Uncle Tupelo- No Depression

No Depression

Man, nothing like Uncle Tupelo to satisfy my fix for country music. Some of this alternative country music (Son Volt is another one) has done wonders for me, giving me a good, new approach to country, and feels like country, not just pop music with a faux country image or bland pop guitars with an irrating southern accent. Well, this is something that you should hear, especially if you are country freak. You just might find a gold mine.
While Uncle Tupelo's debut album may not be anything more than good, I'll be damned if there is nothing else that satisfies like this album. Uncle Tupelo blends southern rock, punk rock (!!!), folk music, and rugged, real country music into one addicting record. Perhaps more importantly, it shows the early talents of Jay Farrar (Son Volt, which fleshes out more melancholy and country tendencies) and Jeff Tweedy (Wilco, that went in millions of directions). Both get parts on this record, backed up with the explosive drumming of Mike Heirdon and besides a standard rock set up, there's fiddles, harmonicas, banjo, acoustic guitars, pianos, and a "rice can". The lyrics vary from the two song writers. The topics aren't exactly something gush over, but the two paint a very realistic picture of their topics, especially evident on their topic of an alcoholic.
On tracks like Graveyard Shift, Before I Break, Train, Factory Belt, and Outdone, the band plays this very explosive, raunchy country rock. What's remarkable is how damn evident the country sound is. On top of that, it sounds rustic and highway bound, like country music should, instead of studio and arena bound. The ballads and slow songs are authentic country. No Depression is fantastic, it's one that I fell in love with. Whiskey Bottle has lyrics that I doubt Jay Farrar has never experienced, however, I find that he does an excellent job writing from that point of view. They really do mix their influences, with the swingy John hardy being an example of their raw rock music with a country influence. Another example would be That Year, which goes from Green Day like cowpunk to fledging bluegrass rock.
This album sounds fantastic remastered. While the bonus tracks aren't top notch alltogether, a lot of the songs on them are actually good! Personally, the demo track is extremely good. It's quite amazing how good it sounds since it sounds like it's recorded in a basement on an 8-track. No Depression is one of my favorite songs on the album, and another, totally different cut is great. The live version of Whiskey Bottle isn't as good as the original, but it's mellow and does a great job as the acoustic piece it is suppose to be, and the harmonica is played instead of the electric instruments. Sin City is a cover of an old school country song, and it's acoustic like Whiskey Bottle. Won't Forget, for some reason, is a great garage rocker, while Left in The Dark is disposable. Sure, the main disc is the main attraction, but the bonus tracks are fun to listen to.
Wanna see where Tweedy and Farrar started out? Buy this album. Sick of today's country crap but want to see what the new musical styles have done for country music? Buy this album. Want good music? Buy this album. SHould you buy this album because it's damn good music? Yes, so buy this album already!