Monday, March 03, 2008

Wilco on SNL

For those of you that missed it, here is Wilco on SNL doing my least favorite song from SBS, 'Hate It Here'.
Suprisingly, I actually thought this came off better than the second song they did, the far superior 'Walken'. Or maybe I was just distracted by Tweedy's hideous jacket.


7 comments:

Quinapalus said...

I remain baffled by your Hate it Here hate.

drischord said...

You really hate "Hate It Here"? I'm stunned. I wasn't so hot on this performance, mainly because the horn section was out of tune. Pretty sure it's a trumpet that's off at the beginning and later it's a trombone.

I couldn't watch the "Walken" video on Pitchfork because NBC has already removed it. Talk about a network that doesn't get it.

Via Chicago said...

Both were pretty standar and just OK I thought. I was secretly hoping for something a little bit more, but it's SNL, what can you do?

I'm not a huge fan of Hate it Here on the album, but live I think it does much better then Walken, which always is kind of lame when live. Although neither one is high on my list of Sky Blue Sky songs I want to hear live - Side with the Seeds earns that honor hands down, as it was probably the best song I heard them play at the concert.

And Tex, I think you meant "ridiculously awesome jacket". You must have been typing too fast.

drischord said...

Yeah, Side With The Seeds is great live. It's the best song on the album in my opinion. I like the choices for SNL songs. I just thought the execution was beneath Wilco standards on the one I heard... and I blame the horn section.

texplush said...

did i say i 'hated' Hate It Here? no, i said 'least favorite song on SBS' (perhaps with more thought i'd have said On and On). and don't even come back with Shake It Off. that song is underated.
as for specificity on Hate It Here, i am bored to death by the lead guitar line that Tweedy plays at the top and that Nels plays again in a higher register later. couldn't they play something with slightly more teeth? Hate it Here = completely toothless.
Still, even my least favorite song on SBS ranks above almost every other song ever written.
and Via Chicago, as for that jacket, someone in Wilco's mgmt seems to be deliberately provoking comparisons to the Eagles.

Via Chicago said...

I got a much stronger Gram Parsons vibe then Eagles vibe. I mean:

http://www.jimmccrary.com/pages/page1/pages/gram1.htm

Besides, no Wilco related endeavor will ever be as Eagles-rific as the first Loose Fur cover.

dr. kittybrains said...

"Hate It Here" is one of my favorite songs on SBS, actually. The little organ licks between each verse line, the chugging Beatlesque guitar line and answer by the drums in the chorus. The exquisite use of diminshed and minor chords. It's like an amalgamation of "White Album" Beatles and early 70s Band. Also, in this version, Nils fucking kills at the end of it. He's unbelievable.