Wilco: The Thread

[ALady]

I've called in a favor.  Won't know until last minute, but that'd be great.

[YouAre_GivenToFly]

Hmmm.... $100 is steep, but its charity, and 500 capacity?! Might have to try for this one.

[YouAre_GivenToFly]

Wilco's Tiny Desk Concert @ NPR - video

I love Glenn Kotche.

[Jahmazed]

I love the Natalie Merchant song "Birds and Ships" on the first Mermaid album as well.  Last year, Wilco were closing many of their shows with "Hoodoo Voodoo" from the Mermaid albums, which included some great guitar dueling at the end.

I got extremely lucky over the weekend and scored two tickets to their show at the Metro in Chicago.  Very small venue for them.  They first sold out the Civic Opera House, and then added shows, selling out one at a time, at the Riviera, The Vic and The Metro.  Each venue is subsequently smaller.  Rumor has it they may add one more at an even smaller club.  To avoid scalpers, they have been placing a two ticket limit and will call only for pickup.  The person who ordered has to have ID and the credit card they used to get the tickets, and all members of the party have to enter at the same time, no exceptions.

This Incredible Shrinking Tour of Chicago could almost come compare in epic-ness to T5 for me.. (if I could go)

And btw Wilco is doing a great job at stopping scalping    It was almost impossible for people to find a way to resell at the Boston show unless you wanted to sit next to the person you just scalped to  ;D.  While I'm sure will-call only sucks for those few that can't make it the rest of us benefit - at least there are no $500 tickets on stubhub! 

[walterfredo]

Well that presale sucked. Swing and a miss!

[e_wind]

I watched I Am Trying To Break Your Heart last night. Good documentary. Interesting info about Reprise Records (idiots). Everyone in Wilco seems like they're super sad people.

Its on Netflix, btw if anyone's wanting to watch.

[YouAre_GivenToFly]

I watched I Am Trying To Break Your Heart last night. God documentary. Interesting info about Reprise Records (idiots). Everyone in Wilco seems like they're super sad people.

Its on Netflix, btw if anyone's wanting to watch.

I think they've gotten a little happier over the years. Jeff did an interview with CBS Sunday Morning a few years ago that was interesting, and he seems better now that he's managed his addictions. I've read a few interviews where he's shunned the idea that he's a tortured artist. That really is a great film though, at such a pivotal time in the band.

[Penny Lane]

I watched I Am Trying To Break Your Heart last night. God documentary. Interesting info about Reprise Records (idiots). Everyone in Wilco seems like they're super sad people.

Its on Netflix, btw if anyone's wanting to watch.

ha...watched it again last night, too..you should read the Koch book
lots and more of the same info..plus it talks about how physically sick Jeff was during that time period (for example the constant vomiting)...+ tension with Jay Bennett + record company issues...it was tumultuous which makes for one of the greatest rocumentaries ever..

[headhunter]

I completely agree with Penny.  One of the all time great rockumentaries.

And yes, any big Wilco fan should also read the book.  Highly recommended!

[Shug]

I get why people like the documentry on making Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but its pretty joyless and grey and depressing to me.  That's not at all the Wilco I love, they are so much better now that they got past all that bullshit.  Tweedy had migraines and was addicted to pain meds to try to control them, but it wasn't like he was drinking himself to death or addicted to heroin or something else more obviously self-destructive.

I guess you could go down the whole philosphical rabbit-hole of does an unhappy artist make better art than one who is content and happy question with Tweedy.  I do think there is some truth to that, but in the case of Wilco, I think their live show is far better now that it was in 2003, even if their studio work may be more pleasant than challenging these days.

I vastly prefer to watch the Ashes of American Flags dvd.  There is some good documentary stuff in that film, too, although its much more about live music than I Am Trying To Break Your Heart is.  E wind, if you haven't seen Ashes, watch it to balance out the picture on Wilco.  I don't think they are that sad as the other film portrays them, certainly they aren't any more.

[oistheone]

Ashes kicks ass. One of the best straight concert films I own. Beautifully shot too. Can't second that recommendation enough.

[oistheone]

Another Wilco DVD I'd endorse tracking down would be the Sky Blue Sky bonus DVD "Shake It Off". The DVD is comprised of interview clips and performances from the loft during the recording of SBS. Some of the performances on this DVD trump the album performances, in my opinion. Not that they are incredibly different, but actually seeing the music makes all the difference. The version of "Impossible Germany" on this DVD will cause permanent jaw dislocation. The sound is great too!

[Penny Lane]

The music was better to me when Jay Bennett was there and the arrival of Jim O'Rourke to Jeff Tweedy's life represents a turning point. I love all their albums but nothing will ever beat Summerteeth, BT and YHF. But I understand it was necessary for the band to change and move on. So I guess from all that turmoil came one of my favorite albums of all time, another reason why I see this as a monumental film.

[ChiefOKONO]

Wilco is maturing, but it is not growing soft

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-ca-wilco-20110925,0,7815044,full.story

[e_wind]

Got a question for you guys:
I'm trying to convince my lady that Wilco will be her second favorite modern band, and she's trying to convince me the same of Radiohead. What is your favorite song for a mix - and why? Im still in my discovery phase myself, and just keep saying "Yankee hotel foxtrot is perfect". I want to make a mix, but don't feel I'm entitled to do so because I don't even own Wilco (the album) or Sky Blue Sky.  I find if there is a reason why it's awesome, a small musical detail or lyric, it's easier to jump into. For example, if I was to tell someone to listen to jacket I could say "listen to dondante - because when the "you had me worried" part kicks in, it's amazing.

Also, if you like Radiohead, head to that thread for the same post :)

[YouAre_GivenToFly]

Unfortunately, I don't think there are many (any?) standout moments like that in W(TA). On SBS, the guitar work on Impossible Germany is pretty outstanding.

If you're looking for a good mix, try to find the audio from their "Ashes of American Flags" DVD... and add a couple tracks (Art of Almost and the title track) from their latest album.

[marino13]

-Since you mentioned Dondante, "At Least That's What You Said" has a similar feel, very slow to start and then a massive Neil Young style jam at the end.  It is amazing in concert. 

-The strings and smooth vibe of Jesus, Etc. sound amazing on a good set of speakers.  This one is much better in studio.

-The numerous Nels Cline guitar freakouts throughout "Handshake Drugs" (any live version) and then the wall of sound guitar to close out the song.  Must be listened to at maximum volume. 

-The string buzz on "Someone Else's Song".

-On "Say You Miss Me" toward the end when he sings "I've been messed up...since the break-up...what I need you to say, is everything's okay".

-Live version of "Misunderstood" when Jeff sings "I'd like to thank you all for nothing..nothing..nothing..." and screams nothing about twenty times.


Those are just a handful off the top of my head.  However, without knowing your lady's tastes in general, I don't know which Wilco characteristic to accentuate the most.

[YouAre_GivenToFly]

Since you mentioned Handshake Drugs... the bass through that entire song is just absolutely incredible.

[marino13]

Yes, reminds me of "Stuck in the Middle with You" by Stealer's Wheel. 

[Shug]

If you're looking for a good mix, try to find the audio from their "Ashes of American Flags" DVD... and add a couple tracks (Art of Almost and the title track) from their latest album.

I probably sound like a broken record, but again I think Ashes of American Flags is the best officially released Wilco, better than all of their studio albums.  To me, it presents Wilco at their strongest.

There is the pounding three-chord rock of Monday that is as good as the Stones at their very best, IMO and the lilting and melodic beauty of You Are My Face (that also gets loud for a few moments), the slightly tongue-in-cheek country ballad Its Just That Simple, and there there are live show warhorses like A Shot In the Arm, War On War, I'm The  Man Who Loves You and Handshake Drugs for which it'd be hard to find better performances of.  Impossible Germany on there is fantastic, too.  Its got the noisy weirdness in via Chicago, too.  I'd use Ashes for most of the compilation.  Kingpin is a snaky blues riff, but live its got the singalong part that isn't that great when I'm not watching the DVD, but the crescendo is huge and vastly satisfying.  The studio version is weak, IMO.

I'd add in some stuff that was already mentioned like the angsty art/noise rock of At Least That's What You Said, Misunderstood, Poor Places and I'm Trying To Break Your Heart from the live Kicking Television.

Yeah, without knowing what she likes, its hard to make specific recs.  She may dig the bittersweet melodic pop of She's A Jar from Summerteeth and Say You Miss Me from Being There or the folk rock of What Light from Sky Blue Sky or the ballad Reservations from YHF.  Maybe the noise rock would turn her off or maybe she would love that, I dunno.  Maybe she'd dig the country folky stuff like Forget The Flowers and Airline To Heaven?  Wilco is pretty diverse stylistically. Lots of directions you could go in.