Uncle Tupelo’s ‘Anodyne’ leaves fans wanting more

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Feb. 11, 2005 | 8:57 a.m.

Fans of Uncle Tupelo can judge the band's 1994 breakup as both an unfortunate and a divine occurrence.

For while it marked the demise of one excellent alt-country outfit, the split resulted in the formation of two others: Wilco and Son Volt.

Wilco, as anyone with even a passing interest in under-the-FM-radar music knows, has grown into one of the most critically respected bands around, releasing top-drawer disc upon top-drawer disc.

After an auspicious start, Son Volt has faded into the background somewhat, spending the past several years on hiatus. The band is back now, however, and preparing to unleash a promising new CD.

For those of us who like both, it's easy to lament the end of Uncle Tupelo and yearn for the days when Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy and Son Volt leader Jay Farrar worked in tandem.

According to most written material about Tupelo, though, that collaborative relationship didn't last long. Long before the childhood friends went their separate ways, they apparently stopped writing music together, instead contributing individual efforts to studio sessions.

In part, that's what makes Uncle Tupelo's swan song, 1993's "Anodyne," so striking. Far from the sound of a band splitting apart, it stands as Tupelo's masterstroke.

Where debut album, "No Depression," loudly rocked and third disc, "March 16-20, 1992," softly ruminated, "Anodyne" strikes the perfect balance.

The back-porch, country-rock affair opens, appropriately, with the wistful violin of leadoff cut "Slate."

From there, the disc shifts smoothly between bits of bluegrass, Southern rock, blues-rock and twangy country ballads.

Best of all, Tweedy's understated, sensitive voice provides a counterpoint to Farrar's fuller, up-front singing style.

Rhino Records' 2003 reissue even includes five bonus tracks, including two live numbers, an excellent perk for those who never saw Uncle Tupelo in concert.

Listening to "Anodyne" almost makes me dream of a Tupelo reunion. Then again, who would want to derail Wilco and Son Volt?

Artist: Uncle Tupelo.

Title: "Anodyne."

Year of release: 1993 (reissued 2003, Rhino Records).

Tracklisting: "Slate," "Acuff-Rose," "The Long Cut," "Give Me Back the Key to My Heart," "Chickamauga," "New Madrid," "Anodyne," "We've Been Had," "Fifteen Keys," "High Water," "No Sense in Lovin'," "Steal the Crumbs." Bonus tracks: "Stay True," "Whatever," "Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way," "Truck Drivin' Man" (live), "Suzy Q" (live).