Uncle Tupelo, ‘Screen Door (1989 Demo)’ – Exclusive Song Premiere

If Uncle Tupelo's 1990 debut, 'No Depression,' is the alt-country bible, Sony's fixing to hit fans with the genre's Dead Sea Scrolls: a two-disc Legacy Edition loaded with previously unreleased early material. Highlights include the 10-song 'Not Forever, Just For Now,' a set of demos the Illinois group cut with producer Matt Allison in 1989, and Diffuser is honored to premiere the version of 'Screen Door' captured at those sessions. Stream it below.

'Screen Door,' like many of the Allison tracks, wound up on 'No Depression,' a record that would inspire countless rock dudes to don Western shirts, pick up acoustic guitars, put away their razors and start singing shaggy punk-infused country tunes about women and whiskey.

Sadly, like many super influential bands, Uncle Tupelo weren't long for this world. The trio split up in 1994, and in years since, leaders Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar have found greater fame with their respective offshoot bands, Wilco and Son Volt.

In addition to the Allison demos, the 'No Depression' Legacy Edition features 'Live and Otherwise,' a self-released cassette from 1988, and 'Colorblind and Rhymeless,' a demo dating from a year earlier. All told, this collection is the Holiest of Holies for hole-in-the-heart troubadours, and it lands in stores on Jan. 28.