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golden smog - I like it...a lot


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Thanks to Wilco and Jeff Tweedy, I am discovering new music. I picked up Stay Golden, Smog - The Best of Golden Smog, and it is amazing! Even the tracks without Tweedy are definite ear candy. I can't stop listening to it! I would love to see Wilco play some more of this stuff, and RADIO KING is running throughout my head. Just for those who have yet to discover them... Do it! Bob

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Yeah... I LOVE 'em!! Down By The Old Mainstream is one of my all time favorite discs at this point (and I never listened to them until '07). Great band. I actually just found "On Golden Smog" at a used CD store in Northampton MA for 5 bucks about a week ago. Cowboy Song may be in our setlist soon.

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Dude - get the albums:

Could'nt agree more. All the albums are worth picking up. I actually got Blood on the Slacks a few months ago for $1.99 off amazon. They take 8 years off and come back with a flawless album like Another Fine Day, simply amazing but after all they are a "super-group".

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I'm sure I'm in the minority, but the only album that's really grabbed me is Another Fine Day. I've heard Down By and Blood and neither did much for me. AFD has a ton of good songs and ironically not much of Jeff's input, he was too busy that year I think. But it's a great record.

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I just finally picked up Down By The Old Mainstream. It's definitely been getting a good amount of play since my purchase. The songs are excellent and the band is tight. I'm going to pick up Weird Tales next.

Weird Tales, 30 used copies on Amazon starting at $1.49 + $2.99 for shipping...can't beat it.

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Glad you're enjoying GS. :cheers Smokestack is right: they were an excellent band to see live. One of the best rock and roll shows I've been to was GS at First Ave in the late 90s. The energy on stage and in the venue was unbelievable.

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The thing I catch myself wondering the most about the Golden Smog records is if the guys in Wilco at the time were pissed that Jeff used all of those brilliant songs on the GS albums and not the Wilco records. "Radio King" and "I Can't Keep From Talking" would've taken the second album on "Being There" to a whole other level. Again more recently I like "A Long Time Ago" more than most anything on SBS, which is roughly the same time period. Oh yeah and the other guys are pretty f'in great too, especially "Until You Came Along" and "Looking Forward to seeing you" I could listen to those songs all day long.

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Guest Speed Racer

The thing I catch myself wondering the most about the Golden Smog records is if the guys in Wilco at the time were pissed that Jeff used all of those brilliant songs on the GS albums and not the Wilco records. "Radio King" and "I Can't Keep From Talking" would've taken the second album on "Being There" to a whole other level. Again more recently I like "A Long Time Ago" more than most anything on SBS, which is roughly the same time period.

 

I think they work great as side tracks, not least of all because the backing vocals are so amazing. "I Can't Keep From Talking" could have been on A.M. or Being There, but Tweedy didn't use it until 1999's Weird Tales. I don't think he kept it from Wilco - I don't think it would have fit very well on Being There. If I recall, OMS was recorded before A.M., which is probably why "Pecan Pie" and "Radio King" made it there; again, I think neither would have fit well on A.M. or Being There. And "A Long Time Ago" works great for Golden Smog, but it wouldn't have been a very good fit for Wilco Mach 6.

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Guest Ordinary Beehive

I love Down by the Old Mainstream and Weird Tales.

 

Jeff's input is great, especially Pecan Pie, Radio King, and Please Tell My Brother.

 

"Until You Came Along" has one of the catchiest choruses I've ever heard. That song is purely amazing.

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Guest Speed Racer

They're both credited for song writing, according to Wikipedia. But yes, a lot of these songs are collaborations, which is another good reason why they don't bring them back to their own bands.

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Love it all! Favorite is DEFINITELY Radio King! Pecan Pie is adorable and I've gotten a few friends to listen to more of Tweedy/Wilco because of it :thumbup

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I love Down by the Old Mainstream and Weird Tales.

 

 

Those are the albums to get.

 

I did not see GS in the early days, but had a great time at the last GS at the Vic when even with Tweedy they couldn't fill the place.

 

LouieB

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They're both credited for song writing, according to Wikipedia. But yes, a lot of these songs are collaborations, which is another good reason why they don't bring them back to their own bands.

True. For "Long Time Ago" I thought specifically I read that the lyrics were Gary's.

 

I do miss Golden Smog. It was great seeing the full band at the Vic in '06 touring on Another Fine Day. That was definitely not sold out, which surprised me. [Edit: jinx, Lou!]

 

In a semi-related story, on Sunday morning I heard "5-22-02" in the Pittsburgh Airport T.G.I. Friday's. What?

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I heard "Corvette" playing at a Chilli's not long ago. Sort of freaked me out a bit.

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"Fear of Falling" is one of my favorites. And "Love and Mercy" from the Best-Of compilation. And so many others. "Listen Joe." "Another Fine Day." "Long Time Ago." "Until You Came Along." "Jennifer Save Me." "Looking Forward to Seeing You." "Please Tell My Brother." "Lost Love." "Pecan Pie." "Can't Keep From Talking." "Walk Where He Walked." "Radio King." "To Call My Own." "Making Waves." "All the Same to Me." Great, great band.

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Guest Ordinary Beehive

I also really like If I Only Had A Car, or whatever it's called. Basically, Weird Tales is just unreal. Great song, after great song...

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