Wilco - Kicking Television: Live in Chicago
|
List Price: Our Price: $6.32 You Save: $7.66 (55%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $3.74 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Kicking Television: Live in Chicago
Free Music Review: Wilco Has Arrived
Hit: 5 Stars
Seamless. Nothing weak anywhere on this album. Well worth the anticipation. In my mind, this is the best band working today and in this live set, they have produced a masterpiece!Free Music Review: Incredible
Hit: 5 Stars
Better than studio albums. Really good song flow. Can't believe i missed going to see them when they came to town. dumb dumb dumb dumb dumbFree Music Review: "Kicking Television"
Hit: 4 Stars
Wilco are a great band. I've never doubted that. Through their many changes, from the roots rock records of "A.M." and "Being There", the symphonic pop of "summerteeth", the artier bent of "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and "aghostisborn", they have always managed to put out records that ranged from really good to amazing, each with their own vibe and flow that marked them as one of the best bands in rock and roll. (Take that, Jay Farrar!)
But, in all honesty, I have to say that their best record is this, their live record from 2005, "Kicking Television".
Although the set list is comprised mostly off songs from the groups "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and "aghostisborn" record, "Kicking Television" represents Wilco at the top of it's form, and showcases every sound the group has gone through, whether it be from blistering rockers like "I'm The Man Who Loves You" and "Kicking Television" to weirder, more abstract stuff, like "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart".
What's strange is how nearly every song sounds better live than it does on record. Most notably are the two selections from "summerteeth", "A Shot in the Arm" and "Via Chicago". The origanels, drapped in reverb and other studio trickery, hinted at the beauty that is showcased here, especially on "Chicago", where the random noice excursions give way to a beautiful, early tear inducing refrain. The air and enviornment help breathe life into the material chosen from "Yankee", whether it be slightly different but no less amazing arrangement of "Jesus Etc." to the hard rocking version "I'm The Man Who Loves You", which sounds a thousand times better here than it did on the actual record.
What really gets a kick here, however, is the material from "aghostisborn". Where that record sounded forced and user unfriendly, here the songs open up and take on new forms, even when the arrangements aren't drastically different. "Hell is Chrome" takes on a dreamier feel than it's studio counterpart had, the guitar breakdown of "Handshake Drugs" is stunning, and the eleven minute "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" is far less forced and claustrophbic sounding, here taking on a dancier vibe, and when the refrain finally kicks in, something that is to be awe-inspired by.
"Kicking Television" is the rarest of live records, as it actually sounds like a band playing live. But what's most impressive is that this is the essential Wilco record, one that longtime fans will love but could also be enjoyed by those who either do not know Wilco or aren't fond of them. And while the record runs a little long, especially on the second disc, "Kicking Television" is one of the best rock records of the millenium, easily.
Hope they decide to put out another one like it soon!
Free Music Review: YANKEE & GHOST RECONSIDERED
Hit: 4 Stars
The essential thing here is that these songs, culled mostly from YANKEE FOXTROT & A GHOST work so much more effectively and urgently in a live context than they ever did on the studio efforts that you're not wrong if you were to suggest to Tweedy the following:
1. the first record company wasn't all wrong
2. perhaps they should have been done live from the get-go
and most importantly:
3. it's time ti re-unite with Jay Farrar and Mike Heidorn
There is a lot less, actually make that none, of the lethargy that these songs had as studio productions. The hometown crowd is way into it as well, and that brings an anthemic quality that was missing before. The level of musicianship is direct and uncompromising, and the urgancy, the "in the moment" quality of this recording makes it Wilco's best CD by a very considerable long shot. "I am trying to Break Heart" is an altogether brilliant new song in this concert, which alone would justify the purchase. Listen to the rest of it and all the feedback, distortion, collected sounds that were curios now have a point.
The net effect of the whole effort, though, is that it's time for he and Farrar to pull their considerable talents together and put Uncle Tupelo back into the mix. Maybe that's a bit like asking Stills, Young and Furay to put Buffalo Springfield back on track, but on the tsrength of the live and studio releases from Farrar this year and on the strength of this one, it's time, lads.
Free Music Review: Burns like a Sparkler!
Hit: 4 Stars
Disc #1 ******
Disc #2 **
There is always pressure on great "live" bands to release that one live album. Loyal fans of course will scream 'till they are blue in the face that they will never be able to capture that feel from actually being there and seeing it live. I think that is generally because the people that have actually seen the band live like to separate themselves from the masses, you know, feel special and all. Well, after listening to the first disc of this album you are ready to tell those prima donnas, hey, they are doing it! The first disc is magic. There are three songs on it that I might not have chosen, but overall, tremendous, shines bright. However, the second disc sees the band go into a lot slower numbers that could cause one to scratch their head. It's not that they are bad songs, just that they are not anywhere close to being rockers, which is kind of what I am looking for at a concert. The Sparkler starts to burn out a bit. Although, "Poor Places" and "Airline to Heaven" really do shine bright. Of course, how a song like "I'm Always in Love" does not make it on this release is a mystery to me, arguably Wilco's biggest crowd pleaser. Overall, the release is solid, showing excellent musicianship, but disc 1 proves quite superior to disc 2. So, if you were to rip a disc for your car stereo, you might want to lean on that more.