For me, the defining moment of this album comes very early on, during the opening track in fact - ‘Misunderstood’, the only track included from their classic 2nd album Being There – when Jeff Tweedy sings “..you still love rock ‘n’ roll..’ and the audience spontaneously holler in response.
Fact is, herein lies the proof that, despite dalliances with the likes of Jim O’Rourke and an increased tendency towards an experimental decoration of their songs, Wilco is still a rock ‘n’ roll band, and one of the greatest at that. Over two quite stunning discs they repeatedly create performances that are awe inspiring in both the warmth and simple beauty of the songs and, in the all-out, at times fierce nature of the playing.
Tweedy has been reported to have said that the current line-up of the band is “The best it’s ever felt”, and that sure shines through on these live recordings from May last year, in their Chicago home-town. Possibly the cleanest, crispest live album I’ve ever heard it also maintains an energy and rawness that is astounding.
Where, at times, the albums have attempted things that, for me, sat slightly uncomfortably next to Tweedy’s pop sensibility – mainly I think due to the unnatural ‘digital’ nature of some of the sounds and textures created – here its all very real and organic sounding.
Nels Cline’s guitar playing contributes no end to this and is a revelation throughout. It howls and shimmers, growls and sparkles, at times creating a maelstrom of sound that invokes Tom Verlaine, Richard Lloyd, Lee Ranaldo and the ghost of the late, great Bob Quine.
‘Handshake Drugs’ for example is transformed mid-song from a pop masterpiece to a swooping, psychedelic treat. But the whole band is in on this deal, just listen to the controlled attack on ‘At Least That’s What You Said’ – it’s incredible how they continuously push it on while maintaining the simple lines that sit at its core.
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Tweedy’s voice is also at an all time high, sitting confidently amidst the power and orchestrated chaos that the band create, never trying to compete but always happily assertive, smooth and relaxed.
Only occasionally do you get a feeling of ‘noise for noise sake’, one of the most notable occasions occurring during Summerteeth’s album highpoint ‘Via Chicago’ – itself a beautiful, brooding song that in its album version is given tension by a series of barely contained overdriven guitar squalls. Here, all is well until the band reach a point (3 times!) where it sounds as though someone has tipped the stage causing everyone/thing to roll off – that sense of tension evident in the original is totally and sadly lost. A fairly minor quibble but a strong reminder that truly great songs don’t require such ‘experimentation’.
23 songs, all except one reflecting Wilco’s path since Being There, great rock ‘n’ roll but I still hope it doesn’t signal the end of those early classics.
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