Uncle Tupelo 89/93: An Anthology

Anthology may not be an apt word to describe this collection of Uncle Tupelo recordings since fan favorites like their gripping cover of the Flying Burrito Brothers' "Sin City" and Doug Sahm's "Give Back The Key To My Heart" are strangely absent. But then again, Greatest Hits would be another misnomer since the seminal alt-country trio didn't have any real hits outside college radio. Still, this sequence of songs, outtakes, demos, and alternate versions successfully display Uncle Tupelo's uncanny chemistry, unarguable talent, and unfortunate tension that broke up the band and subsequently birthed Wilco and Son Volt. The country punk anthem "I Got Drunk" is here in all its dipsomaniac glory as is the flannel-flying, fist-pumping "Chickamauga." And the moving "Sauget Wind" could be the band's apex with its slow waltzing rhythms, slow burning distortion, and heart destroying words. Jeff Tweedy's hayseed version of the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog" is another fun cover, but the band's humble rendition of the Carter Family's "No Depression" still stands to serve as the spark that ignited the indie-twang movement of the '90s.