I don’t think it translates very well live. Pat on piano, Mikael on Hammond, and Jeff on acoustic, leaves Nels to cover a lot of ground for the electric guitar parts. Even with a double neck he can’t do it all! And the Jeff Lynne style harmonies are hard to replicate live.
Yes, hard to do a lush production number like You Never Know. Good song, but like a few George (and many Paul Macca) solo songs, it could stand a little editing and maybe wears out its welcome a minute or two before it comes to a close. Maybe a fade out? Does Wilco have a song that fades out?
Good question. Diamond Light Pt 1 off of the Tweedy album is the only one that comes to mind. Everlasting Everything as well, although it’s more a case of each part pulling out until just Nels’ loops are left, and then they drift off.
Country Disappeared I do agree with (most of) you that this album is definitely stronger in the first half than the second. There are quite a few songs in the second half that really just kind of drift in one ear and out the other for me. 'Country Disappeared' is a song I've heard many times--as many times as I have heard the whole album. And yet, I can never remember a thing about it unless it is literally playing right at that moment. When it is playing (as it is right now), it's okay. Kind of a pretty melody and more good piano from Pat. The lyrics seem to be commenting on the modern state of the world but they do it in such a vague way that I'm a little bit unclear on what exactly the comment is. Things are changing? The media is hungry for sensationalist news? Darn if I know. This is one of the first songs we've covered that honestly does absolutely nothing for me. It has now stopped playing and I've pretty much forgotten it again. A lowlight for me.
Country Disappeared: Tweedy begins singing in his breathless Ghosty voice which segues into a raw vocal filled with anguish. The melody, the piano, is beautiful and this is a highlight of this album. Lyrics? Some of it must be a reference to news helicopters hovering above. In this instance, I don’t really care as I just think it’s a pretty song.
I’m with @Zeki on this! I Just love this, an aching pop ballad, with gut wrenching chord changes (“If the winter trees bleeding leave / red blood” is almost Cars Can’t Escape beautiful *edit : I just noticed the "red blood" connection a few seconds after posting !) and unashamed mainstream radio background vocals, Pat (I think) doing his own version of a Howie Epstein soaring harmony on the chorus, like it’s some lost Tom Petty classic. Country Disappeared is the only Wilco (the album) tune that builds on the country-pop soul sound of Sky Blue Sky. Same piano led instrumentation, slightly compressed Ringo drums like on Hate it Here, use of high-pitched Tweedy vocals at some points, the kind of which were ominous then and all but disappeared here… It’s a good reminder of how cohesive Sky Blue Sky was and how diverse and eclectic (the album) is : we’re at track 7, and it’s the first – and only – song in that style. This was instantly one of my favorites on the album, because of its melodic grace (the way the musical phrase “It's so much worse than we feared” navigates on and around the chords is really something else) but also probably because coming after Sky Blue Sky, it felt very natural, whereas some of the throwbacks to earlier albums or styles sounded a bit too deliberate, if not forced. Musically, the song’s vibe is quite similar to what the (excellent) L.A. band Dawes is doing (their first LP North Hills was released later in the summer of 2009, check out a song like Bedside Manners for reference). I’m not sure either what the lyrics are supposed to mean, but they are full of beautiful evocative imagery. I read somewhere that it could be about a “zombie holocaust” and I must admit I find this interpretation quite convincing!
It's a beautiful track with some really great, albeit apocalyptic, lyrics; I especially love "When the cold night shakes you like a chandelier/The snowflakes break through the atmosphere/And melt on the blue breath of the auctioneers and disappear." This is how Jeff described the song in an interview at the time (no pun intended).
Country Disappeared is a pleasant but sad sounding track, and I like it more than Parachute Woman - I especially find that "every evening" chorus to be quite memorable. It seems to me that the couple in the song are watching disasters on the news. It's not my favorite track on the album but it's a very solid deep cut.
Oh, I like it a lot. Probably making some sort of political point, which may be even more valid these days 4/5.
Great analysis, @Fortuleo. (Plus I'll always dole out bonus points for Howie Epstein references!) I never made the connection to SBS before, but now I completely see how "Country Disappeared" fits in with the country-pop soul of that album. To me, this is a headphones song (not unlike "Deeper Down"). There is so much beautiful stuff going on with warm textures, melodies and harmonies. It's one of the last songs on the album that I like the arrangement to — there's stuff going on, but it doesn't feel cluttered. It may be one that isn't as epic of instantly catchy/memorable — if it were on in the background and you weren't paying attention, for example, it might not captivate you — but I think it's a keeper.
I am in total agreement with @Parachute Woman on "Country Disappeared." I've been a bit busy at work this week and have not had a chance to go back and revisit this record all the way through yet (listening to each song each day its up for discussion), and when I saw it posted today, I had to think to myself, "what is this song sound like," because I could not remember it at all. Listening to it today, its not bad. I also agree with @Rainy Taxi that this song sounds like it easily could have been a Sky Blue Sky outtake. To me, its a good song but not a great song. Its good in the context of listening to a record all the way through, but its not a song I would come back to on its own or be particularly overjoyed about at a show if it was played live.
Country Disappeared - it is pleasant with some interesting lyrics, but I forget about it most of the time!
"Country Disappeared"- @Parachute Woman already posted almost exactly what I was gonna say. I can never remember this song after it’s over. In one ear and out the other. While it’s playing I have no major dislike of it, but it doesn’t leave any kind of impression. Even after listening several times this week I struggle to remember anything about it. It does sound like it could easily fit on Sky Blue Sky. It's neither a highlight or a low point. It falls right in the middle. 2.5/5
Country Disappeared - A really nice track with a majestic Beatles feel. It always a had a very autumnal feel to me. Great comments y'all!
Having just discovered this thread I'm jumping in a bit late. As a bit of an intro, I've been a Wilco and Uncle Tupelo fan going back to the beginning, which ages me more than I would like to think about, now that I think about it. Reading through this thread it's hard not to notice that there seems to be many Wilco fans who favor one era considerably over others. I pretty much like it all. If I had to pick favorite albums they would be YHF, AGIB, ST, Being There, SBS, and The Whole Love. I also have a soft spot for Tweedy and Ode to Joy, as well as the first two Guthrie collaborations. Jay Bennett or Nels Cline? There's enough love in the world for both. And yes, don't kid yourself, Nels Cline is a Guitar God. Other music I love, meaning I would buy vinyl site unseen: Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Jethro Tull, Genesis, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Tom Petty, David Bowie, The Jayhawks, The Band, Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Steely Dan, Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson, Grizzly Bear, Cate Le Bon, Neil Finn, Yo La Tengo, Low, Nils Frahm, Sufjan Stevens, Josh Ritter, Bonobo, Silver Jews, Nick Lowe, Stephen Malkmus, Tom Waits, The Replacements, Kings of Convenience, The National, Spoon, Julia Holter, Joanna Newsom, Nicolas Jaar, Angel Olsen, Bonnie Prince Billy, Japanese Breakfast, Radiohead, Mistski, Beach House, Weyes Blood, Moses Sumney, Phoebe Bridgers, Fontaine's D.C., Bill Evans, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Jakob Bro.--Glad I got all that off my chest. As for the song at hand, Country Disappeared, it is one of my favorite songs on the album. I first realized the brilliance of this song when driving across the state of Washington years ago. Like many Wilco tunes, it is a driving song. It has that soulful groove the band often captures, perfect for a chill drive, pushing you forward into a long sunset. The lyrics are also some of Tweedy's best, poetic, contemplative, and canvas filling. The music and the lyrics taken together, however, are gutting. Soothing music underlays a tragic modern narrative. This song is a grower, to be sure, but once you jump full in it doesn't let go.
It seems to me that "Country Disappeared" is Jeff's attempt to write his own version of "Comment (If All Men Are Truly Brothers)." Maybe a dour sequel, in a similar style. Social commentary in a Soul ballad. "Comment" notes that we don't really look after each other like we should, but maybe we still could try to do better. Tweedy is like, "It's so much worse than we feared/ There's nothing left here/ The country has disappeared." He's still determined to help, however he can, but he doesn't sound optimistic at all. He just sees us continuing to destroy ourselves. The other day, someone posted an alternate sequence in which "Bull Black Nova" and "Country Disappeared" come near the end, and I think both of those songs benefit from that placement. "Country Disappeared" stands out better when heard in contrast to the music of "Bull Black Nova," and I guess that they pair well thematically, too. From the story of an individual murder to killing and destruction as a society.
I had never thought of reordering this way, but this opens up some interesting transitions. "Bull Black Nova" into "Country Disappeared" particularly works really well. I have a different alternate tracklist I'll post when we wrap this album up, but this proves there are a lot of different ways it could go.
It’s interesting how song order sometimes shapes one’s impression of a given song. If you are ready for a certain type of song to come next it’s all good. If you have 3 slow burners in a row it just might seem like that 3rd song is a bit tedious. A definite difference between approaching songs as albums vs individually. Though even if you are making a playlist of disparate songs, song order is pretty important. By and large this is something Jeff is very good at; it would be interesting to see what others come up with though.
"Country Disappeared" is a good song but it lacks that distinguishing feature that most Wilco songs possess. I hate to say it, but it sounds a little bit generic. That's not to say that it isn't thoroughly pleasant while I'm listening to it - it has a breezy melody and pleasing arrangement and overall sound - but it just doesn't leave a strong impression for me. Again, there are some good lines in the lyrics but, as a piece, they don't really stand up to (at least my) scrutiny.
Always had this album on vinyl so Country Disappeared introduces the rather sombre Side 2 after the upbeat Side 2 closer You Never Know. Country is one of my favourite under the radar Wilco tunes. Gorgeous harmonies. Soulful guitar. And that easy going sound to Sky Blue Sky.
Welcome @GlenCurtis! Hope you continue to contribute. Solitaire This is another pretty understated track, but I like it better than 'Country Disappeared.' I like how much space is in the arrangement, with the acoustic guitar leading things but the pedal steel and piano coming in so beautifully to accent things. And is Jeff's vocal double-tracked? It sounds that way to me. I like the words as well: realizing that you can't spend your whole life just focused on your own happiness and your own life. I think this is definitely a 'post addiction' song from Jeff, recognizing the selfishness of his behavior. It's a pretty song, wistful and plaintive. It isn't a top favorite song for me, but I do always like listening to it on the album.
In search of a term that describes when a band or recording artist does a song that has the same title as a song that not only already exists but in many cases was either a massive hit or legendary song in a previous band or recording artist's canon, thus inspiring a mild sense of disappointment in learned listeners upon hearing the new song with the same title:
Solitaire: this is a pretty good song. I initially flagged this as a potential playlist maker but it didn’t make the cut when I gave it a second listen. It sounds to me like a song that pops up in a film scene where the guy is pensively folding his laundry.
Nick Drake doing Good Vibrations (the “Gotta keep those lovin'…” section, almost note for note !) on the acoustic guitar ? Well, I’m all for it. Solitaire is the unsung gem of this record. I love all the little production ideas. All the keyboards parts, especially the electric piano and the Hammond coming in high and sounding like a flute, the disjointed double track vocal, the little instrumental acoustic breaks recalling a more low-key and folkier Muzzle of Bees, Nels’ delicate and elegant steel guitar overdubs, everything works superbly well. This is a clear precursor of some more recent Tweedy songs. The “Took too long to see I was wrong to believe, in me only” bridge sounds uncannily like something from the Warm sessions. But since the intro is reminiscent of Radio King, it makes for a good general overview of Jeff Tweedy the acoustic folk balladeer, all packed in three minutes of understated beauty.
