Improbable Germany
I always forget that things change, but they do
Chit-Chat Check-In #110 • Transcript
I'm going through your cover song suggestions from last week. In the meantime, the giant A Ghost Is Born box set is coming out tomorrow. And while I don't tend to do a lot of straight-up promotion here on Substack (I won’t even link to it), it is pretty cool, so I thought I'd share a couple of songs before tomorrow’s debut.
“Diamond Claw” is one of my favorite unreleased tracks, and I still can't understand why we didn't pursue it a little further. Maybe it was just a little too chipper, a little too bright, for the mood surrounding that album. But there's a sorta lovely version of the song on the box set that was recorded in 2003. You can hear it below, alongside a version I relearned today.
“Improbable Germany” was recorded before I figured out that “Impossible” is a way better word to sing. There are other interesting differences in the lyrics. I always forget that things change, but they do.
Thank you all for your thoughtful suggestions. And thank you specifically to Cheryl Pawelski, who not only culls together each “TWIW, Etc.” but has a lot to do with the making of these mammoth reissues.
OxO—Jeffy
This Week in Wilco, Etc.
1993 / February 5: Uncle Tupelo plays a 22-song set at Lounge Ax in Chicago. The final song of the evening is a cover of the ZZ Top song “Heard It on the X.”
2025 / February 7: Wilco’s A Ghost Is Born is reissued in deluxe box set editions. Both the 9 LP/4 CD and 9 CD versions include the album's complete Fundamentals, the band’s sound and song experiments from the development of the album.
2010 / February 9: Wilco is at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, OR. The 23-song set includes a cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “Broken Arrow.” Scott McCaughey and Peter Buck are guests on “California Stars.”
Diamond Claw (2/6/25)
Diamond Claw (3/21/03 SOMA-Chicago)
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