Great live albums are few and far between. While a proficient live recording can capture a band at its most natural and energetic, a lackluster one can leave a bad taste in the listener's mouth. Recorded in Wilco's hometown and with a brand-new lineup, "Kicking Television: Live in Chicago," finds one of America's most beloved indie bands taking their superb studio work and making it rawer and funkier, while still offering versions faithful to the originals.
Few active bands have experienced the transformation that Wilco has had from album to album. Not only has Wilco's sound changed over time - from rootsy, alt-country (1995's "A.M." and 1996's "Being There"), to late- '60s psych-pop (1999's "Summerteeth"), to its current incarnation of mature, experimental, indie rock - but so have its band members.
A vital component of Wilco's first four albums was Jay Bennett, the songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who unceremoniously left the band prior to the release of 2003's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot." Wilco has a new driving force, however, in Nels Cline. Cline, a Chicago-based jazz guitarist, was recruited by lead singer Jeff Tweedy to play with Wilco in support of "A Ghost is Born," their 2004 full-length. It may seem unlikely that the star of such an accomplished band is their newest member, but it is clear after hearing "Kicking Television."
While most of the pre-"Ghost is Born" material remains largely faithful to the original album tracks, Cline adds an epic quality to the newer material, something that is not fully captured on the original studio recording. As cool as Jeff Tweedy's sloppy, Neil Young-esque guitar solos sound on songs like "At Least That's What You Said," it is Cline's playing that takes the band to another level. Whether it's with the agile jazz fills of "Company in my Back" or the rip-roaring solos on previously mellow songs like "Handshake Drugs," Cline's '59 Jazzmaster almost single-handedly transforms Wilco into a far more electrifying band.
As exciting as the new material sounds with Cline as Wilco's new secret weapon, the older songs are almost too faithful to their studio counterparts. Live touches like the clamorous percussion section on "Via Chicago," and slide-guitar on "Jesus Etc." are nice additions, but the pre-"Ghost is Born" material lacks the same swagger and panache.
The worst track on the album is actually the title track, "Kicking Television," which sounds like a mediocre version of "I'm a Wheel," one of three tracks from "A Ghost is Born" that are, unfortunately, excluded from this album. The title track sticks out like a sore thumb, especially since the usually boisterous crowd remains nearly silent during it. Apparently, most of the crowd chose to head to the bathroom during that one.
That said, the crowd interaction on "Kicking Television" adds a great deal of charm to the album. Lead singer Jeff Tweedy's comments between songs may not be anything to write home about, but there is a choice selection of sing-a-longs, most notably on "Misunderstood" and "Jesus Etc.," as well as a constant buzz emanating within the hometown crowd. This keeps the record from sounding too sterile, without taking away from the performances themselves.
While not perfect, "Kicking Television" is a great snapshot of one of the standout live performers in American indie rock. Sure, it would have been nice to hear older songs like "Passenger Side" or the "Ghost is Born" rocker "Theologians" in exchange for a less memorable track like "Wishful Thinking."
But "Kicking Television" is a solid live album because it shows a band taking its already brilliant source material and turning it into something unique, something special. Most importantly, this album really does capture what Wilco's current form sounds like on stage: free-wheeling, confident and happy to entertain.
