richard Thompson, The Band and Byrds/Gram Parsons/Flying Burrito Bros.!

Oh, BTW, I can add another 100 to this list.Easily!

I just wanted to stress how important Gram is/was [still] important to Good Music.Gram finding Emmylou didn't hurt, either.His wife didn't exactly appreciate this, thus the wording of Emmylou on the back cover of the Grievous Angel LP and not the front.

These are probably the best 2 Alt-Country/Cosmic/Americana,whatever you wish to call it now, available TODAY!

If you don't own these, you SHOULD!

Essential Gram
Gram Parsons could have been a major star.Hell, if he had lived through the 70's Neil Young might not have been as big as he was.Gram started the whole Country-Rock sound that the Eagles then decided to claim for themselves.Gram's story has only gotten big for the single fact that he had died just before he got his claim to fame.Just like Jeff Buckley and just like Elliott Smith.They could have been huge and probably will be after their deaths.Unfortunately, that seems to be the case with great songwriters.I thank Gram cause I got into Neil...my fellow Canadian and now am a huge Neil Young fan.But would I been if Gram survived??If things were different Neil and Rick James would have put together a soul band and music would be different.As a previous reviewer wrote pick up this dual album and Gilded Palace of Sin.Great albums.

Thanks for your time. ... Read more

Asin: B000002LKH
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Country-Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. United States of America   

No Depression
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 July, 1991)
list price: $13.98
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Editorial Review

The album that named a movement (and a magazine), No Depression rocks and twangs in just about equal measure, though the rock side wins out most of the time. Even when a song downshifts from full-on punk to banjo- and mandolin-graced interludes, it usually shifts back again, seemingly even louder and angrier than before. Beyond the influential sound, though, are some great songs--whether they're raging originals like "Graveyard Shift," where the job's literally a killer; an earnest, acoustic cover of the Carter Family's title track; or a decidedly desperate portrait of Leadbelly's "John Hardy."--David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (21)

The seminal Alt/Country Album
The only drawback about this album is its sound quality. Apart from that, this album should be listed as the definition of the Alt/Country genre. This album, which is impossible to tire of, addresses traditional country themes (alcholism, labor, loneliness, waste, and inequality) while deceiving the listener. Graceyard Shift rips right off from the start reminding us of the Replacements as its hard chords seem more rockish, while country-ish twangs pervade the background. And Tweedy sings of man's great lament in the industrialzed society, loss of self, dispersed power, Foucault's panopticism.
The irony of Uncle Tupelo is that the music while implicatory in nature also sooths and reminds us of something better. The pastoral is the loss ideal, mans self is lamented in hard-driven rock n'roll and we are all mourning the loss.
There is a maturity here that is incomparable in the alternative scene. Rather than letting hypocrisy, exploitation and capitalism make them morphous blobs of lamenting self-effacing crooners, they dare to sing about it. Adopting a tradition laid down by Guthrie, they employ their own passions (punk, hard rock, country) and mesmerize us musically while reminding us that there is something more important than the song.
Cumulatively, this album is rock's great treatise against capitalism, idustrialism, and modernization. We meet characters who no longer fit and destroy themselves with liquor and debauchery. But, the morality in the music extends further than alcoholism and morbid romanticization of man isolated and forgotten. It is a smart and convincing treatise that is Tupelo's best and an absolute classic...

Meanwhile, just outside St. Louis
Back in 1990, I thought I was pretty `with it'.In addition to indulging my omnipresent metal fetish, I was listening to Mother Love Bone, Green River, Soundgarden and whatever else I could get my hands on coming out of Seattle.Yeah, I was big man on campus at William and Mary - at least in my own mind.When the Seattle scene exploded I got the kudos owed to someone who was hip to the scene before it went nationwide.Pretty cool, huh?

Perhaps not as cool as I thought.By the mid-90s, Kurdt Cobain's suicide had pretty much signaled the end of the grunge movement and made it possible for rap metal lunkheads like Limp Bizkit and a second generation of grunge imitators like Creed to take over.Suddenly, a genre that had seemed so vital and revolutionary became dated.Old Soundgarden records no longer sounded as good and new ones like Down on the Upside just sounded horribly anachronistic.

The Seattle grunge scene was great while it lasted and we may never see another revolution in popular music quite like it.However, maybe if I'd been paying a little closer attention to a musical scene developing in America's heartland at the same time grunge was developing in Seattle, I'd have caught on to a second musical revolution during that era occurring in a genre that would prove to have more staying power than grunge.I'm talking about alt-country, aka "the movement".

The band credited with jumpstarting "the movement" was Uncle Tupelo which featured two brilliant songwriters, Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy, who were heavily influenced by both traditional country and punk rock.What Lennon and McCartney were to classic rock, Farrar and Tweedy were to alt-country.

If you can actually get your hands on Uncle Tupelo's hard-to-find debut, No Depression, it won't be long before you put an end to your habit of telling new acquaintances, "I listen to all kinds of music, except country".The opening track, "Graveyard Shift", grabs your attention immediately with its breakneck riffs and aggressive vocals - it's heavy enough to practically qualify as country-metal.The title track reveals a totally different side of UT as they cover the country traditional "No Depression" with such honesty and skill that it would later be adopted as the name of alt-country's biggest magazine."Whiskey Bottle" is a favorite of many a UT fan and it is easy to see why.On the song, Farrar's voice exudes such raw desperation you start to genuinely worry for the guy.Fortunately, the spirits of the whole band seem to pick up during the country raveup, "Screen Door", an ode to sitting out on the porch playing music with friends.

The seminal nature of No Depression makes it hard to rate it as anything but 5 stars, though the production quality is some of the worst I've heard since on Metallica's ...And Justice for All.Fortunately, Farrar and Tweedy are said to be remastering the album and a more widely available reissue will probably be available some time in the next year or so.It's your call whether you want to pay the exorbitant sums dealers are charging for No Depression these days or wait for the better sounding and cheaper reissue to appear.If you make the latter choice, I strongly recommend you pick up the excellent UT Anthology 89/93 to tide you over until you can procure a copy of No Depression.

Trust me, if you overlooked "the movement" when it was developing like I did, there's still plenty of time to catch up.A little remedial work on Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Son Volt, Whiskeytown, the Old 97s, the Bottle Rockets, and the Drive-By Truckers and you'll have at least an elementary education in the ways of "the movement".

Not as good as Still Feel Gone, but still good...
After reading a few of the reviews written about this album, I'm afraid that some people may be a bit disappointed by their whole Uncle Tupelo experience. I don't want to be misunderstood because I do feel that this is a good CD and my all time favorite Uncle Tupelo track is 'Life Worth Living', but this CD also lacks the overall consistency displayed on 'Still Feel Gone', and there are times when I want to forward through parts of this disc to get to the good songs, like 'Whiskey Bottle', 'Graveyard Shift', or 'Life Worth Living'. If this were the first Uncle Tupelo album that I'd bought, I believe that I'd have purchased another, but I'd have done so with the understanding that they're a good band and not the great band that I've read so much about. If you really want the great band that you're reading about, buy 'Still Feel Gone' because that's the album that almost lives up to this band's monster billing. Actually, all of this is pretty moot anyways because as of right now you can't purchase either album here. If you really like alt-country and you want to check out a CD that you can actually purchase, go to a band called '16 Horsepower' and listen to the audio clips of 'Secret South', 'Low Estate', or 'Sackcloth n Ashes'. '16 Horsepower' is light years better than 'Uncle Tupelo', and I promise that this is a decision that you'll love yourself for, for the rest of the day. ... Read more

Asin: B000003JXX
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Still Feel Gone
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (17 September, 1991)
list price: $13.98
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Editorial Review

Before March 16-20, 1992 secured Uncle Tupelo as Commanders in Chief of the alt country assault during the early '90s, Still Feel Gone stated emphatically that this foursome are no musical tumbleweeds. Though twangy, lap-steel-heavy ditties like "Watch Me Fall" and "Still Be Around" cradle a country heart, the bulk of this disc is a nod to Uncle Tupelo's garage and punk rock heritage. The songs find their hooks in the twittery vocals of Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy, but beware the rapid fire drumming from Mike Heidorn. When Uncle Tupelo fires up it's tribute to late-Minuteman D. Boon, you'll realize there's more to these country boys than meets the ear. --Nick Heil ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Stands the test of time . . .
Living in Athens, GA circa 1990 I was dragged to a Wednesday night show at the old, old 40 Watt to see a band reputed to be "it".A threesome from the Midwest was all my friend could tell me.I was not disappointed by a band that seemed to be a blenderized mix of Neil Young and the Clash, and offered a front-man (Farrar) with a voice to not be forgotten.Sadly I never sought any recorded material at the time.About 2 years later living in Atlanta a friend was playing this in his car and my brain immediately triggered back to that show, and the rest is history.I can't say that this is my favorite Tupelo album, but it probably is the one I've listened to the most during the wait for new material.The crunch Farrar achieves with his guitar on Punch Drunk is one of my favorite UT moments, and now, over a decade later, the entire disc still sounds great.In retrospect there was no way to know that Tweedy represented as much talent as he now displays as he was clearly a slight second man to Farrar, but just needed the opportunity to step up with Wilco.This is less a review than it is a scolding for music lover who doesn't own/hasn't heard this disc.Don't be scared of labels like "alt-country" or whatever - this is at heart a punk album made by three guys who absorbed the folkier sounds surrounding them in the rural Midwest. Get it now.

Mastery from a unique band
All of Tupelo's albums should elicit 5 stars from anyone who listens to them, and this is no exception. If you have a hard time comprehending what alt./country means this is it. I still favor No Depression over this album, but that doesn't mean that this isn't a gem. They start off giving us a great Replacementish tune which shows their versatility. Tweedy on vocals is nice, but no one matches Farrar whose voice defines a genre. D. Boon does hi-light their ability to walk in and out of alternative as they emulate the late great. What shows up on this album is a prelude to Tweedy's Wilco days. If you are more of a Wilco fan you will like this album, as it features some nice ballads featuring Tweedy's soft voice.
I love Uncle Tupelo, and anything they did was worthy of six stars.

If I could give it ****** I would!
Uncle Tupelo was one of the best bands I ever had the pleasure to see live. They are now defunkt:-( This album is my favorite, today. All of Uncle Tupelo's titles are fantastic so I don't have A favorite; I have rotating favorites and today Still Feel Gone won the coin toss. The first song "Gun" is one of the absolute best, (...) kickin tunes of all times, for that matter, so is "Nothing" and "Punch Drunk" and "D.Boon" and "Postcard" and...But, at the same time there are songs like "Still Be Around" that are so beautiful and sweet and melodic that it's almost painful to hear.
Tupe's style is so unique. One minute they're wailing away on the guitars, the next minute they're doing half time. This constant tempo change is their signature, or at least one of their signatures. It probably doesn't really sound like a good idea, but the results are amazing. The greatness of the collaborative efforts of Farrar and Tweedy simply cannot be overstated. They are GODS!
I could easily describe every song on the album, because THEY ARE ALL GEMS! This album is comprised of not so little nuggets-o-gold from start to finish.
Hint: Best when played very loud! ... Read more

Asin: B000003JY8
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

March 16-20, 1992
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (03 August, 1992)
list price: $13.98
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Editorial Review

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 ... Read more

Reviews (20)

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...

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.

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. ... Read more

Asin: B000003JYH
Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. United States of America    6. Urban Folk   

Straightaways
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (22 April, 1997)
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Editorial Review

When Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar, his former partner in Uncle Tupelo, split up in 1994, the common wisdom was that Tweedy was the melodic and optimistic Paul McCartney of the team, while Farrar was the cathartic and moody John Lennon. That analogy seemed to stand up when Wilco's debut disc A.M. was sweet and tuneful, while the first album by Farrar's Son Volt, Trace, was angst-ridden country-rock. Tweedy transcended his pigeonhole with the diverse, ambitious Being There, but Farrar remains trapped in his on Son Volt's follow-up Straightaways, a more laid-back, understated version of Trace. Farrar does one thing really well, and that is his use of a gravelly baritone and suspended guitar chords to capture the exhaustion and desperation of a man at the end of his rope. Unfortunately, he tends to do it over and over and over again.--Geoffrey Himes ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Excellent Album
I got into Wilco & found this album while searching Amazon.This album is fantastic & really grows on you.Great Alt-Country... Back Into Your World, Picking Up The Signal & Left A Slide are really the prefeft trifecta of songs (as another reviewer put it).They just flow one into the other.I love this whole album, especially the afore-mentioned & also Cemetary Savior & Last Minute Shakedown.When I first heard it (it was my 1st Son Volt experience), I admit I picked a few out & skipped some - but after a listening, I realized this album is great - buy it - it will grow on you & you will enjoy it.

Best of the bunch, if you ask me
Only got turned onto Uncle Tupelo/Son Volt/Wilco about a year ago, and I have to say that this is the CD I most often play out of the whole bunch.

Back Into Your World, Picking Up The Signal, and Left A Slide are a perfect trifecta of songs. Fast alt-country, slow traditional country, and everything in between. All in all, good stuff. If it helps any, I like it way better than trace. Would tie it with Anodyne, or rate Anodyne slightly higher.

Regardless, good music to turn up and muse over. I can relate to the words in many of the songs, that's for sure. Great lyrics, great music. Goes excellent with a nice cold beer!

Better than Trace
I played this record nearly every morning in the summer of 1997 and can attest that (like most great records) if you give it several good listens it will capture you. I have both this one and Trace and strongly prefer Straightaways for several reasons: superior melodies, better playing (acoustic work is tastier), better vocals, more interesting lyrical themes, a better rocker (Caryatid Easy is surely one of the hardest rocking alt-country song of all time), and greater emotional depth.

Like many alt-country records, this one is about missed chances, lost love, loneliness, alienation, and wounded men yearning to recover. There isn't an obvious radio hit like 'Windfall' from Trace, but these songs are a little more earnest, in my view, and they're also a little better written. Many have disagreed in the previous reviews here, but I'm sticking to my guns: I almost never pull out Trace, but I've revisited Straightaways nearly every year since I bought it, and I haven't yet stopped enjoying it. I should clarify that I'm not really arguing against Trace, which is also a great record and a must-have if you're an Uncle Tupelo or Jay Farrar (or alt-country) fan, but I think this one is also a must-have, and I think it's a better record than Trace. ... Read more

Asin: B000002NDU
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Anodyne
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (05 October, 1993)
list price: $11.98
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Editorial Review

Before Anodyne, Uncle Tupelo already had one masterpiece in 1991's noisy and tense Still Feel Gone, but this album, the band's major-label debut, had even grander ambitions. Replacing the group's grungy guitar with soaring lap and pedal-steel fills, plus fiddle and mandolin breaks both sweet and raucous, Anodyne is overflowing with a spacious grandeur that alludes to, and then makes it own, everything from the Band and the Stones and Neil Young (both as a solo artist and with Crazy Horse) to old Acuff-Rose songs--all of which is just to say that it's among the best roots-rock records ever made. --David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (53)

got to be kidding
I read one user review of this that said " Give me back the keys to my heart" was a good song with good lyrics. HAH! I could throw scrabble tiles on the floor and come up with something better. If you really love Wilco (like I do) there are a few good Tweedy gems buried in this garbage but I would recommend buying downloads of Acuff-Rose etc. Dont waste your money on this cd!

Rocks Maliciously
Rhino's re-release of this classic set is an excellent repackaging of this classic CD.Uncle Tupelo's sound of alternative country sounds amazingly fresh with Rhino's remastering magic.The bonus tracks on the new issue are of interest to long-time band fans."Stay True" is a blast of Jay Farrar's guitar & vocals.Jeff Tweedy takes lead vocals on "Wherever" with a minimalist melody, "Hey what's that mean?Don't make it sound so simple.""Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" is a strong Waylon Jennings-penned country rocker.The live hoedown version of "Truck Drivin' Man" has great tasty fiddle.My favorite ear candy is UT's blow-out version of the classic rocker "Suzy Q" recorded live at the Vic Theatre in Chicago.The guys rock maliciously on this 7-minute track.Of the original tracks, "The Long Cut" is a delightful rocker with Jeff's ragged vocals fitting the material like a glove."Steal the Crumbs" has a good build and one of those Neil Young-inspired vocals."Anodyne" has long been recognized for its creative brilliance and originality.Rhino's re-issue offers a great booklet with lyrics and commentary on the band and this set.Enjoy!

JDT
Uncle Tupelo is without doubt one of the most under appreciated groups of the 90's.Anodyne, like each of the three albums that came before it, has everything that a remarkable recording requires: great songs, honest lyrics, and artists who really care about the music they are making.Like the best of Dylan and Springsteen, the songs are about real people with real troubles and joys.When you hear them you know they are coming from the heart.The songs contributed by Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy are easily differentiated by the voacls, music, and lyrics.What makes this record interesting is how well these unique sounds compliment each other. The union is seamless. ... Read more

Asin: B000002MMY
Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock   

Wide Swing Tremolo
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (06 October, 1998)
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Editorial Review

Son Volt's weary music, especially the deliberate voice and words of frontman Jay Farrar, is a comforting mystery; its suggestive flashes of phrase and image seem every bit as wise as they are inscrutable. On Wide Swing Tremolo, the band's third effort, the band's trademark blend of brooding guitar rock and atmospheric pedal steel is subtly touched up with dissonant harmonica, distorted vocals, and uncharacteristically loping rhythms. At its best, as on the dread fortune-telling of "Medicine Hat," the pulsing sound and dense lyrics reveal a kind of portentous mystery. Farrar obviously labors over his complex and poetic lyrics, but his idiosyncratic phrasing and slurred delivery (although always emotionally affecting) already slightly obscure his messages. Why he would choose to bury what wisdom he has to share in such a thick, unenlightening mix, remains a mystery of a much more infuriating sort. --David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (31)

History Will Be Kind (Hallowed Gone Heyday)
This is by far the best Son Volt record.It surpasses both Trace and Straightaways.Farrar has not topped this one yet largly do the fact that Son Volt is no longer his backing band.He moved away from the acoustic country which was so prevalant on the first two and arrived at an amped up wall shatteing groove and sway that sounds like nothing before or since. If you were to make a list of the top five albums of the 90s and this was not on it than you would not have any list at all.Many fans stalled out after Trace, they just could not get past it.Perhaps in twenty years they will be over it enough to realize what they were to stubborn to realize back in 98.History will be kind to this album, it has no equal.

the end of the road
here is son volt's third record. not the first, not the second, but the third, and that explains it almost entirely. there are a few almost-memorable tracks here (i say "almost" because though i seem to remember some standouts, i don't quite), which is a few better than straightaways'...well, none. a slightly more interesting album, but i'm glad jay jumped ship when he did, cuz this one was sinking. his material improved almost immediately.

so . . .
. . . so it's not 'trace' or even 'straightaways' and even 'sebastopol' has grown on me more; but buy it used (come on, $4?) if just for "medicine hat" and "flow."oh yeah, and register to vote. ... Read more

Asin: B00000DAG8
Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock   

Sebastopol
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 September, 2001)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $14.99
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Editorial Review

Sometimes a successful solo debut is more about honing an extant stylethan making wholesale changes. Here, Jay Farrar shelves his post-Uncle Tupelo bandSon Volt and theirCrazy Horse-meets-cowpunksound in favor of a tuneful, acoustic approach. Solo or not, it's clear from thedark-hued melodies, obtuse lyrics, and yearning lead vocals on Sebastopolthat this is obviously a Farrar record. No great stylistic leaps here, and, forfans, that's good news. An upbeat, repeat-chorused tune like "Voodoo Candle"would not be out of place on a Son Volt record. The twangy "Barstow" with DavidRawlings on lap steel would have fit on a later Uncle Tupelo disc. And themournful "Drain" is set to the tune Farrar has been writing since he began. Thedetails are where things are different. From the violin-like keyboards of"Damaged Son," the drum machine and sitar intro of "Prelude (Make It Alright),"and the alternative tunings used throughout, it's clear that Farrar is nowwriting songs for himself and not a band. It's a change that casts the bestmoments of his craggy songwriting--the melodic turn of the chorus of "FeedkillChain" and the solid craftsmanship of "Different Eyes"--in an even morebeautiful light. --Robert Baird ... Read more

Features

• Extra tracks

Reviews (79)

Farrar Meets the Beatles?
Nothing in the recorded output of Jay Farrar (Uncle Tupelo through the 3 Sun Volt albums) prepared me for Sebastopol. And reading these reviews, it looks like a lot of people were equally unprepared. One review here calls it an "acoustic" record, while another complains of "shrill electronic sounds"... one seems to only like "Damn Shame" which is very unlike anything else on the record, another thinks "Barstow" is hackwork. Everybody's got two cents and I'm no exception.
I'm writing this in 2005, after "Terroir Blues" and the live records... and at this juncture, I'd say that Sebastopol is one of my favorite records of all time. As far as Farrar's work goes, I think it is second to "Trace" but just barely. What is very cool to me is just how different it is from his other stuff... what interesting stuff Jay can do when he decides to use the studio. Most of his records go for a more raw, "live band" sound which I love. But on Sebastopol, he had the time and money and desire to really use the studio step away from the formula. What he delivers is something that immediately struck me as a record that might have resulted if the Beatles were making Revolver in the 21st century with Neil Young in the band. I've never noticed a trace of Beatles in Jay, but there are moments here that feel like Rubber Soul, Revolver and even things like "It's all too much" from the Yellow Submarine album. And he does it without completely losing touch with the "cosmic American" sensibility that has been his signature.

Almost every song on this disk holds up well. Many are more tuneful and interesting than his average output, and it makes me wish that some of the Terroir Blues cuts had gotten a similar treatment. If you only like the more country edge of Jay, then you might not hang with Sebastopol. If you only like his hardest edged stuff, it might, I suppose, sound too "Pop" ... but if this is Pop, it's what I wish Pop would become. There is nothing "slick" here, nothing silly, nothing gratuitous. I wish the synth-string backing of "damaged Son" was a little less ponderous but other than that, I love it start to finish. And if you get the ThirdshiftGrottoSlack EP and burn your own disk with that following the Sebastopol cuts... (minus the noise tracks which I really don't like) You have a really fine record (and you REALLY hear the Beatles influence on a couple of those). Very listenable, very interesting. Lyrically fine, and well recorded.

Seriously, Folks....
This album has a certain depth to it that you feel almost immediately - the standout track, for me, is Outside the Door, where Jay sings about the "old" St. Louis. IT'S THAT DAMN GOOD.

Where?s the angst
I love Uncle Tupelo I believe that Jay and Jeff would feed off each other and reel each other in. Maybe it was that they were younger and had more angst. In any case there are a few good cuts on this CD Damn Shame being the strongest. Overall it was a good attempt but maybe they have been leading too much of the good life and needs to find the fire and passion and the angst of years past. ... Read more

Asin: B00005OAI5
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Country-Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Singer/Songwriter   

A.M.
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (28 March, 1995)
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Editorial Review

Comprising frontman Jeff Tweedy and other former members of alt.country legend Uncle Tupelo, Wilco was an apple that didn't fall far from the tree. A.M., the band's debut, continues that older group's brand of updated country-rock (emphasis on "rock") and emotionally powerful songwriting. However, many of the best creations here--the driver's-licenseless drunk in "Passenger Side," the bar-band celebration of riverboat gambling on "Casino Queen"--sport an unprecedented sense of humor and are unexpectedly catchy, too. Best of all might be "It's Just That Simple," in which Tweedy turns the mic over to the high and mournful singing of bassist John Stirratt.--David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (40)

from an expat in Manila
Wilco's music makes you want to dance.And some of the lyrics are laugh out loud.Great stuff.Even the searingly hot, dirty streets of Manila are tolerable listening to this cd.On On Wilco

Strong Songwriting on a Strong Debut
Being a band like Wilco has got to be hard.Every album is a step forward, revealing something new about the musicians, both as musicians and as human beings, and displaying a new depth and lyricism that builds on their previous work and is absent from so much contemporary music on the radio and on TV.Unfortunately, it is for this reason that 'A.M.' is to many Wilco fans what 'Pablo Honey' is to many Radiohead fans: a debut album, worth owning but not their best (and so rarely listened to).

Despite 'A.M.' being a debut record, there is nothing really amateurish about it.The songs are solid, well-written pieces, performed with energy and well recorded.What changes with each album is the way Wilco approaches the songs: how can the music change? How can the music be recorded to add meaning to the lyrics?The straightforward nature of this album is not something to be ashamed of.It takes a little time for some newer Wilco fans to open up to the more obvious country stylings of 'A.M.' (myself included...it took me a good two years to finally appreciate Wilco's debut), but once one does, there is a great bunch of songs to be heard."Should've Been In Love" and "Dash 7" are probably the emotional cornerstones and I consider them to be the strongest songs on the album.To be honest, the weakest song on the album isn't even a Jeff Tweedy song."It's Just That Simple" is written and sung by John Stirratt.It isn't a bad song, it just has trouble standing next to the high caliber songwriting of Tweedy.

All in all, this is a very strong album.I urge newer Wilco fans that haven't heard it or haven't really listened to 'A.M.' to give it a chance; let it grow on you.It may not have the subjective flare of 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' or the subtle silences of 'A ghost is born', but it is a Wilco album, with the same great songwriting and the same great love of music that has been with the band from the start.

the only wilco album i play all the way through
my favorite wilco album.the lyrics on this album are great.i feel like there music has grown over the years, but the lyrics are never as good as this album.i have all their work and really enjoy it, but there is not a bad song on this one. ... Read more

Asin: B000002MWY
Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock   

Faithless Street
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (29 September, 1998)
list price: $13.98 -- our price: $13.98
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Editorial Review

Here is how the first album from this alt-country-flavored Raleigh, North Carolina, band was always supposed to sound. When Faithless Street was released on the indie Mood Food label, it suffered from an inferior mix and other enforced choices that frontman Ryan Adams and producers Chris Stamey and Tim Harper have successfully corrected. The result is restored and remastered versions of the original songs where the shining country soul, romantic heart, and rebel spirit of Adams's songwriting infuse every track. Among the nine bonus songs are earlier, arguably superior versions of Strangers Almanac standouts, including the exquisite "Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight" and "16 Days" as well as violinist Caitlin Cary's vocal turn on "Matrimony." There are many other gems on this remarkable debut album by an uncommonly talented songwriter and his band. --John Sutton-Smith ... Read more

Reviews (30)

A pleasant little surprise
My wife and I discovered this cd under the seat of a rental car in Albequerqe, NM in the summer of 1999. Not being country/western fans we had no idea who or what it was. But out of curiosity we played it in the car as we traveled around and took it with us when we left. Some poor soul's loss was our gain. At first to our unaccustomed ears, it all sounded like the usual country rock stuff. But after repeated listenings over time there are a good number of songs on this cd that stand out for us that we enjoy listening to. I put about 6 on a western mix cd I created that included The Refreshments and Roger Clyne (who are more to my personal taste). Since this is not the usual music I listen to and I can only listen to about 10 songs before they start to sound repetitive and I have to listen to something else, my rating would be between 3 and 4 stars. Clearly those more into this genre may appreciate it much more than the casual listener like me. I do appreciate about half the songs on this cd but some I just can't get into as my heart belongs to rock and roll!

One of my favorites
This album was recorded in the summer of 1995. In my opinion it's an alt-country classic, and it introduced me to some of the best music I've heard. I love all of Whiskeytown's albums, and Ryan Adams' and Caitlin Cary's solo work as well. This album (their first) has a special place in my heart. The music here is gritty, honest and beautiful. The album is introspective all around, especially on songs like "Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight", "If He Can't Have You", "Desperate Ain't Lonely", and others. The album was re-released in 1998 with bonus tracks, and it remains as one of their best albums.

Ryan Adams at his best
THIS is truly alt-country, a healthy blend of Hank Williams and Nirvana. This is also the best vocals you are going to hear from Ryan Adams. Stark lyrics and beautiful harmonies (thanks to Caitlin Cary) this is one of those albums that lingers with you long after the last note fades. And, as an added bonus, if you haven't already purchased this album the new release includes 9 additional tracks.
The album opens softly with "Midway Park." Then they break into the blistering rocker "Drank Like A River," that has the lyrical feel of a younger Kris Kristofferson. Next comes the wrought "Too Drunk To Dream," a perfect example of Adam's Williams-esque self destructive side. Next comes the first of the added tracks, the haunting "Tennessee Square," a ballad of small town alienation. Next comes the heavy slice of honky tonk, the backhanded "What May Seem Like Love." Then the album edges into the stark pain of "Faithless Street" which finds Adams seeking plaintively, "If angels are messengers from God/please send one down to me/if angels are messengers of God/Got a letter He should read." "Mining Town" continues this theme of stripped down haunted feelings., pairing haunting steel guitar and spine tingling harmonies. They kick back into honky tonk form for the dark "If He Can't Have You." Black Arrow Bleeding Heart" sound like a contemporary mountain ballad. Caitlin Cary takes her only turn at lead vocals on the blackly humorous "Matrimony," where she belts out "I don't believe I care to marry/though I cannot say exactly why/It somehow seems to me that matrimony is misery/It's simply a faster way to die." Ryan Adams sounds like a younger Hank Williams as he tears into "Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight" and the following "Desperate Ain't Lonely." Next comes the text book alt-country song, "Hard Luck Story" where Adams channels a mouthful of wit as he tells us "Well I got a bucket full of tears and a hard luck story and there's a bad moon rising behind/And I know I told you're daddy that I loves you but I changed my mind." They go into full throttle twangy rock for "Top Dollar." "Lo-Fi-Tennessee Mountain Angel" is quite possibly the most gorgeous song ever recorded. "Revenge" a little too grunge rock, but will leave you bopping in your seat. They make up for it with the quiet beauty of "Empty Baseball Park." "Here's To The Rest of the World" has an almost carnival undertone as Adams sings "I guess you deserve something you work so hard/at trying to be just like everyone else/except people like me." This sets you up for another fine example of Adams' wit in "16 Days," "I got 16 days/most of them are nights." "Yesterday's News" is the first song to really dip into Adams love of Morrissey. The album closes with the beautiful plucked bass and backyard picking feel of "Factory Girl."
This album is a beautiful album from a band who, while well versed in the grunge rock of their era had a healthy knowledge, love and respect for the classics of country. Listening to this album one realizes that there is very little that belongs on an all country station. However, there is a definitely twang to the melodies, a mandolin or fiddle and a firm setting of stories among rural working class that makes them all wrong for rock stations as well. This is, pretty much, the definition of alt-country. ... Read more

Asin: B00000C2BX
Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Americana    3. Pop    4. Rock   

Strangers Almanac
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (29 July, 1997)
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Editorial Review

Strangers Almanac first grabs you because it sounds so great. It's filled with dynamic performances that smolder moodily, then flare quickly into firestorms of twangy and soulful guitar rock that fuse Uncle Tupelo with the Stones, the Replacements, with Gram Parsons. But what makes this album essential are the songs of frontman Ryan Adams. Take "Houses On The Hill," about a man merely going through a box of old letters: in just two verses, and to a melody that's the definition of bittersweet, Adams relates a drama more rich in detail than most novels. One of '97's best albums. --David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (56)

Heartbreakingly beautiful
This is definately a favorite album of mine. The emotion is just so real and so raw, unpretentious and unapologetic. It really helped me through some hard times, just to listen to it and absolve the meaning. Favorites include "Inn Town", "Losering", "Everything I Do", "Not Home Anymore", "Houses On The Hill", "Yesterday's News" and "16 Days". The group went through a lot of changes through this period, with lots of people quitting, being kicked out, and so forth. You can't deny a good piece of music, quite frankly it changed my life. There's enough dripping sad alt-country here, and angry hard rockers to keep everyone on their feet and listening. Just as good as their other albums, and well worth adding to any music collection.

very good
Way too much has been made about Ryan Adams' career after Whiskeytown.Did he sell out?Does he have a shred of artistic credibility left?To be honest, I don't care.Just listen to the songs and let them stand on their own merit.Strangers Almanac is a great album from start to finish.This is a great place to start with Adams' career.However, many people believe it also is the place to stop as well.

a record for all beautiful loser's
Ryan Adams is a genius. Yeah his ego is a mile high, but you know what with lyric's as good as this I came see why he's like that. Anyway, Strangers Alamanac unfolds like a novel of youth lost and longing. On this record you can really see the Paul Westerberg influence, rather than their debut Faithless Street(which by the way is also great) a big the Gram Parsons influence. "Avenues" sounds like it's a companion piece to The Replacements song "Here Comes The Regular". Adams to me always had a beautiful losers/youthful romanticism ethos about him. Anyway, buy this record! ... Read more

Asin: B000002RBZ
Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Americana    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Roots Rock   

Bottle Rockets
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 September, 1993)
list price: $16.98
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Editorial Review

Brian Henneman was an extra guitarist with Uncle Tupelo between disbanding his old group Chicken Truck and forming his new outfit, Bottle Rockets. Like his old St. Louis pals, Henneman has fashioned a rough-and-tumble brand of hillbilly music with loud drums and modern storytelling. Henneman, who wrote or cowrote 11 of the album's 13 songs, owns a great rock & roll voice that can growl when it wants to and articulate nuances when it needs to. This is an impressive debut album that introduces a major singer-songwriter. --Geoffrey Himes ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Out of Print
The only reason it's so expensive is because it's out of print. I've seen truly awful albums with $75 price tags. I don't think anyone's dumb enough to actually pay that much. In any case, this is a good album, so pick it up if you come across it.

Just confused on the Amazon price
This is a sub-Tupelo Whiskeytown classic that I bought for $10 years ago. That disc has now joined the great landfill mosaic art project we've all been working on most of our lives, so I went to buy it again and - like I said - this is a great recording BUT WHAT THE HURL IS IT DOING PRICED AT $28 AND $34!!!

Don't know 'bout ya'lluns, but I almost wouldn't pay that much to take Jeff Tweedy to lunch...I guess Globalism's done gone insane.What - are these the last two albums on earth?

A Stellar Debut
The first great album by a great rock and roll band.These songs capture the dark comedy of living in small town middle America.This disc is truly magical.

And if you haven't seen the Bottle Rockets perform you haven't lived.Make it a point to do so. ... Read more

Asin: B000000PLT
Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Country-Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Roots Rock   

ThirdShiftGrottoSlack
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (13 August, 2002)
list price: $7.98 -- our price: $7.98
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Editorial Review

Jay Farrar'sSebastopol was easily among the finest rock releases of 2001, an eclectic showcase of the Uncle Tupelo andSon Volt founder's rough and smoky voice, willfully obscure lyrics, slow-churning rhythms, and petulant melodies. Sebastopol is Farrar's most accessible work to date--and his most adventurous, bringing keyboards, loops, and sampled strings into the mix. It sounds a bit likeSteve Earle andCrazy Horse collaborating with folk-blues deconstructionists and studio wizardsCalifone. ThirdShiftGrottoSlack consists of four songs originally slated to appear on Sebastopol, but that were cut for space. From the sparse,Palace-like "GreenwichTime" to the beautiful, elegiac "Station to Station," these cuts perfectlycomplement that splendid, slow-churning album. The fifth tune is the realwinner, a remix by celeb producer Tom Rothrock of one of Sebastopol'sstrongest cuts; it's a slinky, Big Beat-ish version of "Damn Shame" thatsuggests new avenues for Farrar to explore. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Features

Reviews (9)

Should Have Been a Bonus Disc
It should be noted that "ThirdShiftGrottoSlack" contains only five songs and a mere thirteen minutes of music.The songs were all recorded during the sessions for Farrar's "Sebastopol" album (including a remix of "Damn Shame").If you like "Sebastopol," there's no reason to think you won't like what little is included here.

I have one question though: why is Jay Farrar making fans shell out extra coin for such a slight package?Caitlin Cary, Ryan Adams and The Jayhawks, just to name a few, have all released recent albums including bonus CDs that are as long or longer than this EP without tacking on additional costs to their fans.Seems to me that Jay Farrar could have done the same or maybe opened his vaults and thrown in some old demos or something to beef this package up a little bit.

Overall, a way too brief EP, even at the reduced price it lists for.

A [] Post Script
This little catch of songs is for collectors/wool-dyed fans only.It has nice tunes, but those songs (plus one re-mixed song) were cut from Jay Farrar's Sebastopol (sp?).If you absolutely loved last year's cd and you simply have to hear more, dig in your pockets for the few bucks this will cost.However, I would advise searching for other music (Have you heard Caitlin Cary's cd?It's wonderful.) while listening to the wonderful cd Mr. Farrar sent last year.ThirdShiftGrottoSlack is only a post script/post-it note to Sebastopol.

For Jay's move forward
That is why I give this release 5 stars.I have been listening to Jay and Jeff for a long long time, as well as Paul (Westerburg) and Bob (Mould) and Dave (Priner) and all of those midwest rats that stirred things up with a potent mix of punk, folk and country back in the 80s and early 90s.But like the musicians, most of their audiences have grown and expanded...and hopefully that means musically as well as numerically.Jay is an amazing songwriter, I would claim he is one of the best of his generation.But great songwriters don't settle for formula and Jay has proven with Sebastopol and ThirdShift that he is willing to apply what he does best to differant formulas and for that I say Jaylelujah!

This release shows Jay is willing to create great music despite all those fans (and previous reviewers) who would pigeonhole him forever into being that guy from Uncle Tupelo.The fact is that Jay is still writing brilliant songs that fit into his familiar framework, but he is progressing and these "purist"/reactionaries can't seem to handle progression.Well, they can have the "Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack, meanwhile, I will be happy with great songs like "Greenwich Time" and "Dues".

I too loved Son Volt and Uncle Tupelo, but I absolutely love Jay solo.I can only imagine what his present critics here have to say about Wilco...God forbid they ever start listening to Jazz, Stanley Crouch would be put to shame I would imagine. ... Read more

Asin: B00006AAKJ
Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Americana    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Singer/Songwriter   

Sweetheart of the Rodeo (Exp)
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 March, 1997)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

After Chris Hillman dragged new friend Gram Parsons into the Byrds, they made an album as close to a country masterpiece as a rock act could ever make. In fact, the only tunes better than the definitive covers here of songs by Bob Dylan ("You Ain't Going Nowhere"), Guthrie ("Pretty Boy Floyd"), and the Louvin Brothers ("The Christian Life") are Parsons's originals, especially the incomparable "Hickory Wind." Sweetheart wasn't the first country-rock album, but with its gorgeous three-way harmonies and sweet pedal steel, it remains the best. --David Cantwell ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (66)

Far more "country" than "rock"
This album isn't my style at all but I give it five stars because I know great music when I hear it. But far too much has been made of this album as a pioneering work of country-rock. I think it's much more accurate to call it a straight-up country album. Only "One Hundred Years From Now" and "Nothing Was Delivered" could qualify as actually "rocking." The rest of the songs explore the deep roots of country in various old-school country styles. Yes, country music and rock are related, but I put this on and I hear some laid-back country with gorgeous vocals and arrangements along with beautiful guitar work.

The Byrds have always been much prettier and mellow than they have been rockin', anyway. I just felt it would be good to give what I consider to be a more accurate description of this album since so many younger listeners are hearing that this is a seminal work of country-rock. I know that fans of modern country-rock like Grant Lee Buffalo who check this one out sometimes feel like they've been mislead. But as long as you can appreciate authentic country, this stuff is well worth getting into and surely deserves its reputation as one of the best albums ever.

A Landmark classic
This album can be enjoyed by rock and country fans alike. "Hickory Wind" and "One Hundred Years From Now" are Both great songs that are among my favorites. A classic.

Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Gram Parsons' had such a huge influence on the songwriting for this album.It is still very much the Byrds, but also something far beyond what they had previously achieved.Every track on the album is a pure, timeless treasury of country rock goodness.the bonus tracks don't just serve as filler either, featuring alternate takes of album tracks, plus the amazing "Pretty Polly".

Go pick this up.For once I will even recommend the ridiculously priced Legacy Edition, simply because it features some International Submarine Band tracks, Gram's first band. ... Read more

Asin: B000002AHB
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock    3. V/a Compilations   

Smile
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (11 June, 2002)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $11.98
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Editorial Review

In the mid-1980s, this Minneapolis band shared tavern stages with fellow hometown punk bands like the Replacements and Soul Asylum, dishing out a then-unique blend of country-rock that pre-dated "alt country" by a decade. More than 15 years later, their sixth album is also their second without cofounder Mark Olson. Led by Gary Louris, the newfangled Jayhawks play pop music in the truest sense of the word, and Smile is another trademarked batch of their heartrending laments: hooks that you can't get out of your head ("I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"); melodies snatched off of '70s AM radio ("Mr. Wilson"); epic harmonies from the Big Star handbook ("What Led Me to This Town"); and even a modest attempt at Midwestern hip-hop ("Somewhere in Ohio"). Produced by Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd's The Wall), Smile is a tad slicker than 1997's Sound of Lies. But like its predecessor, this record's charm rests in a handful of dazzling ballads ("Better Days," "A Break in the Clouds" and "Broken Harpoon")--polished, yes, but never overbearing. --Scott Holter ... Read more

Reviews (77)

What is wrong with you people
Who cares about production or selling out? I used too but not anymore. I've reached a point in my life where if the music is good, I'll listen to it. Not to say I listen to just any album, I'm still some what selective. Take this album for example. I love The Jayhawks early stuff, it's raw but their new stuff has merit too. You can feel a totally different band on Smile. A band that is trying to find it's place after Mark Olson left. That's not a bad thing, it fact it's great. We, the listener, get a chance to see a group of Artist evolve into a new creature. I wouldn't say The Jayhawks were trying to sell out or get radio play with this album, I think they were just trying something different. Be supportive and give this album a shot. Who says all of a bands albums have to sound the same? Not me.

2 stars for the songs and cheesy production...
The Jayhawk's 'Smile' is the reason why Mark Olson left the band.He had the foresight to see that the band would have to literally "get slick" if they wanted to survive.'Smile' proves it.The production is like anything you would hear on top 40 radio in the late 90s.The CD does warrent 2 stars for the excellent Louris song writing, however.Unfortunately, I cannot listen to the songs because I hate the production with its keyboards and overdubs galore.It's ironic that the Jayhawks would finally garner public and critical acclaim with their most recent release 'Rainy Day Music' because it is a return to form.A form that is characterized by sparse, warm production and simple, intentional song writing.Now if Louris had just recorded the songs on Smile with guitar, bass, drums,vocals, and little pedal steel...it would have been awesome.Thank God for Mark Olson's solo output.It's been a refuge to fill the gaps in the Jayhawk's discography.
One final note...Gary, why did you name the album 'Smile'?I mean, come on, how unoriginal can you be?It's ultimately as unoriginal as the actual CD.

Meh, M-E-H, meh
I guess I set my expectations a bit too high here. Hell, the album's called 'Smile,' which I have to admit is pretty ballsy. I was expecting an effortless fusion of alt-country and pop (in the good, Beatles-ie sense). This, frankly, ain't it.

Which is not to say this is a horrible album.Not so.There's at least three tracks on here that are truly excellent - 'Smile,' 'Somewhere In Ohio,' and 'Queen of the World.'All three certainly suffer from the over-production that plagues the rest of the album - the studio sheen is damn near blinding - but all three are catchy little songs that won't leave my head.

As for the rest of the album, I don't hear anything special.I know a lot of people have said that there's good songwriting at work here, behind the too-polished sound.I don't hear it - the songs are adequate, but not, to my ears, mind-blowing.Still, it's all pleasant enough.

Until the closing track, 'Baby, Baby, Baby,' which is just an embarrassment that makes me question the sanity of everyone involved in this project.It sound like it was created by an unexceptional bar band that won some free studio time in an under-attended battle of the bands.Thankfully, it's the last track, and easy enough to skip.

So, I wouldn't advise rushing out to buy this album, but it's worth a listen or two.Three exceptional tracks is, these days, not all that bad.And more forgiving ears than mine might like the rest of the album just fine. ... Read more

Asin: B000068FXS
Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock   

Normal For Bridgwater
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (11 July, 2000)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $11.98
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Editorial Review

What in the name of baseball and apple pie does a South London lad know about Americana music anyway? Apparently plenty, as is evident on the third album by singer-songwriter Peter Bruntnell, who could offer a hint or two to American artists looking to make a splash in the same, seemingly watered-down genre. Recorded in Boston, Normal for Bridgwater (named in reference to a doctor's description of the healthier folks in the cider-drinking capital of Bridgwater, Somerset, UK) thrives on crystal-clear production and Bruntnell's fluent vocal delivery. A song such as "Lay Down This Curse" could be Paul Westerberg fronting Son Volt, whose Dave Boquist helps out on this record. Bruntnell's intimate songwriting of romance and loneliness sews the record's dozen songs together, and he plays his country straight on the banjo-fueled "How You Are," the pedal-steel feel of "NFB," and the honky-rockin' "Jurassic Parking Lot." But it's the pop-oriented selections that truly shimmer: allusions to Big Star's Sister Lovers ("Played Out"), the Scud Mountain Boys at 78 rpm speed ("Handful of Stars"), and soaring choruses à la Teenage Fanclub ("By the Time My Head Gets to Phoenix"). --Scott Holter ... Read more

Reviews (9)

another happy addition to my collection
I think you should take any of the customer reviews with a grain of salt; it seems from reading the reviews that this country is over-populated with artists, musicians, and frustrated music critics. Nonetheless, I read them often, hoping to get turned on to an album I really like. It can be hit or miss, but Peter Bruntnell's Normal For Bridgwater was definitely a "hit". I won't presume to critique it, but I will say that some of my favourite bands include Son Volt, Wilco, Blue Rodeo, Old 97's, and Whiskeytown. That being said, I fell in love with this album almost immediately. Mellow, smart, thoughtful, and just plain enjoyable to listen to. A great find.

If you like Son Volt & Wilco this is for you.
I don't have much else to add to the other reviews, but it boils down to this- if you loved Son Volt "Trace" and Wilco's "A.M." you will want this disc.

The British Are Coming!
This is an amazing collection of songs from one of the UK's finest yet most under rated songwriters. Anyone who thinks that Americana is the sole preserve of, well, Americans should check this gem out. It's a classic slice of country infused rock and deserves a place in every record collection in the land. Superb ... Read more

Asin: B0000257Y8
Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Singer/Songwriter   

Clear Impetuous Morning
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 October, 1996)
list price: $14.98
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Reviews (5)

Ehhh. Lacking.
I like the roots rock genre, (Drive By Truckers, Steve Earle, etc.) but this album just didn't rouse me.

This CD deserves more than 5 stars.
From some of the most searing R&R guitar riffs to acoustic and pedal steel harmony - this CD has it all.
I mean quantity and quality.
"Lost and Found" move over for the new
Jason & The Scorchers benchmark CD.
Seriously, it's that (...) good.

The Most Aptly Named Band in the US of A
Fast, hard, nothing held back and loud -- that's why they're called theScorchers.This is take no prisoners country rock, steeped in love, God,and a belief in rock's redemptive power.Jason has always written strikingoriginal lyrics, but a particular constant strength of this band is itsability to take somebody else's tune and give it a new, and almostinconceivable, identity.They did it with Absolutely Sweet Marie onFervor, with 19th Nervous Breakdown, with (perhaps most memorably) Take MeHome Country Roads on A Blazing Grace (inexplicably not available onAmazon.com), and on this CD with Drugstore Truck Drivin' Man.Otherhighlights here are To Feel No Love and Everything Has a Cost.TheScorchers play raggedly at times and Jason's nasal vocals can becometiresome on ballads, but this band has more 'tude than a roomful of rappersand for that alone Jason and his buddies should be a required part of anyserious CD collection. Any one of their CDs is a keeper. ... Read more

Asin: B000004ATG
Sales Rank: 147789
Subjects:  1. College Rock    2. Cowpunk    3. Heartland Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Roots Rock   

Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Bros. Anthology 1969-1972
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 April, 2000)
list price: $24.98 -- our price: $22.99
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Editorial Review

This overview of the heyday of the flagship band of 1970s country-rock illustrates why the genre became such a force in its time--and why it flagged as the decade progressed. Its ascent can be attributed to the vision and charisma of band cofounder Gram Parsons. Parsons's legend has grown to such a point that one must question its validity. Was he that crucial in shaping the genre? The answer is provided through the course of the first disc and a solid portion of the second in this smartly assembled double set. Parsons and partner Chris Hillman brought together influences ranging from Stax soul to the Everly Brothers to Hank Williams to create a sound that is inventive, inviting, clever, and a little weird. Parsons's two Burrito albums--1969's landmark The Gilded Palace of Sin and its patchwork follow-up, Burrito Deluxe--are here in their entirety, as are some Gram-era oddities. The handful of post-Parsons tracks that weigh down disc 2 augur country-rock's demise. Hillman and new recruit Rick Roberts create pleasant enough music that simply lacks the flair Parsons brought to nearly everything he recorded in his 26 years.--Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Breaking Up With The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers represented some of Gram Parsons' finest music.Five of the tracks here are absolutely sublime, and four of them kick off this 2-CD set.The first four tunes on Disc 1 alone are nearly worth the cost of this album.They're literally about as good as the Gram Parsons experience gets.The Everly-drenched harmonies shine especially on "Christine's Tune" and "Sin City", the pedal steel guitar gives the music a psychedelic boost, and Gram's sensitivity to songs of torment and loss really come out.

Long ago, I was embroiled in a difficult relationship that causes the occasional wound even today.In the midst of that emotional tempest, Gram Parsons was the guy I kept turning to, and not always for the healthiest reasons.His voice was so lonely and laced with sadness, as if it were my own.I listened to his music not to heal, but to wallow.I knew my pain would get no better, yet I was going to keep going back to her for more abuse -- so I knew I was a pretty sad sack.Yet there was something so beautiful about the relationship that I didn't want it to end.

That relationship is the main reason I couldn't listen to "Hot Burrito #1" for years.It bore a pit right in my stomach and ceased any kind of meaningful activity as I just listened to the song.Listen to the lyrics and you'll know what I mean.Parsons cuts right to the heart of the painful beauty with his voice and his interpretation, and to have such emotional depth of feeling at such a young age is pretty astonishing.

However, it was a momentum he had trouble sustaining with this band.The last half of Disc 1 is decidedly below the sky-high bar raised with the first half, with the exception of "Wild Horses".By the end of Disc 2, which covers the output of the Burritos with Rick Roberts, they sounded like an bad Eagles knockoff instead of a top Eagles influencer.In their early days, the Burritos were just like the Eagles, only good.

However, I knew I was coming out the other side of my bad relationship and would be OK when I didn't need to listen to this (and other CDs) nearly every day, just so I could further torture myself with thoughts of her.It seemed disloyal to say goodbye to the Burritos, so I did it slowly, but gradually it came out of my stereo and back on the shelf.Occasionally I'll pull it out and give it a listen for old-times' sake, but it doesn't bring back the old feelings the way it used to.In a weird sense, it almost diminishes the quality of the album a bit.

Bottom line, this CD set will kill you softly if you're going through a tough breakup.Unlike "Blood On The Tracks", which achieves the same effect through Dylan's lyrics,Hot Burritos is purely visceral, with painful, sorrow-filled emotion.But there aren't enough of these tunes to sustain this entire album.

Great music:where country and rock first merged!
What distinguishes this from the earlier Farther Along collection is the inclusion of their third album - in its entirety - and Hillman's music really seems to have matured on that one. I like the earlier stuff too, but having never heard the third album prior to purchasing this one, I was really impressed by it. "Can't You Hear Me Calling," and "Tried So Hard" are two of the best they ever recorded, and their version of "White Line Fever" is better than Merle's. The first two albums are also here, plus more. Great musicianship and music indeed! If psychedelic cowboy music is your thing, you won't find better than this.

Well Done, Fried Burritos!
Take me back, to some old West Coast Tavern, a glass of draft, a nickle in the jukebox, Bakersfield country blaring out of the Wurlitzer, Sawdust on the floor and not a few couples shuffling along to the strains on a damp, cold winter's eve up on some fog laden coastal hill up 101 somewhere north of Ukiah.A cup of coffee to warm the bones and....Those were times!This release brings it all sweetly back. West Coast Junkie Country.Great compilation, thoughtfully put together. ... Read more

Asin: B00004ST4S
Subjects:  1. Country-Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. United States of America