Make you laugh and cry in a single sound

The music of the early '90s marked a turning point in pop music. It was popular to be in pain, to be cynical, and it was acceptable to wear ripped jeans and flannel. About a decade later, Pearl Jam continues to matter less and less because it pays more attention to politics than the music. And I can't recall the last time I've heard anyone play Nirvana. After Uncle Tupelo broke up, singer-songwriter-guitarist Jay Farrar went on to form Son Volt and Jeff Tweedy, also a singer-songwriter-guitarist, went on to form Wilco, two of the most important bands of the last few years.\nThe reissues of its first three albums No Depression, Still Feel Gone and March 16-20, 1992, give those of us who missed it the first time around a chance to hear a band that truly captured what alternative meant. Uncle Tupelo combined hard rock and punk with country and folk music in ways that made it seem so natural. \nEach disc has an added five to six demo, live or outtake tracks that prove there was nothing contrived or forced about this band. The bonus tracks are typically as strong as the original album cuts, aside from occasional differences in recording quality (not production). They don't sound any more raw than the finished product put on the original albums. \nUncle Tupelo's debut record, No Depression, didn't blend rock and country so much as it inaugurated a style. Amazingly, the band was able to take the extremes of its influences, put them side by side and come up with a more coherent album than the bands that played it safe by trying to fuse influences. "Graveyard Shift" sounds like a song that an alcoholic Bruce Springsteen could've co-written with a freshly laid-off Neil Young. The title track, a folk-country classic written by The Carter Family, is the same bad day it always was, viewed from a different angle.\nThe heartbreak heard in No Depression actually has an uplifting feel to it. The music sounds immediately familiar the first time it's heard because it's what you've been searching for in a band for so long. Like many of its songs, it's the absence of something great stands out. \nThe main difference between the debut album and Still Feel Gone is the confidence and focus. The album's rock songs are every bit as heavy as before, but with an added rhythmic punch and clarity. The balance of folk, country and rock compliment each other as on No Depression, but the difference between Tweedy and Farrar's work is much more evident and the lyrics are even sharper and cut even deeper. "Still Be Around" and "Gun" show that both writers can deliver a knock-out punch through a Marshall stack as easily as they can on a beat-up acoustic guitar. On top of that, their voices, both as writers and singers, remain distinct without sounding like two separate bands.\nMarch 16-20, 1992 is an all acoustic recording with a stronger folk song influence. Though Farrar can be a bit preachy, his sincerity and ability to crush all hope with just one line outweighs any arrogance. Tweedy's contributions show his range through the innocence of "Wait Up" and devastation of "Black Eye." The band's bluegrass take on The Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog," complete with banjo, offers a fantastic interpretation that is just as funny as it is sad.\nUncle Tupelo was the real alternative, not because it wasn't as popular as Nirvana or Pearl Jam, but because it was the real deal. Tweedy and Farrar weren't just abrasive with their lyrics, but with their guitars as well. While both Wilco and Farrar still make some of the best music, neither one has come close to creating a collection of albums with as much depth through such simple, honest means of expression.