Trace

I'm forty-five. I listened to Gram Parsons, Mason Profitt, the Byrds, the Dead and Poco in the seventies during college. Sun Volt comes pretty close to the sound of these groups. The lonely, reaching, plaintive voice of the lead singer, Jay Farrar, stays with you. In "Windfall," his vocals match the instrumentation and lyrics. Alone, searching for truth, some interstate in Louisiana, midnight, an am radio station and the voice of Farrar are perfect matches."Windfall" is the by far the most catchy of the all the tracks. In fact, I heard it first on a Friday night NPR radio show here in Montana. I knew a music fanatic friend of mine in Seattle would know the group if I only gave him the refrain, "May the wind take your troubles away / Both feet on the floor, two hands on the wheel / May the wind take your troubles away." I called Greg and he knew right off who the group was. Sun Volt is distinctive. You'll remember their sound and lyrics."Windfall"'s lyrics may be striking, but listen further. "Tear Stained Eye" is another favorite. "Learning is livin', the truth is a state of mind, / you'll find it's better at the end of the line / Can you deny there's nothing greater, there's nothing more than the traveling hands of time?" I suppose these lines sound fatalistic (time moves on, and we all die). But if you listen long enough there is hopefullness in every tune. Life is learning, so get out there and live. The lyrics have a certain maturity to them that all will appreciate. These guys are philosophers. Enough of my navel gazing - good listening.

Uncle Tupelo was one of the best bands of the alternative-country genre, but it was too good to last. Personal problems between the two songwriters Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy caused to band to disband at an early age. Luckily, for everyone, the 2 decided to go their seperate paths, with Jeff Tweedy blazing a trail with Wilco, and Jay Farrar staying true to his roots with Son Volt.After Wilco released their first album, A.M., Jay and crew felt that had something to prove and released Trace, which one-upped his previous band and his previous songwriter. It's a strong batch of great mememorable material, containing some of the best hard rockers and slow ballads Jay has ever put to tape. Gorgeous songs such as "Windfall" and "Tear Stained Eye" are but a few of the album's highlights, but don't let that make you think this album is a weeper. Far from it. There are some gritty rockers too, such as the college radio hit "Drown," "Route," and the soaring "Loose String," which has my favorite line "Too much living is no way to die."The album is obsessed with the passing of time, whether it's the lyrics about the wind taking time away, the travelling hands of the clock, or ages past or yet to come.It also helps that Jay has a terrific band backing him up. The Boquist brothers give the album a great coloring, and old friend Mike Heidorn is no slouch on drums.Although later albums sounded more or less the same, Trace is a brilliant album from start to finish, an ode to life on the road, and a brilliant slice of Americana. Trace continues to inspire many into taking a trip across the vast wilderness, and seeking a "truer sound." And that is the power of music.

If you think the original album was great, just wait until you hear the live show on the bonus disc here. It was recorded in 24 track glory and it holds ALL the power of the band in its original guise. The studio album sounds downright tame (and still classic) in comparison. This is for anyone who saw this band on the Trace tour and just couldn't shake it from their memory as one of the all-time best shows you ever saw.The demos are an interesting glimpse into the songwriting process. All sound like shaky cassette recordings, but a couple have nice pedal steel accoutrements. "Windfall" has a slightly different chord progression in the chorus, and the rest are pretty much settled except for instrumentation.I'm of the opinion that this band peaked with its first album and its predecessor Uncle Tupelo peaked with their last. I just really dig the flavors happening on both, although the early UT stuff will always find a way to my turntable too. Anyone who thought Trace didn't have quite enough cojones should hear disc 2 of this set.

This has been one of those albums that I have enjoyed, nay loved, ever since I first bought it 20 years ago. I recall hearing Drown on the radio thinking the song was called Cousin It. But I digress. This is in my top 5 albums of all time. I specifically purchased this remaster primarily because of the live CD. And honestly, like Sweethearts of the Rodeo or Hollywood Town Hall, it sounds as good today as it did 20 years ago.The packaging is excellent - the liner notes are excellent, and they tell the story behind the formation of the band, etc. The notes on each song are also great. But the gem is the live CD. This CD combines the majority of Trace along with several classics from Uncle Tupelo. The remastered album sounds great. The demo versions are hit and miss. My favorite is the Acoustic demo of Route.If you are a fan of Americana, and don't have this album already, I highly recommend it. And if you are a fan of Son Volt, the live CD is worth the price of admission.

Here Farrar still has that classic sound that Tweedy and him perfected on the Uncle Tupelo records. It's a really solid record if not quite up to the monumental standard set by UT on their March 16-20, 1992 album. But it does have similar styling, and he hasn't quite repeated this type of album in his solo career. I don't want to sound too nostalgic of course, but this one still remains one my favorites from his output. The non-remastered version actually has better dynamic range, and I'm not really convinced the remaster improves much at all. The original still sounds better overall. So unless you also want the live set on the remaster, which a lot of fans will want, I would grab the original 1996 CD here. It's a beautiful gem.

Picked this up on Vinyl and Cassette! Very happy to have multiple copies of such a great album!

Listen to wilco then listen to this. It's the best alt country album of the 90s. It walks a straighter line than albums of that era (eg being there) but it has real substance too.

Trace is a beautiful collection of powerful and emotive songs. Highly recommend to anyone who appreciates good songwriting and musicianship in the American folk music tradition.

In principio furono gli Uncle Tupelo, laboratorio dove Jay Farrar insieme al compare Jeff Tweedy iniziarono a sperimentare alchimie di foga giovanilistica applicata al vecchio tessuto connettivo del Country, generando impotanti frutti come No depression.In seguito a divergenze la coppia si divise originando i Wilco, più "progressisti", da un lato ed i Son Volt, più "conservatori", dall'altro.Trace, primo lavoro dei Son Volt di Farrar, ha indicato la strada per le schiere di gruppi dediti alla rivisitazione ed alla rivitalizzazione della musica Country poi ribattezzata Americana o Alternative Country, giusto per rendere l'idea. In questo lavoro si alternano scariche elettriche, Drown, a passaggi più classicamente bucolici sempre filtrati però dalla sensibilità genuina di un gruppo di giovani musicisti.Il tono nasale e monocorde di Farrar che richiama a volte il timbro distaccato ed indolente di un Neil Young o di uno Stan Ridgway, contribuisce ad arricchire di fascino composizioni nate già classiche, destinate ad indicare la strada per i novelli seguaci della nuova "vecchia" musica ( ascoltare ad es. Loose String ).In definitiva un tassello essenziale per comprendere gli sviluppi del genere, da ascoltare preferibilmente nella versione in vinile edita per il ventennale della prima edizione.

ja.. da ist sie nun, die für mich beste cd der nachfolgetruppe der megaband uncle tulpelo, einer der bands der 90ziger, wo mein herz blutete als sie sich auflösten. die nachfolge der beiden protagonisten tweedy/ farrar ist wilco, die ausser ein paar stücken nur müll fabriziert haben, echt gefühlte 15 alben müll... das muss erst mal jemand wie tweedy fertig kriegen, nur weil er so geniale momente wie 'black eye' hatte. da ist jay farrar musikalisch schon besser, obwohl er an die genialen momente in zusammenarbeit mir henneman von den bottle rockets nicht rankam, auch wenn drmmer heidorn, die beiden boquist brüder von honeydogs und supersteeler eric heywood mit von der partie waren. die fünf sterne auch nur für too early. die studioversion erweitert um einpaar demos, einwandfrei. aber die 2. live cd aus 97, zu schlecht um es in worte zu fassen. kann gar nicht glauben das farrar das ok gegeben hat für so einen mist, aber über die praktiken der plattenfirmen sprechen wir besser nicht, oder?

Jay Farrar's band Son Volt was born out of acrimony. The bitter split of alt-country pioneers Uncle Tupelo led Jeff Tweedy to form Wilco and move in different musical directions. Farrar stayed true to stricter Americana roots and Son Volt's debut album "Trace" released in 1995 is possibly alternative country's finest hour. This 20th-anniversary edition sees the album remastered and includes demo's of "Trace' originals plus a blistering live set from the Bottom Line in New York recorded in December 1996. The concert recording is worth the price of entry in its own right and also contains six Uncle Tupelo originals.If you love country roots music this whole package is absolutely essential and a must have. Jay Farrar has one of the greatest country voices of this or any generation. His songwriting is impeccable. It is a profound mystery why Rick Rubin didn't point Johnny Cash in this direction for genuine classic songs on the "American Recordings". The most famous track on "Trace" is the country anthem "Windfall" which is a manifesto for Farrar's music especially when he declares "Switching it over to AM/Searching for a truer sound/Can't recall the call letters/Steel guitar and settle down/Catching an all-night station somewhere in Louisiana/It sounds like 1963, but for now it sounds like heaven". Then there is the wondrous imagery of "Tear Stained Eye" which still brings a lump to the throat after all this time. Others rock out like the punchy minor hit single "Drown" and the huge power chord driven "Route". Your reviewers favourites are some of the slower songs like the desolate masterpiece "Ten Second News" which haunts you like a ghost and the gorgeous Mexican flavoured "Too Early" containing one of Farrar's best vocals. All these songs are some of the best in the genre even the ramshackle cover of Ron Wood's "Mystify Me" acknowledging Farrars' debt to British music and the Rolling Stones.The eight demos on this album are not essential but give a superb flavour of the construction of the main album. The live set alternatively should be sought out ASAP. It contains burning versions of Uncle Tupelo songs not least a stunning "Chickamauga" every bit as good as the studio version and a powerful "Anodyne" which has nearly been worn out already from over playing. This live album successfully conveys the duality of the raucousness and tenderness of Son Volt and completes a wonderful package.Farrar’s unwavering commitment to the foundations of country music has never faltered over the years. It has been conventional thinking that with brilliant albums like "Yankee Foxtrot Hotel" and "A Ghost is Born" that Farrar has been eclipsed by his talented and at the time junior partner in Uncle Tupelo, Jeff Tweedy. There is no need for a competitive comparison since both delivered brilliant music since the split.' That said, this 20th-anniversary edition of "Trace" demands that the music of Jay Farrar be reconsidered and re-examined. From listening to this album again, you suspect that Farrar may have produced something longer lasting and permanent that will stand the test of time much better than the music of his immediate peers.