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For all practical
purposes, there are two Wilcos. The first Wilco (Ver.1.0) emerged from
the ashes of the seminal alt-country band Uncle Tupelo to become one
of the most beloved and critically acclaimed alternative bands of the
1990s. Wilco’s first two releases - A.M. and the double CD
release Being There - epitomized the sound of alt-country.
Wilco's 1999 release,
Summer Teeth, reflected a shift from the band's alt-country
roots to a more pop-oriented sound. In 2002, Wilco
frontman Jeff Tweedy rolled out a new Wilco (Ver. 2.0) for the masses
to behold. The new Wilco featured a personnel change (no more Jay
Bennett) and a new experimental sound replete with sound effects,
sonic nuances and progressive rock sensibilities. Yankee Hotel
Foxtrot was a landmark release in its own respect - No
Depression meets Sgt. Pepper. McCartney - umm, sorry,
Tweedy - has continued the experimentation of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot throughout
the band’s subsequent releases leaving many of the band’s initial
fans to wonder if Wilco has completely abandoned its alt-country
toots. Based upon the 2004 release, A Ghost is Born, and the
newly released live CD capturing the band’s tour in support of Ghost,
the answer appears to be clear. The chances of a new Wilco 1.0 release
appear to be about as likely as Bill Gates re-introducing Windows 95.
Kicking Television -
Live in Chicago captures
Wilco in concert at the Vic Theatre in Chicago in May, 2005.
Sonically, Kicking Television is brilliant. At first listen, it
is easy to forget that this is in fact a live release. Many of the
tracks bear striking similarity to the original studio releases - only
in a slightly more expanded form. And that is part of the problem. For
Wilco fans who love the spontaneity and roughness inherent in a live
performance, Kicking Television will offer little reward. This
is partly due to the fact that Wilco is an amazing live band which
routinely delivers tight - almost flawless - performances. Having
caught Wilco in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina a couple of months before
this particular recording, I can certainly attest that Kicking
Television is an accurate representation of a live Wilco 2.0
performance. However, much like that Myrtle Beach concert, Kicking
Television leaves this alt-country fan wondering what happened to
Wilco 1.0.
The complete
abandonment of Wilco’s alt-country roots is most striking in the CD’s
song selection. After the opening track - an updated version of "Misunderstood"
from Being There - it’s all Wilco 2.0 from there. Frankly, a
better title for this live CD would have been "Yankee Hotel
Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born - LIVE." I suppose
there wasn’t enough room on this release for Wilco’s Americana
roots to shine through. After all, this is only a double CD. Perhaps
if Wilco had released a 4 CD live box set, then maybe we could
have gotten a couple of extra alt-country nuggets. (Sorry for the
bitterness.)
In sum, if you’re a
fan of Wilco 2.0 with all of its bells and whistles (and guitar
screeches), there’s a lot here to enjoy. But if you like your old
outdated version of Wilco, take a pass on Kicking Television
and keep your fingers crossed that Tweedy’s work on the upcoming Golden
Smog CD re-captures some of that alt-country magic.
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