Jump to content

Your Favorite Nuances/Parts of Wilco Songs


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 155
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Lloyd Maines' pedal steel work on A.M. (whatever happened to that guy?) as well as Brian Henneman's guitar fills. Right after "...still be your friend" in "Box Full of Letters" there's a short, descending slide guitar pattern that gets me every time. The drone of the Dash 7 airplane at the end of "Dash 7." The way the drums kick in at the beginning of "Too Far Apart," sounding like an extension of "Blue Eyed Soul," as if the latter had a fake ending or they were just one long jam...

 

OH - and the Moby Grape cover "I Am Not Willing" on the A.M. demos. There's some great organ fills and what sounds like female background vocalists...wonder if there's anything else of that vibe from the A.M. era.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Has anybody mentioned the weird noise that sounds like a spring in "Far, Far Away" at about the 2:39 mark? Weird, but I like it!

Link to post
Share on other sites

So, so many lovely, killer moments in these songs. The one the sticks out to me right now is the end of Hell Is Chrome, when John joins in on the "come with me"s. I dare you not to sing along with that (though my backup, backup vocals often break up).

 

yes

Link to post
Share on other sites

How about whenever Jeff forgets the lyrics on one of the bootlegs? There's actually a killer version of remember the mountain bed that gets cut short very unfortunately. It's the januari 6th 2003 show at the Vic.

 

 

is that the one where Jeff asks the audience member if they came all the way from Seattle to hear mountain bed? then he said "that is sad.... its sweet and sad... actually, its tragic cause i'm not gonna play it. Its too damn long and no one has the attention for it - especially me" and then quickly does the first verse?

 

edited: it was 12 June 2002, when he did that

Link to post
Share on other sites

- the high-hat in Side with the Seeds

- any part of One By One - my current fav Wilco song (it changes weekly)

- the count in to It's Just that Simple

- What's the World got in Store - only lyrical use of the word "baby"? - plus the organ solo, kinda Blue Rodeo-ish.

Link to post
Share on other sites

is that the one where Jeff asks the audience member if they came all the way from Seattle to hear mountain bed? then he said "that is sad.... its sweet and sad... actually, its tragic cause i'm not gonna play it. Its too damn long and no one has the attention for it - especially me" and then quickly does the first verse?

 

edited: it was 12 June 2002, when he did that

 

I'll check that out, mine was about half a year later in the Vic. Jan 6th 03. He says to the audience: "If I do this, you have to help me". The next day of his residency, someone requested Mountain Bed again. The audience member shouts "We'll help with the words". Tweedy: "That's what you said last night and every time I glanced at somebody for help they were all [presumable does "I don't know" face]

 

 

- the high-hat in Side with the Seeds

- any part of One By One - my current fav Wilco song (it changes weekly)

 

What's a high-hat?

 

Mine changes about every couple of days too, that's pretty strange after listening to them obsessively for 18 months. Currently it definitely is Pieholden Suite and my favorite record of theirs atm is 100% ST.

 

 

 

Another moment I love is pretty much every time a SBS song bursts open into a crazy Nels solo, for instance the wicked Shake It Off.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'll check that out, mine was about half a year later in the Vic. Jan 6th 03. He says to the audience: "If I do this, you have to help me". The next day of his residency, someone requested Mountain Bed again. The audience member shouts "We'll help with the words". Tweedy: "That's what you said last night and every time I glanced at somebody for help they were all [presumable does "I don't know" face]

I remember listening to those three shows (I attended the last one, and it's probably what made me a big fan of Wilco) and thinking, "Wow, maybe I should learn the words to Mountain Bed in case my assistance is ever required." Which was pretty ridiculous, right? Because it would be important for me to know the words? Well, a few months later I saw a solo show at Martyr's and Jeff actually had lyric sheets printed out for Mountain Bed. He handed them to a friend and me (after asking if we could read) and said that if he looked down during the song, it meant he needed help. He only needed it once, I think. So I still didn't have to know the lyrics myself, but I really wasn't too far off.

Link to post
Share on other sites

YES! I actually never noticed this until about two weeks ago when I had A.M. on in the car really, really loud.

 

I was thinking it might be the only Wilco song with a count in - but there's also The Thanks I get... any more?

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'll check that out, mine was about half a year later in the Vic. Jan 6th 03. He says to the audience: "If I do this, you have to help me". The next day of his residency, someone requested Mountain Bed again. The audience member shouts "We'll help with the words". Tweedy: "That's what you said last night and every time I glanced at somebody for help they were all [presumable does "I don't know" face]

 

 

 

 

What's a high-hat?

 

Sorry - I'm only about 4 foot 10 so everything is "high" to me...

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I remember listening to those three shows (I attended the last one, and it's probably what made me a big fan of Wilco) and thinking, "Wow, maybe I should learn the words to Mountain Bed in case my assistance is ever required." Which was pretty ridiculous, right? Because it would be important for me to know the words? Well, a few months later I saw a solo show at Martyr's and Jeff actually had lyric sheets printed out for Mountain Bed. He handed them to a friend and me (after asking if we could read) and said that if he looked down during the song, it meant he needed help. He only needed it once, I think. So I still didn't have to know the lyrics myself, but I really wasn't too far off.

That's a cool story. I think I got about 65% of the words down, though "Bitter tastes of twigs we chewed where tangled wood vines twine" is a bit of tongue-twister.

 

P.S. I kind of like your blog, by which I mean I really like your blog but I like to be aloof about things I like for the sake of appearances :shifty.

 

 

Did someone mention Nels' pedal steel in "When The Roses Bloom Again" live yet? If so, good call. If not, congratulate me on my call. :cheers

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 year later...

After the last 'I'm not going outside' in Poor Places, the moments leading up to the build-up.

Without a doubt my favorite part of any Wilco song. The acoustic guitar part, leading into the rhodes part, leading into the drum roll, leading into the crazy polyrhythmic jam.

 

the part in 'Theologians' when Jeff sings "No one's ever gonna take my life from me/I lay it down" always gives me shivers.

Me too. Shivers. Every time.

 

I also have lots of favorite parts on TWL. I could listen to John's bass line and Glenn's fill at the beginning of Born Alone over and over...

Link to post
Share on other sites

A few more from the new album...

 

Art of Almost - When the snare comes in during the second half, the build up, and Nels' guitar freakout

 

One Sunday Morning - The syncopated piano bit that comes in a few minutes in

 

Whole Love - The repeating guitar lick during the pre-chorus ("I know that I won't be...")

- "But I hope I know when it's past, and I hope I know when to show you my whoooooooole love..."

Link to post
Share on other sites

From the new album (since that is all I have been listening to lately)

 

Art of Almost: the way Jeff sings "hurt"

Rising Red Lung: the way he says "pop"

Capitol City: "breathe in that country air!" - can't help but sing it at the top of my lungs

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...