Central Scrutinizer

Also - as it was explained above, the old vinyl records were made from the same master as the cds.

 

On the other side of that, one of the reasons old cds generally sound like crap is due to the fact they were made using the same source as the last pressing of the vinyl record album.

 

At least you don't have record sleeves with advertisements on them for other albums these days. I also recall when cd booklets contained ads, and generic artwork.

 

I am not a fan of the loudness wars, and it is rare thing when re-issues come out right. There are some good ones out there, and some not so good ones.

Rockinrob, very good information. Thank you for the details. That explains a lot and raised some of the same questions that El Bacho touched upon. The proof will be in the pudding.

Analogman, I remember those points being made about CDs when I was debating whether to buy a player back in the 80s. As it turned out, my Mother bought me one so I eased into it. Besides starting from the vinyl masters, CD mastering also, IIRC, also took a lot of the ambiance out because they were hyper sensitive to make the CDs sound as "clean" as possible.

Instead of doing any sort of tweeting during the show I think I am going to drink an absurd amount of Alcohol, shout out loud obnoxious requests for Jesus Etc., and vomit in the middle of the Pit!!!! This isn't more annoying than a iphone is it????

Only if you vomit on your iPhone and the camera goes off.

good riddance. i'm history.

That was a close shave.

Bluegrass casino queen

I don't know if anyone noted this but, recently listening to Tweedy-Bennett at Old Town School Of Folk Music Festival (7-25-99) and this is the same version of Casino Queen they played. Did Tweedy do this version solo or did the original lineup ever do it in this fashion? Like Tweedy channeling Tombstone Blues?

I couldn't imagine the show being better unless Wilco unveils the 24-minute version of At Least That's What You Said.

That would give the crew more than ample time to put up/take down for the "acoustic" set.

"Acoustic" isn't exactly appropriate thing to call it. Maybe "backstage/on-stage"?

It's the same kid!!!! I know because he sat right behind me during that show on the second row in Charleston! I never forget a face... Crazy how he's gotten to go on stage with Jeff twice now.....

I was gonna say, "same kid," but he looks about 5 years older, or at least considerably less a doughy teen. Obviously going from the teen period where everything defines, before it begins shifting southward.

I think the way they pull it all together is very cool. They're mixing it up. Honestly, it's a no-win situation because people would be complaining "why the *#&$% didn't they play Heavy Metal Drummer?!?"

I've seen more than enough bands that play the same 17 songs in the same order in every city.

A couple of shots from the show, John with his upright and the wacky T shirt guy....

 

 

 

 

charles

Jeff pulled a kid up on stage in Charleston in August '08 that had that same T-shirt

I'm very curious -- and would love some input -- as to why the boys choose to basically play 75-80% of the exact same set every night. I guess I don't understand what would be inspiring or exciting about doing this night in and night out? They are clearly capable of playing every song in their canon, but they pretty much play the same, exact songs they played on the summer tour, the fall/winter tour, etc. I mean, really, when you return to cities in which you've already played the same songs as last time out, why would you not want to mix things up a bit. Enough already with the Incredible Germany/California Stars duo and the Walken/Hate it Here... I mean, I love these songs, but let's bring together some new combos! Just had to vent a bit... as I am gong to see them consecutive nights in Montclair, NJ next weekend and I'm afraid they're going to be doing basically the same setlist both nights. I'm super excited about these shows and especially the acoustic sets... but just cross my fingers for some real variety in the electric sets...

 

Thoughts on this?

I look at it this way: First, I would say 75 to 80 percent is an over-exaggeration.

If you go back through setlists of recent tours, there is 14-18 songs that are played in every show. With a normal 23 to 28-song set, that limits the other songs that can be interlaced between the "standards." The additional songs chosen for a set (remember, largely based on requests and what the band previous played in that town) has a greater chance of affecting the pacing of the show, so setlists vary a bit more -- tough there is a number of similar groupings based on songs selected.

You play a 33 to 35-song set, there is a good bit of variation. To ask the band to have a markedly different setlist each nite on a tour at that pace would be too much to ask. Instead, on this tour (at least so far) they have a format where the show opens, there are a few variations of the 14-18 songs, but there are 4-5 places in the setlist to plug in requests and different songs. This makes the "moving parts" more manageable.

In Savannah, in most cases I knew the songs that were coming. I also knew where to anticipate something different (and hope for the songs I requested) and I was never disappointed, and in a few places was sent looking for my socks.

Legit question. Ask them and find out.....

 

http://www.gatewaymastering.com/default.asp

 

...let us know if you hear anything.

Damn, if I knew homework was involved ...

O.K., here's a dumb question, and it probably comes down to semantics.

Looking at Nonesuch's Web site out of curiosity to see what they're selling the vinyl set for, they have a joint press release announcing the release and the start of the current tour. Among the "personnel," it lists:

Mastered for CD by Nick Webb at Abbey Road, London, UK

Re-mastered for vinyl by Robert C. Ludwig at Gateway Mastering, Portland, ME

So, my question is, "re-mastered for vinyl"? Does that mean Ludwig remasters the master done by Nick Webb, which was done for CD audio? Or would Ludwig go back to the original mix from Jim Scott and Stan Doty and move forward? If it's the former, how much would vinyl enhance the experience? One of the knocks of digital vs. analog is the issue of ambiant noise, and that it doesn't neatly fit into the world of ones and zeroes. A master made for a digital environment ignores, or at least doesn't acutely consider those aspects that make vinyl listeners ooh and ahh.

Another question is about the continuity of such a project. Looking at the same list of personnel, there's also this:

Recorded by Mike Konopka and Timothy Powell for Metro Mobile, Glenview, IL

Assisted by Dan Glomski, Michael Ways and Jordan McCormick

Mixed by Jim Scott with Stan Doty at Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, CA

You're talking four (arguably) five steps where decisions are made on the sound of this recording, then handed off to different pairs of ears to rehandle and re-manipulate the recording. I don't raise that as a knock, but more thinking out loud about the process and whether what you ultimately get on vinyl would match or even enhance the experience more than the 2005 release. Given the circumstances, maintaining the quality is an impressive enough goal.

"Wishful Thinking" has always reminded me of the Golden Girls theme.

At this point, I could use a handful of wheel, and a day off, and a bruised road, and a webcast of one of the remaining shows.

A version of a line from The Breakfast Club.

"Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place."??

I'm joking, your help is greatly appreciated.

The sound is pretty good -- Pat's Ed McMahon impression was hilarious.

I saw what bobbob meant about the acoustic set, there are parts that get drowned by the chatter -- although the taper says his mics were in front of the soundboard.

Very appreciative of his excellent efforts!

Best Wilco concert I've ever been to.. They played all my favorites, plus songs I've never seen them play live but always wanted to (ALTWYS, Via Chicago).

 

Plus, my kids had a blast! They were dancing, singing the whole time (except when my youngest fell asleep during the acoustic set... lol)

 

Our seats were excellent in the balcony, and the sound was great up there. Nearly 3 hours of Wilco.. Amazing!

Glad your kids enjoyed it. It was about midway through the post-acoustic songs and I looked up in the balcony and it was a sea of people dancing. It was the coolest scene.

After hanging on every setlist from Miami Beach, there's certainly more structure to their show than in previous tours. But about a minute into Ashes of American Flags, an awe set in of the moment. Following Nels fluid solo through the song, the thought hit me that, from Jeff and the band's perspective, to be able to hone setlists from such a catalog of music with variations from show to show, should be incredibly gratifying. I can't put words to it, but I'm afraid that's the closest I'll get ...

What show are you looking for? I am the eyes and ears of this institution, my friend, so I may be able to help you.

Analogman = Big Brother?

"Laverne & Shirley’ is reportedly set to hit the big screen, and will star Jennifer Garner and Jessica Biel, based on a script written by Jamie Foxx.

Gee, I wonder if there ends up being some part in there for an older relative, a swarthy crossdresser?

[edit: yes I know, Foxx instead of Farr]

This isn't 'Nam. There are rules.

I think rules in 'Nam was one of the conditions of the WTO.

Nels said he had a hard time playing because Gregg Allman was in the front row...

What a GRAND SETLIST, got Cali Stars and Wishful Thinking!!!!

I saw him and thought it was just a Gregg Allman wannabee. Looked too young and in too good of health to be Gregg!

Greetings everyone! I'm the guy with the Cherry Ghost shirt waiting at the bus.

Hey Al, I was the big guy in the black flowered shirt. Welcome to VC.

As a veteran of 31 Wilco shows, the first in '97, this one was a strange one. First, from the 5th row (equiv. of about 10/11th row factoring in the pit and aisle space), it sounded pretty close to terrible - a rare occurence at a Wilco show. Second, bizarre crowd, regardless of "why," & I am not snarking Savannah per se b/c it's a great, great city, but just not really that into it at all - and the band feeds off that. I saw that C'ville show, btw, a last show of a tour that was brilliant, so go figure on opinions. IMO it was far better than last night. Wish I could go to ATL but I am hitting a few of the Northeast shows where those crowds are always up for the give & take. Hard to believe it was 2:45 last night & yep, sure there were some damn fine songs but as a whole, comparing it to the many I've seen, just okay.

The sound definitely sucked out of the gate, but it improved a bit as it went on. I still think the band put their heads down and played a great show, regardless of audience.

I'd love it if Wilco played Not For The Season (Laminated Cat) last in the "acoustic" set and switch to electric for the big finish with Nels and Jeff on electric guitar.

It was intense without it ... with the full band working behind it it just rumbled along.

So they played I am tryig to break your heart twice? How is nels during the acoustic set? And what is spiders like acoustic? Does it sound like the way they played it after YHF before ghost?

Can't speak for how they played it then. It is very subdued but still builds its urgency. Jeff nuances the melody more than spiders, letting words carry and flow together rather than the staccato delivery of the more electric version.

Nels is a beast acoustically. Forget the flowers was a delight. I thought in the past he had played it with a slide, but it looked like standard tuning and he was up and down the next with sparkling flourishes.

Electric-wise, Nels' solos on Ashes of American Flags glowed and flowed like liquid mercury. The transitions into and out of the acoustic sets were inspired, airline to heaven flowed breezily from acoustic into a rollicking, electric-tinged conclusion as the smaller drum set, seats, lamps and periphery were cleared away.

So they played I am tryig to break your heart twice? How is nels during the acoustic set? And what is spiders like acoustic? Does it sound like the way they played it after YHF before ghost?

D'oh. I fixed it. Shorthand on my iPhone, and the lil bugger changed letters so I was guessing. I'm the Man Who Loves You. Sorry

Wishful Thinking

 

hope it stays for tomorrow night!

 

I bet the security was because of the "festival"

I think the cop who came out was just disappointed that Night Court got cancelled and he lost his gig.

Seriously, security was tighter than usual -- the did haul people out for using even iPhone cameras.