Wilco – Being There (1996)

Most people who listen to Wilco these days, only focus on the band that it became after yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I agree that it was a significant change in their sound and started a new era, but I also want to emphasise that the band had some amazing songs before that, and Being There is definitely the greatest pre-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco album. Like most double albums, this too, is probably a bit too long and it would've been an amazing album, had they just picked the best songs for one album. Nevertheless, I'm kind of glad this album was released as a double album, because even the songs that are not that particularly interesting are still very much worth listening to. Already on this album, Wilco started experimenting with sounds and some of these songs would definitely work on the later albums as well.



The album was much better received, both commercially and critically, than the debut album A.M. Also, despite being a double album, this was sold with a price of single album. I can definitely understand why it got such a great reception. The first album was quite simple and straightforward country-rock album, but Being There already gives definite signs of what this band was to become later on. There are great buzzes and noises in some of the songs and the songwriting is much more interesting than on A.M.

The album kicks off with a delicate ballad song Misunderstood. The song includes some amazing feedback noises and strange changes in vocal sounds. Far, Far Away is an amazingly beautiful song and I think this kind of music is what Wilco does best. It reminds me of a later amazing song Sky Blue Sky. Outtasite (Outta Mind) is an example of the power pop side of Wilco. It kind of reminds me of Bandwagonesque by Teenage Fanclub. There's also another version of this song towards the end of the album. Forget the Flowers is a proper country song with amazing banjos and slide guitar. Red-Eyed and Blue is a beautifully melancholic and a bit lo-fi ballad that showcase Tweedy's amazing vocals. What's the World Got In Store is a great piece of songwriting. It's catchy but has true authenticity. Say You Miss Me is one of the greatest songs on the album. The melancholic melody along with heartbreaking lyrics make it a true masterpiece. Sunken Treasure has lots of that great noise and overdrive feedback on top of a delicate country song that we've grown to love about Wilco. The Lonely 1 is another heartbreaking ballad with amazing singer-songwriter mood and fantastic yet simple string arrangements on the background.

There's also a fantastic (so very 90's) music video for the song Outtasite (Outta Mind). The band walks into an airplane playing their instruments. When they get high enough, they jump from the plane, still playing their instruments, parachuting down in a sunny weather. The song ends when they get to the ground.

I was introduced to Wilco with A Ghost Is Born and later on I realised that Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was their most acclaimed album. But I think I'm prepared to say that Being There comes right after those two albums and it's definitely one of the greatest alternative country albums out there. The more I listen to this album, the more I'm convinced of Wilco's brilliance.

Listen to the album on Spotify.