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Wilco - Being There Audio CD

A fair review of the Wilco "Being There" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Wilco reviews here, or go back to the Wilco tabs.

Wilco Band: Wilco
Title: Being There
Rating:
Release Date: 1996-10-29
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Misunderstood 2: Far, Far Away 3: Monday 4: Outtasite (Outta Mind) 5: Forget the Flowers 6: Red-Eyed and Blue 7: I Got You (At the End of the Century) 8: What's the World Got in Store 9: Hotel Arizona 10: Say You Miss Me 11: Sunken Treasure 12: Someday Soon 13: Outta Mind (Outta Sight) 14: Someone Else's Song 15: Kingpin 16: (Was I) In Your Dreams 17: Why Would You Wanna Live 18: Lonely 1 19: Dreamer in My Dreams

A starter if you want to understand Wilco
This album can be enjoyed as a gentle listen the whole way through, or taken in pieces. The first step in what would become Wilco and solid steps to brash off any "alt country" label placed on the band (although I still don't know whats wrong with this title). I have recently rediscovered Wilco and wonder how I lived without this double album in my musical library. At a time when music was going in too many directions (and heading in the direction of Britney, Janet, and R & B acts), this album should have been the foundation of my teenage high school years. I couldn't be happier, however, that I at least discovered it now.


Far more than an alt-country masterpiece
It is THE place to start for anyone new to non-CMT Country music. Wilco
Being There
1996; Reprise Records

My Rating: 10/10

It's difficult to overemphasize the importance and significance of BEING THERE. While there are plenty of great alt-country records out there, and some might even be more consistent and concise at delivering on Gram Parson's deposit of Cosmic Americana, BEING THERE ties in so many other influences that it transcends the genre, and hints at greater possibilities.

From the sad and swaying "Far Far Away" to the optimistic "What's The World Got In Store", Tweedy covers all of the requisite emotional bases, but it's in going the extra mile on tracks like "Misunderstood" and "Sunken Treasure" that Tweedy delivers grand artistry, transforming the lives of suburban midwesterners into cinematic epics. Additionally, Tweedy proves that Wilco is capable of power-pop greatness with "Monday", "Outta Site" and "I Got You (At the End of the Century)", roadhouse swagger with "Forget The Flowers" and "Someday Soon", teary-eyed nostalgia with "The Lonely One" and "Say You Miss Me", and classic rock throwbacks with "Hotel Arizona". But it's not just the songs themselves that make BEING THERE stand out - it's all about the unpolished edges. From the numerous shouts of "Nothing!" in "Misunderstood" to the seamless segue of "Red-Eyed and Blue" into "I Got You (At the End of the Century)", BEING THERE glories in the journey of making an album.

That message - the experience of being there - eminates from both the songs AND the album artwork, which consists purely of photographs from the recordings sessions. Tweedy invites the listener to BE THERE with the band as they make a record, to be uplifted, moved, and changed, and to come away wanting to experience it all over again. In this, Wilco seems to have captured the very heart of the alt-country genre.

But for Wilco, after being lauded for this record, it wasn't enough to rest on the laurels of making an instant classic. With a masterpiece under their belts, it was time to push the boundaries of the genre they had helped create.

TRACKS:
1. Misunderstood (5/5)
2. Far, Far Away (5/5)
3. Monday (5/5)
4. Outtasite (Outta Mind) (5/5)
5. Forget the Flowers (5/5)
6. Red-Eyed and Blue (5/5)
7. I Got You (At the End of the Century) (5/5)
8. What's the World Got in Store (5/5)
9. Hotel Arizona (4/5)
10. Say You Miss Me (4. 5/5)
11. Sunken Treasure (5/5)
12. Someday Soon (4/5)
13. Outta Mind (Outta Sight) (3. 5/5)
14. Someone Else's Song (4/5)
15. Kingpin (3. 5/5)
16. (Was I) In Your Dreams (4/5)
17. Why Would You Wanna Live (3/5)
18. The Lonely 1 (5/5)
19. Dreamer in my Dreams (3. 5/5).


Almost there
The rest follow enjoyably the literate western-alternative-pop suit, neither consistently wowing like future growth would yield, nor boring with rampant pulse-lessness which, in all fairness, could come easy to many other groups doing similar material. You know that Wilco are actually deserving of the cornball alt-country tag they helped pioneer when their sprawling '96 sophomore can take you from a jangled Nebraskan disharmony found in acts like Cursive through Mellencamp's corn-husked embrace, all on BT's first two tracks.


Something 4 Everyone
This was my first WILCO album and should be yours too if you dont have any yet. I cant recomend this album enough, Its all very good. The first disk is the better one, no wait the 2nd is better oh i cant decide better go listen again. Jeff Tweedy is the most talented guy around today. .


Being There Lives up to its Reputation
Well, "hype" may not be the right term, as Wilco still hasn't really broken wide into the mainstream of music, and may never do so. Being There by Wilco has been rightly praised by critics and fans alike since its release, but unlike many critically acclaimed albums, this one actually lives up to the hype and reputation. However, Being There is one of my favorite albums, because it is so listenable, so accessible, and mostly, the songs are just so darn good. They have plenty of songs on the edge of what some may call country music, but Wilco are able to take the best parts of the country sound while leaving the dregs behind. Great, sprawling album, fun to listen to, musically all over the place - easily 5 of 5 stars. .


You can see a complete list of all Wilco discography, or go back to the Wilco tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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