2004sA Ghost Is Bornhas a key place inWilcos mythology.
(Ask a true Tweedhead whether this one orYHFis better, and prepare for a long debate.)
There are tantalizing glimpses of roads not taken and instant-classic songs that even devoted fans have never heard before.
Wilco circa ‘A Ghost Is Born’: John Stirratt, Jeff Tweedy, Mikael Jorgensen, Glenn Kotche (from left)Danny Clinch
But lets say you just tore open your copy of the nine-LP, four-CD set.
Were glad you asked.
Here are seven highlights.
Fair enough, but it sure is a gem.
There are a couple of versions on the box set.
Start with this radiant full-band take, featuring a yearning lead vocal and a jaunty whistling solo.
Youd know this song by heart if it had been released at the time.
Here, its more diffuse, stretching out for more than seven spacey minutes.
Its a fun What if?
A fascinating look at how widely the explorations behind this album ranged.
Fundamental 1
Rumors of the free-form studio sessions that Wilco called fundamentals have been trickling out for years.
There are seven of em on this reissue, each one a grab-bag of breakthroughs and dead ends.
