Beautiful (but a little on the warm side) here in SC today. Took A.M. outside on the deck for a listen. With a couple of exceptions, which we will get to later, it's a pretty "front loaded" record for me. But it's incredibly consistent as well. The highs are definitely the highs but the rest of the record is pretty solid too. Not a clunker or anything close on here. Just a number of songs that don't reach up to the highs.
I'm a sucker for pedal steel -- beautiful sounding instrument -- and that alone takes "I Thought I Held You" a notch higher in my book. Very pleasant to listen to: if it doesn't make as much impression as the others, that's OK with me.
me too ... I bought one at one stage, but just never got time to learn it. Fantastic sounding instrument
I bought one after playing guitar for over 15 years. Took three days to get a chord out. I now have two but wouldn’t consider myself a real player, even though I have played it live. Pedal steel players are their own breed and I’m of the opinion that it takes a certain kind of mind to master it. Even a great guitar player like Jerry Garcia still sounds like a guitar player playing pedal steel when he plays, rather than a pedal steel player. I have nothing but respect for the masters.
Something different... That's Not the Issue Bringing in a strong bluegrass feeling with some great banjo pickin' from Max Johnston, 'That's Not the Issue' adds a little different flavor to the album and closes out the first side. Lyrically, it is another breakup song and I quite like the ambiguity of the lyrics. She's been sleeping with someone else. They have both been keeping secrets. But neither of those things appear to be the "issue" or the reason for the breakup. It's a nice nod to the fact that adult relationships often end for a lot of complicated reasons rather than just one simple one. Personally, I like this track in large part because it is something different on the album and lifts up the tempo here in the middle. It's not one that I ever get the urge to play on its own, but I like how it fits into the overall narrative structure of A.M. It's never been a live mainstay but it does come out every once in awhile.
That's Not The Issue I love this kind of thing. Alison Krauss and Union Station probably revealed my love of bluegrass to me. This is an excellent example, with some nice picking all round. Tweedy's laconic delivery really suits the style, and it's nice to hear them trying something a little left of centre.
That’s Not the Issue is propelled by Henneman’s bluegrass guitar picking and Johnston’s banjo playing. Another good song that fits nicely into the flow of the album. Mark’s reference to “laconic delivery” to describe Jeff’s vocals is perfect as is Parachute Woman’s description of the “ambiguity of the lyrics.”
AKUS are great! I'm not generally a big bluegrass fan (I have some bad personal memories associated with it) but I like Alison Krauss + Union Station. Great players and Alison has one of the best singing voices of the last 30 years.
Sorry to be off topic, but AKUS live dvd is one of my very favourites. Ghost in this house is about the most devastatingly beautiful song I ever heard.
I agree with the consensus that I Thought I Held You is a weak track which leaves no impression. I'll leave it at that. That's Not the Issue is another very country song, with the banjo and the overall sound. It's not a standout but it's a solid album track, where the lyrics, singing, and music mesh well. There's little sign yet of how far the band would go between this and the tracks on their next album.
I don’t know that it reached consensus levels! More like “a factionalized view.” Edit; add “including a strongly held negative view by the songwriter, himself.”
A cool little ditty as the band keeps one foot squarely in the history that is Uncle Tupelo. Nicely subverted bluegrass!
One post for two songs I Thought I Held You : I've listened to A.M at least 50 times, and it never made any impression on me. None. It's like it does not exist at all. Listening to it now… It's ok, I don't dislike it, but I'm already thinking about what I'm gonna say about That's not the Issue… That's not the Issue : a nice UT throwback, nothing special, it's already pretty clear at this point in the LP that Jeff's pop leanings are what distinguish him from most of the alt. country crowd. But as a "genre" piece, it's pretty nice. edit : what was the first song again ?
That’s not the issue... we’ve gone from a few rockers to a country song and now to Bluegrass... this is what makes early Wilco an Americana band rather than just another Black Crowes type rock band. It’s another pleasant enough number, although they don’t have the chops of real bluegrass players. Great for a rock band though. If I had any critique, it’s the very reason I was never attracted to Americana in the first place. It feels like what would be expected of a song like this. A cheatin’ song with a bluegrass backing. Well done, but Wilco become amazing when they really get to subverting genres.
To me, one of the things I love about Wilco is that they are great if they play a song straight or if they take a subversive approach. "I Thought I Held You" and "That's Not the Issue" are examples of playing it straight, but they both work for me. I know Jeff hates ITIHY, to a comical degree, but I've always liked it. First, that pedal steel and banjo groove will always get it done for me. Second, I always get a chuckle out of the line "I'm like a songwriter..." No need for the "like" there, Jeff; you're only one of the best of all time! It'd be like Michael Jordan saying "I'm like a basketball player"!
It just suddenly reminded me of Neil Young and Borrowed Tune. I don’t know why, maybe the overall melancholic feel. (But I understand your amusement at the line!)
As a narrative and trajectory, AM needs this burst of pickin' by this point. That is not a criticism -- I think mostly positively of the songs so far, sans the last one -- but an observation on the energy of the album to this point. This one is a sonic difference that given its place hear the halfway point, is a respite or intermission of sorts from the rocky pop we've heard thus far. Smart. I usually like to focus on lyrics but I guess by looking at the structure and order of the songs on the album, I'm still in writerly territory. Besides, the lyrics are once again meh-but-redeemed by the Tweedy slow-honeyed crackled voice we all love.
"That's Not the Issue"- I have to agree with many comments on this song. I like it, but it's not a song I would play on its own very often. Jeff's vocals save the day once again. I'm not sure if I would care for many of these songs if someone else was singing. I just love his voice and he knows how to put together a song no matter what style of music he chooses to surround it with. I hear hints of "Hesitating Beauty" in the melody and style. Side one ends on a positive, and so far I like every song. This will all change when I flip the record over. 2.5/5 I was looking A.M. up on Discogs and noticed that the first vinyl release has this song as the first song on Side 2. All of the reissues look like this song closes out Side 1. Anyone know the reason behind this and if that is true?
wow, I've missed a lot here, but these last two songs are not favorites of mine ... I'm waiting for "Too Far Apart"
I’d say Henneman’s style is more Don Rich/Bakersfield than bluegrass here, leaving aside the question of whether you can even play bluegrass on an electric guitar
Interesting point but my guess is that by 1995 people weren't really thinking in terms of album sides as vinyl was considered more of a novelty (hence the colored vinyl) and tapes were on their way out. The original split seems logical enough time wise for cassettes as it makes Side 1: 22:35 and Side 2: 22:20 and therefore would require the least amount of tape. FWIW if the band was really thinking in terms of sides then I think AM would have been sequenced much differently...
Good thoughts. Out of curiosity, how would you sequence it differently if given the choice? Spread out the first three tracks a bit? (I invite anyone to play along here..)