keeprighton2

Agreed. That song has "opener" written all over it.

Yep, was fully expecting Wilco The Song first. But BBN was straight out of the traps though to be honest it was a bit challenged on volume - quite a bit of yelling to 'turn it up' around me. I think because of the sensitive setting of this particular festival and the eco vibe they couldn't crank it up which was a shame. Still was a great start and soon followed by a killer quartet - One Wing, Via Chicago, Impossible Germany and Deeper Down back to back. Top stuff.

London should be interesting. Think it's Tweedy's birthday too.

Decent crowd in for this one - Wilco last on in what's a boutique festival in stunning surroundings - only two main stages and the boys were up against Hawkwind last thing at night on the Sunday - not too many had made early exits for home.

Tweedy quiet for most of the set but seemed very relaxed if a little spaced out after being in Holland the night before for Lowlands and somewhere else the night before that. After Deeper Down it was something along the lines of 'How could we not play that one at a folk festival' (well it used to be but alot of the current folk inspired big hitters were here, Bon Iver, Grizzly Bear, Vetiver etc). Not much banter though, aside from trying to get the crowd to clap along in Spiders: 'Not bad, but it didn't look like a Queen concert!'

Hair's getting a bit wild now - starting to look like a proper rock star hairdo - he kept pushing it forward almost covering his face.

Hoodoo Voodoo was a good festival choice - crowd enjoyed the comedy guitar duelling between Pat and Nels and it sounded fantastic.

Nice festival - had to laugh watching Amorphous Androgynous in the Far Out stage tent. Was like a Spinal Tap 60's hippy freak out - all long hair, beards, bangra, headbands, beads, gowns and freaky dancing - Tangerine Dream featuring Devendra Banhart and the Grateful Dead, all on speed. Funny, as was Nick Nicely doing something similar playing the entire set with what appeared to be a bag over his head.

Just got back - it's 3am - Wilco offstage at midnight having headlined main stage at 2230.

Big crowd of 10,000 or so in beautiful amphitheatre in Welsh mountains.

Stellar setlist:

BBN

You Are My Face

Muzzle

IATTBYH

One Wing

VC

Impossible Germany

Deeper Down

Wilco The Song

Jesus Etc

Handshake Drugs

Hate It Here

ITMWLY

Spiders

Hoodoo Voodoo

----------

Late Greats

I'm A wheel

More later after zzzz's

With all of the quality soundboards (and heck, even awesome audience recordings) and DVDs of older shows available, what would you hope to gain from an official release?

Why? Because this was Wilco at their peak, before they hit the comfort zone. 'Ashes' and 'ALTWYS' are untouchable here. These versions are of a band finding their stride and some fresh inspiration every night. Four years on I feel that there's a touch of going-through-the-motions when they play live, however slick they are. Back then Tweedy gave the impresssion that his life depended on it, just like all the best rock'n'roll. It's all a bit comfortable now.

Have always thought Paddy McAloon was underappreciated. 'Bonny' is indeed a beauty, and 'Cars and Girls', while lampooning old Bruce is a fine tune. Anyone else think he sounds a bit like Mark Eitzel at times (American Music Club)?

It had been hard for me to come to terms with the fact that Wilco is simply a band on the creattive decline.

 

Sky Blue Sky and (The Album) are indicative of the creative demise that we've all witnessed in many other bands in the past.

 

ie. The Replacements, The Grateful Dead, and My Morning Jacket just to name a few.

 

While they still play great live, I find myself less pysched to see them live since the setlists are dominated by the newest lame material.

 

Is anybody else depressed by Wilco(The Decline) ?

 

Is a bounce back possible? I am doubtful unless Tweedy starts smoking weed again.

It's simple really. Fans of little known but criticially lauded bands always feel betrayed when they move on to a wider audience. I know exactly where you're coming from here. You don't want to like them any more because the new audience is 'not worthy'. It's a kind of jealousy, resentment (towards the new fans), because the band is no longer in your private club anymore.

It's always been this way. You like making the discoveries and cherishing 'new' finds and the 'gatecrashers' just come and steal the magic. It was ever thus. I guarantee if your aunt come and tells you how she likes that 'You Never Know' song she heard on the radio you won't want to play it again.

Music snobs? Probably. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Atleast you can always say 'I saw them before they were famous'....

Wow. I don't really know which to start with. First of all, to even say that a "bounce back" needs to happen through drug use in order to meet your own desire for a certain musical aesthetic is incredibly low, especially considering what this great songwriter has been through. Not to mention extremely selfish, as you are basically hoping that Tweedy smokes marijuana in order to make music that you want to hear. Also, the fact that you think that smoking weed is needed for your desired aesthetic to be made is simply ludicrous. Records like YHF and Summerteeth were crafted through musical ingenuity and talent, and the desire to create what was made AT THAT TIME.

 

In addition, who says that a "bounce back" is even required? I think it is stupid to say that Wilco are in a musical place that they need to bounce out of... Your argument is based on the fact that the past two records haven't been YHF or AGIB, or the other earlier works... This is obvious. Just like those records, the band created SBS and W(TA) based on what they wanted to make at the time, and what they knew to be their best musical statement. I believe this in itself is extremely mature and musically innovative. Besides, THEY are the ones with the artistic vision. We as listeners cannot decide what they want to make, nor is it fair to expect them to meet a certain musical aesthetic. I think that SBS and W(TA) are prime examples of an innovative band for these reasons.. they are putting forth what they feel the best creating. What more can be asked of artists?

 

By the way, If you want your "non-declining" wilco, then a record called Yankee Hotel Foxtrot exists, for you to listen to! Imagine that!

Man I love some "Be True." One of my favs from Tracks.

Have you heard the live version of Be True from the 1988 release of Tougher Than The Rest? Four tracks on it, those two plus acoustic version of BTR and one other, ah yes, Chimes Of Freedom, great version too, live in Sweden from '88. Be True here is much better than the demo version on Tracks.

do you think 5 shows is too many? Would it get old?

Right, if you've never done Europe before, here's what you should do.

Probably the cheapest and most plentiful transatlantic flights come into Heathrow so start in London and hit The Forum in Kentish Town on Nov 4th - just up the road from Camden Town which is worth a mooch around if you don't mind the hordes of student tourists (good venue aswell - holds about three thousand and you can get close in the standing areas downstairs).

From London you can hop on the train to Brussels via the tunnel - and catch the show there. It's a grand city in the centre - architecture that you'll never see in the US. From there Europe is a playground with enormous riches. If it were me and I was taking in five shows around the continent (it's easy to get around by train, plane or bus and even more fun driving) I would go to Zurich (Switzerland is amazing and you might catch some early skiing in November), Florence because it's one of the world's most beautiful cities (even in November) and then, of course, you end up in Amsterdam because it's, well, Amsterdam. From there an easy hop back to London and home from there.

I will be at The Forum show with some buddies and would be happy to show you around town. PM me if you're interested.

Cheers,

Chris

http://www.davidgray.com/news/

 

Anyone else looking forward to this?

 

White Ladder is still one of my favourite albums ever...

When he was about 15 I once played football (soccer) with young Mr Gray for a little team called Solva, a lovely fishing village in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. His dad used to run a small clothes shop there. Can't say I'm much of a fan of his music though (maybe Babylon aside)

What comments ?

Something along the lines of however many gigs they play in UK they always sell exactly the same number of records so not inclined to play many gigs here. Though he did say he's playing at Troxy in London on his birthday in August so it can't be all bad!

....and then there was the whole acid house thing around the time of the Mondays, the ectasy taking, the raves in the middle of nowhere in the late 80's, second summer of love and all that. It all became part of popualr sub-culture, made the news all the time. Middle England was aghast, just as it was when the Pistols turned the air blue on live television and punk went overground overnight, shocking the moral majority. Couldn't really happen in the US cos it's too big though I guess the web's immediacy is changing that.

I think over here in blighty music's always linked much closer to popular sub-culture tha in the US, that's why he get 'scenes' happening that spread quickly. ie 'punk' in the 70's, the 'baggy' scene in the late 80's with the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, the whole thing was part of a wider fashion sub-culture. That always happens over here, I suppose because it's a smaller country and word gets round the cities fast.

Remember an agitated Tweedy walking onstage at Glastonbury in 1999 with a brutal 'Hello cocksuckers' before berely saying anything for the rest of the show. He's often also referred to the fact that he's had a 'history' with British audiences, mentioned it a few times at London gigs I've been to.

ok, second round:

 

4. pieholden suite

5. radio cure

6. side with the seeds

 

 

EDIT: i want to replace one of my six with ELT, but i don't know which one.

Allright then, and we'll go a bit further....

PKB

Ashes (KT)

Misunderstood (KT)

ALTWYS (KT)

Pieholden

She's A Jar

all the above =1st

You do that very well. Stripped down like that I can hear what a good song it is. Nice one.

Allow stuff from Kicking Television (which after all, in the live setting, is where the modern Wilco count the most) and I reckon the list would change quite a bit.

Via Chicago, Ashes, Misunderstood, ALTWYS would all be higher (well they would in my list anyway). I hardly ever listen to anything but live versions, official or not.

That said PKB is one of the rare Wilco songs that sounds better (just) IMO on record than it does live.

Are you the Wendy in Born To Run, Wendy?

Rumbled

Are you the author of this article, keeprighton2?

Are you the Wendy in Born To Run, Wendy?

I was just going to post that after hearing it more closely now, but you beat me to it. The intro has Nick Drake-style finger picking, for sure.

....more than that, isn't the little organ flourish at the start very reminiscent of Nick Drake's classic 'Northern Sky'

You must hate the Being There too eh?

There's nothing on BT with as much polar opposition as those two songs

Thank God.

 

 

And enough already with the "dad rock" BS! At least come up with something original.

But that's what it is, no? Two very uptempo songs - Bull Black Nova and Sunny Feeling do not sound like they've been made in the same decade let alone by the same band on the same album. I want the albums to be a 'whole' , not flying off in all styles and directions.....

That's an odd comment, CD is actually the most 'Dad Rock' song on the album.

 

I wonder how much Pitchfork will rate this, 3.2 or something? I mean, even on their fan board this album gets panned.

Its only slighlty dadrock but he gets out of jail with a great vocal.

Sonny is dadrock - fuckin awful cheese

Spiders eat bees, but they reconciled the two okay - right?

You taking drugs?