“A Magazine Called Sunset” and some magazines not called sunset

Welcome to the second entry of Wilcopedia (The Blog), the blog that concerns the upcoming book, Wilcopedia, releasing on September 17 (pre-order it here). 

This time we’re going to look at one of Wilco’s greatest rarities as well some magazines that helped to formulate their image.

First up, the great Wilco non album track that is:

“A Magazine Called Sunset” (Jeff Tweedy)

An outtake from the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot sessions, “A Magazine Called Sunset” first appeared on a bonus disc on the Australian edition of the 2002 album. In 2003, the bonus disc was released as an EP in 2003 entitled More like the Moon, which also goes by the titles Bridge and Australian EP. 

Jeff Tweedy’s exclusion of the upbeat, poppy song, which boasts some of the most playful lyrics Jeff Tweedy has ever written, from the original track listing of Wilco’s 2001 breakthrough irked Jay Bennett who told Greg Kot, “I was disappointed that Magazine Called Sunset’ and Cars Can’t Escape’ weren’t on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. As far as I’m concerned melody is king, and those songs as hugely melodic, hugely catchy.”

In the song’s 2014 release on the 4-disc Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994-2014, Tweedy is listed as the song’s sole writer, but Bennett is recognized by ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers ) as being the co-writer of the composition.

In the booklet for Alpha Mike Foxtrot, Tweedy writes that “A Magazine Called Sunset” is “another heavily requested song for Wilco live and another mysterious omission from an official recorded output. A real attempt at pop music - full on pop music and not the kind of pop music that’s popular apparently.”

Many fans most likely first heard the song when it was featured in Sam Jones’ 2002 documentary about the making of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot: “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco,” but it was well known to the hardcore as it was included on the well circulated bootlegs of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot demos. 

Like with many of Tweedy’s songs that are seemingly derived from refrigerator magnet poetry it’s abstract yet catchy with a soaring chorus that really takes flight in live performances.

Tweedy first performed “A Magazine Called Sunset” solo acoustically at Park West, Chicago on September 13th, 2000. A full Wilco band version wouldn’t come until they opened their show at the Shoreline Ampitheater in Mountain View, California with it on September 6th, 2003. Since then, they have played song close to 70 times.

A free download of the song was offered to those who pre-ordered Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994-2014 in the weeks leading up to its release on November 17th, 2014.

Then there are the magazines not called sunset: 

When researching Wilcopedia, I utilized these publications often. Some of their material could be found online; some could not. It’s interesting to note that while Wilco adorned the cover of many major rock publications, one they never scored was the cover of Rolling Stone…in this country.

In the German edition of the iconic mag, a 2011 cover featured a goofy shot of Tweedy’s mug with one eye closed. 

Yeah, that's the stuff. Okay, so that’s enough Wilco magazine madness for now.

More later...