Atomic Power - Uncle Tupelo - March 16th - 20th, 1992 - 1992

If Uncle Tupelo was the godfather of the Y'alternative movement, then March 16th-20th, 1992 probablys marks the subgenre's first official album. No Depression was a gritty, punky rock album with occassional country larks...the country influence was more pronounced on the follow up Still Feel Gone, but it was really this (largely acoustic) album on which the band let it's country folk flow. Peter Buck was even brought in for some feedback noise, giving tribute to the heavy work done by "Don't Go Back to Rockville" in the creation of country-punk ethos.

I still stand by Anodyne as the band's best album, but for purity of focus it's hard to beat March, and a track like the Oh Brother, Where Art Thou-esque "Atomic Power" is as good a place to hear that as any.

Anodyne - Uncle Tupelo - Anodyne - 1993

I had to get up early this AM to make it in to work and prepare for a big meeting I was running for the first time, and it reminded me of a theory I've long had about the correlation between time and the amount of attractive women there are on the subway...(okay, I'm going back on the promise I made to my girlfriend about not writing about hot chicks ont the subway, but I'm letting myself slide on this one as I am not talking about a SPECIFIC hot chick on the subway, but rather hot chicks, or their scarcity, as a phenomenon). Basically the theory goes like this...despite all of our best intentions and desires for us to live in a better and egalatarian world, in New York, where absolutely everything is a competition, attractive women have first dibs on the jobs that start at 10AM. Granted, in many cases, these are lower paying publishing or media jobs...but none of this changes the fact that you will find almost no attractive women on the subway at 8AM. You will find a fair amount of large middle-aged women, and power-suited men...hot chicks, not so much.

No for those that wonder why I spend all this time thinking about this on my commute, instead of, you know...thinking about my job, praying/meditating, reading the great american (or otherwise) novel, sculpting...what have you. It's because, frankly, we all need inspiration to make it through the hellish and tedious slog we call life. And we all find inspiration in our own places.

Jay Farrar may have only had a brief window of inspiration: three or four years tops, but this song falls squarely in the middle of that window. So here's to you Jay, and a word of advice to you. Never ride the subway before 8:45.

Acuff-Rose - Uncle Tupelo - Anodyne - 1993

I had an absolutely batshit crazy subway preacher on the 2 train this A.M. It's been a while since I've seen one of these guys. Must be a reflection of the hard times we've fallen on...or something. This one was of the radical African-American sort, "whitey is the devil" and all. And you know, as I was being harangued through my hangover by this gentleman...I couldn't help thinking...I agree. Our monolithic Western Culture has really created a lot of victims in its quest for control...but on the flip side...'the fuck you want me to do about it? I'm just trying to get through the day, pay the rent, and find a nice lady that wants to pass out with me. I'm just one man, sir.

Anyway, there's a certain amount of gospel, to Jay Farrar's finger picking here. Figured the subway preacher was a good enough segue for that. Jeff Tweedy has definitely made some steps in the direction of being insufferable "dad rock" to quote Pitchfork's phrase, but back in the day he could still pen a catchy tune, and still had enough of his broken hearted humor in tact to be charming. Quality song.