Wilco Announce A Ghost Is Born 20th Anniversary Edition With Previously Unreleased Tracks

Wilco’s cloudy-headed masterpiece A Ghost Is Born turned 20 this year, and like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot before it, the album will get a deluxe reissue celebrating that anniversary.

The box set is available in two configurations, either a 9xLP, 4xCD combo or a 9xCD set. Those discs contain the original album, alternate takes, outtakes, demos, a full-length recording of Wilco’s 2004 concert at Boston’s Wang Center, and the band’s “fundamentals” workshop sessions. Altogether it includes 65 previously unreleased tracks, including the alternate recording of “Handshake Drugs” released today. (That one was tracked at New York’s Sear Sound studio on 11/13/03.) There’s also a 48-page hardcover book with new liner notes by Bob Mehr, author of the great Replacements biography Trouble Boys and a Grammy-winner for his prior liner notes work.

Below, check out the raw, rocking alternate “Handshake Drugs” and the reissue tracklist.

TRACKLIST:

A Ghost Is Born
01 “At Least That’s What You Said”
02 “Hell Is Chrome”
03 “Spiders (Kidsmoke)”
04 “Muzzle Of Bees”
05 “Hummingbird”
06 “Handshake Drugs”
07 “Wishful Thinking”
08 “Company In My Back”
09 “I’m A Wheel”
10 “Theologians”
11 “Less Than You Think”
12 “The Late Greats”

dBpm: Outtakes/Alternates 1
01 “At Least That’s What You Said (8/13/02 SOMA-Chicago)”
02 “Hell Is Chrome (10/5/03 SOMA-Chicago)”
03 “Spiders (Kidsmoke) (9/28/03 SOMA-Chicago)”
04 “Muzzle Of Bees (7/15/03 SOMA-Chicago)”
05 “Hummingbird (2/8/02 SOMA-Chicago)”
06 “Handshake Drugs (11/13/03 Sear Sound-NYC)”
07 “Wishful Thinking (11/1/03 Sear Sound-NYC)”
08 “Company In My Back (2/8/03 Hothouse-St. Kilda, Melbourne, Australia)”
09 “I’m A Wheel (August 2002 SOMA-Chicago)”
10 “Theologians (3/19/03 SOMA-Chicago)”
11 “Less Than You Think (11/11/03 Sear Sound-NYC)”
12 “The Late Greats (7/19/03 SOMA-Chicago)”
13 “Kicking Television (3/18/03 SOMA-Chicago)”
14 “The High Heat (2/5/02 SOMA-Chicago)”
15 “Panthers (March 2003 SOMA-Chicago)”
16 “Diamond Claw (3/21/03 SOMA-Chicago)”
17 “Bob Dylan’s 49th Beard (June 2002 SOMA-Chicago)”
17 “More Like The Moon”
18 “Improbable Germany (10/7/03 SOMA-Chicago)”

Unstitched: Outtakes/Alternates 2
01 “Handshake Drugs (First Version) (6/26/02 SOMA-Chicago)
02 “Hummingbird (February 2002 recorded live during tracking at SOMA-Chicago)
03 “The High Heat (2/4/02 SOMA-Chicago)
04 “Spiders (Kidsmoke) (February 2002 SOMA-Chicago)
05 “Diamond Claw (March 2003 SOMA-Chicago)
06 “Muzzle Of Bees (October 2003 Sear Sound-NYC)
07 “Like A Stone (11/10/03 Sear Sound-NYC)
08 “Leave Me (Like You Found Me) (6/26/02 SOMA-Chicago)
09 “Losing Interest (11/11/03 Sear Sound-NYC)
10 “Old Maid (6/26/02 SOMA-Chicago)
11 “Spiders (Kidsmoke) (August 2002 SOMA-Chicago)
12 “Panthers (October 2003 Sear Sound-NYC)
13 “Muzzle Of Bees (7/16/03 SOMA-Chicago)
14 “Diamond Claw (10/9/03 SOMA-Chicago.)
15 “Losing Interest (7/20/03 SOMA-Chicago)
16 “Spiders (Kidsmoke) (October 2003 SOMA-Chicago)
17 “The Thanks I Get (6/26/02 SOMA-Chicago)
18 “Two Hat Blues (March 2003 SOMA-Chicago)
19 “Improbable Germany (January 2002 Pre-Production Loft session-Chicago)

The Hook at The Wang
(Live October 2, 2004 at the Wang Center-Boston, MA)
01 “Muzzle Of Bees”
02 “Company In My Back”
03 “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart”
04 “A Shot In The Arm”
05 “Hell Is Chrome”
06 “Handshake Drugs”
07 “Jesus, Etc.”
08 “Hummingbird”
09 “I’m Always In Love”
10 “At Least That’s What You Said”
11 “Ashes Of American Flags”
12 “Theologians”
13 “I’m The Man Who Loves You”
14 “Poor Places”
15 “Spiders (Kidsmoke)”
16 “She’s A Jar”
17 “A Magazine Called Sunset”
18 “Kingpin”
19 “The Late Greats”
20 “I’m A Wheel”
21 “Via Chicago”
22 “California Stars”
23 “Christ For President”

Fundamentals
01 “Fundamental 1”
02 “Fundamental 2”
03 “Fundamental 3”
04 “Fundamental 4”
05 “Fundamental 5”
06 “Fundamental 6”
07 “Fundamental 7”

Booklet
New liner notes by Bob Mehr

The A Ghost Is Born deluxe box set is out 2/7 via Nonesuch. Pre-order it here.