jracette

Can anyone tell me what's on the bonus CD that came with the box set that was presumably only available on Record Store Day? Suffice it to say that the Barnes and Noble in Fairbanks, Alaska was not participating.

LOL, fair enough.

Don't post here much, sporadically since Wilco's visit here in Alaska last summer sparked me to join the forum. Long time fan, bought a copy of Being There in 96 (was 16) and it more or less changed my life. I have many thoughts about this album, Wilco's recent output, reactions here, etc., and I can't really cohere them. This will be a ramble. I like The Album better than Sky Blue Sky. Sky Blue Sky was a disappointment. The Album is less of one, but some of it still chaps me. I really like several of the tunes here. I love The Song. I love that 13 years after Being There, in my mi

Count me among those pissed about the wack bonus content rollout. I live in Alaska and preordered the DVD but didn't get it until AFTER the DC show became unavailable. AND I had to create a new username to log into the Wilco site to even get access to the audio tracks from Ashes, because it did not show up in my menu under my old username. Displeased.

They Might Be Giants Talk Talk I know there are more, can't think of them off the top of my head.

I too am a big DFW fan saddened by his loss. Infinite Jest is awesome, but daunting. I might humbly suggest his book of nonfiction essays "Consider the Lobster" as a good entry point into his writing and thinking style. The breadth of topics is wide (the uncut, original article on John McCain's 2000 campaign, the title essay, an article about Tracy Austin, one about attending the AVN Awards, one on usage in the English language...) but the brilliance is uniform. I also loved his nonfiction book about infinity. I forgot which of the articles I've read in the aftermath of his death said it,

This thread has inspired me to track down Basinski's Disintegration Loops discs as well as the Music for 18 Musicians disc. I can't wait til they get here.

I would have to think so, they've played on the same bill at multiple festivals and both bands have close relationships with REM and Sonic Youth.

I see what you're saying. I agree about Mangum, but if Aeroplane (and On Avery Island I suppose) are all he gives us, that's enough for me. W/R/T the raging Wilco/Radiohead debate, I love both bands very much and both have made a lot of records that are extremely important to me. They are very different in some ways (many of which I think can be explained to varying degrees by European vs. American musical and lyrical traditions) and very similar in some ways (not the least of which is consistent awesomeness, such that comparatively weak records by these bands are still better than almost

I do think Up is somewhat underrated nowadays - when it came out I loved it for a period, then soured on it (the next two REM records were sort of responsible for that) and then I went back and listened to it again a couple of months ago and had my opinion of it rehabilitated somewhat. But New Adventures, THAT is a great album. By the way, we are talking about a band that, for most of my musically-aware life, could do no wrong so take what I say on the topic of REM with a grain of salt.

I agree that we are lucky they are available, I'm all in favor of getting as much music out there as possible. And I get the gist of the story of the show. I've listened to it once, and I probably won't listen repeatedly to it for the aforementioned reason. That's not to say I don't wish I was there, and also not to say I wouldn't have been singing just as loud. I bet the intimacy of the setting and the sense of community and of charity were amazing and that comes through, but I wasn't there so the recording doesn't mean as much to me as it does to someone who was. I don't mean to offend

I have to say, this is only good for Tweedy's between-song jibber jabber. The actual tunes are unlistenable thanks to the singing, much of it extremely loud.

An album about Anne Frank isn't serious? Man, I have to say I haven't heard a record as purely heartbreaking as In the Aeroplane ever, I don't think... "And I know they buried her body with others Her sister and mother and 500 families And will she remember me 50 years later I wished I could save her in some sort of time machine"

The poster above got the wrong REM album - New Adventures in Hi-Fi is the criminally underrated member of the REM discography. This was the last album with Bill Berry on board, and it also totally vindicates the artistic direction they had taken on Monster by incorporating the best elements of the glam-rock/celebrity culture skewering themes into the broader REM palette.

Extremely jealous of Hotel Arizona, one I've never heard live in many shows.

He also showed off this move in Anchorage, FWIW.

Anyone been watching classic 120 Minutes on VH1 Classic? Not quite the same because they don't have cuts of Pinfield dropping knowledge on us but still pretty cool. That show was actually instrumental in me discovering Wilco - I had read a review of Being There (simultaneous with Straightaways, actually) but never heard it, and then a couple of weeks later I saw Pinfield interview Tweedy followed by showing the Outtasite (Outta Mind) video and I was off and running.

My photos from the Alaska shows are finally up: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23431408@N05/ There are some good guitar hero action shots. Some of them turned out not so great - still learning to use a new camera. Also a few pics from the Whipsaws set in Fairbanks. Please enjoy!

Dibs!

I own that book. Lists like this are never 100% definitive IMO, just launching points for discussion, but my general criticisms of the book were too Brit centered (editor is a Brit) and too much emphasis on the psychedelic rock.

"Hate it Here" = "Far, Far Away" inverted. My, how things come full circle. Nobody was bitching in 1996 about the lack of obfuscation in that tune.

3 Feet High and Rising, essential album. Go forth and purchase... http://www.amazon.com/3-Feet-High-Rising-Soul/dp/B000000HHE

Wow, so much crap to sort through, but this will get me going. Reverse order, until the year of my birth... 2008 - The Black Keys, Attack and Release (probably will change) 2007 - The National, Boxer 2006 - Islands, Return to the Sea 2005 - Sufjan Stevens, Illinois (tough year, so many great records) 2004 - Arcade Fire, Funeral 2003 - Broken Social Scene, You Forgot it in People 2002 - Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot 2001 - Drive-By Truckers, Southern Rock Opera 2000 - Radiohead, Kid A 1999 - The Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin/Wilco, Summerteeth (unfair to make me decide between these two) 19

Where did you stay? Now I'm feeling bad for not getting on when the shows were announced and giving my food, entertainment, etc. recommendations. If anyone is coming to Alaska anytime I'm glad to help with that stuff, PM me if you like.

I do remember Janet Weiss playing on California Stars and Handshake Drugs, now that you mention it, but it was on drums - that's Jeff going nuts.... Quasi had played a killer set at Bumbershoot, I'm remembering now as well. I suppose Janet just came down from Portland and Jeff brought her on up. I miss Sleater-Kinney, talk about a tremendous live band. Janet's talents are somewhat wasted on the Malkmus and the Jicks, not that I don't like them but they don't exactly showcase her skills. edited to add that Janet came back out for Not for the Season too - that's where she really got to show