> Artist Picks: Son Volt's Jay Farrar

Artist Picks: Son Volt's Jay Farrar

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:48:21

Son Volt Videos

Together with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Son Volt frontman Jay Farrar was the driving force behind Uncle Tupelo, the band that is often credited with single-handedly reviving country-rock in the early '90s. But Farrar's influences extend far beyond such obvious touchstones as Gram Parsons and Neil Young. Here, he picks five of his favorite albums that haven't become cliches with the so-called "No Depression" crowd.
	Iggy & the Stooges Fun House
A prime example of capturing a band live in the studio at the peak of their powers. Ron Asheton's blazing, minimalist guitar made him the hero of proto-punk guitarists everywhere, and Iggy's caged-animal rants still haven't been topped by anyone.
	R.L. Burnside First Recordings
Timeless acoustic blues recordings from a Mississippi master, paid for with some whiskey and a case of beer—literally.
	Captain Beefheart Bluejeans & Moonbeams
Maybe the most misunderstood album from one of the world's most misunderstood artists. Here, Beefheart abandons his famously free-form blues/jazz/space-rock experiments and brings his bizarre sensibility to a set of straight-up '70s rockers. The results are like Steely Dan on acid.
	Richard & Linda Thompson Pour Down Like Silver
The last album they recorded before joining a Sufi Muslim commune for three years. Stark, bleak, but also incredibly heartfelt, and a model of restraint from a guitarist (Richard) who was capable of reeling off ten-minute solos, but chose economy and intimacy here.
	Jimmie Rivers Brisbane Bop
What? You've never heard of Jimmie Rivers? Don't worry—hardly anyone has. This live album, recorded in the early '60s, is the only record of Rivers and his band in action, and it's essential listening for any fan of western swing and proto-surf guitar.