I don't think anyone was saying that this song in particular was guitar hero-ish. I was just stating that I am usually not a fan of those types of guitar players. One of which joined the band later on. I'm no huge fan of Henneman's playing, but his playing doesn't annoy me until this song and the following song. I am prepared to not have a popular opinion on some of the guitar playing throughout the years. If I could re-mix "Blue Eyed Soul" I would personally wipe off his entire guitar track. I was imagining some Hammond organ to replace the guitar. I would be interested if Jay was in the band would he have added organ instead of guitar? I wonder if there is any live footage with Jay and what he played during these guitar parts? Would he have copied Henneman's parts or added his own thing? Or what would Nels play like during this? Maybe just the pedal steel? The only live footage I found was Tweedy solo with harmonica. That was a nice version.
Right, correct. I wasn't saying this particular song was a guitar hero blowout. Just asking in general.
Just want to thank this thread for inspiring me to actually listen to "A.M." again after all this time, like getting to reacquaint yourself with an old pal. Side two is easy to listen to as a grouping of songs, so much so that I might prefer it to side one. Especially enjoy "Passenger Side" and "Dash 7", which particularly go well together though again the whole side of music is of a piece. Passenger Side is slyly funny to me perhaps because the sad sack character is ineptly expressing regret, but there's sincerity in his regret and he also means well (he's got five bucks to put in the tank!). Dash 7 is so impressionistic and stoned with its lovely guitars that I find it hard to resist; add me to the list of those who finally read the lyrics of the plane ride a quarter century later. However it's obvious why Passenger Side would become a live staple and Dash 7 would not.
I’ve always liked “Blue Eyed Soul”. It’s not a standout on the album, but it works very well in this late slot. The overall sound of the song reminds me quite a bit of The Jayhawks.
That's Cool. I must have just misinterpreted the thoughts. Kind of doing five things at once. I love some Hammond. I guess I like the prickly edge that the guitar adds. In my head at least, in this track, it seems the organ would be too soft over an already fairly mellow track. The harmonica in the live version you refer to, may be a good compromise though, kind of meeting the idea half way
I like Blue Eyed Soul well enough; it's another laid-back but solid album track. Nothing spectacular, but enjoyable enough.
"Passenger Side" Another one of those tracks that link me to early Wilco. I think it's great. Jeff...a decent tune...a performance that makes me feel cozy, it all comes together. "Dash 7" Moody and sublime. Sometimes something laid back and recessed can have an impact. A wonderful little tune.
"Blue Eyed Soul" I like it, but I don't find it particularly noteworthy. Another interesting piece that is overwhelmed by the other great tracks here. However the little instrumental break about halfway through does grab my attention.
And we come to the final song on A.M.: Too Far Apart After mellowing the mood for the previous few songs, the album ends with a satisfying midtempo rocker with a nice chunky riff. While the song may call to mind some classic rockers, it actually reminds me most strongly of Wilco contemporaries the Black Crowes. It's like a '90s update on that classic sound. While the lyrics on this track don't do much for me, I can really get into the feel of it while it plays. It's just a nice little rocker that sounds great in the car. Henneman does some good guitar work and I actually love the sweet little touch of some organ notes in the final breakdown from John. It isn't great organ playing, just a nice little flavor that adds some character. I actually wish Jeff had been a little more forceful and louder in his vocal delivery on the song. He's still singing in quite a mumbly way, similar to other tracks on the album (especially in the verses) but a more strident performance may have suited 'Too Far Apart.' That said, I think it ends the album on a strong note.
"Too Far Apart" is a not too compelling way for the album to end. It's pretty workmanlike and I have to admit, I didn't even remember the song when I saw its title. I keep bringing up the narrative arc of AM in this thread (sorry, it's the way that I think), and I don't think this song imbues that narrative or says anything that Tweedy hasn't already said. As a bow, its direct rock does tie things up neatly, I guess. I'm thrilled to have revisited AM but now understand more fully why it's the Wilco album I don't often return to: it's tonally similar, kind of washing all together with a small handful of memorable melodies, hooks, or lyrics popping up their heads. Inchoate "Wilco" is definitely heard in parts in here, and again, I like the drum sound on the album, but I'd rank the whole package in the "B" range (sorry, I'm a teacher). Speaking of, I wanted to do a running list of rankings (more for my own benefit, not to be didactic or to force this highly subjective body of opinion on anyone) just to see if my list by the end of the thread seems to jibe with my personal reality. A/A- 1. Passenger Side ('essential' Wilco) B+/A- 2. I Must Be High (maybe not 'essential' but close) B+ 3. Box Full of Letters (memorable melodies end here) 4. I Thought I Held You 5. Should've Been in Love 6. Shouldn't Be Ashamed B 7. Blue Eyed Soul 8. Casino Queen 9. Pick Up the Change 10. It's Just That Simple B- 11. That's Not the Issue 12. Dash 7 (great music, subpar lyrics and delivery) 13. Too Far Apart (pedestrian closer) Thanks to @Parachute Woman for getting us all off to a good start. Definitely "A" work there.
“a nice chunky riff,” yes, I like that @Parachute Woman . “Is it really punk rock, like the party line? Do you have to think about that? Can I give you some time? 'Cause when I really needed you, you were gone So long” Evidently I’m wired to lyrics in some fashion because there’s always some snippet that jumps out at me and makes me warble out a phrase aloud. I’m satisfied with this sing as a closer. I do like the organ and the overall looseness of the song. Another late night, bit of Tonight’s The Night feel to it. A great debut album for a new band. Jeff Tweedy (and the others) should be proud of these songs. They stand up just fine (as has pointed out repeatedly in terms of how many have of the tracks have continued to be played in concert).
It is my very real pleasure. I'm having a great time with all of my fellow Wilco folks! To follow your lead a bit, here's how I think of the album: 1. I Must Be High (A) 2. Casino Queen (A) 3. Shouldn't Be Ashamed (A-) 4. Box Full of Letters (A-) 5. Should've Been in Love (B+) 6. It's Just That Simple (B+) 7. Too Far Apart (B) 8. Passenger Side (B) 9. Dash 7 (B) 10. Pick Up the Change (B) 11. That's Not the Issue (B-) 12. I Thought I Held You (B-) 13. Blue Eyed Soul (C+) We disagree in a few places (I like Casino Queen more than you and Passenger Side less than you) but it seems we generally have the same feelings about the high points on the album and the lower points. And it seems we both agree that there aren't any really bad songs here. Lots of songs in the B range, but nothing in a low C, D or (God forbid) F.
Catching up a bit, I would give a (C) to I Thought I Held You and a (B-) to Blue Eyed Soul. I'm thankful for the chance to re-listen to A.M., been many a moon. What I have always viewed as a solid debut has some deeper things going on and a few signals as to where the band would go. Thanks all!
For a stand-alone album rating, I’d probably give this between an 8.5 to 9.0. Six songs out of 13 on my playlist, 20% over the limit. When it was first released I would have given it a 10!
"Too Far Apart"- Sort of reminds me of Tom Petty with its simple drum beat and chunky guitar riff. I'd say it's a pretty weak song to end the album. Looking at all the songs this is definitely a contender for one of my least favorites. No really my thing. 2/5 I've been rating every song. It looked like this: Pick Up the Change 4.5/5 Dash 7 4/5 I Must Be High 3/5 Box Full of Letters 3/5 Shouldn't Be Ashamed 3/5 Passenger Side 3/5 Casino Queen 2.5/5 I Thought I Held You 2.5/5 That's Not the Issue 2.5/5 Should've Been In Love 2.5/5 Blue Eyed Soul 2/5 It's Just That Simple 2/5 Too Far Apart 2/5 This is about how I expected this album would go. There will be many more 4 and 5 ratings on the upcoming albums. Nothing here hit a 5. Looks like my total score would be around a 2.5/5 which I guess would be around a C grade. I might have been a little harsh on some of my ratings, but I think it's pretty accurate. I did enjoy the album more than I have in many years. It was fun reconnecting with this album. Looking forward to Being There!
I feel with the last three songs, this album goes out with a whimper. I'm more a "feel" guy when it comes to music and I think these are the worst feeling tracks here. I still feel it's a pretty solid album up to then. It was nice to take a critical approach to it and I will hear some of these songs differently now. Thanks Parachute Woman!!
"Too Far Apart" is probably the weakest song on the album for me. It just sort of sits there as a lumpen, lurching rocker. I guess they felt they needed something louder to finish off the album after a string of more acoustically driven songs, but this one doesn't pass muster, I'd say.
Here's my ranking of the songs on A.M. in order of excellence (best to worst): I Thought I Held You Should've Been In Love Box Full Of Letters Casino Queen Shouldn't Be Ashamed Dash 7 It's Just That Simple I Must Be High Pick Up The Change Blue Eyed Soul Passenger Side That's Not The Issue Too Far Apart The top 6 make my Best of Wilco playlist; the rest....better luck next time!
Even though I understand why it's better soundwise, I tend to dislike when vinyl reissues dispatch a single LP on 3 or 4 sides. But because it's Wilco, I nonetheless bought the A.M double reissue three years ago (which sounds absolutely stellar by the way) and it's been a revelatory experience. Record 1 Side 2 ends perfectly with "Passenger Side". Then the second record fails to take off with the last three songs of the original LP, before giving way to the bonus tracks. And I must say this underlines the fact that the triplet Dash 7/ Blue Eyed Soul / Too Far Apart never made for a very strong finish. That last song in particular is a bit underwhelming. The guitar riffs sound good but Jeff sings a bit absentmindedly, like he doesn't mean it, which happens to him occasionally.
This is a cool groove. I like the interaction of the guitar tones. Not a favourite song particularly, but a good album track that leaves the album with a sort of cool retro-rock feel to close out. I have all these albums but with all the required listening for threads, a lot of them, like this one, haven't had enough listens to really sink in. The band are sort of fairly new to me in a broad sense.... YHF, Summerteeth, Whole Love and Being There being the albums I have more and a longer connection to. So thanks to Parachute Woman's thread, I have had a chance to get a lot closer to this album, and I like it. I don't really do the rate songs thing... I always feel like I am arbitrarily guessing some numbers to fit a form or something. There are some songs I like more than others, but there is nothing that I dislike here, is about the best I can do
Sure, but they still made the decision to have 2 sides 1/2 devoted to the original LP, thus altering its flow. Side 1 ends with "Pick up the change". Side 2 with "Passenger Side". Then the LP ends in the middle of Side 3…
