Sky Blue Sky is a very good album in my estimation. I don't consider it a classic but it is very strong throughout. I think the album does an excellent job of introducing the "new" version of Wilco. It's beautifully recorded. The themes the album addresses are somewhat similar to Tweedy's earlier writing but come from the altered perspective of someone who is older, wiser, and more fully rounded as an individual and family member. Too many rock (and rap/hip hop) songwriters try to remain stuck in a sort of perpetual adolescence and fail to reflect the passing years in their music. Tweedy, happily, isn't falling into that trap (others like Springsteen, Hiatt, the aforementioned Finns, etc. have paved the way for Jeff in this but this album shows that he is doing it his own way). I like (or at least appreciate) every song on the album to some degree, with the lone exception of "Leave Me (Like You Found Me)". I'm rather surprised that so many don't like "Walken", which is to me one of the album's two peaks. Anyway, here's my ranking of the songs on Sky Blue Sky: Either Way Walken You Are My Face What Light Impossible Germany Sky Blue Sky Please Be Patient With Me Side With The Seeds Hate It Here On And On And On Shake It Off Leave Me (Like You Found Me) My ranking of Wilco albums (so far) in order of preference: 1. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot 2. Being There 3. A Ghost Is Born 4. A.M. 5. Sky Blue Sky 6. Kicking Television: Live In Chicago 7. Mermaid Avenue, Vol. II 8. Mermaid Avenue 9. Summerteeth
I’ve just been contemplating the great issues of life and it occurred to me that I have never been a Genesis fan and only a cursory ‘whatever gets FM radio airplay’ Supertramp listener. That doesn’t bode well for me, I guess, when it comes to this new band.
Have you heard Fridmann's work with Spoon and The National? Very different from anything by the Lips...
Not with Spoon but probably yes with The National (I can't think of which albums he did with them offhand). I like most of The National's music, but some albums more than others. It would be interesting to know if the stuff I like the most from them was done with Friedmann or not.
I have to admit through the whole "On and On and On" discussion ... the ABBA song is stuck in my head! Kudos to Fortuleo for beating me to the punch! Here's a live version that rocks a little harder:
For The National, he produced Sleep Well Beast, 2018 Best Alternative Album Grammy winner. For Spoon, he's done the last two, They Want My Soul and Hot Thoughts. This one might be the most Wilco-ish for a mid-tempo pop rocker:
Friedmann and Burton are both divisive producers who drive audiophiles nuts because brickwalling is a deliberate part of their style. They also have distinct sonic watermarks where you can recognize their touch regardless of the artist. But that’s as old as Phil Spector or maybe even Sam Phillips. Both have done two albums with Low (probably the only band I like more than Wilco). On the first, Low did some cautious experimentation and on the second, they went all in on the producer’s approach. In both cases, I like the more extreme examples better. Also, because those albums were heavily treated, the live versions differ substantially to the studio versions. That makes the albums a distinct piece of art, complemented by a live body of work that gives more longevity and context to the individual songs. It makes both the albums and the performances more vital for me. I’m also a fan of the recent Spoon albums, so I guess I’m on team Friedmann? I understand why he drives some listeners nuts though. Wilco have been self-producing since the beginning. It might be time for an outside voice. But that’s a discussion for after Ode to Joy!
...or sooner. They’ve posted today (via Twitter) that some news is coming. I’m more than happy to jump to the conclusion that this means a new album
On and On and On - Beautifully summed up by @Parachute Woman. This song has given me and some good friends a comfort or balm at a time of loss. I've enjoyed all the many takes by our fellow commenters on the prog, soul and other influences. Once again, @Fortuleo summed it up nicely when he talked about the space left in the arrangements on this record. I riffed at the outset about how this is a "whole fam damnly" album around our house - it hit at just the right time for me and my wife and our kids interest in music. It is still in rotation at our house and I consider it another Wilco masterpiece.
Can my heart take it? Nearly every single one of my favorite artists is releasing something this fall. It's really making up for the horrors of the year.
I think you just mentioned Tull, Supertramp, and Genesis in a single post in the Wilco thread. Wait a minute, so did I (I love all three bands)...
The "yeahs" do seem like an odd tic. Also, some of the lines, like "Please don't cry, we're designed to die/ You can't deny even the gentlest tide" and "I will live in you or you will live in me/ Until we disappear together in a dream," seem to be in conflict with the main message that he wanted to send to his father. Maybe because, in his own heart, he didn't really believe that we'll be with our loved ones in heaven? I had hoped that this album would make a better impression on me, now that I'm squarely in the target demo. And I think that I did appreciate it a little better than the last time I took it for a spin. I feel like it gets off to a pretty good start with the first four tracks, and the last two bring the cycle to a nice resolution--even if they're problematic in some ways. Light out of darkness, and we'll go on and on and on... some uplifting themes to end on. In between, I don't think the program really takes off; it's a rocky mix of some tracks that could've used more work, some decent filler worked up by the band, and some songs that barely register with me. I still believe that Jeff really could've used a primary collaborator. Too much of the album seems half-baked to me, and "Impossible Germany" is the only Wilco classic. I'm making an honest effort, but still I'd probably give Sky Blue Sky a 6/10 score, maybe 7 if I'm feeling more generous tomorrow.
Wow, I fell woefully behind on this thread, and it's a shame because I really do like Sky Blue Sky, though I do agree that the true meat of the album is front loaded in the first five tracks. That said, I don't dislike the back half. In brief on some of the songs I missed: "Shake it Off" is annoying to some, but I actually like it. Interestingly, I was at the very first performance of this song (11-24-06) and the very last performance of this song (12-9-14). Though they played it a good amount at the time, it's definitely one in that "I Thought I Held You"/"Sonny Feeling" category that they are just not that proud of anymore. "Hate it Here" or "The Liar Song" as Jeff's wife calls it, since Jeff apparently has never used the washing machine in his life, is a fun one. I really like Jeff's guitar work on it, as well as the riff around the chorus, which I think really elevates the song. "Leave Me Like You Found Me" is one I've heard a lot of people didn't like, which always disappointed me because I really like it! I think it is beautiful and evocative. Jeff played it recently from his couch on the Tweedy Show, marking only the second time it's ever been performed. "Walken" is great live, but the studio version is only so so. It feels a little timid to me. "What Light" is one I never really cared for. Inspiring lyrics, but musically too blah. "On and On and On" is a stunner of a closer. Wilco always has great, epic closing tracks on their albums, and this is maybe one of my top two or three favorites, amid fierce competition.
Very funny. Hadn’t heard this before. I know Tweedy isn’t exactly ‘handy’ (per his dad) so I always laughed at the lawn mowing lyric, doubting Jeff did that chore. But didn’t think about the laundry.
I just watched this interview with Jeff that I had never watched before. It is entirely focused on mental health, addiction and his recovery. A lot of what we have talked about. A very raw, honest interview with Jeff that I think fits in here with our discussion of Sky Blue Sky. The lack of machismo and empathy in this man...
Fridmann also produced the last several Delgados records, which are great! It's funny you say this because when I first heard the song "All You Need is Hate" on my radio I thought it sounded like a new Wilco song! It definitely has some Tweedy stylings and the vocals are close. This would be a cool cover for them to do.
5LP Deluxe Edition of summerteeth listed for pre-order with a November 6 release date. Deluxe Edition 180g Vinyl 5LP Box Set Reissue featuring Original Album Remastered, Unreleased Demos, Alternates and Outtake Recordings Plus Exclusive Previously Unreleased Live-In-Store Performance! Wilco - Summerteeth: Deluxe Edition (180g Vinyl 5LP Box Set) 4CD listed on Amazon for $50
Pre-order will be up tomorrow morning on Wilcoworld. Already up on Amazon, too: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H5DG74...qid=1599014226&rnid=2941120011&s=music&sr=1-5
Knowing exactly what "On and On and On" is about, to me, puts it almost beyond criticism. Thankfully, I happen to like it, especially the way it builds, including with Glenn's thunderous tom hits. I've seen it performed only once, 2017/06/09 at Wolf Trap, where it opened the show, and it worked really well in that spot, I thought: "OK, we're getting straight into this!" One thing to be said for Sky Blue Sky is that it's recorded extremely well. The production really holds up today.
Fabulous news! I'd like to wait and order it directly from Wilcoworld. Today is sort of our 'scoop up the rest' day for the Sky Blue Sky period. A couple of additional tracks were scattered around releases from this period. We're getting into that era when you had the iTunes bonus track and the Best Buy bonus track and the Target bonus track and one here on the website, etc etc. The Thanks I Get Jeff says he wrote this song for Solomon Burke, but it wasn't selected for use by Burke. As a result we get this jaunty little number as played by Wilco. Jeff says he thinks of it, "It's a pretty legit-sounding soul song from that period. It's always been fun to play live." They've only played it about 20 times though. It's an enjoyable song with a good keyboard break, a cool little guitar solo and it fits in with the soulful rock vibe of several of the songs on the album proper. It has a lot of optimism, this song. "We can make it better! Let's put ourselves together and start it again!" I like this track quite a bit. Just good rock 'n roll. Let's Not Get Carried Away This one was the iTunes bonus track, also on the What Light single and the bonus EP and it is today tacked on to the end of the Spotify version of this album, so I've heard it a lot. Jeff doesn't seem to think much of it. It was requested at a 2013 show and he read some of the lyrics and then said, "These are the worst lyrics of all time. I'm not going to read all of these--I could read some of them then I could play the riff, then the rest of the song was a drum solo, if I remember correctly." Lol, I'm not sure why he hates this so much. It's basically a reworking of 'Hesitation Rocks' and is just big, dumb rock 'n roll with a shrieky vocal from Jeff and some fun guitar work. It's not going to change anyone's life, but it's fun. One True Vine This one is a gospel-influenced ballad that Wilco has never played live (though Jeff has played it solo). He later gave it to Mavis Staples and it became the title track of her 2013 album. Her version is great and the definitive version. But the Wilco version is lovely and I think it would have fit in just fine on Sky Blue Sky, though Jeff never thinks Wilco nailed it. It's got that organ/piano combo on it that I love so much and Jeff's vocal is really sweet on this. The Wilco version is only a little bit over two minutes long. Glad It's Over Another one Jeff hates. He said, "This could have been a really good song, but the lyrics are an utter failure. The only thing I was really hoping to do with the lyrics was make Jim O'Rourke laugh, so I was trying to write the most mean-spirited song I could muster up, because it was just funny. But I couldn't pull it off. At the end, I still back down and say I'm sorry. I just couldn't go wholeheartedly into a 'hate you' song. I think there's some mixed potential there.' I love that Jeff is just too nice of a guy to write a really mean song. The song itself is kind of catchy, actually. 'I don't feel bad!' Use today to comment on any of these tracks or any other leftover bits from the era.
It's a mixed bag of songs today. I think The Thanks I Get almost has a Stones feel to it. While not top-tier Wilco, it's a fun track. I don't like Let's Not get Carried Away. A big dumb rock song needs something to carry it - a killer riff, a memorable melody, lyrics that are fun to sing along with. This has none of them. One True Vine is a pretty song, and I agree it would have fit on Sky Blue Sky. It's one of the better outtakes. Glad It's Over is better than Jeff admits. I'm not sure it would have fit on the album as it's almost too similar to some of the material already there, but it's a fine track. I guess Unlikely Japan is technically a (The Album) b-side so it can wait...
Window of opportunity missed not getting "The Thanks I Get" on the album and used as lead-off single. First time I heard it was on the Volkswagen commercial, and it sounded fantastic. What a great promotional vehicle they had. (The days of fretting over bands using songs in commercials had long since passed. It became clear in the early 00s that bands had to make money any way they could, which is only exacerbated today by Spotify and other streaming entities that pay infinitesimal fractions of pennies per play. I also recall Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" being used very effectively and probably introducing the artist to thousands of new fans.) Glad It's Over: Wilco slipping into "Ride Captain Ride" territory again. Reminds me of Carole King:
