Thanks. I have seen this. I love "Mambo Sun" by T.Rex. It's hard to compete with the original, but I like what they tried to do with it. Marc Bolan is the perfect example of strange lyrics that are difficult to decipher, and I absolutely love Marc Bolan. That is part of his charm. I mean he has a song with the lyric "Did you ever see a woman coming out of New York City with a frog in her hand." Say what? No I haven't, but I can dance to it!
My favorite Bolan line, among many: "Are you a God, man/Are you now?/Are you now?/Are you a frog, man?/Are you now." I wasn't overly enthused with the last (and really, last, RIP) Hal Willner project, and it should have been a home run for me. A strange mix of too many artists toeing the line or going so far out there it was totally nuts. I pulled a few tracks, but not many. I'm surprised Wilco wasn't invited to contribute!
Yeah. I haven’t even heard the entire album. I had to skip quickly past many of the songs they were so bad. Wilco would have been a great choice to contribute. That I would like to hear! I’m rarely a fan of cover albums. This one had potential, but I don’t care for anything on it. Do I really need to hear Kesha sing “Children of the Revolution?” No, I do not!
I gotta say, "Cold Slope --> King of You --> Magnetized," on headphones at night, the white vinyl spinning, is a sonic treat. On a seemingly tossed off, lo-fi record, there are a lot of layers to peel back here. Someone mentioned Pavement. For a more obscure indie reference, I might recommend Megafaun. It takes a lot of musical chops to sound this random.
I was skeptical, but Instagram confirms it’s Nels on drums. Of course, they have a long history. Nels is married to Sean’s old bandmate Yuka Honda. And Nels and Yuka at least used to live in Sean’s upstate New York mansion/recording studio. Nels and Sean did a film score recently too.
Thanks for researching it. Apparently Yuka Honda is the one in the back wearing the Yoko sunglasses, tapping the tambourine and singing backup. She had worked with Hal Willner, and probably was the one who connected him with Sean, so it makes sense for her to be there, too.
And, like a flash, we come to the last song on the album... Magnetized Opening with hushed vocals, electric piano and a slightly discordant melody, "Magnetized" is a great closer for the album. It settles into being a really great and quietly epic piano song, featuring one of the strongest melodies on the album, a wonderful slide guitar hook and lyrics that I can actually wrap my head around. The relationship is compared to the magnets on the refrigerator--helplessly drawn and pulled together. I also really like this part: The woman that you would murder motions you awake Every apprehension 8 a.m. ache, ah Everyone wastes my time Everybody goes ah I'm lonely The pains and anxieties of normal life and how this one person can stand out for you among all those other annoyances. This song also runs for almost four minutes, making it one of the longest tracks on the album and also one of the most fully realized. So many of these songs seem to cut off right when they are getting going, but 'Magnetized' runs to its full length and potential. This is a great track. Star Wars overall thoughts I am a defender of recent Wilco and I like (don't love) Star Wars for what it is. This is not one of my top favorite Wilco albums, not by a long shot, but I enjoy it and it is so brief that it is very easy to throw on at any old time. I like its chaotic and fun-loving ethos and the fact that it was a deliberate attempt to not make a big, bold statement. It doesn't reach me on any real emotional or spiritual plains, but it's a good time and there are a couple of songs on it that I happily welcome into the canon of Great Wilco Songs. I will say that the lyrics are, by and large, a wash for me on this album and I'm glad that Jeff got back to writing more coherently on subsequent releases. I'm glad to see all of you Bolan fans extolling the virtues of lyrical gibberish but that's never been me. Track ranking: 01. Random Name Generator (A) 02. Magnetized (A-) 03. Pickled Ginger (A-) 04. More... (A-) 05. Taste the Ceiling (B+) 06. You Satellite (B+) 07. Cold Slope (B+) 08. EKG (B) 09. The Joke Explained (B) 10. King of You (B-) 11. Where Do I Begin (C+) No A+ tracks for me, but it's really an album that lives in the realm of the B+ so that makes sense. We'll dive straight into Star Wars little sister, Schmilco, tomorrow.
Agreed on everything with @Parachute Woman's opening post. With Random Name Generator, Magnetized is the other big Wilco song on Star Wars (even though my own personal favorites are Cold Slope and Taste the Ceiling). The song seems complete as a solo number, as shown on this wonderful acoustic version (I’m not timing it, so we can also appreciate the Family Gardener from Down with Wilco, and the funny banter). Hopefully, @Zeki will help us with the songwriting percentages between Jeff and Mikael Jorgensen. Could it be that Mikael designed the whole arrangement on his own and earned his credit that way ? The sci-fi synth parts are indeed fabulous, as are the “sighing” (© Parachute Woman) backing vocals, which rank among the very best in Wilco’s oeuvre. The song itself is superb. It starts with a one note verse melody, like I’m Only Sleeping on sleeping pills (!), before breaking down and then starting over just like… Starting Over, which makes it an almost official Lennon homage. After a recent Tweedy Show version, Sue is heard telling her husband “it does sounds like a Lennon song”. To which Jeff just replies “well… thank you”, obviously taking it in as a huge compliment. A very sweet moment.
Magnetized: A nice way to end the album with quite a few interesting bits. At one point I thought I was listening to a ‘saw’ but it’s probably a synthesizer of some kind. Overall Album Thoughts: I didn’t like the way the album opened at all (and bestowed the dubious honor of worst album opener) but it was worth going through as part of this thread as it was much better than I had remembered. And three songs join the ranks of the Post Jay Wilco Playlist (maybe a better name than New Wilco because my list includes songs from Ghost that is a separate entity); Random Name Generator Taste The Ceiling Where Do I Begin 22 songs; 1 hour and 28 minutes to date.
Again, Parachcute Woman covers my thoughts on a song, this time Magnetized. I really like this one, with its different sections and not-overdone build-up, and understandable lyrics. It's a great closer. And I also agree with her overall assessment of Star Wars - it's not an album that I love, and it's not one I reach for all that often, but when I do I consistently enjoy it.
It’s and 80/20 split (Tweedy:80, Jorgensen: 20). Rule of thumb means that Jorgensen is credited with half of the music (based on high math calculations and precedent).
Just missed the editing deadline for the above post on songwriting percentages. It occurred to me that this co-write doesn’t split the publishing with the other band members. (Which was a new post-Jay innovation). It’s possible that my advanced math calculations could be based on a now obsolete formula (from the Bennett years: 50% Tweedy lyrics, 15% Tweedy vocal melody, then remaining 35% sliced and diced). But I think it’s a reasonable assumption that Jorgensen contributed equally/greatly to the music for Magnetized.
Star Wars is a strange album in that I got it for free, and more than likely considered it somehow lesser for that reason. The silly cover and album name didn't help either. Don't get me started on the vocals! But in reality he made that illogical decision on Sukirae and has seemed to make it a permanent career choice. As a fan, I have to get around it. Once I readjusted my expectations and got some sense for what the band was trying to do, I liked the album a lot more. Fun, adventurous, melodic on most tracks. I never looked to Wilco for sense or meaning. If I want to grasp the intricacies of family relationships, I'll go to Loudon Wainwright III. Stunningly intelligent lyrics, Leonard Cohen or Dylan. Just listening to those "new" Tom Petty tracks reminded me how well and simply he turned a phrase and imbued it with deeper meaning. Jeff's good at doing what Bowie did - stringing together some good one-liners and having them serve the emotional thrust of a song. Not really like Bolan/T. Rex, who was intentionally goofy and weird in a dayglo unicorn sort of way. He was trying to create a mythical rock star universe in which he wandered as some starry-eyed prince: it worked. For me, Wilco is more suggestion than meaning. The melody matters to me, as do the vocals (thus my chagrin ...). Jeff's lyrics are obtuse in ways I don't find offensive but don't feel particularly drawn to - this seems to be his M.O. in life, going all the way back to Belleville, trying to be a punk when he's really not, rarely being emotionally direct. I suspect he's drawn to a song like "God" by John Lennon for that reason - he admires that level of honesty and recognizes he's never going to possess it as a songwriter. In any event, Wilco marches on. I don't have overpowering feelings for Schmilco either, but you will see I like most of the album. This whole area of their career, 2014 to 2016, was the major trajectory shift for me. The heat turned down.
Interesting. I disagree. I think Jeff was extremely honest and pretty direct in the lyrics he wrote for A.M., Being There, some of Summerteeth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, A Ghost is Born and Sky Blue Sky. I think the perfect balance between poetry/playing with language and true emotional bareness was struck on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot--one of the reasons it's a perfect album. There is nothing more direct than "I've got reservations about so many things but not about you" or "There is something wrong with me." And Sky Blue Sky approaches Lennon-style openness. Stripping away anything other than the bare truth. It was one of the complaints some critics had about the album, if I recall. I think the cut-up method gibberish lyrics really only started being a thing more recently. Jeff Tweedy is one of my favorite songwriters in large part because of his lyrics, and I don't think the words on Star Wars are typical of his greatest work.
My point exactly. Something is wrong with him ... well, what's wrong with him? When I listen to a song like "Isolation" or "God" by John Lennon, he's expressing exactly what's wrong with him. He feels isolated by his fame. He sees through his fame and recognizes the only thing he can count on at that point in time is him and his wife. He tells us this directly. Most of what Jeff writes in lyrics is suggestion, not literal meaning. "Either Way" is a perfect example. Frankly, all the songs on SBS are perfect examples. This is not to say it's bad songwriting - far from it. Jeff's very good at working this vein - it's who he is as a songwriter. What exactly is he trying to communicate to the audience on YHF? Yes, I gather he's deeply screwed up and having problems. I don't know what problems. I can guess with thinly veiled references and interviews. But it's not expressed directly in the songwriting. Knowing his writing style, I don't expect it to be. I like his lyrics, too, but they feel far more like impressionistic images than clearly-defined emotions.
He doesn't know. That's the point. It is the recognition that something is not right and being powerless to figure what or why.
And another thing : he's not John Lennon ! He's experiencing bouts of depression but doesn't feel entitled to bare his soul that directly, because he's not one of the most scrutinized persons on the planet… Ultimately, he'll get around it and will write some pretty direct stuff on Warm/Warmer. At least "direct" if you've read the Let's Go book… On Star Wars in general, Jeff’s songwriting seems secondary to the band’s musical input. It may sound like a paradox, since they mostly overdubbed Jeff’s demos, but the demos themselves were clearly treated as blank canvas from which all was deemed possible, the weirder the better, the musical intent built on top of riffs, sketches of lyrics and half-written tunes. As a result, most tracks don’t have any equivalent in Wilco’s career, which is a good thing in itself. Interestingly, both Schmilco and Ode to Joy are the exact opposite, even though the “demo” approach was replicated : in both cases, the songs and lyrics are treated with reverence, the instrumental backing added as a commentary or a complement, like in a normal recording context. On a song by song basis, it’s pretty obvious Star Wars can’t compare to other Wilco albums, but it’s consistently interesting, sometimes stellar, and Random Name Generator, Cold Slope or Magnetized would certainly be apt contenders for inclusion in a career spanning box set. And as an album, it’s earned its own space, as a recreative fast paced care-free adrenalin rush. On some days, you’ll listen to Wilco. And on some others, you’ll listen to Star Wars…
So I have to read a book to understand what his lyrics are suggesting? Do you see what I mean? I always thought Lennon's honesty had more to do with his sense of abandonment as a child and, as noted, the similar feelings of fame's isolation, among other things. I'm using him as an easy go-to example, but there are plenty of songwriters out there who are very capable of laying it all out there. (I don't think you need to be a superstar to be emotionally direct?) Which isn't really the point, save I noted I don't find Jeff to be this kind of songwriter. For the most part, he's not. And I gather that's simply an extension of who he is. While I'm not a fan of his solo work, I will be glad to review those songs when they roll around to see if this holds true. Here's some food for thought in terms of songwriters and lyrics compared to reality:
Magnetized - I like the end of it, not so much the beginning, but it's not a bad album closer King of You - I agree with most of the comments about it being a sister tune to Cold Slope, I like them both. It doesn't really go anywhere, but I like the electric stomp
If you're saying that Tweedy tends to be allusive and evocative where Lennon and Wainwright are direct and literal, I agree with you. If you're saying the latter approach is inherently "better" than the allusive approach, I disagree with you.
"Magnetized"- A great closing song. Back in Beatles/Lennon mode. This song sounds like it could be a Whole Love outtake. I think it sits right along the side of other excellent closing Wilco songs. 5/5 Star Wars- I love this album. This is what made me jump back on the Wilco train. I didn't really fall off, but I had moved to the back of the train. This album brought me back up to the front, sitting in first class. It's their most playful and loose album. It doesn't have to be anything more than a good rock n roll record. I like that about it. While Jeff's lyrics may not be the deepest or best of his career, I feel they are getting a bit mauled and unfairly dismissed. They fit the music and the laid back and loose rock n roll approach they were going for on this album. I definitely wouldn't call them gibberish. I'm a fan of many types of music and extraordinary lyrics are only a small part of what can make a song great. There are so many bands that made great music without having lyrics that were mind blowing. This album scratches a bit of Jeff's punk itch. It's not labored over. They decided to quickly release a fun rock album and why shouldn't they? I looked up some thoughts on this album on another thread when this album first came out. It has so many glowing and positive reviews. At the time, many Wilco fans were very happy to have this side of Wilco rocking out. Star Wars was a breath of fresh air. I place it on an even level with The Whole Love. Before this started I would have said Star Wars was a better album, but I then realized how much I liked The Whole Love. They are both great. I have a hard time ranking all the albums from The Whole Love to Ode To Joy. They all have a certain charm that is hard to place one over another. Here is the Star Wars thread if anyone is interested in reading some more opinions on this album. Wilco releases new album "Star Wars" -- For Free! My ranking of the Star Wars songs. Looks like I am a fan. The first 5 songs are all worthy of being included on any Wilco best of. They certainly would make my playlist. 1. Cold Slope 5/5 2. Random Name Generator 5/5 3. More 5/5 4. Magnetized 5/5 5. You Satellite 5/5 6. The Joke Explained 4.5/5 7. Pickled Ginger 4/5 8. EKG- 4/5 9. King of You 3.5/5 10. Taste the Ceiling 3.5/5 11. Where Do I Begin 2.5/5
"Tossed off" is definitely a descriptor I used for Star Wars in 2015, even though I defended it at the time, too. And I probably haven't listened to it twice since that year, before now. I think it holds up surprisingly well, perhaps especially in light of what I now know is to come. It's a unique record in the Wilco discography, and it was necessary to make a unique record at this point in the band's trajectory, and thank goodness for all of that. I still think it doesn't necessarily benefit from a song-by-song approach, but it's short enough that you could listen to the record once a day over the past ten days, and strong enough that you wouldn't tire of that. I do think it benefits from slowing down and taking time with it, something too many people, myself included, didn't do in 2015, and so I'm grateful for this opportunity to have done so.
Nels wrote the following for the liner notes to Alpha Mike Foxtrot. I meant to share it before we got to Star Wars, because it was written and published before that release, but here's as good a place as any, really. I've pondered Wilco's longevity a lot. I really do feel that Jeff came along at a time when there was an audience looking for his voice, his vibe, and his sensibility. And they were paying attention. There was less out there than there is now, when there are 500 billion things in genres I've never even heard. He captivated a core base that wants to know everything he is thinking and doing. More than any musical moves we make, it's this general fascination with what Jeff sings about and who he is that keeps it going. That said, I certainly have noticed that the concerts have become more and more successful. We started playing to bigger audiences, so I think that has something to do with word of mouth that the shows are strong. We are proud of our shows, and I know why--they're good. In terms of longevity, I think it has a lot to do with that earlier core audience, because those people have a kind of loyalty that is much less apt to happen now. I think people's attention spans shift so quickly, and it's so hard to get people's attention. I think that generation has an incredible loyalty to the people they love, and they'll continue to support the band. When I joined Wilco, one of the first things Jeff told me was that for every record there is a big chunk of the audience that bails out because of some sort of dismay with the changes stylistically or personnel-wise and then there's a bunch of people who jump on. I'm sure that is absolutely true, but it definitely seems like there are more people jumping on than off at this point. For a band of older dudes, with no hit song, who aren't exactly hunky, it's pretty amazing. I'm proud that we can kind of keep going and be ourselves without too much ********, too much hype. At one point, I felt really bad. My personal life was falling apart, and it seemed like I had to choose between Wilco and my personal situation, and the thought that I had chosen music over love--if indeed that is exactly what it was, it had felt like that at the time--was pretty crushing. Because I thought, "Well, am I a human being? What am I?" I do think there is something inherently troubling and possibly flawed about anybody who wants to do art for his or her life, in the sense that sometimes it consumes the individual, and it happens at the risk of relationships and the risk of being in so-called reality. The United States of America, as a society, doesn't embrace this endeavor wholeheartedly and support it. A lot of times people do this in opposition to their parents, in opposition to logic, to feel sensible. Some people--maybe they're just nuts--so they don't have to be sensible. It's easier for them. That said, in my case, I've known since I was 12 years old what I wanted to do with my life, and that's what I've done. In spite of the fact that sometimes I thought I was delusional to try and keep going. It can be really rewarding to have something come along in your life that not only supports all the little dreams you had, but that also feels humane and fun, and it's inspiring and people are into it. I get to have my cake and eat it too.
