Consequences of "The Search"

Lawrence Fan · Post by **Lawrence Fan** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 8:30 pm

Lot's of opinions here, OTTO!

People here are definitely more into their Son Volt, and to a lesser extent their Jay solo. Both are extremely worthy variations of the artist worth picking up. Just don't forget about his Uncle Tupelo stuff. I may be the only one, but I think Jay peeked on Anodyne. Not that his stuff after that was bad, just that Anodyne represents Jay's creative peak.

All that said, there are a few albums I would recommend that really represent the entire range of Jay Farrar. They would be

Still Feel Gone - Uncle Tupelo.
1991

The best example of angsty, cowpunk Jay. Still Be Around rivals anything Jay has recorded since.

Trace - Son Volt.
1995

The first Son Volt album and easily the most natural extension of Uncle Tupelo, far more than A.M. ever was or hopes to be. I sometimes think of this an Uncle Tupelo record. Straightaways and Wide Swing Tremolo are excellent as well (and as you've read many people's favorites) but they don't differ stylistically from Trace very much. Anyth of these three could be used in this slot.

Sebastopol - Jay Farrar.
2001

Firsdt and best solo record. I won't attempt to classify the sound, but by this time he has definitely shifted styles from his SV 1.0 days. For the first time since Anodyne you could say he'd left all that behind.

Live In Seattle - Jay Farrar.
2003

A must have. Just Jay, Mark Spencer and Eric Heywood. The best mournful guitars you will ever here. Vitamins will melt your face. Sparse, yet dense. Really. heh.

Stone, Steal & Bright Lights - Jay Farrar w/Canyon.
2004

Great live album. Canyon really fleshes out Jay's solo stuff. The reworkings of his solo stuff with Canyon are amazing. Clear Day Thunder is a great example.

The Search - Son Volt.
2007

Much, much better than 2005's Okemah and the Melody of Riot, although some will disagree. Anyway, you have it. Not his best, but it's a step forward.

danmen · Post by **danmen** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 7:59 pm

Unhurried Ways wrote:One more suggestion:
If you like DVD's, get the Son Volt Austin City Limits performance. It was done between the releases of Trace and Straightaways. Jay and the boys at a creative peak. Pedal steel, fiddle, banjo, lap steel, solid electric guitar. Great camera work.

Good suggestion, plus it's got the great DTS mix for your home surround system!

Unhurried Ways · Post by **Unhurried Ways** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 5:41 pm

One more suggestion:
If you like DVD's, get the Son Volt Austin City Limits performance. It was done between the releases of Trace and Straightaways. Jay and the boys at a creative peak. Pedal steel, fiddle, banjo, lap steel, solid electric guitar. Great camera work.

OTTO · Post by **OTTO** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:16 am

Thanks for all the suggestions. Trace seems to be the most recurring album throughout your comments, so I'll probably pick it up first.

countryfeedback, in answer to your question about being a Wilco fan and not until now getting into to Son Volt:

It just worked out that way I guess. I was first turned on to Wilco when I listened to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (just after its release) while driving to Jackson Hole. I was completely blown away by the album's vision and brilliance, unmatched by anything I'd heard in quite a while. As I got into Wilco, I naturally learned about the band's history, Uncle Tupelo, etc. As such, I became aware of Son Volt and was interested, but never really went out of my way to check them out.

Recently, when I mentioned to a college buddy of mine (who'd lived up in Minnesota) that I really dug Wilco, he sung the praises of Jay Farrar and insisted that I check out Son Volt as soon as humanly possible. So there you go...and here I am...

loose_string · Post by **loose_string** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 6:55 pm

Buy TRACE.

It changed my life in 96 and 11 years later, it's still my favorite record. Hands down.

danmen · Post by **danmen** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 6:40 pm

Welcome Aboard!
Buy Trace, Straightaways, Wide Swing Tremolo (original Son Volt Lineup)
Then buy
Still Feel Gone, No Drepression, Anodyne, and March 16-20 (Uncle Tupelo)
Then buy Okemah...Sebastopol (solo), Third ShiftGrottoSlack (solo EP) and Terroir Blues
Go in any order, but as a Jay Fan, you will like all of these

countryfeedback · Post by **countryfeedback** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 6:11 pm

OTTO wrote:Absolutely loving "The Search"... I just picked it up a few days ago. I've just recently really gotten into Son Volt. Being a long time Wilco fan, I certainly knew of these guys - but didn't realize how great they were.

Which album would you recommend as my next pickup (as a newbie)?

Peace

-OTTO[/url]

I'am curious to know how long you have been a Wilco fan? To be a longtime Wilco fan and not know "how great" Son Volt is/were seems quite odd to me.

naugrad · Post by **naugrad** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:57 pm

gdavis5446 wrote:Trace and Straightaways are must haves. Jay Farrar also has some solo albums you should check out. Shit just buy all his stuff. For less than $100 you'll get a lifetime of listening pleasure.

Just buy it all now...it will save you the time of buying it all later.

TragicFig · Post by **TragicFig** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:18 pm

Agreed. Buy Trace and Okemah. Then buy everything Jay has ever done.

Unhurried Ways · Post by **Unhurried Ways** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 2:45 pm

Agree with O-town. Buy Trace, give it three GOOD listens, it will be amongst your all-time favorites and you will eventually have 10,000+ posts on this board.

O-town_Reb · Post by **O-town_Reb** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 2:20 pm

OTTO wrote:Absolutely loving "The Search"... I just picked it up a few days ago. I've just recently really gotten into Son Volt. Being a long time Wilco fan, I certainly knew of these guys - but didn't realize how great they were.

Which album would you recommend as my next pickup (as a newbie)?

Peace

-OTTO[/url]

Buy Trace and give it about 3 good listens. After that, you'll want to buy everything Jay has every written.

Personally, Wide Swing Tremolo is my favorite. It is cryptic and achingly beautiful. In my opinion, the songs on that album rival anything ever written with the possible exception of the man in my avatar. But it's also fairly dense and slow in parts.

sturgeongeneral · Post by **sturgeongeneral** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 2:18 pm

It depends which sound grabs you. If you enjoy the more experimental sounds I would highly recommend one of Jay's solo efforts, Sebastopol. If you are more of an introspective soul, I would recommend another solo effort, Terrior Blues, although some have claimed it is more inaccessible(although I think it's pure genius), and Straightaways.

I got into Jay in '03 and the guy does not know how to make a poor product. Be careful, you might become a zombie walking Farrar acolyte. There will be an irresistible urge to purchase a guitar and learn soime basic chords.

gdavis5446 · Post by **gdavis5446** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 2:10 pm

Trace and Straightaways are must haves. Jay Farrar also has some solo albums you should check out. Shit just buy all his stuff. For less than $100 you'll get a lifetime of listening pleasure.

OTTO · Post by **OTTO** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 2:06 pm

Is that early or later stuff (wondering if their earlier stuff sounds more like Uncle Tupelo than later) ?

saratoga jay · Post by **saratoga jay** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 1:58 pm

Okemah and Trace.

Jay Farrar

Consequences of "The Search"

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