Wilco - summerteeth (Deluxe Edition) (2020) [Hi-Res]

Newly remastered masterpiece: Wilco’s third album, Summerteeth, arrived in March 1999 to glowing reviews for its daring arrangements, lush harmonies and revealing lyrics. More than 20 years later, the Chicago-based band is expanding one of its best with multiple collections packed with hours of unreleased studio and live recordings.

Wilco looked very different back in 1999 when Summerteeth came out. Playing with Jeff were Leroy Bach on piano, Ken Coomer on drums, Jay Bennett, and John Stirratt, who, besides Jeff, is the only other member still with the group. Jay, famously kicked out of the band during the making of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, sadly passed away in 2009.

Recorded through 1997 and 1998 in Willie Nelson’s Texas recording studio and Chicago’s Kingsize Soundlabs – during which, separately, Wilco recorded and released Mermaid Avenue with Billy Bragg, consisting of unused Woody Guthrie lyrics – the follow-up to 1996’s Being There was markedly different from anything Wilco had ever released. Most of the tunes were written by Jeff Tweedy and company in the studio, and for the first time, the band achieved their desired sound with overdubs. While Summerteeth didn’t outsell Being There, it was critically lauded, making No. 8 on the Village Voice‘s annual Pazz & Jop poll that year.

Summerteeth introduced many fan-favorite classic tracks that the band continues to play live today, including “I’m Always In Love,” “A Shot In The Arm” and “Via Chicago.” The 24 previously unreleased recordings that debut on the deluxe edition explore the making of the critically acclaimed album with demos (“No Hurry” and “I’ll Sing It”), outtakes (“I’m Always In Love (Early Run Through)” and “Viking Dan”), and alternate versions (“Summer Teeth (Slow Rhodes Version)” and “Pieholden Suite (Alternate)”).

The two remaining albums of SUMMERTEETH: DELUXE EDITION features a previously unissued live show. The concert took place late in the Summerteeth tour, on November 1, 1999 in Colorado at The Boulder Theatre, when the new songs had been road-tested and the band was in top form. Sourced from an uncirculated soundboard recording, it features band members Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Ken Coomer and Jay Bennett. Most of the songs on Summerteeth were performed during the show, along with several tracks from the band’s two previous records, Being There (1996) and A.M. (1995), as well as Mermaid Avenue (1999). The latter was the first in a series of albums that Wilco recorded with Billy Bragg where the group wrote music for and sang previously unheard lyrics penned by folk icon Woody Guthrie.

Jeff Tweedy, vocals (1–14), electric guitar (1, 9), backing vocals (1, 2, 10, 11), acoustic guitar (2, 3, 6–9, 11–14), harmonica (2), 12-string guitar (3), synthesizers (3, 9), baritone guitar (5), claps (6), bass guitar (7), tambourine (7), toy harp (12), bowed and tremolo guitars (14)
Jay Bennett, piano (1, 3–9, 11, 13, 14), keyboards (1–3, 5–8, 10–13), bells (1, 13), percussion (1), backing vocals (1, 2, 4–8, 10–14), electric guitar (2, 10, 11, 13), tambourine (2, 6, 7, 9-11), lap steel (3, 13), synthesizers (3, 7, 10), drums (3, 5, 17), Farfisa (4), bass drum (4), bass guitar (5), baritone guitar (6, 11), e-bow guitar (6, 11), claps (6, 11), banjo (7, 9), organ (9, 14), Moog (9), slide bass (11), tiple (12)


John Stirratt, bass (1–3, 6–14), backing vocals (4–8, 11–13), piano (5)
Ken Coomer, drums (1, 2, 5–14), timpani (3)
Leroy Bach, piano (12)
Dave Crawford, trumpet (7)
Mark Greenberg, vibraphone (11)
David Campbell, String arrangements (1)

Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig