Making a Wilco "Mix Tape"

[pdiddy]

This is proving to be an exciting challenge.

 

A little background:

 

She's not too familiar with Wilco, and I'm taking her to the Count Basie show. Possibly Merriweather, too. We're driving in her car and she tells me she's never really heard them. So I told her I'd make her a mix tape! She laughed and jokingly told me it had to be an actual tape (no Cd's or ipod mixes). So that's what I'm going to do. I dug up a secret stash of Maxell XLII's at my parent's house and am going to make the world's first Wilco "ipod playlist --> cassette tape" mix.

 

She's not my girlfriend, but I love her and we've had a thing going here or there for the past year. She's moving to Arizona this summer which is exciting and heart-wrenching all at the same time.

 

Somehow I want to say it all in the perfect Wilco mix tape. With the perfect old high-school-era baring of the soul mix tape nuances, but still as light and fun as our relationship has been with each other.

 

I've begun some serious work on it, but I'm open to any suggestions. I've decided not to limit it to just Wilco, but include a little Tweedy, Uncle Tupelo, Golden Smog, etc.

 

Each side 45 minutes, with an opener & closer that leads into the next side of the tape. Hopefully the kind of tape that you stick on in your car and listen to over and over as it flips from side to side driving across the country.

 

I'd love to hear some suggestions before I post the work in progress.

[winter party person]

end it with reservations; hesitating beauty should go in there too

[WaronWar]

A Perfect mix tape always needs a great starting, middle, and ending point.

 

Start- I Must Be High

 

 

Middle- I'm The Man That Loves You

 

 

Ending- California Stars (Jeff Solo if you have a copy of it because it is really beautiful.)

 

 

Other Suggestions:

 

Far, Far Away and Say You Miss Me (She's moving to Arizona, so it's a perfect match for these songs).

 

Walken (you need a new song)

 

Pieholden Suite

 

There many others, but there's a start.

[Wilco LP #7]

I've actually thought about this a lot

 

Pieholden Suite is a MUST. If I hear that you didn't use it, I will start a VC petition to get you off the boards. Seriously.

 

A Magazine Called Sunset is the wild card, never count that song out. It rules.

 

On and On and On is a perfect clincher ("one day we'll dissappear together in a dream" is one of the most sublime love lyrics ever)

 

Include at least one of the more dissonant/thrashy songs like ALTWYS, Misunderstood, Sunken Treasure IATTBYH, etc., you never know, she might love it. Probably stay away from Spiders though.

 

Handshake Drugs would be good smack dab in the middle, its grooviness acts as a great transitional tune.

[cooperissup3r]

A Perfect mix tape always needs a great starting, middle, and ending point.

 

Start- I Must Be High

Middle- I'm The Man That Loves You

Ending- California Stars (Jeff Solo if you have a copy of it because it is really beautiful.)

Other Suggestions:

 

Far, Far Away and Say You Miss Me (She's moving to Arizona, so it's a perfect match for these songs).

 

Walken (you need a new song)

 

Pieholden Suite

 

There many others, but there's a start.

 

Here'd be my track list:

 

01. I'm The Man Who Loves You

02. Outtamind (Outta Site)

03. Far, Far Away

04. At My Window Sad and Lonely

05. Remember The Mountain Bed

06. Jesus, Etc (Kicking Television)

07. At Least That's What You Said

08. Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again)

09. (Was I) In Your Dreams?

10. Sunken Treasure (from the Sunken Treasure DVD)

11. I Got You (At the End of the Century)

12. I Thought I Held You

13. Hesitating Beauty

14. California Stars

15. Reservations

[TCP]

I like that Sunken Treasure solo idea but I'd put a version in where the crowd does not ruin it... just sayin'!

I'd put on I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, everyone loves that tune.

[bobbob1313]

Gotta have "Let Me Come Home".

Gotta have "Hate It Here".

Gotta have "Lost Love".

[cooperissup3r]

I like that Sunken Treasure solo idea but I'd put a version in where the crowd does not ruin it... just sayin'!

I'd put on I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, everyone loves that tune.

 

yeah you're probably right...it's the only solo version i have, however, that is good sound. i gotta go with it.

[H to the ickle]

You should put The Good Part on there (the Jeff solo version from the Vic would be an excellent choice).

[kidsmoke]

I can't help you with this at all because whatever that is in your avatar has made me realize that I haven't eaten anything in a long while & I'm starving. Is that crab cakes maybe?

 

Oh! How about Jeff's very best song (or so he says anyway), "Pecan Pie"?

 

Now I'm craving crab cakes and pecan pie. Damn.

[PeskyJase]

Since you love her, and you're a man, there is a certain YHF track that you must use.

[Willkoman]

I can't help you with this at all because whatever that is in your avatar has made me realize that I haven't eaten anything in a long while & I'm starving. Is that crab cakes maybe?

 

Oh! How about Jeff's very best song (or so he says anyway), "Pecan Pie"?

 

Now I'm craving crab cakes and pecan pie. Damn.

 

I have insomnia it's 4:57 A.M. and I'm craving crab cakes and my ex who makes excellent pecan pie.

 

Edit: I love Reservations as an ending. A lot.

[Kalle]

Definately put Magazine Called Sunset, it worked for me!

 

Also I'm Always In Love and I Am Trying To Break Your Heart (reverse psychology).

[craigwinn]

Definately put Magazine Called Sunset, it worked for me!

 

Also I'm Always In Love and I Am Trying To Break Your Heart (reverse psychology).

 

Yeah, go ahead and put "Via Chicago" on there, too...

[Sir Stewart]

Here'd be my track list:

 

01. I'm The Man Who Loves You

02. Outtamind (Outta Site)

03. Far, Far Away

04. At My Window Sad and Lonely

05. Remember The Mountain Bed

06. Jesus, Etc (Kicking Television)

07. At Least That's What You Said

08. Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again)

09. (Was I) In Your Dreams?

10. Sunken Treasure (from the Sunken Treasure DVD)

11. I Got You (At the End of the Century)

12. I Thought I Held You

13. Hesitating Beauty

14. California Stars

15. Reservations

 

 

I can vouch for Remember the Mountain Bed -> Jesus, etc., but I don't know about the KT version - for a mix tape, you gotta go with the studio version.

[MattZ]

I think those are potato pancakes. Mmmmmmm.

 

(crabcakes, people?? really??)

[Sir Stewart]

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes...ato_latkes.aspx

[JUDE]

I'd probably do two, one that is all encompassing and represents what you feel the band is all about, and one the is reflective of a live set list. That way she won't be completely lost at the show, the odds that Wilco will play Hesitating Beauty, Lost Love, Mountain Bed, At My Window Sad and Lonely, Etc. live are pretty slim, IMO.

[SarahC]

I did this for my "friend" his birthday, because we are both Wilco fans.

I wanted it to be mostly love songs, because I am almost ready to use the "L" word when I talk to him, but I don't know how it will go over, so yeah, I thought, why not let Jeff and the guys do it for me... so here's my list:

 

(PS: He's a big fan of the "noise" so I used the noiser versions of some songs)

 

1. Sunken Treasure (Being There version)

2. California Stars

3. More Like the Moon

4. Pieholden Suite

5. Far, Far Away

6. Thirteen (Big Star cover)

7. Jesus Etc.

8. Say You Miss Me

9. At Least That's What You Said (live version from 10/14/05)

10. I Won't Let You Down (YHF demo)

11.Reservations

12. Magazine Called Sunset

13. Hate It Here

14. Hesitating Beauty

15. On and On and On

[Papillon Parade]

She's not my girlfriend, but I love her and we've had a thing going here or there for the past year. She's moving to Arizona this summer which is exciting and heart-wrenching all at the same time.

 

Awwww...I can just see her driving to Arizona and listening to Reservations at the end of the tape and turning the car around. That's what I would do.

 

I'm a big fan of using a mixed-tape/cd as an expression of emotion. You can tell people how you feel, but adding instruments to it just adds so much more emotion. My boyfriend and I do it for each other about every 3 months or so and it's great. Sometimes they are silly french songs from the 30's, and other times they are serious songs like Death Cabs "I Will Follow You Into The Dark". We have a library of about 30 cd's or so now that we've made for each other.

[jdmel]

Here'd be my track list:

 

01. I'm The Man Who Loves You

02. Outtamind (Outta Site)

03. Far, Far Away

04. At My Window Sad and Lonely

05. Remember The Mountain Bed

06. Jesus, Etc (Kicking Television)

07. At Least That's What You Said

08. Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again)

09. (Was I) In Your Dreams?

10. Sunken Treasure (from the Sunken Treasure DVD)

11. I Got You (At the End of the Century)

12. I Thought I Held You

13. Hesitating Beauty

14. California Stars

15. Reservations

you never come on too strong.. im the man who loves you opener? no... more subtle.. outtamind outta site turns it up too much u dont wanna promise more than u can deliver.. then you couol it off for 5 songs, doesnt work... u need to keep hittin em but keep coolin em too

[Sir Stewart]

you never come on too strong.. im the man who loves you opener? no... more subtle..

I made a mix tape for an ex-girlfriend once and when I previewed it for my brother, he was like "Umm, you're opening with I Want You Back?"

[Basil II]

I'm suprised no one here has mentioned "Hotel Arizona".....

 

 

 

-Robert.

[Sunken Drummer]

I just made two mixed cd's for a friend, and here is the mix.

 

mix 1

1. I am trying to break your heart

2. What's the world got in store

3. Shot in the arm (live)

4. Jesus etc.

5. Company in my back

6. Either Way

7. I'm a wheel

8. I got you

9. I'm the man who loves you

10. Handshake drugs

11. Heavy Metal Drummer

12. California Stars

13. You are my face

14. Via Chicago (live)

15. Poor Places

16. Passenger Side

17. Somebody else's song (heavy live ver.)

 

mix 2

 

1. At least that's what you said

2. Pot Kettle Black

3. Outtasite (live bootleg)

4. Airline to Heaven (live)

5. Shouldn't be ashamed

6. Muzzle of bees

7. Forget the flowers

8. Kingpin

9. Ashes

10. What light

11. sunken treasure

12. theologians

13. war on war

14. summer teeth

15. Hate it here

16. Late greats

[ponch1028]

This mix tape has two purposes

(1) Get her to dig Wilco music

(2) Subtly (or not so subtly) communicate your feelings and emotion to her

 

I tried to create a mix tape with this in mind. Only put about 5 minutes of thought into it. Probably could do better, but I like this mix nonetheless.

 

Side 1

1. Misunderstood

2. California Stars

3. Muzzle Of Bees

4. A Magazine Called Sunset

5. Nothingsevergonnastandinmyway(again)

6. Radio King (Golden Smog)

7. Remember The Mountain Bed

8. Theologians

9. I'm The Man Who Loves You

10. Poor Places

11. On and On and On

 

Side 2

1. Airline To Heaven

2. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

3. You Are My Face

4. Just A Kid

5. The Ruling Class

6. Jesus, Etc.

7. Please Be Patient With Me

8. Candyfloss

9. Hesitating Beauty

10. Hummingbird

11. Strangers (Golden Smog)