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Some of you may ask why I'm writing a review of
Uncle Tupelo's 1990 debut album, No Depression. Some of you may ask why
I'm writing a review of an album that is currently out of print. The
answer to these two questions is simple, this is one of the most
influencial albums ever made.
Most of you who are reading this will
probably be able to recognize the names of the two bands who have come
out of Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt and Wilco, and you may be aware of how
great both bands can be on their own. But for those of you who haven't
heard this album, you are missing out on one of the best albums ever
made. No Depression is so influencial that THE alt. country
magazine has taken the same name.
Coming out of a suffering midwest town in the
late 80's, Uncle Tupelo offered up a unique mixure of folky roots rock,
old style country, and straight ahead punk. Songwriters Jay Farrar and
Jeff Tweedy combined talents to write some of the best songs ever
written, and to blaze a new trail for musicians everywhere.
Combining a dislike of the Nashville
commercial country, a pure punk ethic, and genuine musical/songwriting
talents, Uncle Tupelo set the standard for all country/punk bands to
follow. Few have attempted and fewer have suceeded in following the
footsteps laid by Uncle Tupelo.
From the opening notes of "Graveyard Shift"
to the final notes of "John Hardy", No Depression is 100% American music.
Combining tales of small town life when all the jobs leave, periods of
drunken despiration, and an old style country-ish tale of an outlaw.
"On liquor I spent my last dime" sings Jay
Farrar at the beginning of the rocker, "Before I Break". As you can
expect this song leads you through a tale of falling down and despirately
trying to find a way to make it through. The mood then shifts to the
downtrodden life of working in their hometown of Belleville, Missouri in
"Factory Belt". It's a great tale of wanting to leave behind the daily
struggles of labor for a quick exit to a better life. As Farrar sings in
the song "Don't want to go to the grave without a sound."
One of the more mellow, touching songs on the
album is "Whiskey Bottle". This song is near and dear to the hearts of
most that hear it. It's a grim reminder we all need a crutch when life
turns for the worse. This follows right into a later track, "Life Worth
Livin'" which is a great closing argument.
As the song states, "We're all looking for a
life worth livin', that's why we drink ourselves to sleep, we're all
looking for a life worth livin', that's why we pray for our souls to
keep."
A great testament to the dreams of your
average working man.
Belleville, Missouri is as much a part of
Uncle Tupelo's music as it is a part of Tweedy, Farrar, and drummer Mike
Heidorn. By growing up, playing ball, and then playing music as part of
their hometown community they saw the heartache and sadness brought by
the failure of the local factories. This is what makes No Depression such
a great album, it's real life tales told by real people.
One of my favorite songs on the album is Jeff
Tweedy's ode to relaxing and enjoying what you've got, "Screen Door."
As it states, "Down here, where we're at, All
we do is sit on the prch and play our songs and nothing's wrong.
Sometimes out friends come around, they all sing along.....Down here,
where we're at, everybody is equally poor. Down here, we don't care, We
don't care what happens outside the screen door."
This further gives you an idea as to what the
mindset is for Uncle Tupelo. They're an American bands singing about
American problems from America's heartland. It's not trumped up nostalgia
or patriotism, it's a tale of how life really is. As I read Jay Farrar
told a cop in his hometown who couldn't believe they said bad things
about Belleville, "I told him, 'We still live here.' That says about as
much as you need to know about how we feel about this town"
Editor's Note:
I must urge everyone of you who read this to a) get this album off of
eBay or b) get this album off of Napster or c) get it the second it gets
reprinted. Have no moral quams about Napster, Rockville never gave Uncle
Tupelo any royalties for this album!
Samuel Barker is Senior Editor. Contact him at suma@rockzone.com.
