No Depression (album)

No Depression (album)

No Depression is the first studio album by alternative country band Uncle Tupelo, released in June 1990. The album was recorded with producers Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie at Fort Apache Studios, on a budget of US$3,500. Lyrically the songs reflected the band members’ experiences growing up in Belleville, Illinois. The record is considered one of the most important alternative country albums.

About No Depression (album) in brief

Summary No Depression (album)No Depression is the first studio album by alternative country band Uncle Tupelo, released in June 1990. The album was recorded with producers Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie at Fort Apache Studios, on a budget of US$3,500. No Depression was critically acclaimed and sold well for an independent release. Selling over 15,000 copies within a year of its release, the album’s success inspired the roots music magazine No Depression. The record is considered one of the most important alternative country albums, and its title is often used as a synonym for the alternative country genre after being popularized by No Depression magazine. A remastered version of the album was released in 2003 through Legacy Records, expanded to include six bonus tracks. Lyrically the songs reflected the band members’ experiences growing up in Belleville, Illinois.

Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy and Mike Heidorn began their musical careers in the 1980s playing in a garage band, The Plebes. After a few gigs, creative differences between the members led to the development of a punk rock sound for the band. The trio recorded its first professional tracks in Champaign, Illinois with future Chicago punk producer Matt Allison. The demo tape, Not Forever, Just for Now, contained early versions of several songs that would later appear on their debut album, including “Train”, “Whiskey Bottle”, “Flatness” and “Before I Break” The band’s rigorous touring schedule, as well as the demo, attracted the attention of several music scouts and led to their signing with what would become Rockville Records later that year.