The Whole Love was a real "comeback" in my mind for Wilco. It was the first Wilco album since A Ghost Is Born that I forged a lasting connection with, and it received regular play from me for about a year or two after it came out. Hearing it for this thread was probably the first time I'd played it in 5 or 6 years (as I've mentioned, my Wilco fandom took a big dive around 2014 and hasn't ever really recovered for no reason that I can name), and it mostly holds up for me as an excellent LP. Yes, there are a few lesser tracks on the album's second half but the rest is truly excellent. There's a diversity of sound paired with excellent production aesthetics and a stack of stellar songs to which all of this has been applied. I saw the band on the tour for the album, but they didn't play either of my favorite songs from it. Great shows regardless. Here's my ranking of the songs on The Whole Love: Black Moon One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley's Boyfriend) I Might Art Of Almost Whole Love Rising Red Lung Capitol City Dawned On Me Born Alone Open Mind Sunloathe Standing O My ranking of Wilco albums (so far) in order of preference: 1. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot 2. Being There 3. A Ghost Is Born 4. The Whole Love 5. A.M. 6. Sky Blue Sky 7. Kicking Television: Live In Chicago 8. Mermaid Avenue, Vol. II 9. Mermaid Avenue 10. Summerteeth 11. Wilco (The Album) From here on out, everything will be new to me.
In contrast to (The Album), which didn't have a lot in the way of extra tracks from the period, The Whole Love has a few outtakes and bonuses. Today is for discussing these additional songs. I Love My Label The band covered Nick Lowe's 'I Love My Label' for a iTunes set. The song seems an apt choice, given that Wilco was now recording for their own label and no longer had to deal with the complex politics of recording for a major label. It's a fun song and the organ on it sounds like Benmont Tench to me. Cruel to Be Kind: Wilco also backed Nick himself for a new version of his classic 'Cruel to Be Kind.' It's just one of those perfect pop songs and this version is just as enjoyable as the original version to me. Nick's voice has definitely aged, but it still sounds really nice and I love hearing my Wilco guys on backing vocals. Message from Mid-Bar: Included on the deluxe CD edition of The Whole Love, as well as the Speak Into the Rose EP from RSD, 'Message from Mid-Bar' is an interesting song with a nice repeated guitar figure and some unique lyrics about how we have to hate some things in order to make the world a better place--we have to hate racism and animal cruelty and destruction of the environment, etc. Good lap steel as well. Speak Into the Rose: A six and a half minute instrumental that definitely has shades of Loose Fur. It's a very cool piece that has the kind of unending propulsive energy that just grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go. Wilco is rarely trippy or psychedelic, but this song goes there. I think it is certainly 'bonus track' material, but it is fun to hear the band stretching out like this. I Might (Demo): Included on the Speak Into a Rose EP, this demo version of 'I Might' already has most of the song's elements in place but it's a little bit rougher, grungier, scuzzier. I Might is a sensational song so I like hearing it in any version, really. This isn't better than the album version but I dig it. I like Jeff's scratched up vocal especially. Art of Almost (Alternate): This was the last of the four songs on the Speak Into a Rose EP. It has a different introduction that feels like revving engines or machinery coming to life, plus a lush Mellotron swell with shades of Tony Banks. This is a cool alternate version of the song--not hugely different, but different enough to provide some pleasure for Wilco fans. Black Moon (Alternate): This is basically the song without the strings and the strings are part of what makes Black Moon so incredible, so this is inevitably worse. Sometimes It Happens: This has lyrics that were a poem by Brian Patten and music by Michael Westbrook. Is it from the vinyl edition or iTunes? I'm getting conflicting info on that. It's a nice sunny song with a Mellotron feel on it that I like a lot. I like this one, though I rarely hear it because I never think to play it. Overall, there isn't anything in this batch that I would count among the great Wilco songs, or even anything I think should have been on the main album. These are all more like curiosities to me.
Message from mid-bar is an excellent B-side, in that engaging Loose Fur folk-prog style. The acoustic guitar motif is almost an extension of the One Sunday Morning one and Jeff sings the chorus/bridge (the ‘we’re all swine” part) in a very lennonesque voice. It deserves to be added to the ever growing list of orphan Wilco songs, the ones that are like no other in the catalogue: Panthers, Unlikely Japan, What Could Have Been and the best of the Wilco Book tracks. Speak Into the Rose is an instrumental freak-out akin to what the band often does at the end of its experimental songs, except this time there’s no song before, just the freak-out. That is to say, you need to be in the right frame of mind, but when you are… Don’t care much for I Love My Label. Everything about is ordinary : the song itself, Jeff’s performance, the playing, nothing stands out except the backing vocals, very un-Wilco-like but extremely efficient. Sometimes it Happens is an altogether different beast, maybe their best ever cover, soothing and melodic, you can hear the band having a blast at trying their hands at it, the arrangement is sublime, with Mellotron touches treated like Garth Hudson is playing them, superb piano by Pat and a fantastic 70’s pop soaring groove. The fact it’s a cover of a very very obscure demo obviously allowed them to flesh it out like it was really one of their own songs (actually, I've just listened to said demo again, and it looks like Jeff & co. took the words and wrote new music from scratch around them). Tweedy’s vocals rank among his very best ever, maybe the quality of the lyrics (a poem by Brian Patten, a Liverpool guy that seems to be highly regarded) gave him a particular sense of responsibility, but he really makes this words his own. The circular melody is almost as relentless as California Stars (sounding like a never ending chorus) and the early bridge (“and sometimes you want to speak to him”) is absolutely stunning, one of the most inspired moments in Wilco history, with mind-blowing chord changes, making you feel Jay Bennett’s ghost was looming over Jeff’s shoulder. This is jaw-dropping.
Message From Mid-Bar and Sometimes It Happens are the two tracks I’ve placed on my playlist. The Whole Love has been an especial treasure trove for me as I hadn’t heard it prior to this discussion. With the bonus tracks, I’ve selected seven (and I could have easily added I Love My Label but won’t because it’s a cover). Edit: changed my mind on Sometimes. I really like it but will drop from playlist. Just because. Further edit: Mid-Bar features Jeff in Lennon-vocal mode. Excellent.
"Message from Mid-Bar" and "Sometimes It Happens" should have been on the album in lieu of two of the more average tracks. "Mid-Bar" is a good mix of styles, melodic, the sort of track that would roll right into Summerteeth and somehow make sense in its quirkiness. "Sometimes" is just a good mid-tempo ballad, and it would be nice to throw in a cover for once as part of an album - although I had no idea it was a cover until reading the songwriting credits. Could someone clue me in on where it appeared? Afraid I'm suffering from my lack of Salvation Army Sweater Hipsterism again!
"Message from Mid-Bar" and "Sometimes It Happens" are the standouts here. I don't know where the "Mid-Bar" title comes from, but I've always liked that quirky little track. The acoustic guitar riff, strangely, almost sounds a little like the acoustic version of "Art of Almost." I don't know if it would have fit anywhere on the album, but it would have been a worthy inclusion based on merit. "Sometimes It Happens" is a real stunner. I know it's technically a cover song, but it always makes me think of Jeff's relationship with Jay Bennett. This being the first Wilco release written and recorded after Jay's death, this song always felt like a little tribute or eulogy to him from Jeff. It's mostly the lyrics, but the arrangement itself sounds Bennett-esque as well.
And here's Part 3. Still so odd that both Jeff and John would not participate in the upcoming Jay documentary - that bizarre yet very clear passive aggression towards Jay's legacy. Feels like Jeff doesn't want to address it unless he completely controls the narrative, and the doc makers made it very clear they weren't hostile and only wanted to know his recollections of working with Jay. I'm sure both these guys enjoyed the Color Me Impressed documentary. It's one thing for Jeff to cop an attitude about Jay, something which makes sense given the fallout of a close personal and professional relationship, but John? I'm not getting it ... unless he's being told to avoid this topic?
As a light-hearted b-side I Love My Label is okay, but it's not something I'll ever reach for. Message From Mid-Bar is my favorite of these bonus tracks. It's got a nice melody, and that little guitar piece breaks up the song into intriguing little sections. I get a Spiders vibe from Speak Into the Rose. It's a fun track but never reaches those heights and doesn't have Spiders' payoff. I agree with Parachute Woman that the alternate Black Moon isn't as interesting as the album version, but it's nice in its own mellow way. Based on Fortuleo's rave, I plugged my phone into the office stereo and listened to Sometimes It Happens, which I haven't heard before. I enjoyed it, but it didn't strike me as great. Maybe it would take a few more listens.
Thanks! “EB: “Oh, and by the way, just so you know, the lyric ‘Turning your orbit around’ – that is a Jay Bennett lyric.”
A bunch of great b-sides from The Whole Love! I Might 7”: I just picked this up on Discogs last week A seller I was buying some other things from had it cheap, so I thought why not. 7” singles are fun but often so expensive right now Included the cover of Nick Lowe’s I Love My Label. It’s just a fun pop-rock cover obviously chosen because it was the first thing released on their own label. Nick Lowe would your with them that year . Speak Into The Rose EP: This was a red vinyl 10” released on Record Store Day. My wife tucked it away as a Christmas gift for me. Four decent tracks and I agree with other reviews above: Message from Mid-Bar - with the repeating acoustic figure it feels like the lesser cousin of Sunday Morning. It’s a solid tune and a fun exercise to try and follow the time signature changes. As far as I can follow, it goes between 7’s and 8’s Speak Into the Rose - a fun experimental instrumental Art of Almost (Alternate) - ok, but no substantial differences to the album version I Might (demo) - a lesser version. Essentially the same just with fewer overdubs, so what you’d expect from a demo. Deluxe CD: Included most of the above (no Art of Almost or I Might) plus an alternate version of Black Moon. A simpler version closer to the live arrangement Vinyl: Two more minutes of One Sunday Morning Sometimes it Happens - a beautiful obscure cover ballad. Sounds like Sky Blue Sky iTunes: A slightly longer version of Sometimes it Happens So if you want everything, all the releases are necessary except the I Might 7”. There’s also the Daytrotter digital EP which is still available on YouTube. Four excellent live versions that are all a little looser than the album. In the gap between Whole Love and Tweedy, Jeff started producing out of the Loft and there were some excellent releases: Low’s Invisible Way. Low and Wilco have long jockeyed for my choice as favourite band. Low had opened for Wilco on the Album tour and obviously got along well. I’ve followed Low since their early “slowcore” days, but they’ve come through many changes over the years. The heart of their sound is minimal, intense songs that highlight the vocal interplay of Alan and Mimi. They came to Jeff with a very simple set of songs that were already arranged. They also wanted to use piano for the first time. Jeff very successfully documented what the band were looking for. At the time I was a little bit disappointed because the album was very plain. They’ve subsequently done two more experimental albums that are career highlights. So looking back, Invisible Way is a bit of a breath of fresh air kind of like Sky Blue Sky. Plus you get Nels guesting on one track. Mavis Staples’ One True Vine: ok, this one is important. In contrast to their first collaboration, this time Jeff plays all the instruments except drums which are played by his son Spencer. So essentially you have Tweedy’s first release. I’m going to save my thoughts about Spencer’s drumming for Tweedy, but let’s just say I didn’t like it at the time. But the albums is truly great. Jeff’s playing is awesome and the songs are great. Jeff contributes three songs. 1) One True Vine, which we heard as a SBS b-side and here is an acoustic guitar ballad; 2) Jesus Wept, a heartbreaking ballad (that doesn’t really have anything to do with Jesus!); 3) Every Step which is an incredible gospel tune about being known by God. There’s also a cover of Low’s Holy Ghost that shows some Loft cross-pollination going on. Not a bad song on the album. White Denim Corsicana Lemonade; Austin psych-blues band recorded this amazing album with Jeff. I think it’s their best. Their earlier albums are fun, weird albums, but on this one they started tightening their belt and bringing songs. After this album they lost two key members to Leon Bridges, and they’d continue to release solid albums moving forward. But this album with Jeff just sounds great. Killer, killer guitars.
I need to listen to the Low record. I think I saw them open for Wilco twice on that tour. One True Vine is a really good record. I have not listened to it in quite a while, I need to break it out again. Mavis Staples is such a treasure.
Wow, I really really fell behind here ... To me The Whole Love is a really good Wilco album as a whole, so thumbs up! Unfortunately, going forward the only later Wilco or Tweedy album I have is Star Wars, which I really like. I just need to take the time to listen to the others, and will try to do so as they are discussed here. I'll be checking in though throughout, and will be active on the Star Wars talk for sure
Thanks for posting these. A great read! As for the doc, if I were in camp Wilco, I could imagine seeing no upside to participating. The downside is it could go very very wrong, and the best case is... I’m not sure. Plus I can imagine for Jeff personally there are a whole host of possible reasons why he simply doesn’t want to revisit that time in his life.
Their whole catalogue is solid and Invisible Way is a pretty accessible record, quite acoustic in approach. A few notable albums would be: Things We Lost in the Fire - likely their most popular album and the point where they got a bit of mainstream attention. Gorgeous chamber pop. The Great Destroyer - their loudest and fastest record. Their first for Sub Pop and the second point where they got another career bump The Curtain Hits the Cast - my personal favourite and the last of their minimal “slowcore records”. Very intense. Double Negative - their most recent release and another very intense one. Shows their recent deconstruction approach with BJ Burton. An interesting contrast to their work with Jeff Tweedy.
Message From Mid-Bar, by the way, is a Tweedy/Kotche co-write. And then the publishing is split 7 ways.
Quick correction- Nels doesn’t play on The Invisible Way. He plays on Low’s 2011 album C’Mon. Apparently he was also the one who recommended them as an opener for Wilco. Here’s the track with his contribution:
Even after reading his book, I'm not quite sure when Jeff's "dark times" begin and end. When I look at the "Outta Sight" video, or this, I see a pretty happy guy enjoying a very creative time in his life. And he was supposed to be slowly starting his descent into the pits of hell via migraines and prescription meds? To write off a whole section of your life - the section that makes it possible for you to go on living the life an artist because of its brilliance - because of a fallout with a creative partner just seems childish - to me, as a man in his 50s. And then that partner dies? I know how death works with the living, those weird phases you go through of deifying some people, or convincing yourself others were evil incarnate. Dead is dead, and dead don't care. A decade on? That should be enough time for any fires to die down and present someone with real context and appreciation for someone who has passed. Not this odd, dislocated feeling that something is still wrong.
I really like this Low album. When it came out I was in a big project stripping wall paper and repainting the inside of a house we purchased. It and Yo La Tengo Fade became my painting soundtracks. Perfect slow paced painting music. I must have listened to each of them 20-30 times over a month period.
