Uncle Tupelo - Live At Lounge Ax

[TCP]

Tonight on The Tweedy Show, Jeff announced that an announcement is coming tomorrow (though, to me, he didn't seem 100% if tomorrow is in fact the correct date, so if not tomorrow soon) that a live Uncle Tupelo record is coming out. Must be soon, because they had the actual LP.  The full title, at least on the front cover is "Uncle Tupelo Live March 24, 1994 Lounge Ax Chicago". Front cover features photo booth pictures of Jeff, Jay, Max (I think?), and John with what I assume is Ken. Or I have Ken and Max mixed up. Forgive me. Back cover is the stage with the setlist and the inner gatefold is the crowd. The copy Jeff had was black vinyl. I also spied a WXRT logo on the back cover, with some internet sleuthing it appears this show was originally a radio broadcast and has been floating around the internet as a bootleg for years and years. Label looks to be a collab between dBpm and Jay's Transmit Sound which is cool.

According to Setlist.fm, which of course is never wrong, the setlist was:

1. Chickamauga
2. Watch Me Fall
3. Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down 
4. Fifteen Keys
5. The Long Cut
6. New Madrid
7. Sandusky
8. Looking for a Way Out
9. Slate
10. Atomic Power (The Louvin Brothers cover)
11. Acuff-Rose
12. We've Been Had
13. Give Back the Key to My Heart
14. Postcard
15. Gun
16. Effigy (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)

 

Black Friday Record Store Day is coming up, could be tied to that? I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

[Analogman]

I wonder if this the same live UT album that suppose to come out years ago. The timing of this release is interesting - as someone just put out a upgraded version of the show. 

 

Quote

UNCLE TUPELO

Lounge Ax, Chicago, IL
March 24, 1994

*Uncle Tupelo Upgrade Series, Vol. 1*

Source: WXRT 93.1 FM > Denon DTR-80P
Transfer: Master DAT > Tascam DA-20 > Marantz CDR510 > CDR(1) > EAC (secure mode) > FLAC

Taped by Jeff S, transferred by mrpember

01- DJ intro
02- Chickamauga
03- Watch Me Fall
04- Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down (traditional)
05- Fifteen Keys
06- The Long Cut
07- New Madrid
08- Sandusky
09- Looking For A Way Out
10- Slate*
11- Atomic Power (Louvin Brothers cover)
12- Acuff-Rose
13- We've Been Had
14- Give Back the Key to My Heart (Doug Sahm cover)
15- Postcard
16- Gun
17- Effigy (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
18- DJ outro

* brief FM static at 3:03


LINEUP:

Jay Farrar: guitar, mandolin, vocals
Jeff Tweedy: bass, guitar, vocals
Ken Coomer: drums
John Stirratt: guitar, bass, backing vocals
Max Johnston: fiddle, dobro, mandolin, banjo

 

[A Radio Cure]

Looks like it is a Record Store Day Black Friday release.  Limited to 2,500 copies. It says "First Release," which I think means that it is supposed to be released traditionally later on if I'm not mistaken.

https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/13191

[calvino]

What a pic --- looks like they all had a smoke and took a picture.  

 

[TCP]

15 hours ago, TCP said:

Black Friday Record Store Day is coming up, could be tied to that? I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

 

Dammit I hate when I'm right all the time.

 

2 hours ago, A Radio Cure said:

Looks like it is a Record Store Day Black Friday release.  Limited to 2,500 copies. It says "First Release," which I think means that it is supposed to be released traditionally later on if I'm not mistaken.

https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/13191

 

Live at the Troubadour was limited to 5000 world wide, this is 2500 but I assume that's just North America, maybe UK/Euro will bring it up to 5000 worldwide?? I hope so, because Troubadour seemed to be hard to find after RSD.

[Marijn]

Looks like this is the same recording that has been available for quite some time now, both on CD and streaming services:

https://www.deezer.com/en/album/11684506

 

Edit: I see that the new vinyl has a couple of extra tracks (Grindstone / Anodyne / High Water / Whiskey Bottle). Interesting..

[Analogman]

I'd say that cd/record is a bootleg or "grey market" release. There is no need to buy that. 

[Marijn]

Probably true - I removed the Amazon link. 

 

However, I find it surprising that streaming services apparently do not differentiate between official releases and bootlegs...

[Analogman]

There is a lot of those FM recordings to be found on Amazon. There is some sort of legal loop hole that makes it possible for those to be sold. Those are probably just the same audio files we already have pressed on a cd and slapped together with cheap artwork. 

[bböp]

10 hours ago, Marijn said:

Looks like this is the same recording that has been available for quite some time now, both on CD and streaming services:

https://www.deezer.com/en/album/11684506

 

Edit: I see that the new vinyl has a couple of extra tracks (Grindstone / Anodyne / High Water / Whiskey Bottle). Interesting..

 

Fwiw, it looks like there are multiple versions of this show floating around. At least one, maybe two, different audience recordings and then the capture of what was broadcast on WXRT radio back in the day (which wasn't the complete show). The latter seems to be the one that has been widely bootlegged, like just about every radio session by a noteworthy band. Anyway, I'm hoping that since this is the "official" release of this show (with Jeff and Jay's authorization, presumably) that they were able to obtain the complete WXRT recording — I'm assuming off the soundboard — and get it mastered for vinyl.

 

Incidentally, I had been wondering if this was the final Uncle Tupelo show at Lounge Ax and indeed it was. The band would play its final shows at Mississippi Nights in St. Louis just over a month later. Anyway, this show that's coming out looks like it was the third night of a three-night stand, with support from The Handsome Family. Some more info on the run, including a scan of the setlist from this final Lounge Ax show, here (note: this site also notes the multiple recordings of this show).