WILCO PART ONE: Being Wilco

In 1993 I saw band called Uncle Tupelo.  I liked the mix of Country music and Rock and Roll.  I also liked the rawness of the whole thing.  They were not trying to be the music of the time which was Grunge. They were channeling Big Star, Replacements, Alex Chilton and everyone else.  It was brilliant.  The live show was unreal and loud, I mean really loud.  I loved it so much I felt transported to a Flying Burrito Bros show from 1969.

When Uncle Tupelo disbanded I jumped on the new project called Wilco.  It was a quick conversion for me.  I was curious what this band was going to do.  Was this Uncle Tupelo Junior or this is something new and fresh.  In June of 1995 I saw this Wilco and was blown away.  They perfected everything I was thinking of.  They removed the warts they had when they were Tupelo and they perfected everything to fine edge.  There sonic personality (as ALLMUSIC put it) came through. It was something to be hold.  After the show I waited for a signature of my cd and sure enough Jeff Tweedy greeted about two dozen of us.  He was nervous with his stardom, he was scarred that he became that popular to sign things for us.  He handed us guitar picks and told us they will be worth about $1.00 twenty years from now.  He quickly signed and went on his merry way thanking us about a dozen times.

In 1996 I was hanging out at the local book and CD store.  I was friends with a few people who worked there.  One day my friend was putting new promos in the drawer for later plays and looked at me and asked me if I liked a band called Wilco.  With excitement I said yes, they are pretty cool.  He handed me a Promo of their new album.  We are not going to play this so take it home, plus we have a second copy.  It was the album called Being There a two cd full of music.  19 songs of music on two compact discs.  I tell people to this day if Exile on Main Street was The Rolling Stones opus, then this will be Wilco's.  Each song on the album had its own individuality.

When you hear the songs on Being There you can see their influences on their sleeve.  A great example is Outta Mind (Outta Sight)."  It has this flavor of Beach Boys for sure.  Back in 1996 It was a great example of the Beach Boys influence.  Not many bands would pay this homage to them back then I'm sure of it.  Another song that still gives me goosebumps is "Misunderstood."  The song is full of distortion and a few quiet moments that then go back into distorted greatness.  My kind of song.  It logically feels different then most of the other songs on the album the only one comes close would be the lead off track of Disc 2 "Sunken Treasure."   

The other day I got the deluxe edition in the mail the other day.  I was looking at the live show that comes with it.  The Live at the Troubadour concert really shows that Wilco was coming into their own.  Being There would be anybody's opus, but this shows what the endless possibilities that Wilco had up their sleeve.  Their next album with Jay Bennett Summerteeth their momentum.  The problem with Wilco their music is so good, that there is no bad album in the bunch.  The string of eight great albums makes it hard to pick and choose.  I seriously cant wait for their newest album Ode To Joy. So there has been  a few line-up changes, but that makes Wilco better and in a future post I will talk about this further.

Wilco could do no wrong in 1996 an album that is chock full of great hooks, addicting guitar solos, whit and wisdom from Jay and Jeff and album that is soaked full of their influences.  These influences include The Byrds, Big Star, and the Rolling Stones.  I converted myself into a bigger Wilco fan after this album.  I even converted a co-worker into one.  I was even converted into a Wilco groupie by going to their shows.  Twenty-five and counting last I checked.  They are incredible live and don't expect a two hour show and say goodbye and thank you.  Tweedy's banter between songs and giving the fans their moneys worth is the objective.  Reading this I'm sure you also know about Solid Sound Festival they do.  So Wilco is your band, and your music and your ears will thank you for adding them to the musical greatness that we love Wilco for again and again.  WILCO ROCKS!  :)