Wilco: Album by Album

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Parachute Woman, May 11, 2020.

  1. John C Bradley Jr

    John C Bradley Jr Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbia, SC
    While we are generally in the "pre-Wilco" part of the thread - I came to Uncle Tupelo after Wilco. I think the first thing I got was the anthology 83/93, and then Anodyne and then March 16-20, 1992. I flat out love that record. Its a definite desert island disc for me and probably the Uncle Tupelo record I listen to more than any other. I like Anodyne a lot but I don't love it like a lot of my fellow Wilco friends do (my brother in law is only a slightly less rabid Wilco fan than I am and he loves it...).

    I have followed Son Volt through the years as well but not as closely as Wilco. Trace to me is much better than A.M. - nothing against that record but I just think Trace is so much better. My local public library has pretty much all the Son Volt studio records from Trace through the last one and I enjoy them. I've seen Son Volt a couple of times live in pretty small venues and both of those shows have been fantastic. I don't see that loving one means I don't like the other or vice versa (I have another friend who was an Uncle Tupelo fan who feels the same way I feel about Wilco about Son Volt. So it works both ways).
     
  2. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    Ha, I almost posted about the tiger affinity but thought better of it. I try to keep work and hobbies separate. Google me if you must know and don't already.
     
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  3. John C Bradley Jr

    John C Bradley Jr Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbia, SC
    My wife (god bless her) has gone to a bunch of Wilco shows with me. She enjoys them although Jeff Tweedy makes her wickedly uncomfortable due to his (for lack of a better word), "unease" with the crowd during his banter times.
     
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  4. Michaelpeth

    Michaelpeth Forum Resident

    Location:
    Durham, UK
    I'll be in on it.

    Took me a while to get into Wilco. Neil Finn recommended them in a podcast I was listening to years ago... Had a listen to Jesus etc, and immediately discarded them. Saw them on Jools Holland's BBC2 Later show many years later playing Either Way and was astonished.

    Seen them 3 times live and had tickets for San Sebastian gig in June. Unfortunately, that holiday to Basque Country has been postponed.
     
  5. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    I've taken my wife, who's Wilco-tolerant at best, to a Wilco show and a Tweedy show. She hated him at the Wilco show because he was berating a too-noisy crowd. She loved him and how funny and warm he is solo, though. And she was very pregnant during that one! He really loosens up and welcomes the crowd in at the solo shows, in my experience.
     
  6. Davido

    Davido ...assign someone to butter your muffin?

    Location:
    Austin
    Uncle Tupelo was quite popular in Austin as the whole roots-country schtick goes over well here. Any UT fan will know that they recorded their final album in Austin, even bringing in the great, late Doug Sahm for a vocal turn on his own "Give Back the Key to My Heart"... so that has always meant a lot to me as Sahm is one of the greats. (Wilco STILL plays that song in Austin after all these years, knowing what a beloved song it is here). This is a long winded way of saying I admire both Wilco and Son Volt, though I've lost touch with both bands in the last years. Since I've kept up with Wilco more than Son Volt, I'm happy to see this thread and may chime in once in a while though I'm no expert on Tweedy or the band. But I've seen them play a lot over the last 25 years! Damn, 25 years.
     
  7. Parachute Woman

    Parachute Woman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Aw, thank you! That's very kind of you to say. :) Your U2 thread is going so well that it inspired me to try an album by album thread of my own.

    I'm sorry that happened to your sister's friend. It sounds like you were a great brother helping her to heal after that.

    I feel for Jeff, even when I know he was very difficult to work with and be around for a period. I think his struggles with anxiety are really a big part of what led him down the path to drugs in the first place and then his demons just got worse and worse. I have anxiety myself and I have always identified with that part of him--though I've never done drugs. He writes beautifully about mental health. And I respect him for getting clean and coming out a better person for it.
     
  8. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident

    Location:
    Evanston
    The only Uncle Tupelo I own is 89/93: An Anthology, which is great. I keep meaning to get their albums, but it looks like the CDs might be out of print again already?
     
  9. jalexander

    jalexander Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    @Parachute Woman - you’re already active on the U2 thread. How are we going to have time for this one too?!?

    U2 were my favourite in my early teen years. Wilco became my favourite around age 30. Dad rock indeed.

    Here’s my brief history... heard about Being There in the music press, something about Americana and value priced ambitious double album. Didn’t like those country-esque grunge bands singing about whiskey (my ignorance at the time), so I didn’t check it out.

    Read about Summerteeth in the press... something about Brian Wilson harmonies. Got it from the library somewhere around 2000-2001. Amazing album. Loved it.

    My fiancée heard Mermaid on CBC radio (Canada’s NPR) Around the same time. and picked it up. We both loved it.

    Somewhere around 2002 I found AM in a $5 bin so grabbed that. Solid rock record. Then YHF in a 2/$15 bin. The opening sounds of Breaking were the greatest thing I’d ever heard. Was given Ghost for my birthday... again a killer opening track. By the time I saw them on that tour I had filled out the back catalogue and they were pretty much my favourite band.

    Black Eye is my favourite UT song. Looking forward to this thread.
     
  10. Parachute Woman

    Parachute Woman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Are you kidding? I've got the forums open like 12 hours a day right now while I'm working from home! I've got nothing BUT time. :laugh:
     
  11. WilliamWes

    WilliamWes Likes to sing along but he knows not what it means

    Location:
    New York
    What's this? Another 1990's album thread here? Do my eyes deceive me? Hey Miss Parachute, this is what I wanted for this year. Updating the forum a little to include more 90's and beyond. With you doing this Wilco thread, HariStar started an Oasis song thread, @GodShifter doing the U2 thread, me doing the Stone Temple Pilots and Silverchair threads. I'm glad you're doing this one and I may join since Wilco is another band that I've been meaning to get back to and this would push me. I'm just about finished with my threads but I'm on some other threads to like U2 of course, The Who, McCartney, Lennon so I'm not sure yet.

    I had friends into Uncle Tupelo but I was so anti-country at the time, I couldn't get into them. For some reason when they broke up, I got into both Son Volt and Wilco. I bought Trace, then I skipped A.M. but bought Being There. Got into country rock more with help from The Byrds. From both albums, I only heard "Outta Mind" and then nothing. Fast forward to Summerteeth and I was into other groups so I left Wilco and Son Volt. The album had some critical acclaim but then it grew and grew and by the time Yankee Hotel Foxtrot came out and I started seeing bigger ads in the record stores for Wilco and this album, I got tempted but then never got around to getting them. A lot of this time I was getting 60's and 70's stuff so that distracted me. I finally got Summerteeth, so all I have is that and Being There. Never saw them live either.
     
  12. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    This Forum has always been pandemic-ready, so may as well take advantage of that feature.

    edit: Racing my way through the Uncle Tupelo albums (including reissue bonus tracks), hopefully before we hit A.M., or at least Being There.
     
  13. jalexander

    jalexander Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    I have no interest in seeing a band in an arena let alone a stadium. Wilco have demonstrated that it is economically viable to be a successful band that doesn’t have to go down the “big show” route.
     
  14. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    Well, it's certainly far from ideal, but I have fond memories of even stadium shows. As a Who fan who didn't get to see any semblance of the band until I went to a couple stadium shows, I am in strong disagreement with Jeff about the utility of seeing the band in a venue that size. Fortunately the relationship only requires him making music and me digging it.
     
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  15. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    I have heard Steph say that Tweedy has unloaded on folks at shows before, but the four shows I saw he was right on the money. She told me a story about him getting into someone for just pointing their phone at him all night or something ... I don't blame him really, that would p!55 me off a lot lol

    This is going to be a big thread :)
     
  16. Mr. D

    Mr. D Forum Resident

    Wow. How did I miss that show? Checking my records, and seeing that ticket, Wilco played Toronto three times (3x) within a seven month period in 1999. I saw the other shows, at the Guvernment in April and opening for R.E.M. in August.
     
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  17. Mr. D

    Mr. D Forum Resident

    In reference to the thread at hand, Uncle Tupelo was never on my radar. Heard the name but never heard the music. I remember seeing a story/review in Newsweek, of all places, when Trace and A.M. were released. I ended up first getting Trace because it was more highly touted. I eventually picked up A.M. and if memory serves correct, I think I actually got it through the Columbia Record House!

    Not sure if I got A.M. before Being There but it was the latter album that hooked me. I must have heard Monday or Outtasite Out of Mind. Loved the album and few months later saw them live at the Guinness Fleadh at Randall Island in NYC in '97.

    I would say from 1997 - 2002, they were my favourite band. Had less interest in their music after Jay Bennett left.
     
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  18. lucan_g

    lucan_g Forum Resident

    I don't have a lot of friends who share same interests either. I used to buy an extra ticket to each show to bring a friend, but then I stopped. I really don't want someone talking to me when I'm trying to listen (I'm not a big talker mid-performance), and I got tired of spending the extra money. I quite enjoy some shows solo these days. Correction -- I'd enjoy ANY show right now. ;)
     
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  19. Analogmoon

    Analogmoon All the Way Back in the Seventies

    That is odd. I have the original releases plus the re-releases. All those albums are great stuff. There was talk some years back they were going to put out a live album (around the time of the re-releases) but it never happened. Of course - there are all sorts of live shows out there if you collect such things.
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2020
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  20. maui jim

    maui jim Forum Resident

    Location:
    West of LA
    Big Wilco fan. Living in Chicago at that time, they were well supported by the album rock station, WXRT.
    I’m not sure why I missed UT, young family, moving to new city, new job etc. but with Son Volt, I thought well now we have 2 great bands.
     
  21. Cool hand luke

    Cool hand luke There you go man, keep as cool as you can

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    I think I first heard of them through my cousin, he had A.M., it had recently come out. I believe a friend had lent it to him. This is right about the time I became aware of this so called "Alt-Country" thing, mid-90's. Being big into Dylan, Cash, and Steve Earle at the time, I dove right in. I found a cool magazine at the Newbury Comics/CD store called "No Depression". All sorts of cool bands in there, old favorites and stuff I never heard of. It really connected some dots for me. (Had no idea yet of the title's significance). Right about then I pick up "Being There", which had just come out. And then I'm reading/hearing of this band before Wilco, Uncle Tupelo. So the mystery is building. (I had no access to internet back then, so I learned about bands the old fashioned way). Next thing it's November '97, Thanksgiving week. I'm off to see Jeff and Jay Bennet acoustic at The Iron Horse in Western Massachusetts. I sat right at the side of the stage, in a folding chair, about 8 feet from Tweedy's left. Probably in my top 5 concert experiences. The acoustics are great in that place and you can hear a pin drop. They opened with "James Alley Blues" and it made the hair stand up on my neck. a lot of other songs they played night gave the me the same effect. Chilling folk-style songs, covers as well as original material. And they did "Give Back the Key to My Heart", which I had recently been digging on a Doug Sahm CD. (I had no idea that Tupelo had even covered it). It was just one of those magic nights where everything worked out and was great.

    The next day at work, on lunch break, I flew over to Newbury Comics and bought the 3 Uncle Tupelo CD's they had in stock (all but Anodyne). And I'm recognizing a bunch of stuff played from the night before. Next thing I know I'm saying F - it, and that very night I'm on my way to Boston to see them play again at the Middle East in Cambridge. (Their sound guy recognized me from the night before and said hey, you again!). Not quite the magic experience as the previous evening (a few idiots in this audience, and it wasn't as intimate). But it was still great to hear these songs that I was becoming more familiar with. "Via Chicago" hadn't even come out yet, but that was another one that hit me hard. I remember someone asked for Black Eye, but he refused, saying it was too depressing. (I understood why that could be when it came up on the CD on the ride home)
    Yup that's how it all started with me and Wilco and Uncle Tupelo. God those were the days. It's been a long strange trip. Looking forward to this thread. :edthumbs:
     
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  22. NettleBed

    NettleBed Forum Transient

    Location:
    new york city
    I didn't get into Uncle Tupelo until just after they broke up. I started to get into alt-country in late 1994, I remember, when I was still a student. That was when I discovered the Jayhawks and Steve Earle and then in 1995 I found out about others, including Uncle Tupelo. I'd heard about the two Uncle Tupelo spin-off bands (Wilco and Son Volt) and when I went to a record store to get some Uncle Tupelo I walked out with the two new Wilco and Son Volt CDs because they didn't have any Uncle Tupelo. So that was my initiation with Wilco (and Son Volt - I think it had come out that week). I liked both albums but preferred the Son Volt. I regarded AM at the time as having as couple of awesome songs, a couple of skip tracks and a bunch of stuff that was good but not really special or anything. The Son Volt album seemed more durable and deeper. I actually had the opportunity to see a very early Wilco gig in the summer of 1995, but I passed. I hadn't heard the music yet and though I was curious, the show conflicted with something else I wanted to do (I completely forget what, though). Damn, of course I now wish that I went. Probably would have been pretty cheap, too.

    Back in 1995, the Wilco album did more help me gain an appreciation for the style than make me a fan right away. That would come later. In the meantime, I did eventually find a couple of Uncle Tupelo albums between 1995 and 1996 and I liked what I heard.
     
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  23. Analogmoon

    Analogmoon All the Way Back in the Seventies

    That is about my story. I'll throw in The Jayhawks, Blue Mountain, The Old97s, and Whiskeytown while we are at it. I discovered all those bands around the same time. And No Depression magazine.
     
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  24. Cool hand luke

    Cool hand luke There you go man, keep as cool as you can

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    I still have a ****load of those No Depression magazine issues, I started buying them as they came out, pretty early on. Maybe the 2nd or 3rd issue in. Eventually got a subscription. I drag them out every now and then and reminisce....jeez we're talking like 25 years ago....damn.
     
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  25. parman

    parman Music Junkie

    Location:
    MI. NC, FL
    + 1 for Jayhawks & Blue Mountain
     

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