Writing about “One Wing,” I noted the reverse guitar solo as sounding like something straight off Revolver. Well, I was going by memory; the solo is actually on “You and I,” of course. The solo is the most interesting thing about the song, to me, apart from Leslie Feist’s voice, which I really like. I was also a fan of The Reminder. Somehow, I’ve never seen Wilco do it live. Jeff’s played it solo a bunch, too, but not when I was in the crowd. Oh well. I don’t take any special offense to this song, but it’s also not one I’m pining for.
I remembered I have a copy of Wilco - Live at Keyspan Park, Brooklyn, NY - 07-13-09, which the band released online as a pay-what-you-want download to support Haitian hurricane recovery in 2010. Feist appears to perform "You and I" with the band during the encore, and then Ed Droste of Grizzly Bears joins them all for "California Stars," "You Never Know," and "Hoodoo Voodoo." Yo La Tengo joins Wilco for one of the best-ever performances of "Spiders (kidsmoke)." This was effectively a Roadcase release before the band began selling them as a series, and is well worth tracking down.
This album is begging for an alternative track listing. Here’s one I found elsewhere on the SH forum: DARK NEON (they led off with the bonus track) SONNY FEELING DEEPER DOWN ONE WING YOU AND I YOU NEVER KNOW SOLITAIRE I'LL FIGHT BULL BLACK NOVA COUNTRY DISAPPEARED EVERLASTING EVERYTHING WILCO THE SONG
Hey! We’re not even done Side A yet. Everyone keeps jumping ahead to Dark Neon. One day at a time folks...
"One Wing" A track that I think illustrates how sophisticated the band had become. Interesting rhythmic ideas along with some snazzy guitar work, all wrapped up in another melodic tune from Jeff. This is really good stuff. "Bull Black Nova" In many ways this is another one of those songs that define Wilco in my mind, particularly at this point in time; a very distinctive track that I would say anchors the album. Again, I really enjoy the guitars on this, and that quirky, pulsing rhythmic riff. True to their nature I suppose, it all winds its way into a somewhat discombobulated wash of sound. I like it.
"You and I" with Feist, from Alpha Mike Foxtrot The track is labeled "(Live)" but I don't hear any crowd noise. Maybe a radio show? The organ and electric piano sound fuller, so it seems more like a Sky Blue Sky outtake. Take the best songs from SBS and this album, you have a really solid collection.
"You And I" Yeah, I'll say it...one of my favourite songs on the album...and one of my favourite Wilco songs, period. Stone me if you must. It's simply a really good song; a great little piece of songwriting, while the performance and collaboration between Jeff and Leslie has a natural groove while avoiding any sort of overly polished sentimentality. The band sounds great on this too. All-around, an excellent track. Got to see a Wilco show in Toronto where Leslie Feist came on stage to sing this with Jeff. It was awesome.
"You and I" must be one of the weakest Wilco songs. Lyrics are run of the mill and the tune is pretty ordinary 2/5. "Deeper Down" 3/5, same for BBN (never got on with this one), but "One Wing" gets full marks 5/5, staggeringly beautiful song.
Next up: You Never Know This is my favorite song on (The Album) and one I return to often even outside the context of the album. I just think it's a great, classic pop/rock song. Excellent melody, excellent arrangement, great playing and it just makes me feel good. Many people have said that this song sounds like solo George Harrison. Yep. The guitar solo and slides are definitely from the George playbook and the 'I don't care anymore' sighs do feel like something off of All Things Must Pass. That's cool by me because I love All Things Must Pass. There is so much to enjoy on this track. The piano, the fact that both the verse and chorus are extremely catchy and memorable, the relatable lyrics about how all young people think that their generation is seeing the end of all things... It's just a wonderful song. And I like this version better than the one we touched on with 7 Worlds Collide, though they aren't that different from one another. I'm just familiar with this one. In my opinion, you've got to be a great songwriter to be able to write something this well-constructed, this hooky, and this likable. I read somewhere that pop music is hard to write but easy to listen to (while avant-garde is easy to write but hard to listen to). I think I sign off on that. I love great pop music and it's a real skill being able to write it, even if some music fans look down their noses at pop. This is the kind of track that could have easily been on a classic album in the '60s, the '70s, the '80s, the '90s... It's timeless.
That would be my choice too. But I think I will try something different with the track listing to see if I can “help” this album.
Yes. Love how Wilco can turn out great pop songs in between some of their more angsty stuff. Get the very obvious George Harrison comparison, it is pretty much a ripoff at times, therefore not in the toppest of drawers for me 4/5
You Never Know: A track that screams single...and, after checking wiki, I see that it was released as such and did pretty well. It’s not going to make my list even though I like the song. Too anthem-y for my present mood.
You Never Know A sunny piece of music that will clear the skies on a cloudy day. In my reconfigured tracklist of (The Album) this goes in the #2 slot, right after (The Song).
Yes, this is a love letter to all things George. During the first years, whenever Wilco did the occasional nod to Harrison (most notably on She Came Along to Me and Secret of the Sea, from the Mermaid Avenues), I thought Jay was the culprit. It turns out I was wrong, as many years after Jay left the band, You Never Know is a master class in geeky Harrison obsession, sometimes almost sounding like Jeff’s audition tape for the Traveling Wilburys. The pounding piano could be from Devil’s Radio, the rhythm backing recalls This Song, some cascading guitars are My Sweet Lordish but others could come straight out of anything from the Jeff Lynne’s era, say Cheer Down (from the Leathal Weapon 2 soundtrack), in which they do the exact same descending hook on piano. The “ooooh oooh” background vocals are so typically George that it’s impossible to list all the songs they could be part of. That’s the thing : You Never Know is really about Harrison’s spirit in general, even the tongue in cheek lyrics are part of the homage. The icing on the cake is the “I don’t care anymore” catch line, an actual quotation of arguably the most obscure George song, a 1974 B-side titled, you guessed it, I Don’t Care Anymore !
You Never Know is also an album highlight for me. It's instantly memorable, with various sections. The George Harrison comparison is right on. And lyrically it's wonderful, preachy without seeming so. Great track!
I don’t think you were wrong. Jeff just picked up and carried on. (I think the two of ‘em, Jeff and Jay, learned quite a bit from each other).
I agree here. This song is like a tribute to the “Jeff Lynne production era” of George Harrison’s career. It totally works for me, even if a whole album in this style would be like trying to eat a hay bale sized portion of cotton candy.
Without the horrific drum sound! I also hear "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone in the verses. The backing vocals make the song here, and they sound cleaner and more pronounced on this version compared to 7 Worlds Collide. Are there any other key differences between these two versions? I've often wondered how Wilco would fare with name producers like Jeff Lynne, Daniel Lanois or Brian Eno stepping in ...
