Jeff Tweedy | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Of the artists who rose to prominence as part of the alt-country scene of the 80s and 90s, none would have a higher profile or create a more eclectic body of work than Jeff Tweedy. As bassist with the iconic band Uncle Tupelo, Tweedy helped kickstart the fusion of punk, alternative, country, and folk sounds known as alt-country that would help spawn the rise of roots music and Americana. Their furious early recordings (especially their 1990 debut album No Depression) earned them a passionate cult following, and 1992s March 16-20, 1992 and 1993s Anodyne saw them embracing a more dynamic and nuanced sound without losing their strengths. The abrupt breakup of Uncle Tupelo led to Tweedy forming Wilco in 1994, and while their debut, 1995s A.M., was firmly in the tradition of his previous band, their next effort, 1996s Being There, was a daring, eclectic, and accomplished effort that gave them a new standing as one of Americas most-respected indie rock bands, a reputation they solidified with 2002s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Wilco has since gone on to a long and successful career, but the creatively restless Tweedy has worked with a variety of other projects, including Loose Fur (a collaboration with Jim ORourke), Golden Smog (which featured him alongside members of Soul Asylum, the Jayhawks, Big Star, and Run Westy Run), the Minus Five (he appeared on two albums with Scott McCaugheys group), and Tweedy (a band featuring Jeff and his son Spencer Tweedy), as well as working in the studio with Billy Bragg (Wilco recorded two albums of rediscovered Woody Guthrie songs with Bragg) and Mavis Staples (producing and writing songs for three albums by the Staple Singers vocalist). Jeff Tweedy was born in Belleville, Illinois on August 25, 1967. The youngest of four children, he absorbed the musical influences of his brothers and sisters record collections, and when he was six years old, he asked his mother for a guitar. Tweedy was soon given an acoustic guitar, but he had a hard time playing it, and set it aside until he was 12 years old, when he committed himself to learning the instrument while recovering from a bicycle accident. When he was 14, Tweedy met Jay Farrar, who was a fellow student at Belleville Township High School West. In the early 80s, Farrar formed a rockabilly band called the Plebes with his brothers Dade Farrar and Wade Farrar, and Tweedy was invited to join the group. Jeff and Jay were eager to push the band in a punk rock direction, which led to Dade leaving the group and the remaining members changing the name to the Primitives. The Primitives embraced a sound that blended punk with 60s garage rock, but after several lineup changes that reduced the group to a trio of Farrar on guitar, Tweedy on bass, and Mike Heidorn on drums, they decided to shift their emphasis from covers to original material and changed their name to Uncle Tupelo. As Farrar and Tweedy became more interested in vintage country and folk music, the sounds informed their new songs, and Uncle Tupelo formulated an explosive sound that was fast, wiry, and impassioned as they took twangy melodic structures, stripped them down, and played them at 90 mph. In 1989, the band cut a demo tape that led to the CMJ New Music Report naming Uncle Tupelo the best unsigned band of the year, and they soon struck a deal with the independent Rockville Records label. 1990s No Depression and 1991s Still Feel Gone earned enthusiastic reviews, and through extensive touring Uncle Tupelo developed a passionate fan following, while 1992s primarily acoustic March 16-20, 1992 (produced by Peter Buck) found them unplugging and digging deeper into their roots influences. The group landed a deal with Sire Records for their fourth album, 1993s Anodyne, and the lineup expanded, with Tweedy switching from bass to guitar, Ken Coomer replacing Heidorn on drums, and bassist John Stirratt and fiddler and mandolin player Max Johnson helping to fill out their sound. Anodyne quickly became Uncle Tupelos most commercially successful release to date, but tensions between Tweedy and Farrar that had been growing during the recording of the album came to a head during the subsequent concert tour, and in January 1994, Farrar quit the band. A final tour only worsened the rift, and Uncle Tupelo played their last show on May 1, 1994. Immediately after the Uncle Tupelo breakup, Jeff Tweedy and the other members of UTs final lineup (except, of course, for Farrar) began working up material, and they adopted the name Wilco. (It was reported that Farrar asked Tweedy not to use the name Uncle Tupelo, and Tweedy responded with "wilco," military radio slang for "Will Comply.") By the end of June 1994, Wilco had gone into the studio to record their first album; the band hadnt landed a lead guitarist yet, so Brian Henneman of the Bottle Rockets was brought in to play on the sessions for 1995s A.M. After the album was released by Reprise Records, Jay Bennett became Wilcos guitarist, and he soon began handling keyboards as well. During a layoff from touring with Wilco, Tweedy was invited to record with Golden Smog, a side project that also included Dan Murphy from Soul Asylum, Gary Louris and Marc Perlman from the Jayhawks, Kraig Johnson from Run Westy Run, and Noah Levy from the Honeydogs. To get around the members various recording commitments, they each used a "Smog Name," using their middle name as their first name and the street they grew up on as their last name; Tweedy became Scott Summit for Golden Smogs 1995 album Down by the Old Mainstream. Between Wilcos extensive touring, Bennetts increased input into the group, and his experience with Golden Smog, Tweedys musical ambitions grew, and Wilcos second album, 1996s expansive double-set Being There, was a critical success that moved in bold new directions and demonstrated to listeners that Wilco were hardly just another alt-country act. In 1998, Tweedy appeared on the second Golden Smog album, Weird Tales, with the participants using their real names this time, and Jody Stephens of Big Star joining in on drums. His next major project found Wilco teaming up with U.K. punk-folk songwriter Billy Bragg to write and record new music for previously unpublished Woody Guthrie lyrics. With Wilco and Bragg receiving co-star billing, the album, Mermaid Avenue, also appeared in 1998, and more material from the same sessions was released in 2000 as Mermaid Avenue, Vol. 2. 1999 saw the release of Wilcos third LP, Summerteeth, which essentially abandoned their country influences in favor of cool but artful indie pop. While the albums sometimes bleak lyrics challenged fans, it was a hit with critics, and found the partnership of Tweedy and Bennett more productive than ever. That would change during the making of Wilcos next album; drummer Ken Coomer was dismissed from the group shortly before sessions began (with Glenn Kotche taking his place), Max Johnson was gone after Summerteeth left him with little to do in the band, and Tweedy and Bennett were soon at a creative impasse that led to Bennetts firing during the mixing process. Jim ORourke, who had performed live with Tweedy, was brought in to make sense of the material and perform the albums final mix. Once Wilco turned in the completed album, Reprise Records, in the midst of a corporate shake-up, declared it too uncommercial and severed ties with the group. The music press picked up on the story, and after Wilco began streaming the unreleased album on their website, the band and the LP became a cause celebre. Reprise gave Wilco the rights to the album, and they signed a new deal with Nonesuch Records (ironically also a branch of the Warner Bros. music empire). When it finally appeared in stores in 2002, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was a critical success and became Wilcos best-selling album, vindicating the group and confirming their status as cutting-edge artists. In 2002, Tweedy also scored the independent film Chelsea Walls. In 2003, Tweedy teamed with Jim ORourke and Glenn Kotche to form an experimental side project, Loose Fur, with their self-titled first album appearing that year; a second set from the trio, Born Again in the USA, followed in 2006. 2003 also saw the release of the Minus 5s Down with Wilco, a long-gestating collaboration between Scott McCaughey and Tweedy and his bandmates. In 2004, Tweedy made a guest appearance on another Minus 5 album, At the Organ, as well as helping out on the sessions for Arabella, the first full album from Laurie & John (which featured Wilco bassist John Stirratt and his sister Laurie Stirratt). In June 2004, Wilco brought out their follow-up to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, A Ghost Is Born, but the album was recorded while Tweedy was struggling with severe migraines, panic attacks, and an addiction to painkillers; the release of the album was postponed and touring was put on hold as Tweedy sought treatment. However, by the end of the year, a healthier Tweedy was back in action, and A Ghost Is Born won Grammy awards for Best Alternative Album and Best Recording Package. Wilcos lineup now featured guitarist Nels Cline and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, and their dynamic live interplay was documented on 2005s Kicking Television: Live in Chicago. A third Golden Smog album, Another Fine Day, dropped in 2006, with Tweedy appearing on six of the 15 songs. Also in 2006, Tweedy made a discreet solo debut with Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest, a DVD which documented several performances from a solo acoustic tour that found him performing career-spanning sets. The following year, Wilco released the album Sky Blue Sky, which was recorded at the Loft, the bands rehearsal space and recording studio in Chicago. Later that year, Tweedy was one of a number of noted artists who contributed interpretations of Bob Dylans songs for the soundtrack to Todd Haynes film Im Not There. In June 2009, Wilco released Wilco (The Album), which would prove to be their last LP for Nonesuch; when the band next brought out an album, 2011s The Whole Love, it would be their first release on their own label, dBpm Records, distributed by Anti-/Epitaph. In between those releases, Tweedy produced an album for gospel/R&B; legend Mavis Staples, 2010s You Are Not Alone, with Tweedy also writing two songs for the set as well as arranging two traditional numbers. He recorded a cover of Slim Dunlaps "Ballad of the Opening Band" for the 2013 collection Songs for Slim: Rockin Here Tonight: A Benefit Compilation for Slim Dunlap, a fundraising project to help with the medical expenses of the former Replacements guitarist after he suffered a severe stroke. Tweedy returned to the producers chair for Mavis Staples 2013 set One True Vine, and in 2014, as two Wilco box sets (Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994-2014 and The Complete Studio Albums) and a career-spanning anthology (Whats Your 20? Essential Tracks 1994-2014) made their way into the marketplace, Tweedy unveiled another side project, a collaboration with his son Spencer Tweedy simply called Tweedy. Sukierae, their debut album, was written and recorded while Susan Miller Tweedy (Jeffs wife and Spencers mother) was in treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The album appeared as Jeff was putting a greater emphasis on production, as he guided studio projects by Low (The Invisible Way), White Denim (Corsicana Lemonade), Richard Thompson (Still), Kacy & Clayton (The Sirens Song), and Joan Shelley (Joan Shelley), as well as working again with Mavis Staples (If All I Was Was Black) and coordinating a posthumous release by her father and Staple Singers founder Roebuck "Pops" Staples (Dont Lose This). In July 2015, Wilco surprised fans with the album Star Wars, which debuted online without any advance notice; another album that was largely recorded at the same time, Schmilco, followed in September 2016. 2017s Together at Last was a solo Jeff Tweedy effort that found him revisiting 11 Wilco and Loose Fur songs in stripped-down acoustic arrangements. A different sort of solo effort was delivered in 2018: Warm was Tweedys first solo album of fresh original material, with Jeff playing most of the instruments himself. The release was timed to coincide with the publication of Tweedys memoirs, Lets Go (So We Can Get Back). | ||
 | Album: 1 of 4 Title: Roadcase 028 / December 8, 2013 / Seattle, WA Released: 2013-12-08 Tracks: 24 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 I Am Trying to Break Your Heart (?) 2 New Madrid [Uncle Tupelo] (?) 3 Remember the Mountain Bed (?) 4 Sunken Treasure (?) 5 A Long Time Ago (?) 6 Passenger Side (?) 7 Dawned On Me (?) 8 Radio Cure (?) 9 Kamera (?) 10 One True Vine (?) 11 The Ruling Class [Loose Fur] (?) 12 At Least Thats What You Said (?) 13 Im Always In Love (?) 14 Please Tell My Brother (?) 15 Jesus, Etc. (?) 16 Born Alone (?) 17 Pecan Pie [Golden Smog] (?) 18 Laminated Cat (aka Not For The Season) (?) 19 Bob Dylans 49th Beard (?) 20 California Stars (?) 21 Im the Man Who Loves You (?) 22 A Shot in the Arm (?) 23 Dreamer in My Dreams (?) 24 God [John Lennon cover] (?) |
 | Album: 2 of 4 Title: Together at Last Released: 2017-06-23 Tracks: 11 Duration: 38:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Via Chicago (05:06) 2 Laminated Cat (03:49) 3 Lost Love (02:28) 4 Muzzle of Bees (03:49) 5 Ashes of American Flags (03:45) 6 Dawned On Me (02:52) 7 In a Future Age (02:52) 8 I Am Trying to Break Your Heart (03:40) 9 Hummingbird (03:17) 10 I’m Always in Love (03:31) 11 Sky Blue Sky (03:13) |
| Together at Last : Allmusic album Review : Generally, when the leader of a group of note makes a solo album, the purpose is to provide a platform to do something that couldnt be done within the creative boundaries of the band. That notion applies to Jeff Tweedys first proper solo album, 2017s Together at Last, though in a rather unexpected way. For Together at Last, Tweedy literally opts not to have a band with him for a change -- this is a set of 11 tunes from his back catalog, recorded solo, with Tweedys voice, acoustic guitar, and harmonica only occasionally reinforced with some very subtle guitar overdubs. If youve always wanted to hear Jeff Tweedy play a solo set in a whisper-quiet folk club, where his vocals dont have to compete with drums or amplifiers, then Together at Last is the absolutely next best thing. On one hand, the album invites the question of just why Tweedy opted to re-record a handful of his old tunes without his partners from Wilco or Loose Fur, and the lack of any new material makes this play like a live album with the audience conspicuous in its absence. On the other, if you dont mind the fact that these are all songs the average fan of Tweedys work already knows rather well, youre rewarded with a set of simple but lovely performances. Jeff Tweedy may not be a virtuoso as a vocalist or a guitarist, but he absolutely knows what makes his songs work, and the intimacy of these recordings allows him to explore the nooks and crannies of the songs without having to make room for anyone else, and the results are charming, emotionally effective, and sometimes quite moving. And hes smart enough to chose a set of songs that work well stripped to their framework, and if this set is by no means "Jeff Tweedys Greatest Hits," it does wonders to show off his estimable skills as a lyricist and spinner of melodies. If Together at Last is a minor work in Tweedys catalog, its a simple but genuine pleasure that may convert a few doubters who havent been won over by Wilcos eclecticism. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 4 Title: WARM Released: 2018-11-30 Tracks: 11 Duration: 39:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bombs Above (02:15) 2 Some Birds (03:41) 3 Don’t Forget (03:30) 4 How Hard It Is for a Desert to Die (04:49) 5 Let’s Go Rain (02:57) 6 From Far Away (03:10) 7 I Know What It’s Like (03:46) 8 Having Been Is No Way to Be (04:34) 9 The Red Brick (02:36) 10 Warm (When the Sun Has Died) (02:18) 11 How Will I Find You? (06:05) |
 | Album: 4 of 4 Title: Warmer Released: 2019-04-13 Tracks: 10 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Orphan (?) 2 Family Ghost (?) 3 …and Then You Cut It in Half (?) 4 Ten Sentences (?) 5 Sick Server (?) 6 Empty Head (?) 7 Landscape (?) 8 Ultra Orange Room (?) 9 Evergreen (?) 10 Guaranteed (?) |