Wilco

Wilco – "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" SuperDeluxe Edition (8xcd, 2022)

During the five years between the formation of Wilco and the start of work on what would become "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", Jeff Tweedy, the band's undisputed leader, arrived at a number of significant conclusions about songwriting, recording and the musicians with whom to sketch out the boundaries within which to move in order to create one of the most important alternative rock projects of the new millennium.

The band, formed in Chicago in 1994 out of the ashes of Uncle Tupelo, gradually distanced itself from alt-country in favour of a more experimental approach. After three excellent studio albums and a major collaboration with Billy Bragg aimed at breathing new life into a selection of Woody Guthrie's lyrics, they arrived at an entirely new language of their own.

"Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" has been meticulously analysed and dissected for years. The circumstances surrounding its release would provide more than enough material for cinematic and literary speculation: from the band's sudden lineup change to the record label's rejection of the album, not to mention the postponement of its release date – originally set for September 11, 2001 – which inevitably brought about a radical transformation of the original project.

"Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" is perhaps the first album of the 2000s to capture its underlying spirit, settling the accounts of an era's dismemberment while bearing witness to the passage into a new one. Songs like "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart", "Kamera", "War On War" and "Heavy Metal Drummer" have rightfully entered the contemporary popular songbook, becoming a generational touchstone and an inspiration for countless bands in the years that followed.

Twenty years on from its release, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" remains an intense, cohesive work that still sounds current, if not downright futuristic, thanks in part to the involvement of Jim O'Rourke, who handled the mixing and brought out the best in the ideas of Tweedy, John Stirratt (bass), Glenn Kotche (drums), LeRoy Bach and the late Jay Bennett.

Among the various editions released to mark the anniversary, we're taking a look at the Super Deluxe CD edition, which, alongside the fully remastered original album, includes 3 CDs of alternate tracks and outtakes, 1 CD of demos, sketches and instrumental versions charting the creative journey behind the album, 1 CD of interviews and live radio recordings and, finally, 2 CDs featuring the complete concert at the Pageant in St. Louis from July 23, 2002. Rounding it all out is an 84-page hardbound book featuring exclusive contributions from Tweedy, Kotche and O'Rourke, a thorough account of the band's evolution written by multi-award-winning author Bob Mehr, alongside fascinating testimonies from the other band members and a wealth of unreleased photos taken during the recording sessions.

At the time of writing, the box set is available on Amazon for €86.44 and, given the sheer wealth of quality content on offer, we consider it one of the most significant releases of this year. A must-buy, no second thoughts required.

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10/05/2026