Wilco Initiation

[nathanb]

i've been working on a wilco mix. it started because i wanted to give something to my brother in an attempt to turn him on to

my favorite band. i also wanted something i could give people in general who i thought might like tweedy and co. i'd be

curious to know what people think.

 

based on reading the board, i know there are some unpopular decisions which i will attempt to

answer:

 

nothing from a.m: i tried, honestly

the late greats? really?: yes, i love that song, always have.

no 'shot in the arm'? 'iattbyh?': two songs that, maybe i've heard too much...i know they're probably favorites, but they just

don't pack the punch for me that some of the others do.

 

oh, btw: i went for wilco, studio records exclusively, nothing live, no loose fur, no outtakes/alternate takes...that'll be

for another mix...and i had to throw in a guthrie song...believe me, there were some tough decisions that still kill me...

 

so here it is...

 

misunderstood

impossible germany

i'm the man who loves you

hummingbird

outtasite (outta mind)

side with the seeds

how to fight loneliness

jesus etc.

you are my face

muzzle of bees

kamera

airline to heaven

in a future age

theologians

summer teeth

poor places

reservations

the late greats

[entropy]

Looks fine to me, especially as an intro. I'd scrap in a future age though, and throw on something like She's A Jar.

 

You might want to try the iattbyh acoustic version from the intro of said aptly named movie. It's nice as a change, and I throw it in from time to time to show some of the songs versatility. I know you're going for strictly studio recordings, but the quality of the track and it's prominence might be enough to blur those lines.

 

My only other suggestion would be Pot Kettle Black-- you're fairly heavy on YHF as it is, but in my experience, that song really sticks out for people new to the band.

 

Cheers, and let us know how he digs it.

[nathanb]

thanks for the feedback

i actually do like iattbyh stripped on just acoustic.

it was nice hearing that style at the la greek show.

unfortunately, i don't have the audio for that on a cd...i should, and i imagine it wouldn't be hard to figure out how to get it.

pot kettle black is definitely a favorite too.

i wasn't trying to be too heavy on yhft, though i love the album, it just turned out that way

i like she's a jar, but the sunken treasure performance of 'in a future age' really won me over on that song.

it could be argued that 'via chicago' or 'she's a jar' better songs though.

[W(TF)]

If it were me I'd just give them Kicking Television. But I don't have the patience I used to when it comes to making mix tapes for people. Everyone's just too busy to appreciate what goes into that process.

 

I pretty much agree with entropy, you have a good cross section of the essentials, not all of them obviously but enough for an intro. Personally I'd nix Poor Places in favor of Ashes Of American Flags, but no big deal either way. I would not include IATTBYH, I'd save that treat for the people who bite the bullet.....I can't recall many Holy Fuck moments greater than the first time I played the opening of YHF. Glenn's big kick on the bass drum hit me like a bolt of lightning, and I haven't been the same since.

[tugmoose]

Being There is the CD that says what Wilco's all about.

[nathanb]

yep, i love 'ashes' too...amazing song.

i'd actually thought about buying him 'kicking tv'

also thought about getting him 'sunken treasure,' though that's obviously leaving out a big part of what wilco's about...like everybody else that's played on the records.

while for some 'being there' is what wilco is all about, i really feel like the band got better with each record through 'ghost'

i initally felt like 'sbs' was the first record where they didn't take a big leap, but they seemed to be growing so fast, i wonder where they could have gone if they kept trying to expand in maybe more extreme or 'obvious' ways...and i know for some, including myself, a return to a sort of simplicity is in fact a method of expanding, and not always a step back...'sbs' is a beautiful addition to the wilco catalog, though i'm still too close to it to rank it amongst the other records.

oh...back to 'being there'...for me, its an essential part of what wilco's about, though it's hardly the whole story...i think 'outtasite' is a good representation of that, though i know i'm skewed toward the post-'summerteeth' output.

[DAngerer09]

Looks fine to me, especially as an intro. I'd scrap in a future age though, and throw on something like She's A Jar.

 

That's the second time in 2 days that I've read a semi-negative thing about A Future Age. I know She's A Jar is a better song, but am I the only one that really thinks A Future Age is a great great song?

 

And NathanB, I think that's a really good mix there.

[nathanb]

That's the second time in 2 days that I've read a semi-negative thing about A Future Age. I know She's A Jar is a better song, but am I the only one that really thinks A Future Age is a great great song?

 

And NathanB, I think that's a really good mix there.

 

Nope, I love that song...like I said, the 'Sunken Treasure' DVD really brought it to my attention again and it's been a strong favorite ever since.

 

And thanks for the positive response to the mix.

[cryptique]

Being There is the CD that says what Wilco was all about in 1996.

Fixed it for you.

[nathanb]

thanks cryptique! they WERE all about that record 11 years ago!

[badger]

Great to see In a Future Age included. That track seems to polarize people, but it's my favourite from Summerteeth.

[Wailin]

No Shot in the Arm? I think of that song as gospel music for Wilco fans. It is for me. Nothing like it live, either.

[Lammycat]

no 'shot in the arm'? 'iattbyh?': two songs that, maybe i've heard too much...i know they're probably favorites, but they just don't pack the punch for me that some of the others do.

But the mix is for someone else, right?

 

I'd just lend your brother Being There, YHF, and Summerteeth and let him sort through them.

[nathanb]

But the mix is for someone else, right?

 

I'd just lend your brother Being There, YHF, and Summerteeth and let him sort through them.

 

Yeah, the mix is for someone else, but the point is for me to show him why I love the band. It doesn't make any sense to me to try and turn him on with songs that don't get me really excited. I understand what you're saying though, because 'Shot' definitely seems like a favorite, but I also wanted to make the mix something I thoroughly loved. Somethign that represented MY favorite aspects of Wilco.

 

Even though I'm not crazy about 'Shot', I do have to say that I really enjoyed it at the Greek (esp. the ending).

 

AND, I thought about giving him more music. If I made a double disc, I could fit more songs on, right?

 

I just know that can be a hard way to get into a band...too hard to digest that much music all at once. Hence the single disc hors devours plate.

[froggie]

not strictly Wilco, but i'd slip Gun in there.. probably the first song tweedy did that makes people sit up and take notice