Song:The Long Cut
Album:89/93: An Anthology
In retrospect, Uncle Tupelo turned out to be a very important link to rock and country and were pioneers in what is now called Alt Country. The problem was they split up just as they were getting some mainstream attention in the mid-90s. Uncle Tupelo was from Belleville, IL which is near St. Louis. Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy attended high school together. In the early 80s, Farrar and his brothers had a band called The Plebes. Tweedy joined the band and then Mike Heidorn replaced Farrar's brother. They changed their name to The Primitives. Farrar's brother Wade was the lead singer. But he left to go to school and the band continued as a trio and renamed themselves Uncle Tupelo after a comic strip that a friend had drawn. The band's music was a mix of rock and country. They were big punk fans but country music was more popular in their area and Farrar liked that kind of music. They released a couple of CDs independently until they finally signed with Sire Records in 1992. But Heidorn wasn't prepared to make a full time commitment and he was replaced by Ken Coomer. They also added bassist John Stirrat and dobro player Max Johnston. The Long Cut is from their 1993 major label debut Anodyne. But by the time the CD was released, Farrar and Tweedy weren't getting along and Farrar left Uncle Tupelo in Jan. 1994. They made one final TV appearance on Late Night With Conan O'Brien and it was all over. This 2002 comp from Sony Legacy is an excellent intro to their music. Tweedy immediately took over Uncle Tupelo and changed the name to Wilco. Farrar started his new band Son Volt. Both guys are still making great music but it all started with Uncle Tupelo. Here's the video for The Long Cut by Uncle Tupelo.
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