Jeff Tweedy was the "kid brother", the little guy riding the coat-tails of Jay Farrar during his time with Uncle Tupelo. Farrar was the genius, Tweedy regulated to second-fiddle.

After they split, Tweedy jumped into the fray first with "A.M", a solid, if unspectacular debut. He continued to show he could write catchy, melodic pop-rock tunes (Box Full of Letters, I Must Be High, Casion Queen, etc) but still didn't dissaude much from his Uncle Tupelo roots. Farrar's new band, Son Volt, debuted "Trace" a few months later, and much like Tweedy, the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

Jump to 1996. Tweedy has spent a good year or so working on his new album, "Being There". To virtually everyone's amazement, it's a double CD...19 songs. And right from the opening moments of the first track, "Misunderstood", the almost tribal-like drums, pure electric guitar chaos...then a few acoustic strums, meandering piano...you realize Tweedy emerged from his musical cocoon.

"Being There" represents the growth of musician, who up until that point wasn't even the most talented person in his former band, who from this point on could take his place as one of the truly great songwriters in modern music.

This is Tweedy's ode to rock music. The highs and lows. The love, the loss. His inspiration drove him to new heights lyrically , and especially, new musical heights. Horns, piano, 70's style psychadelia, it's all here, mixed in with his usual country-rock formula. A good portion of the album is a mess, as his scope at this point was beyond his reach. But there is nothing wrong with ambition. Jay Farrar should have taken that to heart, as this album would be the one that raised Tweedy to musical genius category, while leaving Farrar in the dust.

At 19 songs, any band is going to have some throwaway's, and this is no exception. This could have easily been a 12-13 song CD...as disc two is filled with plenty of clunkers (Someday Soon, Someone Else's Song, Kingpin, In Your Dreams), jeez...take Sunken Treasure and the Lonely One, put them on the first disc and throw the rest away. Cost them a 5 star rating in my opinion, as I have to rate the entire album. But none-the-less, a terrific cd.

HITS

Disc 1:
1. Misunderstood- I mentioned the opening before, and for anyone who had been a big Uncle Tupelo/Wilco fan up until that point, the opening of this track left you in a state of shock. The rock and roll journey starts here.."Do you still love rock and roll?" and after this track, you are in for the ride. From choatic opening sequence, to some beatiful acoustic/piano balladry, back to hellbent choas with Tweedy shouting, "I'd like to thank you all for nothin'/I'd like to thank you all for nothin' at all", it's only the first track but already the best song you've ever heard from Tweedy.

4. Outtasite(Outtamind)- Going back to basic Tweedy here. Great guitar hook and melody. Just goes to show he still isn't above reaching back to his forte', even while trying to reach for the stars.

6. Red-Eyed and Blue- Acoustic guitar, organ, piano and some whistling. The best "ballad" Tweedy has written. Down-trodden lyrics, "Alcohol and cotton balls/And some drugs we can't afford on the way", a two and a half minute tear-jerker that will have you singing along in no time.

7. I Got You- To me, the most overlooked track on the album. Sure, it's pure 70's anthem-stadium-rock, but it's mighty fun. Pure cheese, though Tweedy's boyish voice can pull it off without sounding pretentious, but a great tune.

8. What's The World Got In Store- Tweedy goes back to the country roots. Banjo and acoustics are out, and thanks to Max Johnston and especially Jay Bennett (who plays everything form guitar to drums to accordion and is one of the premier multi-instrumentalists in rock today) it doesn't veer into sappy, cliche country balladry. Great organ lick to close out the song.

9. Hotel Arizona- A track that wouldn't be out of place on any of Neil Young's great albums. Pumping organ and bass move things until UT drummer Ken Coomer and Bennet take charge with some furious guitar and drum work to take the song to another level, as Tweedy laments over his "rock start" status.."Even at the interview/that's not something thatI'm gonna get used to."

Disc Two:
1. Sunken Treasure- Just as "Misunderstood" opened disc one with Tweedy taking a giant musical leap, "Sunken Treasure" does likewise. Psychadelic country? Maybe not, but something close to that description. These are his most ambitious lyrics to date, and by the end of the song he is basically opening his soul for all to see..."Music is my savior/and I was maimed by rock and roll/I was maimed by rock and roll/I was tamed by rock and roll/I got my name from rock and roll."

8. The Lonely One- Tweedy's maturation process in full bloom here. Guitar picking, strings(!),organ capture the mood of the song perfectly, not to mention Tweedy throwing in some off-key vocals. Can't picture a better way for the song to be performed, it all fits, as Tweedy paints the picture of an obsessed music fan..."When I get home I turn off the alarm/I've checked the phone, no messages on/I play the ones from yesterday/I play you're song just to hear you say that/You, you're the lonely one."

MISSES

Basically the entire second CD, save for the afore-mentioned "hits", is poor. Thank goodness for the "skip" button.

Regardless, a super album that deserves repeated listenings to truly appreciate how much Tweedy had progressed.


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Reading or Studying