A.M.

It's a little odd being the only reviewer for the vinyl releases of both "Being There" and "A.M.", but since no one else has stepped to the plate on this page, I'll take another crack at it.

There seems to be a mastering or a pressing problem with these new vinyl releases. Both A.M. and Being There feature inordinate sibilance in the vocals which--oddly--is more pronounced on the A-sides of the discs than it is on the B-sides. In the case of A.M.'s opening track, "I Must Be High," nearly every "S" Tweedy enunciates is plagued with crackles. This makes for a disappointing listening experience. In going back to the CD version and listening carefully, I think I can understand why this has occurred in the transition back to old media: the master recording gets pretty tinny on those sibilant consonants. I believe the digital format is more forgiving of such flaws than vinyl, compensating with a "thin" sound to the vocal track rather than the crackle characteristic of record albums dealing with the same distortion issue.

The necessary solution to this problem might be a new mastering regime for the format. Clearly this release is relying on the initial master, and I don't think this takes into account the strengths and weaknesses of the variety of formats.

An example in the same genre of an album whose mastering (or pressing--I'm not sure which) must have taken some of these issues into account is Gary Louris's recent solo album, "Vagabonds". Neither the CD nor the vinyl versions of this excellent record exhibit any significant examples of the noise artifacts I described above; in fact the only hint I'm listening to the vinyl version is the inevitable, very occasional minor crackle of dust, or the natural needle noise. Otherwise, it's pristine in both formats.

It seems doubtful Nonesuch is willing to spend the time and money on a new mastering project, given the tiny sliver of the market interested in an audiophile-quality release. This is a novelty release at best, then--fun to have, but nothing special.

Of course, this entire review would be pointless were I not to spend at least a moment championing the music. Wilco has gotten tremendous media attention post-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and they are clearly the indie-band-of-the-decade for the hipster set thanks to their new direction. But take it from someone who saw Wilco more times than he can count from 1997-2001 and who actually appears in "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart": the old days of Wilco are where it's at. Jeff Tweedy may have felt a little straight-jacketed by Uncle Tupelo fans' likely expectations of his new band during the recording phase of A.M., and that obviously explains his gradual, mostly masterful move in new directions with every followup album, but that ought not impinge upon a discussion of the quality of the songs here. Every single one of these tracks, from the aforementioned, highly energetic "I Must Be High" to the subdued, almost Farrar-esque laconic tone of "Dash 7" to the surprise of "It's Just That Simple", is a celebration.

Imagine having been a fan of Uncle Tupelo in 1994, knowing that your favorite band had shattered. Then, from nowhere comes A.M. Suddenly, everything is once again right with the world. You can hear a little trepidation in all of these songs, with Tweedy seemingly unsure of his footing as a frontman. Brian Hennemann himself says as much in his liner notes here. But in spite of any twinge of uncertainty, the music itself triumphs. Listening to A.M. is like sitting on the back porch and playing with friends. It's a comfortable, fun, and interesting journey. Go back for a visit.

› Go to Amazon.com to see the review  3.0 out of 5 stars