Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The Harrison-Tweedy connection

While reading through a couple reviews of Wilco's new album (entitled Wilco (The Album)), I noticed several mentions of George as an influence on the band's current sound. Over their career, particularly on Summerteeth, Wilco has drawn from The Beatles' body of work, sometimes with stirring results. That they would return to the well is not at all surprising. In this case, the well is specifically George's output as a solo artist. Just listen to "You Never Know" for instant confirmation. It's a song of warmth, sunlight, and daydream ease that basically plays like a tribute to "My Sweet Lord." The vibe, the pace, the crisp acoustic guitar at the center, the "ooo"-ing and "aaah"-ing backup vocals, and the occasional guitar effects (slide?) all reveal an unmissable influence. It's so unmissable, in fact, that Wilco must have intended the song as a celebratory love-note to some of those late greats who still mean so much to the present. George would seem to fit the bill.

"You Never Know"


(If the video is removed, go here.)

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