Wilco: Album by Album

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Parachute Woman, May 11, 2020.

  1. Knox Harrington

    Knox Harrington Forum Resident

    ELT is my favorite song on the album. Just a great power pop song. Something about it gets me.

    Jay's playing the b-bender guitar (not a slide) -- it's a great sound and will also make an appearance on Pot Kettle Black on YHF.

    The stacked vocals are also a highlight.
     
  2. John C Bradley Jr

    John C Bradley Jr Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbia, SC
    I am still behind by a couple of songs. Might try to catch up tomorrow.

    "ELT" is another one of those songs that sort of reminds me of Electric Light Orchestra. As others have said, there is something very "ELO" like about this record. I like this song. The quality of this record to me is so high that even the songs that are not my favorites (like this one) would stand out on other records.
     
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  3. rancher

    rancher Unmade Bed

    Location:
    Ohio
    To each their own. I’m a mellotron fan for the dramatic other-age feel it gives. Then again, the retro keyboards are why Stereolab is basically my favorite band :D but I know mellotron was not part of the accepted Americana vibe. I do wish they had minimized a few of Jay’s gratuitous synth blips ...

    great interview though ... looking forward to three more on this album that are basically my favorites, though I agree there have been some great ones so far! Can you guess which ones?
     
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  4. jalexander

    jalexander Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    A question I have is why does ELT have so few plays live?

    Based on our reviews, it’s middle of the road... a few of us love it, I few of us think it’s close to the bottom of Summerteeth songs, and most of think it’s ok. Jeff released it on his solo DVD. But the band almost never plays it.

    Does it just get overshadowed by I’m Always in Love? In some ways I think it’s a bit like Kamera, too, but with the kitchen sink Jay production style vs Tweedy’s preferred deconstructed minimalist style. Does it get lost in that transition and newer songs scratch Jeff’s power pop itch better than this one?
     
  5. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    ELT
    This song has a hint of country in it, that comes via the guitar and the vocal arrangement.
    We get a return of the high pitched melody synth, and I like it, it gives it a personality that makes it belong to this album.
    This is a cool song ... I am not altogether sure about the lyrics here to be honest .... I kind of wonder if they were aiming at a subversive pop song of some sort.
    Anyway, it suits the album and keeps the album flowing, and as an album guy, that is important to me.
     
  6. Parachute Woman

    Parachute Woman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Today:

    My Darling


    'My Darling' was pretty much entirely composed by Jay Bennett, I believe about his niece. It's a really lovely song that I can see working very well as an actual lullaby for a child. Beautiful, sleepy melody and caring lyrics full of warmth. While the 'bah bah bah' backing vocals probably have a touch of Beach Boys in them, this song has always felt like something from deep on the White Album to me. It has that kind of spooky, late night feeling to it. I like the arrangement again and how it goes into another long instrumental passage that is somehow pretty dissonant while retaining beauty. Jeff sings it well but I think this is really a moment for Jay to shine on the album. Very nice.
     
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  7. Al Gator

    Al Gator You can call me Al

    My Darling seems like a simple song of love for one of your children. It's a really nice change from the darkness of so much of the album, yet it's still got that special Wilco touch. It's one I look forward to.
     
  8. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    As Parachute Woman has said, Bennett composed this song for his niece. This is the second song in the Wilco discography (to date) that is really a sole-Bennett write (the other is the music for California Stars). (ASCAP distributes 85% to Bennett/15% to Tweedy, so that’s how the royalties are distributed. Interestingly, The Palace at 4am credits only Bennett).

    When I looked over the Summerteeth track list when we started the album discussion, I had this on my shortlist for my playlist. But... I find myself waffling now and it’s not because I no longer like the song. It’s more to do with The Palace at 4am (Part I) version being the one that sticks in my head. I’ll see how it shakes out.

    The song itself is a lovely lullaby, “we’re a family, my darling, right from the start.”
     
  9. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    Yes ! After a break, the controversial mellotron returns, in all its glory ! This sounds like another of the almost solo Bennett demos masqueraded as a Wilco song. They really try to do the whole Magical Mystery Tour trip in one song, don’t they ? Especially Strawberry Fields and Blue Jay Way, with Turtles/Zombies « baa baa baa » vocals thrown in. Harmonically, it's one of the most lennonesque songs in the Wilco catalogue, at the same level as Everlasting Everything and Magnetized, much later in their career. Jeff’s wonderful high pitch whisper of a singing suits the lullaby lyrics perfectly, enhancing the dreamy feeling of the song, alla Across the Universe or Cry Baby Cry, only disturbed by Ken Coomer’s 66-68 Ringo drumming. Strangely, the approach on the Jay Bennett/Edward Burch version on their duo LP is completely different, much more organic and direct (but with Mellotron nonetheless), sounding less like Beatle John and more like solo George.

     
  10. adm62

    adm62 Senior Member

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Love it, played it the day I welcomed my newly born daughter to our home 5/5
     
  11. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Good point. I scribbled down, “ponderous drumming’ while listening to the song yesterday.

    Ahh! Astute observation. I like that.
     
  12. fspringer

    fspringer Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    Too much monkey business on the album version. Never realized this until I was watching the YHF documentary and saw Jay tackling this live/acoustic after leaving the band. Leading me to a stripped-down version from the Bennett/Burch album posted above. I think? I'm not immediately seeing a youtube version of this track and could have sworn I pulled this track from the Bennett/Burch album (I don't have my CD's with me now). To my ears, it sounds so much better with just guitar and vocals.

    Ironically, I'm sure it was Jay who decided to take the Sgt. Pepper route with all the studio work. Along with "California Stars," among the really top shelf melodies Jay turned out in his lifetime.

    Edit: acoustic track comes from the album Palace 1919, featuring acoustic versions from the Bennett/Burch Palace 4 A.M. album.
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2020
  13. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    My Darling
    Cool little track.
    The vocal has a beautiful delicacy.
    It isn't a special track for me, but a good solid album track.
     
  14. awsop

    awsop Forum Resident

    Location:
    Netherlands
    It’s a nice, tender song, it’s so gentle.
    It’s a pity it has way too much instrumental backing. The drums are too heavy, the background vocals are too loud.
    An acoustic guitar would be enough.
    At YouTube there’s a video of it, with Jay singing it himself.
    I’m reluctant to show it in this post, because it’s a RIP tribute and I can imagine that some folks are not waiting for this.
     
  15. John C Bradley Jr

    John C Bradley Jr Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbia, SC
    Besides greatly enjoying everyone's comments as we go through these songs, one of the things this thread has done is sort of re-emphasize just how influential Jay Bennett was to the - not necessarily "early" period Wilco, but the sort of "mid-period" Wilco. Its just staggering to me the level of influence he had on those records.
     
  16. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    Just saw this, PW! Great thread.

    I saw Tweedy (Jeff's "new" band) with his 16 year old son on the drum kit. Stunning. Still Wilco to my ears.
    It was at LL Bean Free Concert Series In The Park, 2015...so great. Sadly the LL Bean concert series won't happen this summer...

    Jeff encored this:

    California Stars, like this great live vid, in LA...we all sang along. Jeff's boy is groovin' on the kit.



    LL Bean Summer Series, on the Green (not Jeff but you get the idea..).
    That's the huge LL Bean flagship store in Freeport. Open for curbside nowadays...
    [​IMG]
     
  17. Parachute Woman

    Parachute Woman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Welcome, Lemonade! I hope you can stick around and provide some thoughts as we go song by song. And I definitely agree with you re: Spencer Tweedy. He's a great drummer.
     
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  18. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    1998 California Stars...always a show stopper!

    Wilco when they were just babies...

     
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  19. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    Where are we?...on the track by track adventure?!

    :righton:
     
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  20. Parachute Woman

    Parachute Woman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    'My Darling', track 11 on Summerteeth. We are in the Summerteeth period.
     
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  21. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    N
    No negativity here! Love it. 5/5. Something about Jeff's voice, so uniquely beautiful

    Here is another dark tune (and hopeful, maybe this November?) by a rehabilitated stunning talent...for a temporary side trip, thought you all might love too:

    Kasey Anderson...Dangerous Ones



    Americana roots, so fine. Definitely a Wilco vibe.

    :edthumbs:

    With full band...

    The Dangerous Ones - YouTube
     
  22. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    Don't tell us that you're planning to come on board without reading the 115 pages thoroughly and conscientiously ! :waiting:

     
  23. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    :D (With the exam question at the x mark, being; is the lyric “dark side of the moon” or “dark side of the room.” Advancement dependent upon the answer!)
     
  24. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    I have some catching up to do after a three day weekend with the kiddos.

    "Via Chicago"
    One of the all time great Wilco songs. If you see them live, hope that they play this one. The noise, the lights, everything about this is an experience. I first saw the quartet lineup do it at 2003/06/30 D.A.R. Constitution Hall, though if memory serves Mikael Jorgensen was on stage by that time, with more to do, so I suppose quintet is more accurate. This was the third and final show I saw with Leroy Bach in the group. Sonic Youth opened, and this was when Jim O'Rourke was in that band, so he came out to join Wilco for the Loose Fur number "Laminated Cat," and then "Kicking Television," which had not yet been officially released. I suppose O'Rourke had been working with Wilco in the studio for A Ghost Is Born. I've now seen this one done seven times, and I never tire of it.

    "ELT"
    I've always liked this, as one of Wilco's more uptempo power pop songs. You can catch me singing it to myself while puttering around the house. I can relate to someone who should've been listening to what his better half said, sleeping while awake. I think anyone can who's experienced bouts of depression without seeking help, and that seems to me to be what this one is about. We know that Jeff ultimately entered a dual diagnosis rehab clinic and came through much healthier and happier, and he credits Susie for finding that facility and encouraging him to go. I don't think this song is about a general self-deprecation plus putting a partner on a pedestal--I think it's a very personal and direct expression of his experience.

    I could've sworn I'd seen it live, but actually not. This was only played 14 times on the Summerteeth tour and only 15 times since, starting in 2008. Maybe I've seen Jeff do it solo.

    "My Darling"
    I never much cared for this one. Maybe it is just because, as others have said, it's a plaintive lullaby buried in synth arrangements. Maybe the lyrics were just too saccharine for me. I don't think I've actually played it since becoming a father. I'll try it again and see whether it lands differently now. I've never seen this one live, but that's no surprise: it was played throughout the Summerteeth tour but has only been played three times since, and two of those were in 2008, twelve years ago now.
     
  25. Rainy Taxi

    Rainy Taxi The Art of Almost

    Location:
    Chicago
    I remember the scene you are talking about — the kid was eating corn on the cob, right? :p I think the song was "War on War."
     
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