What Does it Sound Like

Summerteeth gets the remaster and expansion work over. First released in March 1999 Wilco’s 3rd album (or 4th if you include the 1998 Mermaid Avenue collaboration with Billy Bragg) was a dramatic change of recording style for Jeff Tweedy and co. as previous albums had been recorded “as live” with little, if any overdubbing. This time however multiple overdubs were used with both Tweedy and Jay Bennett spending hours on the production and leading to bassist John Stirratt complaining that Wilco no longer felt like a band.

Both Tweedy and Bennett were fighting their own particular addictions at the time causing Tweedy later to admit there was “carnage in the lyrics”. Tweedy needed Bennett’s studio skills and obsessive character to rescue the songs, he gave him full licence and Bennett took full advantage, perhaps in the process gaining the impression that he had become an equal to Tweedy in the band, and in doing so planted the seeds that led to his eventual dismissal as seen in the documentary “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” which followed the bands recording of the follow up album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

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