Two guys who used to be in Uncle Tupelo are now in an amazing band called Wilco. Sure, it's sad when one of your favorite bands goes by the wayside, but when it evolves into two great bands ... well, it's nice how things work out, isn't it? It's particularly nice when one of those bands, with whom we deal on this page, turns out to be one of the best bands anywhere.

Personnel: Jeff Tweedy (vocals, guitar, banjo, songwriting); John Stirratt (bass, vocals); Leroy Bach (guitar, various instruments, 2001-  ); Nels Cline (guitar, 2005-  ), Glen Kotche (drums/percussion, 2001-  ). Alumni: Max Johnston (guitar, dobro, fiddle, mandolin, 1994-1996); Ken Coomer (drums, 1994-2001); Jay Bennett (lead guitar, banjo, keyboards, vocals, 1994-2001).

Don't call 'em an "alt.country" band anymore; they mostly left that behind with Being There, left it WAY behind with summerteeth, and moved on to a neighboring galaxy with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, the best record of 2002. Just call 'em a great American band, 'cause that's what they are. It's all in the songs, and the songs have always been fantastic. As my friend Rich Hawkins said, "Summerteeth doesn't twang ... but who said it had to?"

This little page began as an offshoot of the Uncle Tupelo page on this site, and has certainly taken on a life of its own. Also be sure to check out the band's spiffy official site, WilcoWorld (and I'm honored that Jeff and the boys were kind enough to link to yours truly).

 
 

Live Musical Performances

• An acoustic Wilco performance, featuring songs from "Being There", recorded live at KCRW in Santa Monica, California on November 13, 1996.
• The JamTV Virtual Venue site features two Wilco performances, one recorded on May 22, 1997 at The Riviera in Chicago, and one recorded on August 9, 1997 at Deer Creek Music Center in Nobleville, Indiana.

 

Articles and news

• Notes for a Foxtrot: Michael Schiavo's excellent article on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, plus James Baumann's reviews of the album and a recent concert, via Swizzle-Stick.com.
  
  
• Wilco documentary site now online:   "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" follows the band through the making of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and "shows the conflict that arises when a band creates an artistic, challenging and deep record while signed to a record company in the midst of a giant corporate takeover." Could it be a "Let It Be" for the 21st Century? (Except in this case the band doesn't break up, and instead of their swan song are making what's perhaps their biggest artistic breakthrough album.)
• Jay Bennett leaves Wilco
• Wilco splits with Reprise Records; September release of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot delayed
• A profile of and Q&A session with Jay Bennett, from Chicago's Pioneer Press.
• The Wilco Roundup: Lots of projects for the boys in early 2001, from solo and side projects to film scores and moving on to new bands...
• An interview with Wilco upon the release of summerteeth, by Swizzle-Stick.com
• Poison Pen: Jeff Tweedy moves Wilco further toward perfect pop ... and perfect despair, Denver Westword, October 28, 1999
• A new interview with John Stirratt from a Minnesota-based music 'zine called "Local 612".
• Been There: Wilco's Jeff Tweedy talks about losing his alt.country baggage, Salon Magazine, March 1999.
• "Wilco: It's the Music, Stupid" -- Addicted to Noise
• "Wilco: New Band, Old Touch" -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 21, 1995
• "Jeff Tweedy: New Band, New Record, New Depression" -- Chicago Reader, March 31, 1995

 

Chord and tab transcriptions

If you've figured out any songs that I don't have linked here, please send them in!

 

Songs from A.M. "I Must Be High" "Casino Queen" "Box Full of Letters" "Shouldn't Be Ashamed" "Pick Up The Change" "I Thought I Held You" "That's Not The Issue" "It's Just That Simple" "Should've Been In Love" "Passenger Side" "Dash 7" "Blue Eyed Soul" "Too Far Apart" Complete lyrics from A.M.

 
 

Songs from Being There "Misunderstood" "Far, Far Away" "Monday" "Outtasite (Outta Mind)" (MIDI file available) "Forget The Flowers" "Red-Eyed And Blue" "I Got You (At The End Of The Century)" "What's The World Got In Store" "Hotel Arizona" "Say You Miss Me" "Sunken Treasure" "Someday Soon" "Outta Mind (Outta Sight)" "Someone Else's Song" "Kingpin" "(Was I) In Your Dreams" "Why Would You Wanna Live" "The Lonely 1" "Dreamer In My Dreams" Complete lyrics from Being There

 
 

Songs from Mermaid Avenue (with Billy Bragg and Woody Guthrie) "Walt Whitman's Niece" "California Stars" "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key" "Birds and Ships" "Hoodoo Voodoo" "She Came Along To Me" "At My Window Sad and Lonely" "Ingrid Bergman" "Christ for President" "I Guess I Planted" "One By One" "Eisler On the Go" "Hesitating Beauty" "Another Man's Done Gone" "The Unwelcome Guest"

 
 

Songs from summerteeth "Can't Stand It" "She's A Jar" "A Shot In the Arm" "We're Just Friends" "I'm Always In Love" "Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway(again)" "Pieholden Suite" "How To Fight Loneliness" "Via Chicago" "ELT" "My Darling" "When You Wake Up Feeling Old" "Summer Teeth" "In A Future Age" "Candyfloss" (bonus track) Complete lyrics to "summerteeth"

 
 

Songs from Mermaid Avenue, Vol. II (with Billy Bragg and Woody Guthrie) "Airline to Heaven" "My Flying Saucer" "Feed of Man" "Hot Rod Hotel" "I Was Born" "Secret of the Sea" "Stetson Kennedy" "Remember the Mountain Bed" "Blood of the Lamb" "Against Th' Law" "All You Fascists" "Joe DiMaggio Done It Again" "Meanest Man" "Black Wind Blowing" "Someday Some Morning Sometime"

Songs from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" "Kamera" "Radio Cure" "War on War" "Jesus, Etc." "Ashes of American Flags" "Heavy Metal Drummer" "I'm The Man Who Loves You" "Pot Kettle Black" "Poor Places" "Reservations" Complete lyrics to "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"

Miscellaneous songs, covers, B-sides and Golden Smog songs

• "All the Same to Me"
• "Blasting Fonda"
• "Childlike and Evergreen"
• "Don't You Honey Me" (AKA "Honeybee")
• "Henry and the H-Bombs" (Mott the Hoople)
• "I Can't Keep From Talking"
• "James Alley Blues" (Rabbit Brown)
• "Lost Love"
• "No Poetry"
• "Pecan Pie"
• "Please Tell My Brother"
• "Promising"
• "Sugar Baby" (Dock Boggs)
• "Walk Where He Walked"

 
 
Thanks to song transcribers Nathan Baird, Brent Banks, Scott Bea, Judd Bolger, Michael Borgelt, Mike Brann, Ira H. Bryant IV, Andrew Burt, Paul Carey, Seth Conant, Dale Cooper, John Erlinger, Chris Gehrz, Shane Grimm, Gunnar Hedlund, Brian Kelly, Brian Kessler, Conor McCann, Jeff Miller, Marc in Manitoba, Bruce Mathieson, Tim Minneci, Andrew Neuhauser, Warren Owen, Joe Putzer, Tom Richards, Joe Rinkevich, Joe Rintala, Angadbir Sidhu, Ernie Smith, J. A. Thomas, Philippe Treuil, Dan Van Skiver, Steve Thomas, Justin Voss, Howie Wang, Weirdo, Matthew Zelman and especially Dave Shapiro.

Updated February 10, 2003.

 
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Chuck Taggart (e-mail chuck)