How Did You Spend Uncle Tupelo Week?

I just realized that this week marks the 20th anniversary of the recording of Uncle Tupelo’s classic album, “March 16-20, 1992.” I trust that you spent this period in quiet contemplation of the awesomeness that is Uncle Tupelo.

Recorded in five days by Peter Buck of REM at John Keene Studios in Athens, GA, “March 16-20, 1992” was Uncle Tupelo’s fuck you to a music industry that wanted every band to be the next Nirvana. For you kids out there who don’t know UT, their album “No Depression” was the ur-text for alt-country, and their breakup spawned Son Volt (Jay Farrar) and Wilco (Jeff Tweedy, John Stirrat, Ken Coomer, and Max Johnston).

“Sandusky” is the only song on the original album credited to both Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy. Of the song, Tweedy said,

“Sandusky” is probably the track that I’m most proud of. It’s an instrumental, it was a real collaboration and it just kind of came out of us in the studio, real improvised natural music, very simple. I think it’s beautiful. I also don’t feel I was that much a part of it, because it just happened, and maybe that makes it easier to listen to it. That’s the one that sticks out in my mind the most.

My favorite Tweedy song on the album is “Black Eye,” which is his nod to Nick Drake’s Pink Moon album.

On the Jay Farrar side, I’ve always been partial to “Grindstone.”