STACK NZ Magazine December Issue 58

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JB Hi-Fi
ROGERWILCO,
OVER & ONWARDS
T he story of Wilco is full of ironies,
wrong turns and barely credible
shifts of direction and personnel.
The band that formed out of Uncle Tupelo
– which was in the vanguard of alt.
country in the early ‘90s – made intricate
and experimental indie.pop-rock on 1999’s
Summerteeth then slewed further left
with their Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in 2002 . .
. which their record company refused to
release. At the end of those sessions
mainman Jeff Tweedy – a troubled soul
steeped in self-doubt and drugs –
dumped longtime pal and co-producer
Jeff Bennett, and Wilco’s constant
line-up changes continued.
For well over a decade it seemed
Wilco could simply fall apart from internal
and external pressures. Everyone agreed
Tweedy could be hard to work with, when
he wasn’t completely withdrawn. And yet
here they are today – two decades on
from their formation – a stable line-up for
many years, Tweedy now a much more
well adjusted fellow. He’s witty even,
now an engaging stage performer, and
Wilco a band that has as much appeal to
those who like their rock edgy and out-
there (largely due to guitarist Nels Cline
in the ranks) as those with an ear for
a great straight-ahead song.
To acknowledge their two decades,
Tweedy has compiled a very useful
double disc What’s Your 20? Essential
Tracks 1994-2014 and across 38 songs it
charts a chronological course from their
1995 debut AM through to 2009’s Wilco
(The Album). Tweedy doesn’t exactly
write Bennett out of the story on this
collection – he co-wrote seven of these –
but it certainly favours his own angular-
tunesmith approach. It also includes two
of the best songs from the first Mermaid
Avenue album in 1998 with Billy Bragg
(the country-flavoured Hesitating Beauty
and the gorgeously lo-fi pop of
California Stars, both still in their live set)
where they put Woody Guthrie lyrics
to music. So here’s a double disc which
sometimes sounds like classic Stones
(Casino Queen), sometimes experimental
rock (Misunderstood) and at others dreamy
and melancholy alt.folk (the aforementioned
California Stars) or a broken balladeer at the
piano (Red Eyed and Blue).
For more reviews, overviews and
interviews by Graham Reid see:
Graham Reid looks back on two decades of turmoil – and great music – fromWilco.
Then, they really start to mix things up
on the second, much like when Radiohead
and U2 did their sideways shift from
the expected.
The Wilco journey has always been worth
taking, mostly because Tweedy could inject a
profound and mysterious melancholy into his
voice, while the band swirled around him. He
sounded like a man lost in the 20th century.If
they have somehow gone past you, then this
is an excellent introduction.
But if you’ve been a longtime follower, then
archivist Cheryl Pawelski has something
extra special: the four CD collection of
rarities and oddities under the banner Alpha
Mike Foxtrot; Rare Tracks 1994-2014 with
a 64-page booklet of notes by Tweedy,
various band members and lots of photos.“
Like a lot of fans, I had collected these
straggling tracks over the past two decades
of following Wilco’s every move,” Pawelski
says. “Alpha Mike Foxtrot includes almost
every unique, essential performance that
appeared on soundtracks, tribute albums
and B-sides—and there are probably a few
surprises for even the sharpest collector.
This set presents an alternate history
of the band, kind of a sideways view,
and ultimately, it’s a super-fun listening
experience.” Okay, we in this country would
never say “super-fun” – and certainly not
about a band like Wilco. But, with plenty of
live versions – and Wilco usually delivered
something special live – plus odd covers
(Steely Dan’s Any Major Dude Will Tell You),
songs with guests (I Shall Be Released with
Fleet Foxes, You and I with Feist among
them) plus demos and Tweedy solo, this is a
real box of diamonds and unpolished gems
for the serious fan.
Serious-fun, we might say.