My thoughts going into WTA: I was in a life phase where buying albums at release was no longer important to me. I got this one cheap on vinyl around six months after release. Might be an indicator of how well it sold ($15CDN=less than $12USD new!) I enjoy this album but it doesn’t have the wow factor. I’ll see how I feel at the end of this, but I feel like this is the first Wilco album where Jeff wasn’t trying to knock any songs out of the park. There’s no I Am Trying, or Via Chicago, Impossible Germany, or Misunderstood This is the first Wilco album that feels like it’s looking back by revisiting styles from previous albums Following the Ashes DVD, we’re moving into an era where Wilco really master their whole catalogue, so there are lots of media appearances and live-streams of really great performances. The revisiting 7 Worlds has helped me think about the Pat element. He is just as talented as Jay was on seemingly infinite instruments, just without some of the mad professor dynamic. Even though Nels added guitar to the early version of You Never Know, that mix has a lot of riffs that sound like Pat. I wonder how that will translate across the album as I revisit it with that lens. Thoughts on WTS: This is one I’ve loved since day one. The first fun song they’ve done in a while. It’s another one in Jeff’s large œuvre of songs about the saving power of music... but this time Wilco is the saviour. The music does recall Cant Stand It, but it has a loose, Velvet Underground feel, anchored by a very Glenn percussion part The lyrics are also very post-modern and meta and are the next step from songs like Someone Else’s Song, The Lonely 1, and Bob Dylan’s 49th Beard. I love the live version with the robot announcing each member’s name
Like many of you, I got my first taste of Wilco (The Album) when the band performed "Wilco (The Song)" on The Colbert Report. They even changed some of the lyrics so that one of the verses ended with "Colbert, Colbert, Colbert will love you, baby." And I always noticed the similarity to "Can't Stand It," most notably with the use of chimes. As was mentioned, the record leaked in May, 2009, so I had it before my graduation from law school that month. My little brothers and mom came to the ceremony, and I had the CD-R playing in my car as we drove to campus so I could let my brothers hear it. My mom didn't much care for "Bull Black Nova." I was thinking about a week ago, that Sky Blue Sky was the beginning of hearing Wilco on the muzak systems in grocery stores. That very day, I went grocery shopping and heard "You and I" at Whole Foods. But it's not just some yuppie Whole Foods/Volkswagen thing. I've heard songs from (The Album) at Food Lion, too. Noticeably, on both these records, Jeff's vocal is mixed way up, front and center, the same trick they tried with A.M. in an attempt to get radio play. As someone else said, I also listen primarily to vinyl, and I've had this one on wax since release. It is definitely a record of two sides, and it's front-loaded. Side A starts out with today's song and ends strongly with "You Never Know," which follows "You and I," the closest thing to a hit single here. But side B begins with "Country Disappeared" and "Solitaire," and includes "Sonny Feeling." Yikes. After law school, I studied for the bar exam and looked for jobs during the recession. My class, and the class of 2010, were pretty much **** out of luck. Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, AIG, all of that happened during my third and final year of law school, and there were shockwaves across the economy, especially in the legal market, which contracted sharply. Entry-level legal jobs disappeared pretty much overnight, and despite going to a top law school and passing a tough and respected bar exam, I struggled, as did many of my peers. For these reasons, I didn't see Wilco in 2009, breaking a long streak of seeing them at least once on each tour. I did catch them in 2010, at the National in Richmond, on their "an evening with" tour. They opened the show with a text-to-speech computer voice laying the ground rules for the show, including no flash photography. They opened their first set with "Wilco (The Song)," and at the end of the tune, during the final "Wilco . . . Wilco . . . Wilco will love you, baby," the computer voice introduced each band member by name between each time Jeff sang, "Wilco." Then it said, "Ladies and gentlemen, Wilco," and the band played the final riff to end it. They've rarely played this tune since that 2010 tour, so I don't know if they kept up the computer voice or not, but I kind of doubt it. It was fun at the time, though--the only time I've seen this one, myself. They played it once in 2014, 10/28 at Port Chester, NY, which is available in the Roadcase as # 37. I think this might be the only performance of the song available on a Roadcase release; no computer voice.
Love Wilco (The song), great when they opened shows with it (they still do, occasionally). Regarding the album it is absolutely fine. Maybe less exciting than some, but a solid enjoyable listen pretty much right the way through.
"Wilco (The Song)" is an enjoyably goofy way to open the album. I like the song a lot, even if I don't really dig hearing them using the band's name in the lyrics. It's like breaking the third wall or something. Nonetheless, it's a solid track with a generous message of goodwill and it gets us off to a good start. I'll wait to share my thoughts on the entire album until we've finished all of the songs, but I will say that this is probably my least played Wilco album (even less than Summerteeth) for some reason, even though I wouldn't rate it as my least favorite of their releases. For whatever reason, the album never became a favorite and never got a lot of time in my player(s) back then. I also really don't like the cover - from the font on down, it looks like they are sitting at some cut-rate Bavarian beer garden. Maybe that was the reason I never played the album that much - it made me think of St. Pauli Girl.
I'm very fortunate to be doing fairly well these days, but I graduated law school in the 90s, and the class ahead of me was the first class in the school's history where everyone did not have full-time legal employment upon graduation. As one of my professors at the time said, "It used to be the worst thing that could happen to you is you got legal employment with the state or federal government--now we can't even guarantee you that." So no doubt what you went through was worse, but the profession overall from my perspective has been on a downward trend for some years now, esp. at mid-sized and small firms. The attorneys who have really thrived in the last couple decades are those that found traditional legal employment or not so traditional legal employment in the financial services industry. I have a friend who works as an attorney at a bank/investment house most have heard of, and he's absolutely cleaned up. Sorry, I digress, back to Wilco . . .
I’m certainly not wealthy, but I’ve found my own version of great success in the non-profit legal sector, thankfully. Those recession days are happily behind me.
Yeah, I just went from legal publishing back to a firm. I knew exactly what I was getting into, and it's great work, but it's also a shock to the system in terms of time commitment. So I get the feeling I'm going to be liking The Album more this time around. At the time, I didn't like this one any more than Sky Blue Sky, in fact I like it less, but I did note that one of its tracks had an obvious George Harrison feel (we'll get to that). But I've already gone through a personal reassessment of this one a few years ago, and came out liking it more, so going through it now should be a good time.
Unreleased Jeff Tweedy track released on Bandcamp today: Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy, by Various Artists Working to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy
Speaking of albums leaking - was it Sky Blue Sky that someone leaked by way of Twitter? Or am I thinking of something else?
I remember at least one time where the lighting guy messed with the band by putting the spotlight on the wrong person as roll call was taken. It was pretty funny since you could tell the band wasn't prepared for it. For those unfamiliar here's a clip of how it usually went down live (sorry for the rough audio/video but I couldn't find a good version. Introductions start at 2:58 [you may want to lower your volume a bit]): For some reason I always thought "Wilco the Album" cover was taken somewhere overseas; it took me a while to realize it was actually the Mader's parking lot in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Probably not something many outside Chicago/Milwaukee would pick up on but if you bought "Wilco the CD" instead of "Wilco the LP" it was pretty obvious: For those unaware, Mader's is the oldest (German) Restaurant in Milwaukee [About Us | Maders Restaurant - Best German Restaurant in Milwaukee | Mader's Restaurant ]. Maybe not as iconic as the Marina Towers in Chicago, it's still pretty famous locally. Not sure if I've ever heard a reasoning for the birthday camel cover shoot but from personal experience Milwaukee is another great weekend road trip destination for Chicagoans. Ironically enough I remember celebrating someone's birthday there (no camel though)...
Lotsa love to the Wilco legal team here, I was Ohio State Law 1992. ... been tough times in our industry, but I have enjoyed civil litigation defense ... don’t worry, I will have good things to say about a few songs on this disc too!
Wilco (The Song) A fun rump in the same musical territory as VU’s “Waiting for my Man”. Seriously, play them back to back. And The Pixies guitar line throughout adds a LOT to this song. I learned a new word today when I listened to this on YouTube and read some comments. My favorite: “The best treponymous song since Bad Company”. Second favorite: “Everybody Wang Chung Tonight”. But c’mon YouTube! Be fair!! I mean, even the mighty Clash had “Clash City Rockers”, “This is Radio Clash”, and “We are the Clash”. Then Mick Jones went ahead and had eponymous songs with Big Audio Dynamite. My gawd, how many bad puns on The Who’s name have we had to endure over the years? So let’s let Wilco have this treponymous tune. It’s fun, it’s got great tongue in cheek lyrics, and it’s the best thing since The Beatles sang “We Are The Beatles” on The Beatles Album. Seriously, it’s that good.
Thinking it over, in the fullness of time, I have decided that my favorite treponymous track of all time is probably The Brain One by Brian Eno from Teh Brain Eno album.
Wilco (The Album) was the first disappointing Wilco record for me. I love and adore Sky Blue Sky, but WTA felt like a confirmation of what many SBS naysayers had expressed about the band. It is a bland album - completely happy to be, btw - one which is trying so hard to “not try hard” that it ends up showcasing Jeff’s ego rather than cast it off. I do view it as a deliberate attempt to thwart the monumental critical expectations which had been laid at Jeff’s feet since YHF and AGIB. He basically admits this in his memoir, though he characterizes the albums post Whole Love as being the real push on this front. He clearly wanted to release a “feel good” record that was super “not serious” hence the cutesy name. Well, congrats, Jeff. Mission Accomplished. It is the musical equivalent of an NPR tote bag. Deeper Down is my favorite track, and underplayed live, but in all honesty I would be happy to never hear any of it live again - especially One Wing which is as embarrassing a lyric as Jeff has ever written. I firmly believe that the Tweedy record Sukierae, which is great, got all of Jeff’s best work of the those years. All told, I am proud of Jeff for refuting the narrative around suffering and art - I think Whole Love and Ode to Joy are the best albums since SBS, and I think Jeff has shown that he is capable of being a great artist even when he is sober, happy, and writing mostly domestic songs. But his deliberate attempts to prove this (WTA, Star Wars, Schmilco) largely fail because they are so self-consciously trying to prove it - something which most of us have long known: one need not suffer to make great art, but art which tries to tell its audience that inevitably ends up a self-referential blow job, interesting more to the artist than the audience.
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)
I just want to say, on a forum that frequently suggests there is no good new music (meaning since the seventies ) it is really nice to have so much participation here
Good morning! We move on: Deeper Down (Pat Sansone / Jeff Tweedy) I think this is a highlight of (The Album) and an excellent song. It does recall some of the more baroque material the band was making while Jay Bennett was in the band, but we have mentioned how Pat Sansone has somewhat taken up Bennett's mantle in terms of being able to play a zillion different instruments and helping to really fill out the arrangements on songs. I'm not really a big 'baroque pop' fan in general (I lean more towards the songwriter/rock 'n roll side of things versus studio based tinkering) but I usually like it when Wilco does it. For me, some baroque pop lacks warmth/soul, but 'Deeper Down' is a good example of a song with a full, complex arrangement that still feels very earthy and warm. The melody on this is lovely and ever-changing. The song just keeps evolving and it doesn't even hit the three minute mark. They pack a lot in there. I love the use of an instrument called the slide cimbalom (a Hungarian dulcimer) on here, played by Jason Tobias. It's gorgeous. There is almost a dreamlike quality to this song, almost haunting. It isn't a peppy song. The lyrics are pretty unusual and there's a lot going on there. They reference triremes, which are Greek war galleys (going along with the 'fists capsized' lyric), as well as starting with the image of a boxer being punched out in a fight. "He felt the insult of a kiss" to me feels like it can either be a reference to the punch (right in the kisser!) or an allusion to Jesus (or both). This verse: Underneath the ocean floor The part of who we are, we don't explore I adore the meaninglessness of the this We can express is my favorite. I love this idea of all the things about ourselves that we bury and don't want to look at being as deep as the ocean floor. When I hear those lyrics paired with the music, I can't help but picture a dark ocean floor and a little diver all by himself down there, floating around and digging in the sand. It seems to be a song about our inner worlds and the pains we suffer in life, but richly and poetically expressed. This is one of my favorites on the album. Also: I noticed many of ya'll saying yesterday that you don't like the album cover. I just wanted to say that I always liked it. Anything with an animal on it tends to get bonus points from me. I think it matches the loose vibes of the album.
Deeper Down: two thumbs up. I had scribbled “pedal steel” in my notes but stand corrected by PW as I guess it is a slide cimbalom. In any event, it adds a haunting touch and is beautiful.
Thank you for the background on the cover photo and Mader’s restaurant. It all makes more sense now. Tweedy has always been great at making local midwestern references and in-jokes, so this is consistent with his general mode of operation.
Deeper Down More of Jeff’s abstract imagery in these lyrics. I rather like this song. Yeah, I think that’s what I’m getting too. I’m not sure how well this fits after the opening song, but then how do you follow up that opening song? Maybe it’s so self-referential and goofy that it should have been a stand-alone single. “Wilco (The Single)”. Maybe this album feels more like a grab bag because of song choice (“Dark Neon” was too good to leave off) and sequencing. After a run of brilliantly sequenced albums I wonder if Tweedy slipped up here in that regard.
