Uncle Tupelo - Still Feel Gone(1991)=*****(out of 5)

     Still Feel Gone, the 1991 release from this remarkable band is nothing
short of greatness.  Many bands these days have a lot of trouble producing
a second album good enough to follow their first : Not Uncle Tupelo.
     Still Feel Gone shows much maturity from the bands No Depression
days from the previous year.  However, this would become the last Uncle
Tupelo record that you would find the punk, hard sound on.  Songs like
"Punch Drunk" and "Postcard" follow along the same lines as No Depression
with the roaring guitar riffs, but the majority of the album shows the
band's changes.  The album still speaks of alcohol and the problems within 
like the previous, but not quite to the same extent.  
     What I mean by this is that on No Depression, alcohol was spoken of in
a loud, angry way while on Still Feel Gone, it is spoken of more on a soft,
depressed, and sorrowful level.  Songs like "True To Life" and "Still Be
Around" are perfect examples of this off of Still Feel Gone.  Songs like
"Before I Break" off of No Depression shows Jay Farrar's anger towards his
problems. 
     Perhaps what is so outstanding about Still Feel Gone is the fact
that Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy combine their songwriting skills to
perfection.  Still Feel Gone would become Jeff Tweedy's best work to date,
while it would also become some of Farrar's strongest.  Jeff Tweedy rounds
off the album with the amazingly powerful opener "Gun" and the chilling
closer "If That's Alright."
     Jay Farrar fills the middle of the record with incredible numbers like
"Looking For A Way Out," "Still Be Around," "Punch Drunk," "Postcard,"
"True To Life," and "Discarded."  Everyone of these tunes will make you
cry, shiver, and dance until you can't take anymore.
     The 1991 release of Still Feel Gone is one of the greatest recordings
of all time.  With absolutely no low points and incredible climaxes, this
record was a perfect follow up to the bands first release No Depression. 
Although the album has its loud, smoking guitar tracks, it also shows a
very big transition for the better within the band.
                                               --Tim Prizer