Summerteeth (1999)

Let’s start by clearing up the most pressing questions about Wilco’s third album. “Summerteeth,” first, is a colloquial expression for an incomplete set of permanent teeth (“some are teeth”). And, second, the black & white cover photo shows a young girl blowing a big bubblegum bubble. What either has to do with the musical set is not clear, but Summerteeth rocks righteously, tenderly, and shambolically, as Wilco does. At the same time, themes of opioid addiction and marital troubles float in the welter (honcho Jeff Tweedy was addicted to painkillers at the time and his marriage was on the rocks but survived). Some of the references are more blatant than others. Some are very blatant. They considered “A Shot in the Arm” such a winner they included two versions. Admittedly it’s a great song. But it’s clear what “Maybe all I need is a shot in the arm” means in this context, after all the reporting. “She’s a Jar” is more subtle about the relationship troubles, leading with the ambiguous but on balance affectionate stanza “She's a jar / With a heavy lid / My pop quiz kid / A sleepy kisser / A pretty war / With feelings hid / She begs me not to miss her.” The stanza is repeated at song’s end, but in the last line now she is begging him not to hit her. Before you can even grasp what he said it’s on to the next song, a neat, disquieting trick. “Via Chicago” starts “I dreamed about killing you again last night / And it felt all right to me,” going on to add details like blood to the idle fantasy. The song “Summer Teeth” may be trying to relieve our minds about any untoward intimations: “It’s just a dream he keeps having / And it doesn’t seem to mean anything.” Oh OK then! In many ways, though they make me uneasy too, I like the way Tweedy, Jay Bennett, and the band use these unsettling details to roil the waters. It’s more than 25 years later and I hope the survivors are doing well. I see Bennett died of a fentanyl overdose in 2009—details of the sad rupture between Tweedy and Bennett are covered in the essential documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. By my lights Summerteeth is essential too. But I’d like to register one tiny complaint about the CD, of which Wilco obviously is not the only guilty party. I’ve been listening to CDs in my living room lately along with a streaming service setup at my desk. It’s been a while since I’ve sat and listened to CDs this way, on the couch, one at a time, without even shuffle, and it has reminded me of some things I don’t like about CDs. Hidden tracks are one. You think an album is all finished and you go to change it and notice the counter is still measuring time. That’s when you know you’ve got a stinking hidden track on your hands. In the streaming version, track 15 of Summerteeth is titled “23 Seconds of Silence.” Ridiculous, followed by the two hidden tracks, one of which is the second version of “A Shot in the Arm” (I like both versions). At least 23 seconds is relatively merciful. Some hidden tracks make you wait for whole minutes or even parts of an hour, sometimes just for a stupid little throwaway. In summary, I like Summerteeth, but I HATE hidden tracks. Another thing I hate about CDs is skits, but that’s not relevant here.