Jay Bennett, Your Country Needs You...to Save Wilco!

As a music geek, it is interesting to hear the effect of a line-up change in different groups. For some it seemed necessary.

- Bruce Dickenson joining Iron Maiden
- Joe Strummer joining the Clash
- Max Weinberg, Steven Van Zant, and Roy Bittan joining the E-Street Band
- Joe Walsh joining the Eagles

Such line-up changes in effect cemented the signature sound of the band that was birthed even before they arrived; their addition planted the loose ends firmly, turning an original idea and sound into the "immitated but never duplicated" variety. In most experimental bands, a line-up change can signal the birth of new direction and fresh ideas. Both, in this bloggers humble opinion, were the case with Wilco, the Chicago-based Americana wonderboys birthed by Jeff Tweedy after his split with the now legendary cult favorites, Uncle Tupelo.

Wilco's debut LP, simply titled 'AM', was a hearty extension of the alt-country swayings of Uncle Tupelo; in fact, the line-up of Wilco at that time was the same as Uncle Tupelo's final line-up, minus Jay Farrar who was heading up Son Volt. 'AM' was a strong first punch, the critics loved it, as did Tupelo fans; it was, in effect, a type of final chapter that closed the book on the Uncle Tupelo era.

Enter Jay Bennett, a dreadlocked, multi-instumental rocker, with a head full of ideas and a taste for experimentation. Going back into the studio for the follow-up sophmore release, Bennett became the McCartney to Tweedy's Lennon, opening the floodgates to the limitations of what music they could produce and what style they could create. The finished product is the double album 'Being There', arguably one of the best albums of the '90's and definitely, the creative spark that set Wilco apart from other alt-country acts. In this album you found pop ditties, beautiful folk songs, barroom rockers, crunchy noise-driven alternative, country, etc. The spark set to a fire with the release of 'summerteeth', followed by the 'Mermaid Avenue' project with Billy Bragg.

Then, there is 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot', the masterpiece that was produced on the bands terms, flat-out rejected by the record label, streamed on the Wilco website and released to rave reviews marking it one of the most important albums of the new century. This was where the 'Wilco sound' met and meshed perfectly with the new experimental deconstructed approach that the band had so embraced.

The sad side to it is that the tension between Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett came to a head during this nearly one-year time period, the result of which was Bennett's departure.

Now, the alt-country band I adored so much is missing. Certainly there is a band called Wilco, a now six-piece band so experimental that the sound that drew me in is muffled by static, feedback, and dead noise. The last studio effort was weak, almost wimpy.

So this my open plea to Wilco and Jay Bennett...

For the sake of the music you so successfully produced, please get back together. You need each other. Think of it like those KISS solo releases. Yeah, there was a nuggett of fun there, but the but the band as a whole was always better than individuals within. Don't believe me? Listen to the Loose Fur release, if you can, and then listen to 'Being There'. Remember how good it was to know your albums were important? C'mon guys; you don't have to act as if ego stroking isn't important in this business. I would imagine that a Wilco line-up with Bennett reinstalled would trigger a near-natural return to form, whatever you want to call it. And hey, who knows what Grammy's you could win? That's right, win a Grammy so the scenester kids will leave the rest of us alone. Thanks.

Oh yeah and sack Jim O'Rourke; he's not as good as you tell him he is.