Project 1001: Being There by Wilco

The opening track of Being There, “Misunderstood”, epically rocks you and announces that this album is not your father’s alt-country. I have a dear friend who loves him some Wilco. He tried to get me into them three decades ago, but for some reason I failed to see the appeal. I liked them well enough. Just not so much as to become a fan. Maybe that’s because I never took the time to sit with this album and give a serious spin. Having done so today I can report that I finally understand what my friend understood back in the day. A terrific album. My rating:

Rolling Stone compared Being There favorably with “such double-album predecessors as London Calling and Exile on Main Street”. ¹

The L.A. Times:

“Twangy yet brooding, sometimes radio-friendly--”Outtasite (Outta Mind),” especially--yet riddled with a disturbing late-’90s ennui, “Being There” plumbs a declining America poised on the brink of the millennium. Tweedy captures all the pervasive waste and stubborn hope, and he uncovers his soul as a songwriter who can deliver historical-feeling street-corner blues that never forget power lines and corporate downsizing.²

In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Jim Harrington wrote:

“…Wilco’s second release can be seen as the first mighty musical jump in a career increasingly distinguished by great artistic leaps and bounds…(Jeff Tweedy) built Being There with walls of noise and labyrinth-like corridors of studio wizardry. The album was a shock to the system for many alt-country loyalists, but it also helped Wilco reach listeners outside the narrow No Depression fan base.³

Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!

Prime Playlist: 207. Being There by Wilco

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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums

 Charts

• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #73⁴
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: Gold, 2003⁵

Released on September 23, 1991. Here’s what else was happening:

Pop Culture

• Number one song: “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” by Los del Rio⁶
• Number one album: Falling Into You by Celine Dion⁷
• Number one movie: Sleepers by Barry Levinson⁸
• Most watched TV programs: World Series Game 5, World Series Game 6, World Series Game 4, World Series Game 3, ER, Touched by an Angel, 60 Minutes, Frasier, Home Improvement⁹
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard¹⁰
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams¹¹

Some other albums released that day

• Space Jam: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture by Various Artists
• Romeo + Juliet Soundtrack by Various Artists
• American Hardcore by L.A. Guns
• Among My Swan by Mazzy Star
• Archaeology by The Rutles
• Danzig 5: Blackacidevil by Danzig
• Ironman by Ghostface Killah
• Skillet by Skillet¹²

Sport

• Oct 20 MLB Atlanta Braves Andruw Jones is youngest player to homer in World Series.
• Oct 26 Baseball World Series: New York beats Atlanta Braves, 3-2 in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium to win club's 23rd title; MVP: Bronx Bombers' reliever John Wetteland.
• Oct 26 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Woodbine Racetrack; winners: Lit de Justice, Storm Song, Jewel Princess, Da Hass, Boston Harbor, Pilsudski, Alphabet Soup.¹³

Notable Births

• Oct 9 Jacob Batalon, Filipino-American actor (Spider Man - Homecoming; Reginald the Vampire), born in Honolulu, Hawaii.
• Oct 13 Joshua Wong, Hong Kong-Chinese activist and pro-democracy politician (Demosistō), born in British Hong Kong.
• Oct 14 Lourdes Leon, American actress, director and Madonna's daughter, born in Los Angeles, California.
• Oct 24 Jaylen Brown, American basketball forward (NBA C'ship MVP 2024 Boston Celtics; NBA All-Star 2021, 23, 24), born in Atlanta, Georgia.¹⁴

Historical Events

• October 1: Following the massacre at Port Arthur in Tasmania, Australia, the Australian government starts a buy-back scheme. The scheme acquires more than 640,000 firearms, including newly illegal semi-automatic rifles and shotguns.
• October 7: Rupert Murdoch launches Fox News.
• November 5: Bill Clinton is re-elected as the President of the United States, defeating Bob Dole, the Republican candidate.¹⁵

Notable Deaths

• Oct 14 Laura La Plante, American actress (Show Boat, Scandal) known for her work in the silent film era, dies at 91.
• Oct 16 Jason Bernard, actor (judge-Liar Liar), dies of a heart attack at 58.
• Oct 28 (Moritz) "Morey" Amsterdam, American comedian, cellist, and actor (The Dick Van Dyke Show - "Buddy"), dies at 87¹⁶

1. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/being-there-203447/

2. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-27-ca-58192-story.html

3. Harrington, Jim, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Fifth printing, ed. by Robert Dimmery p. 781.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

6. https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1996-10-26/

7. https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1996-10-26/

8. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/1996W43/?ref_=bo_wey_table_12

9. https://www.deseret.com/1996/10/31/19286046/television-nielsen-ratings/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20A.C.%20Nielsen%20Co.,%20here

10. https://www.hawes.com/1996/1996-10-27.pdf

11. Ibid.

12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_in_music#Albums_released

13. https://www.onthisday.com/sport/events/date/1996?p=2

14. https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/date/1996/october#:~:text=Celebrate%20the%20birthdays%20of%2015%20famous

15. https://www.historic-newspapers.com/blog/1996-timeline/#october

16. https://www.onthisday.com/deaths/date/1996/october#:~:text=Famous%20deaths%20in%20October%201996.%20Learn