"Taste the Ceiling"- Along with another upcoming song, this feels out of place to me. On almost any other Wilco album it would be right at home, but it doesn't fit the mood they started on Star Wars. It pulls me out of the album. Most of you seem to like that there is a more traditional and classic sounding Wilco song. Especially those of you who do not like the Star Wars direction. @Fortuleo stated that he loves the contrast between a song like this and the previous song. That's an interesting way to look at it. It does have a bit more Schmilco in it, but I think it sounds more like a track for The Album. It's a decent song, but I'm not overly enthusiastic about it. It would probably get a better reception from me on a different album. 3.5/5
Interesting that a few people think "Taste the Ceiling" sounds like it Schmilco. To me, it sounds nothing like Schmilco! It has more of a Wilco (the Album) or The Whole Love vibe with the breezy, upbeat keyboards and lap steel.
Given the overall sound, the fact that Scott McCaughey plays on it, and the appearance that the lyrics are about partners trading illnesses that lay them out, I'm guessing "Taste the Ceiling" comes from the Sukirae sessions. Perhaps it's one the band petitioned to hold back for their own musical treatment. I'm sure everyone following this thread knows Scott McCaughey from The Minus 5, but note that before he and Peter Buck started that group (as well as several other side projects and touring bands they've been part of together), Scott was an auxiliary member of that little group, R.E.M. He joined on the Monster tour and contributed to their studio records and live show ever since. I was fortunate to see R.E.M. two days in a row at the 2001 Bridge School Benefit concerts, and he was on stage with them.
"Taste The Ceiling" is Wilco being Wilco...finally. This is what they do best. We get some Byrdsian jangles, a lovely melody, and a straightforward Tweedy vocal. The theremin (or whatever is in the background) gives the song a somewhat slippery feel that works quite well. As I said earlier, I wish Tweedy had come up with better song titles for this album and this is another one that doesn't work for me. That aside, however, there are some good lines in these lyrics, even if the overall intent is disguised (at least to me). This one and the preceding "You Satellite" make for a very nice recovery after a difficult start to this album for me.
I agree. It would have felt a little more at home on the Schmilco album rather than Star Wars. But it does sound more like a song from The Album or Whole Love.
Scott also gets namechecked by Jeff in a song on Warm. "Taste the Ceiling" - ah, Jeff usually writes some loping country-folk tune for the Americana crowd, like he's renewing his membership in the club, and here it is again, just slightly disguised. McCaughey adds some faint effects on the Mellotron that might have been meant to resemble a lap steel, but sound kind of like a theramin. The lyrics are a personal appeal to a partner or close friend who refuses to be present in the relationship. Whether he's talking about Susie or someone else in his life, or it's all just fiction, who knows. It's a nice tune, but I sort of feel like, "Didn't I just hear this on the last album?"
Yeah, on "Let's Go Rain," a song I find pretty cloying, but we'll get there. I read the lyrics as Jeff saying to Susie, in essence, "you were there for me, let me be there for you now," "I don't want to lose you," and also "you're better at handling this **** than me and I don't know what I'll do when you're gone."
Possibly something like that, but lines like "Why do I forgive you, because I get confused/ I could never leave behind the part of me that you refuse," and "I know why you don't really know me/ I don't think you can call it home" indicate that she's pushing him away. Some songs on Sukierae and The Whole Love express the same complaint. I agree that this well could be a leftover from the Sukierae sessions, btw, set aside because it sounds too much like "Summer Noon." When he sings, "I was only asking for a moment of the truth/ I can't fight the feeling when I'm hanging out with you" and "I was on the ceiling and I swore it might be true/ I could fight the feeling but not quite as well as you," what do you think he means? Is he on the ceiling because he's elated, or is he climbing the walls from anxiety? What is the feeling that he can't fight like she does? Love? A desire for some kind of truth?
Pickled Ginger I love me some 'Pickled Ginger.' A dark, scuzzy little song led by a deeply fuzzed out guitar and featuring a frenetic solo from Nels Cline, this track is just plain cool. I love how they let it build and build, with the drums entering late and the vocals becoming more intense late in the song. Again, the lyrics don't seem to mean much (though I do like "When no one gives a zig to the zag" just as a series of sounds) and the title doesn't even appear in the song. Does anyone have any insight into where that title came from? Wilcopedia offers no answers. Wilco appeared on Parks and Recreation and played a little bit of 'Pickled Ginger.' (Unfortunately, not on YouTube). The song does end very abruptly, which is my one complaint. I'd like for it to rock out a little bit longer.
Ah ! This time, our beloved song by song thread is a bit defeated : what can be said about this fun b-side that lost its way and was misplaced in an album track-list ? Jeff covered his own back and ended the conversation: this is not serious, folks! The Wilco people don’t take themselves seriously (except when they do!). And what's the big deal since the album is free (except for those who will buy it anyway). Now that the joke has been explained, one of the most interesting things about Pickled Ginger (except for the pretty cool I Found Out guitar sound) is that it’s a cover! And the original version by the infamous band called Land Ho IS on Youtube!
Pickled Ginger is an odd little song and I'm still not sure what to think of it. It's not got a great melody or rhythm, yet it's very Wilco. It's interesting enough but isn't a highlight for me.
Taste The Ceiling - This is my second favorite track on the record, sometimes my favorite depending on mood. This is Wilco with a superbly crafted song - strong on all levels for me! Pickled Ginger - A great compliment to the preceding cut and a ton of fun. Scuzzy nails it @Parachute Woman.
Jeff has it down on BMI as 100% his song. As Parachute Woman has noted, the video you posted is unavailable in the US so I can’t compare.
Pickled Ginger is my favourite tune on the album. It sounds amazing cranked. And given we’ve had long songs with amazing Nels solos in the past, I’m glad that his ferocious playing is kept in a tight box here. I love how the song just hammers along and then goes into this wild disintegrating solo that just falls apart. Glenn’s drumming is awesome too. My favourite part is at the two minute mark. Crank it loud and listen to the third guitar part come in. It’s a classic AC/DC trick where the heaviest part is actually driven by a relatively clean guitar playing chord bursts. Sounds awesome. But you have to crank this one to appreciate it. Thanks @Fortuleo. I’ve never made it that far into Parks & Rec... the version there is punkier. Here’s the Joke a Explained: https://parksandrecreation.fandom.com/wiki/Land_Ho!
With "Pickled Ginger," we're back to the Star Wars fuzz. This is a great track. This is one of those songs that, if it were a B-side or an outtake, which in many other instances I could see it as, I'd say, "Man, I wish they put a track like this on the actual album!" Lucky for us, in this case it is on the actual album! In addition to the killer guitar line that races along, I like that John sings harmony on the whole song. It's just a cool track. My favorite parts are the drum pick up at 1:09 and the random Jeff and John high-pitched "ahhh" at 1:50. I do kind of wish Nels' solo was a little tighter or had more structure to it, but it's a minor quibble. It works better on this song than the dissonant noise on "Dawned On Me." While most of the Star Wars songs faded from the setlist pretty quickly after mid-2016, this one actually had some legs. I remember them playing it a bunch in 2017. IIRC, it usually came right after "Art of Almost," which was a cool segue. It also segues very well on the album — out of "Taste the Ceiling" and into "Where Do I Begin."
Taste the Ceiling is pure effortless Tweedy/Wilco, wonder if there is a sexual reference there? Pickled Ginger is an absolute banger, love how the band just explode into life about halfway through and it makes me think (once again) that Wilco are the best band on the planet. Pretty sure that this one has remained in their live set, making at least occasional appearances (sighs).
If nothing else, I learned that by searching on youtube for "Land Ho Pickled Ginger," you come up with the Wilco song and many interesting recipes on how to prepare pickled ginger. I love ginger, but mixed with salt and vinegar? This sounds like a recipe for a Wilco song I'm OK with hearing occasionally on youtube: inscrutable, sweet and bitter.
Pickled Ginger This is a really interesting song, and the dirty opening is very cool. They ride that opening about as long as they reasonably could and then the drums come in. Then Jeff starts singing again and we assume another verse is starting but we head into this frenetic guitar break ... the guitar has an interesting effect on it... I keep thinking it's a ring modulator, but it isnt .... Then we move into an outro, and a less swampy guitar comes in, and it has the effect of providing oxygen to the mud-like frequencies most of the song has. It's a very cool song. I think that's why I like this album, it is just so different.... and sort of random, but yet coherent.
Been totally slammed at work this week and have sadly neglected this thread (this seems to have been the case for the past couple of weeks). Anyway, I have had this record on constant rotation at work and in the car. It's an interesting little record. As someone has already mentioned it just flies by. I have listened to it a ton more this week than I every have, sadly. There is a lot more diversity to this record that I remembered from past listens. Definitely growing on me.
"Pickled Ginger"- I'm pleasantly surprised that this song is getting a good reception. We are back in Star Wars territory. I agree with most descriptions so far. A quick blast of fuzzy scuzzy fun. 4/5
"Pickled Ginger" - Wilco as '90s alt-rock band. The other day I was thinking that Jeff Tweedy & Wilco have many talents, but have they ever made music that sounds sexy? This one almost gets there, although it's a bit too quick, in and out before you know it, to achieve full climax. It doesn't bother with your desire for hooks or a chorus, either. Just wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am. But it sounds very cool. The lyrics seem to take a stoic position towards whatever kind of suffering he's going through. He feels alone, and thinking about cutting someone loose, but ultimately vows to carry on quietly. "No one tells me how to behave/ I'm mowing and I'm growing the grave" kind of sounds like a callback to "Hate It Here." I guess the music gives the words a sense of urgency, darkness, maybe some panic, but also disguises his feelings to some degree. After all, he hopes that, "You'll never guess what's below/ Some might glisten the knot/ I'll never let it show."
