“Venus Stopped the Train (Rough Mix)” – Jay Bennett and Edward Burch
(Words/music: Jay Bennett and Jeff Tweedy, original version available on The Palace at 4 A.M., Undertow Music 2002, rough mix courtesy of Captains Dead)
Jay Bennett’s untimely passing a few weeks ago led many of us back to some of the early Wilco records. Many remember Bennett soely as Tweedy’s antagonist in the I Am Trying to Break Your Heart documentary, but he helped write and arrange many of the songs on the first four Wilco albums (as well as the Mermaid Avenue collaborations with Billy Bragg). When Bennett and Wilco split, he took some of his songs with him. His first album after the split, a record with collaborator Edward Burch, featured three songs from this time period – Summerteeth’s “My Darling” and two from the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot sessions – a song called “Shaking Sugar” (alternately known as “Alone”) and “Venus Stopped the Train.” The Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Demos (available via Owl and Bear’s amazing Wilco Archive) for two reasons. It was really fascinating to see how some of these songs changed from the demo process to the final product, but I was even more excited to hear nearly an album’s worth of songs that didn’t make the record. Perhaps I’m biased as a Wilco fan, but some of these songs were terrific. While some appeared later on, either as free downloads, bonus tracks, or live performances, “Venus Stopped the Train” never emerged. My friend Mike counts this among one of his greatest musical disappointments – that he’ll never hear Wilco play this song, and I understand why.
Bennett and Burch’s recording on The Palace at 4 A.M. contains more layers (Bennett must have had Yankee Hotel Foxtrot still in his system) and features Bennett’s deeper voice. However, I recently came across the “rough mixes” to The Palace at 4 A.M., including a version of “Venus Stopped the Train” that essentially sounds like the Wilco demo with Bennett’s vocals replacing Tweedy’s. The demo recording (both Wilco’s and Bennett’s) creates a lonely, somber feeling. When arranged for piano and voice with minimum accompaniment, the broken communication between the narrator and his subject stands out. Even the storm sound at the beginning of the song makes it feel depressed. Thematically, “Venus Stopped the Train” fits in with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’s collection of songs about the breakdown (and eventual rebuilding) of interpersonal communication. However, it’s too fragile musically to have withstood the sonic manipulations the rest of the album withstood. Bennett and Burch’s released version still does the song justice, but it loses the subtle melancholy beneath its denser arrangement. Instead, and somewhat reluctantly, “Venus Stopped the Train” belongs as a lost relic buried in the attic. It might not fit into one of Wilco’s setlists (what would Nels Cline do during this?), but it’s a treasured gem from the band’s past and one that Wilco fans should celebrate. Personally, it’s one that will make me fondly remember Bennett’s contributions to the band’s early days.
More on Jay Bennett and Edward Burch: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm
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