My Post Jay Wilco playlist is complete with a final tally of 29 songs running for 1 hour and 53 minutes. (I’m not including any solo material). Post Jay Wilco: Hell Is Chrome Muzzle of Bees Hummingbird Handshake Drugs The Late Greats You Are My Face Sky Blue Sky Leave Me (Like You Found Me) Walken Deeper Down One Wing Country Disappeared I’ll Fight I Might Dawned On Me Black Moon Born Alone Capitol City Message From Mid-Bar (The Whole Love Outtake) Random Name Generator Taste The Ceiling Where Do I Begin If I Ever Was a Child Cry All Day Someone To Lose Everyone Hides White Wooden Cross We Were Lucky Hold Me Anyway
Very well said and nice job on the use of "succor". I'm in agreement on "One Sunday Morning" and I also really like "On and On and On", "Dreamer In My Dreams" and "Everlasting Everything" - I imagine "An Empty Corner" will turn out to be another. I also wanted to say that I am so impressed with the writing skills, analysis and soul put forth by @Parachute Woman and @Fortuleo running through this amazing thread. I would have gone directly to their submissions back in the days of Circus, Creem and Musician. As for rock star biographies and memoirs, you can often be disappointed by omissions and gloss but I try not to put anyone on too much of a pedestal. I remind myself that it's still show biz and all of us are fallible humans just trying to scrape by.
Ode to Joy reaffirmed my faith in Wilco. Star Wars and Schmilco were both nondescript to me. For the first time, I felt as if Wilco was churning out product. They were barely distinguishable from one another. Believe me, I tried to love or even like both of those releases. It's probably me. I never connected with either of them. However, Ode took a bit to sink in, but I fell for it after a few spins. It's a very rich, dense entry in their catalog. It's my favorite release by Wilco in the third act of their career. I'm curious to see where they go from here.
An interesting list. This is my preferred Wilco era, and yet many of your shortlist choices are my least favourite songs from these albums! However, with all of my favourite artists, I err toward complete playlists including outtakes, live tracks, side projects, etc. The Wilco complete playlist rarely leaves my phone.
Thanks everyone as always for your great thoughts! Today is kind of an 'anything goes' day. A couple of different songs have been suggested for discussion today. Anything Wilco has put out since the release of Ode to Joy is up for grabs today as we come up to date for the band before moving tomorrow into Love is the King. I'll just post this one. Anything else you want to discuss today is cool. Wilco in 2020. Tell Your Friends Wilco's COVID-19 song is pretty good. I didn't like it much when I first heard it and I still don't love it, but I think it's pretty good. "Tell Your Friends" is pretty slow and maybe even a little sluggish (honestly kind of druggy and psych) but the layered vocals and the touches of slide guitar make it feel sort of hypnotic. It has a calming feeling. I wish it were on Spotify so I could listen to it more often and get to know it better. I like the mid-60s style guitar solo. And the lyrics are a nice reminder to love yourself and your friends in these times. I think the use of "I wanna hold your hand" is really clever. When the Beatles sang it, it was so sweet and innocent (so indicative of the time in which it was made). In the era of social distancing, it has a new kind of power. I liked how Dylan referenced "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" this year as well ("The Beatles are coming / They're gonna hold your hand" in Murder Most Foul, hinting at the way the Beatles really took care of a whole generation). Anyway, pretty good track. I don't want it to be on their next album though. I want something uptempo for Wilco Album #12.
Very nice. First listen for me. The video made me queasy so I had to close/avert my eyes but the song was quite good.
I guess that shows how wide of a fan base they have. I do like even more of their songs but was doing the cream of the crop thing. It was almost an even thirty songs but An Empty Corner got the chop after a couple of trial listens. (The combined Wilco playlist totals 79 songs/5 hours 15 minutes).
You really should listen to Sometimes it Happens again. Trust me… Then you get 30 songs. And 30 is so much better than 29… Tell Your Friends… I remember Jeff presenting it as an Ode To Joy outtake. But looking at the Colbert (cringy but well intentioned) video, it's clear that it's a lockdown song. Maybe he just added lyrics and vocals to a leftover backing track ? I can't imagine him writing these lyrics in a pre-Covid world. Or if he did, well… I'll start a Tweedy religion first thing tomorrow! The song itself is definitely an extension of the OTJ sound : "warm" slightly psychedelic almost delayed vocals, heavy plodding drums, mantra influenced melody and structure, and a fair share of Lennon sleepiness… Not a mind-blowing song, but a nice sentiment and a beautiful track. The « I Wanna Hold Your Hand » bit is my favorite part too, it adds a lovely touch. In the year of 2020, Jeff has been in the open as a Lennon freak, something I would never've guessed in the Tupelo and early Wilco days, when his Stones and Kinks (and George!) infatuations were much more apparent. The Tweedy & sons track At a Distance was part of a documentary soundtrack that Jeff wrote (the film was called Show-biz Kids, but no sign of the Steely Dan tune on the O.S.T.). At the Distance is the only proper song with lyrics (the rest is made of rather short instrumental on which one expects Mavis Staples to come add her vocals at any given moment). It is another almost (but not quite) lockdown tune, just reminding us that seclusion has more or less been Jeff's state of mind for the last three years. This songs sits perfectly well between the WARM aesthetic (a mix of From Far Away for the imagery and the audio book track Life Story for the music) and Love is the King's more band-oriented sound. Some very good lines there… As I said yesterday, the one Tweedy song I haven't heard in its studio form is Whisper, from the Good Music charity album, released for one day only two months ago… Still hoping they'll re-release it at some point, as I missed it. Below's the Tweedy show performance of it. A pretty unique treat: an extremely rare song sung in pajama pants and with… no ****ing black cap on Jeff's head!
The full showbiz kids soundtrack is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mLGqtVCSYCTIoXJ-fuzhNBN8ZUXAlkAa4
I don’t know what annoys me more about Whisper... the drums or the 24-hour availability so it was almost impossible to buy the song and support the charity.
Yeah, this song for me was like Lindsey Buckingham meets Ty Segall, and then they injest too much CBD. C'mon, Jeff, time to play so rock and roll. But at the same time, I want to support wherever his muse takes him. But also at the same time, I want more out of a Wilco Covid one-off song.
"Tell Your Friends"- Reminds me of something that would be on the latest Flaming Lips album. The music also sounds like an Ode To Joy leftover. It's a nice enough song, but it feels like throwing out some crumbs. "Its a Whisper"- Never knew about it and it's my first time hearing it. It's giving me some John Prine vibes. Sounds like it would have fit perfectly on the country stylings of "Love is The King" instead of "Troubled" with the re-used "An Empty Corner" lyrics. I thought we were also discussing "All Lives, You Say?" but it looks like that was released before Ode To Joy. I could only find a live Jeff Tweedy version, but I think Wilco recorded it?
I also could only find the live Jeff Tweedy version. We can definitely discuss it if anyone wants to throw their thoughts out there. I think it's okay. Perhaps @robcar likes it? I know he likes the more political material.
I had totally forgotten about this, despite watching it at the time. The song is ok... I’m not too fond of the vocal but the guitar solo toward the end is cool.
"Tell Your Friends" - was this released as a single? Available for purchase on iTunes? I like it but it runs on a bit long, doesn't it? I suppose the draggy tempo doesn't help. It has a Dream Syndicate sort of vibe to it - very late 60s. I also hear bits of Chris Stamey in this. The lyrics are sweet and very apropos to this year. "Whisper" - I'd like to hear the studio version of this as this live performance indicates a lot of promise. "At A Distance" - Not bad. Not great either, but it's pleasant. "All Lives, You Say?" - This one has a very country vibe with some pedal steel-style guitar work from either Nels or Jeff - I'm thinking the latter. The lyrics have some nice individual lines ("this is the last dying gasp of a deadly lung") but don't really add up to anything very coherent or pointed. Again, not bad, but not exactly top tier Wilco.
The Wilco version is streamable here: All Lives, You Say?, by Wilco I too didn't realize that this song was so old. For me, a little inward looking material goes a long way. I generally prefer songwriters who write about the outside world and, for my particular tastes, I feel like Tweedy has been sort of stuck in writing about his wife/family for too long. It doesn't really move me any longer. For example, while I dearly love Jackson Browne's early work, it's his later work starting in the mid-1980s that really resonates with me today (a song like "Looking East" just slays me - it's on a short list of my favorite lyrics ever) - when he started writing about the world and not as much about his own feelings and emotional turmoil. It's a hope, and perhaps a vain one, that Tweedy moves into different territory as a lyricist. He has so much talent there.
Yes, we (kind of) discussed it on the If All I Ever Was Was Black day, because it shared some (a lot) of its themes / concerns and was released around the same time, during the "Wilco hiatus" (the only Wilco song released between Schmilco and Ode To Joy). Jeff dedicated it to his father, who'd just passed… I'm convinced it's a Wilco track only in name: I think Jeff did it on his own with Spencer and got approval from the band members that it should be a Wilco song to give it a higher profile and resonance. It's only a theory, but Glenn was definitely abroad, and I don't "hear" any of the others on the track…
Thread guide Introduction and Uncle Tupelo Mar 1995 AM I Must Be High Casino Queen Box Full Of Letters Shouldn't Be Ashamed Pick Up The Change I Thought I Held You That's Not The Issue It's Just That Simple - live Should've Been In Love - live 1995 Passenger Side - live 1996 Dash 7 - live 2010 Blue Eyed Soul Too Far Apart Outtakes Oct 1996 Being There Misunderstood Far Far Away Monday Outtasite (outta mind) Forget The Flowers Red Eyed and Blue I Got You What's The World Got In Store Hotel Arizona Say You Miss Me Sunken Treasure Someday Soon Outta Mind (Outtasite) Someone Else's Song Kingpin (Was I) In Your Dreams Why Would You Wanna Live The Lonely 1 Dreamer In My Dreams Blasting Fonda (outtake?) Live 1996 - televised version Snow Job 97 June 1998 Mermaid Ave (with Billy Bragg) California Stars Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key Birds And Ships Hoodoo Voodoo She Came Along to Me At My Window Sad And Lonely Ingrid Bergman Christ For President I Guess I Planted One By One Eisler On The Go Hesitating Beauty Another Man's Done Gone The Unwelcome Guest March 1999 Summerteeth I Can't Stand It She's A Jar A Shot In The Arm We're Just Friends I'm Always In Love Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (Again) Pieholden Suite How To Fight Lonliness Via Chicago ELT My Darling When You Wake Up Feeling Old Summer Teeth In A Future Age Candyfloss Interview 1999 May 2000 Mermaid Ave vol 2 Airline To Heaven My Flying Saucer Feed Of Man Hot Rod Hotel I Was Born Secret Of The Sea Stetson Kennedy Remembering the Mountain Bed Blood Of The Lamb Against Th' Law All You Fascists Joe Dimaggio Done It Again Meanest Man Black Wind Blowing Someday, Some Morning, Sometime Mermaid Ave vol 3 Loose Fur Laminated Cat Sept 2001 Yankee Hotel Foxtrot I Am Trying To Break Your Heart Kamera Radio Cure War On War Jesus Etc Ashes Of American Flags Heavy Metal Drummer I'm The Man Who Loves You - live b-side Pot Kettle Black Poor Places Reservations b-side The Good Part Blasting Fonda The Minus 5 2003 More Like The Moon ep Camera Handshake drugs Woodgrain A Magazine Called Sunset Bob Dylan's 49th Beard More Like The Moon June 2004 A Ghost Is Born (inc. Kicking Tv versions) At Least That's What You Said Hell Is Chrome Spiders Muzzle Of Bees Hummingbird Handshake Drugs Wishful thinking Company In My Back I'm A Wheel Theologians Less Than You Think The Late Greats Nov 2005 Kicking Television + some b-sides and oddities March 2006 Loose Fur Born Again In The USA May 2007 Sky Blue Sky Either Way You Are My Face Impossible Germany Sky Blue Sky Side With The Seeds Shake It Off Please Be Patient With Me Hate It Here Leave Me (Like You Found Me) Walken What Light On and On And On Extra Tracks Tweedy Interview The Sun Came Out - 7 Worlds Collide June 2009 Wilco (The Album ) Wilco (The Song) Deeper Down One Wing Bull Black Nova You And I You Never Know Country Disappeared Solitaire I'll Fight Sonny Feeling Everlasting Everything Dark Neon Sept 2001 The Whole Love Art Of Almost I Might Sunloathe Dawned On Me Black Moon Born Alone Open Mind Capitol City Standing O Rising Red Lung The Whole Love One Sunday Morning I Love My Label + extras Sometimes It Happens Sept 2014 Tweedy Sukierae Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood High As Hello World Away Diamond Light pt1 Wait For Love Low Key Pigeons Slow Love Nobody Dies Anymore I'll Sing It Flowering Desert Bell Honey Combed New Moon Down From Above Where My Love Fake Fur Coat Hazel I'll Never Know Aug 2015 Star Wars EKG More Random Name Generator You Satellite Taste The Ceiling Pickled Ginger Where Do I Begin Cold Slope King Of You Magnetized Sept 2016 Schmilco Normal American Kids If I Ever Was A Child Cry All Day Common Sense Nope Someone To Lose Happiness Quarters Locator Shrug And Destroy We Aren't The World Just Say Goodbye June 2017 Together At Last - Jeff Tweedy Dawned On Me Nov 2017 Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black Nov 2018 Warm - Jeff Tweedy Bombs Above Some Birds Don't Forget How Hard It Is For A Desert To Die Lets Go Rain From Far Away I Know What It's Like Having Been Is No Way to Be The Red Brick Warm How Will I Find You? Apr 2019 Warmer - Jeff Tweedy Orphan Family Ghost And Then You Cut It In Half Ten Sentences Sick Server Empty Head Landscape Ultra Orange Room Evergreen Guaranteed Oct 2019 Ode To Joy Bright Leaves Before Us One And A Half Stars Quiet Amplifier Everyone Hides White Wooden Cross Citizens We Were Lucky Love Is Everywhere (Beware) Hold Me Anyway An Empty Corner Misc. Tell Your Friends Tweedy - It's A Whisper Tweedy - All Lives You Say
