Wilco
Misunderstood
What's the World Got in Store
Hotel Arizona
Sunken Treasure
Why Would You Wanna Live
The Lonely 1
Release Date: 10/29/1996
Reviewed on 8/23/2006...
2 disk set
CD Reviews
B
| 08/20/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Six years before the much lauded masterpiece "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", Wilco released "Being There", an ambitious double album that utilized many of the foundations of rock & roll, yet made them sound fresh. Also, if you heard "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and scratched your head at the whole "alt. country" label they're saddled with, it may make more sense after listening to this.
First off, I should say that "Being There" could've fit onto one disc. But once you hear it, you'll see why they put it onto two. For instance, "Misunderstood" and "Sunken Treasure" open Disc 1 and 2, respectively. Each one clocks in at nearly 7 minutes, and utilize similar structures; slow building epics that climax in blasts of psychadelic/avant-garde guitar noise. They both function as centerpieces, and simply work a lot better, aesthetically, as opening songs.