Uncle Tupelo and Neil Young

Wilco & Son Volt

Jammin' with Neil

Neil Young News

Release "Time Fades Away"

The legendary band Uncle Tupelo was hailed as the leading force behind the "No Depression" sound. According to Rodeo Rob on Nude as the News, Uncle Tupelo was "The band that mixed punk rock's anarchy with country music's heritage."

Uncle Tupelo's two leads, Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar went on to found the bands Wilco and Son Volt. Both Wilco and Son Volt have paid homage to Neil Young in their numerous cover songs.

A review by Lowbrow on Uncle Tupelo's influences stated:

"Merging the bare-bones honesty of country and the pure energy of punk, Uncle Tupelo created an unforgettable blend of music so original it spawned an entire genre: alt-country. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy & Co. were never shy about their influences, either. The band was equally adept at delivering shards of amped-up post-punk as they were acoustic-based, steel guitar-drenched melancholy, very much like the electric/acoustic master, Neil Young. "

Some of the Neil Young songs which Uncle Tupelo, Wilco and Son Volt have covered include:

Cinnamon Girl
Cortez The Killer
Down By The River
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Motion Pictures
Mr Soul
Powderfinger

For more on covers, see The Covers Project: Uncle Tupelo.

JAY FARRAR Interview: Using the Beatles and Neil Young

From a February 20, 2004 article in the San Francisco Chronicle reporter Jane Ganahl interview with "the minstrel of alt-country" Jay Farrar:

"Of the latest, 'Terroir Blues,' he notes, 'I was using two albums that I like, (Neil Young's) 'Tonight's the Night' and (the Beatles') 'Revolver,' as touchstones.' " "I don't think in terms of owing the fans something, although you can't just act like what you've done in the past doesn't exist. I just try to find the songs that still mean something to me, that I can maintain a connection to. But most people seem pretty willing to go along with the new stuff."

More on Jay Farrar and his release "Terroir Blues".

Learning How To Die - A New Wilco Book by Greg Kot

A book on the band Wilco is being released in May 2004 called Learning How To Die by Greg Kot. An excerpt from the book discusses the influence of Neil Young on Uncle Tupelo, Jeff Tweedy, and Jay Farrar:

"Plenty of musical tributaries converged in the early recordings of Uncle Tupelo, but one of the most prominent was Neil Young - the off-the-cuff, midnight-of-the-soul Young of Tonight's the Night and On The Beach , as well as the hippie balladeer of "Harvest" and the primitive guitar genius of "Down By the River."

"You can't underestimate Young's influence an that whole scene," says journalist Richard Byrne.

"I would say the main reason I got what was happening was because I was a huge Tonight's the Night fan, and Tonight's the Night was the album for all of these guys, for Brian Henneman, for Jay Farrar, for Jeff Tweedy. They were hearing the country and folk stuff that they grew up around, and they were listening to all their SST punk records, and Neil crystallized it for them."

More on Wilco and the book "Learning How To Die".

Also, see more on Wilco, Jeff Tweedy, Uncle Tupelo, and Neil Young musical influences page. Check on these search results for Jeff Tweedy, Jay Farrar, and reviews of Wilco's "A Ghost is Born" on Thrasher's Blog.

Jammin' with Neil Young

A Neil Young Music Blog tracing His Influence from alt-country to Grunge

Thrasher's Wheat - A Neil Young Archives