Son Volt – Trace (30th Anniversary Record Store Day Black Friday 2025 reissue)

The Jayhawks’ Blue Earth (1989) and Uncle Tupelo’s No Depression (1990) were my introduction to alt-country. When Uncle Tupelo broke up, and Jay Farrar formed Son Volt, and Jeff Tweedy formed Wilco, I followed them both. Both bands had great debuts, but Son Volt’s Trace (1995) was stronger than Wilco’s A.M. (1995). If you were buying futures on the two bands in 1995, Son Volt would have been the obvious bet; however, over time, Wilco ended up winning the race. Perhaps Son Volt was hampered by Trace being perfect.

I have had a CD version of Trace since 1995, and over the years, I have been tempted to get a vinyl version, but I never pulled the trigger. This 30th anniversary 2-LP Record Store Day edition marks the album’s first U.S. vinyl pressing since 2015 and includes a second disc of bonus tracks making their vinyl debut. I couldn’t resist.

The vinyl pressing sounds excellent, and I had forgotten how great this album is. There isn’t a bad song on the album. The bonus material is not essential, but it is a nice-to-have.

What made Trace great was Jay Farrar’s wonderfully melancholy vocals, catchy songwriting, and arrangements that perfectly blended folk, country, and rock. This debut was the band’s/Farrar’s high-water mark – it is a perfect alt-country album.

Tracklist

Original Album
A1. WINDFALL
A2. LIVE FREE
A3. TEARSTAINED EYE
A4. ROUTE
A5. TEN SECOND NEWS
A6. DROWN 
B1. LOOSE STRING
B2. OUT OF THE PICTURE
B3. CATCHING ON
B4. TOO EARLY
B5. MYSTIFIES ME

Bonus LP
C1. TULSA COUNTY (SINGLE VERSION) 
C2. LOOKING AT THE WORLD THROUGH A WINDSHIELD
C3. REX’S BLUES
C4. AIN’T NO MORE CANE
C5. TEARSTAINED EYE (4-TRACK DEMO)
D1. DROWN (ALT.UNRELEASED DEMO)
D2. GOING GOING GONE
D3. ROUTE (ALT.UNRELEASED DEMO)
D4. HOLOCAUST
D5. I’VE GOT TO KNOW