Listen to Unreleased A.M. Era Track "Myrna Lee"

[choo-choo-charlie]

Paste has the scoop. I dig the tune - fun to hear another John song.

 

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/11/wilco-previously-unreleased-myrna-lee.html

 

[downisthenewup]

Thanks for the link! Good song!

[Analogman]

It's also on the Blue Mountain album Home Grown (1997). 

[Sir Stewart]

Dig it!

[TCP]

It's shocking that this didn't end up on the album, great tune. 
So this is what, the second officially released Wilco song with John on lead vocals? I guess third if you count In The Street from the SS13 Roadcase. 

[kidsmoke]

_{Sounds instantly familiar. Love John's voice!}

[lost highway]

I like it. Doesn't feel like a Wilco song to me, but I like it.

[Mr. Heartbreak]

I had no idea this was penned by John. Been listening to it for almost 20 years. As A-Man mentioned, it was released on Blue Mountain's Homegrown in '97 in (IMHO) much-improved form, with Cary Hudson on vocals and Laurie Stirratt on harmony. My guess is that John brought it to Wilco and they recorded it but ultimately rejected it in favor of It's Just that Simple. Interesting outtake for sure.

By the way, I pulled out my old CD copy of Homegrown and there are NO writing credits. Zero! 

[Analogman]

I have always known that he wrote that song. I thought it was listed in the cd booklet. I will have to take a look later. 

 

Maybe I read it in an interview or article way back when - 

[Mr. Heartbreak]

I have always known that he wrote that song. I thought it was listed in the cd booklet. I will have to take a look later.

 

Maybe I read it in an interview or article way back when -

You must have read it somewhere. All the liner notes indicate is that John plays acoustic guitar on that version...which I always thought odd, but now I understand why.

[Passenger Sid]

The song title first makes me think of Nora Lee in "Hesitating beauty". Interestingly, it sounds and feels like a song that coulda been on Mermaid Avenue had Guthrie wrote the lyrics. I like it.

[jff]

I like this song, but I think they made the right choice by putting It's Just That Simple on the record.  It might be that the genre is much more crowded now than it was when AM came out, but Myrna Lee sound a little...I'm trying not to say generic, because that word has negative connotations...but textbook alt-country to me.  Maybe I wouldn't have though that at the time.

 

As an aside, the video of I Must Be High on that Paste link is interesting in that John's bass sound is completely different than how he has sounded in a long, long time.

[choo-choo-charlie]

I like this song, but I think they made the right choice by putting It's Just That Simple on the record. It might be that the genre is much more crowded now than it was when AM came out, but Myrna Lee sound a little...I'm trying not to say generic, because that word has negative connotations...but textbook alt-country to me. Maybe I wouldn't have though that at the time.

 

As an aside, the video of I Must Be High on that Paste link is interesting in that John's bass sound is completely different than how he has sounded in a long, long time.

John’s bass playing has been incredibly melodic and deftly played from the start. I don’t feel like his bass has been at the appropriate level in the mix on studio records until latter day Wilco. Hopefully these reissues shine a light on his excellent playing on those early records.

[jff]

John’s bass playing has been incredibly melodic and deftly played from the start. I don’t feel like his bass has been at the appropriate level in the mix on studio records until latter day Wilco. Hopefully these reissues shine a light on his excellent playing on those early records.

 

The playing was fine.  He's definitely one of my favorite bassists.  But on this video he plays lots of sustained notes, which isn't something he does anymore, at least not that I've noticed.  He has much more of a thumpy sound now.  You hear the note and then it's gone...very McCartney-ish.  That's been his primary sound since at least as far back as Summerteeth.   

[Analogman]

John also plays on the track (guitar).

 

It's listed on the back cover of the jewel case:

[choo-choo-charlie]

The playing was fine. He's definitely one of my favorite bassists. But on this video he plays lots of sustained notes, which isn't something he does anymore, at least not that I've noticed. He has much more of a thumpy sound now. You hear the note and then it's gone...very McCartney-ish. That's been his primary sound since at least as far back as Summerteeth.

Agreed. It’s thumpy and “hoofy.”

[knotgreen]

"Dynamite My Soul" can be streamed on Pitchfork: https://pitchfork.com/news/wilco-share-unreleased-being-there-song-dynamite-my-soul-listen/