Uncle Tupelo & The Jayhawks

It seems like each time Wilco or Son Volt releases a new record, the obligatory debate about the relative merits of each band gets rehashed ad nauseum, which is to say the discussion quickly devolves into a Tweedy/Farrar "tastes great/less filling" type back and forth, with few people taking the middle ground and no one convincing anyone of anything. But most fans of Jeff and Jay will agree that Uncle Tupelo was one hell of a band.  During the same period that Uncle Tupelo was active, late 80's/early 90's, the Jayhawks were also doing remarkable work. But Uncle Tupelo seemed to get most of the credit at the time for reinvigorating roots music. So I'm wondering, all these years later, prompted by the release of Wilco's latest and the Jayhawks new record, not whether Tweedy beats Farrar but whether Uncle Tupelo or the Jayhawks will stand the test of time as being the more influential band of the two.  Of course it's all subjective and there's no real right answer (mine is that both bands were equally astounding for different reasons), but I am curious to know if there's a similar "one or the other but not both" approach among fans to Uncle Tupelo and the Jayhawks. I'd guess not.

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Permalink Reply by Shawn Edward Cote on November 8, 2011 at 4:04pm

@John--This is off topic, but I wouldn't want Wilco to become U2.  That's too big.  When was the last time U2 made an album that wasn't eclipsed by their superstar status?  I haven't loved Wilco's last few albums, but I think everything they do musically is in service to the songs, not their image.     

Permalink Reply by Matt on November 15, 2011 at 6:59am

I was in Champaign, Il in the late 80's-early 90's and Chicago from that point forward. A friend of mine in Champaign was really into roots music and what he was calling psychobilly which was all new to me at the time. The bands he introduced to me were Jason, The Paladins, The Blasters, and the Birds Sweetheart of the Rodeo, just to name a few. For me I didn't hear of Uncle Tupelo until AM and Trace got popular, thanks to 93.1 XRT. I was a Johnny Come Lately to the Jayhawks too, not hearing and buying Hollywood or Tomorrow until at least 1997. Buy that time 'd been into the Steve Earle, the Old 97's and the Reverend Horton Heat for a few years. So I'm not sure what influence Uncle Tupelo and the Jayhawks really had, since they were in the middle of the timeline, and definitely not "popular" by music industry standards.

They are also really different in style. If I had to tell someone about the Jayhawks and they said "Well who are they like?" I'd have to answer the Eagles. If that same question came up for Uncle Tupelo I wouldn't really have an answer.

Permalink Reply by Matt on November 15, 2011 at 3:28pm

Ok I would say that Uncle Tupelo is like a hard-rock country band.

Permalink Reply by steviedal on November 15, 2011 at 2:38pm

Sound Of Lies is an absolutely superb album , it only gets overlooked because of the two more famous ones that preceded it. On it's own merits - listen without prejudice ! - it's magnificent. So too is Rainy Day Music , i love em both . Smile didn't do as much for me but then again , neither does the new one. 

Permalink Reply by Trevor on November 23, 2011 at 7:00am

The much maligned Smile was let down by the two or three tracks that used electronic rhythm loops, the rest is pretty solid. I think the first three tracks- Smile, I'm Gonna Make You Love Me and What Led Me To This Town are as good as any opening tracks on any Jayhawks album and streets ahead of the latest, Mockingbird Time.

I also agree with Steviedal that Sound Of Lies is a fantastic album, the zenith of Gary Louris' career.

Permalink Reply by chris sweeney on November 23, 2011 at 7:10am

I did a little analysis of the song selection at the two Jayhawks show I saw last weekend -

Songs From:

Tomorrow The Green Grass - 6

Mockingbird Time - 5

Hollywood Town Hall - 5

Smile - 1

Sound of Lies - 0

 

I thought Sound of Lies deserved at least a nod, but I won't disagree with the ones they did choose!

Permalink Reply by steviedal on November 23, 2011 at 2:05pm

They did  only one from Rainy Day Music ,Tampa To Tulsa, when i saw them 3 months ago , brilliant.

Permalink Reply by chris sweeney on November 23, 2011 at 2:10pm

Yeah, they did that one both nights last weekend for their "Tim O'Reagan" tune. I was hoping for "Bottomless Cup" from SOL!

I love that song.

Permalink Reply by Jim C on November 23, 2011 at 5:22pm

I'm a little shocked by the lack of ink (or electrons) that acknowledge the Jayhawk's influence, especially since we're in the middle of the "Great Americana Explosion" of 2010-2011.  I posted something about this before, but I'm shocked at how little the Jayhawks are mentioned in Craigslist ads looking for Americana musicians.  If that's any measure of the acknowledgement of their impact (as unscientific as it is I think it does have some validity) then it's a bit shocking to me. 

Maybe it's as simple as the fact that they were seen as a more pop-oriented band, and a band that didn't die out after Mark left; I suppose that snips the  "mythology"  factor in the bud.  And while I agree that the new album doesn't necessarily measure up to the classics yet, I give them an awful lot of credit for making something that WASN'T designed to be a clone of the earlier albums.  I think, taken on its own terms, it's an interesting and substantial album.  If they had done just tried to recreate the sound of an old album it  would've been awful on many levels.  Give them time, chemistry doesn't return in an instant, I can't wait to see what they'll come up with if they continue.

 

And while the d

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Created by No Depression Feb 17, 2009 at 9:06pm. Last updated by No Depression Apr 9.