jakobnicholas

Other than being an entertaining, nobody should care at all. And it's eqaully entertaining watching someone trying to defend Obama's natural, human reaction.... http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/07/when-in-rome.html

Many have probably seen the photo of Obama apparently looking at a 17 year-old girl's rear (http://drudgereport.com/). I could really care less if he was or not, but it IS a very funny image. The French President even seems amused of everything. The funniest part is that ABC and other media outlets have video of the event to point out that Obama was actually stepping down and/or grabbing a hand of someone to help on the step. He was NOT looking at her butt. It's VERY hard to tell if he was looking at her or not. And it really makes no difference. But the media is getting very good at defendi

I decided to rank them based on which albums I like RIGHT NOW. YHF seriously had me mesmerized for almost 2 years. I found mp3's of Kamera and Pot Kettle Black, then tracked down the others over a 2 week span in the Summer before its release. IATTBYH gave me goosebumps. But for some reason, I just don't listen to the album much anymore. I still find much of it very great. But it's not holding up for me now. Now YOU explain how AGIB gets rated behind SBS.

That's interesting to think about, but pretty much impossible to rank. I'll take a stab at a top 10: 1. Murmur 2. Reckoning 3. Being There 4. Out of Time 5. Summerteeth 6. Fales of Reconstruction 7. Green 8. Automatic for the People 9. Up 10. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Good post. Maybe it's because it's Summer, but Reveal sounds very listenable right now. It's got a really nice vibe to it. It also makes me remember the Imitation of Life video, which is one of the greatest music videos ever made. Around the Sun and Accelerate, to me, are definitely worse than any Wilco record.

Alrighty then. That settles that.

I've finally been able to hear Dark Neon. And I agree with this. I like the spontaneous feel of it, but that's about all that I like about it. I don't think it would have helped W(TA).

That's pretty fair. I thought it was OK to start at Ghost, as it was prior to its release that Bennett left and it seemed like a new beginning for Wilco. I agree that SBS and W(TA) both have classics, but to me, neither have anything at the level of ALTWTS, Hell is Chrome and Spiders. Reveal might sound better now than when it came out. At the time it seemed too over-produced and pretty and mellow. But now it sounds like a very pleasant summer record, with some cool layered textures.

It seems MANY on this board are big-time and knowledgeable fans of Wilco and R.E.M. Also, it seems most concur that both bands most recent ouputs are their weakest. Both bands have such AMAZING albums in their past that, when they release material that falls short of their lofty back catalog, we can't help but feel the albums are mediocre at best. How would you rank the 2 bands' last 3 records? I'd say: 1. A Ghost is Born (this, for me, is the EASY choice for #1) 2. Reveal (Easy #2 choice, for me) 3. Wilco (The Album) (I'm STILL not sure if I like it better than Sky Blue Sky...but ly

I liked Wilco (The Album) on first listen, and it's grown a tiny bit since then. Overall, I still think it sounds a little safe and reserved. But saying that, almost every song has at least one element that makes me appreciate it....except for Sonny Feeling (to me, it's the only major clunker on the album). Deeper Down isn't anything that special, but I dig the instrumentation on it. You and I should be a sappy, nothing-to-write-home-about love ditty, but it's a little more than that because of Jeff's voice and the bouncy groove behind it...it sounds sincere and I can buy it. You Never Know

Sorry. I was referring to the early version of the song Sky Blue Sky that Tweedy made for a short film called Zamboni Man. I LOVE this Tweedy-created version of it. It's got horns and even hearing the ice-skater on the ice during the song adds to its greatness. I'd put Tweedy's cover of Jandek's Crack A Smile in with this....I like his use of synthesizers on it. I agree with your list of songs. Wilco still has "it". Just not by the buttloads that they used to have "it".

That's how I feel. The stretch of music and creativity from Being There to Mermaid Ave. to Summerteeth to YHF demos was abosolutely AMAZING. That's when the Wilco magic was in full-steam. That magic is still there (Hell is Chrome, much of Wilcobook, Lullaby of Rafters and Beams, Bull Black Nova, Solitaire....etc.), but not as consistently.

I find Summerteeth to be very human lyrically and musically, which makes it sound warmer to me. The 3-song stretch of Pieholden Suite, How to Fight Lonliness and Via Chicago has it all. We're Just Friends, My Darling and Future Age are very human. She's a Jar shines with interesting and harrowing lyrics with a very warm-sounding harmonica. And the keyboards, which I like a lot, make it sound warmer and friendlier and more likeable. To me, YHF, with all its extra sounds and empty space, just sounds a little distant and cooler. It's a great disc, no doubt, but it almost sounds a little too pla

It seems pretty clear that many of us long-time Wilco nuts favor BT and Summerteeth over the most recent albums. Some may put YHF in the same category, but I'd argue that YHF doesn't seem as timeless and is rather cold. AGIB has tons of balls and love it for that, but it's not an all-out classic. I've listened the past week to BT, Summerteeth, SBS and W(TA), and while SBS and W(TA) have great parts, they lack something start-to-finish that exist on BT and Summerteeth. There's a definite sound and vibe and electricity that seems to run throught those 2 records. I've heard some suggest t

1 & 2: Being There & Summerteeth 3: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot 4. A.M. 5. A Ghost is Born 6 & 7: Sky Blue Sky & Wilco (The Album) (I'd rank Mermaid Avenue 1 as good as YHF, Mermaid Avenue 2 right behind A.M., and Wilco Book right behind Ghost is Born.)

I'm not sure how SBS or W(TA) would have been percieved after A.M. Most surely it would be better. But I still think people would have gotten a similar vibe from the records....that being that the albums are pretty good with amazing moments, but maybe a little too much blandness. I agree with Being There. I can't really explain its greatness, but it just SOUNDS right. It's laid back and comfortable, yet feels edgy and different and unique. Same with Summerteeth. The diversitly and layers on Summerteeth are rewarded over and over with multiple listens. And the lyrics are very interesting and

Interesting to think about, but I think not. To me, hardly anything sounds forced on Being There. Kingpin and Dreamer in My Dreams sound kind of as after-thoughts, but they're so damn fun and loose sounding. The rest of Being There, whether it's a "rocker" or "folksy country song", just SOUND sincere and real and beautiful and don't sound overly-worked or overly-thought-out. You may be right about ELT. That's always been the weak song on that album for me. But I feel like Wilco (The Album) has a few of those awkward songs. Summerteeth gets away with a song like ELT because the rest of Sum

THE ONION gave it a B. For some reason, I feel the 2nd half of the record is a letdown. This Onion review tries to explain it: Stylistically, Wilco has ranged over the years from stripped-down, mellow guitar-pop to music more heavily orchestrated and experimental, but the real divide in Jeff Tweedy’s songwriting tends to be structural. Sometimes the band gravitates to simple songs that convey straightforward ideas in a solid verse-chorus-verse frame; and sometimes Wilco goes more esoteric, with oddball lyrics and beguilingly sketchy arrangements. On the surface, Wilco (The Album) could be

Wilco (The Album) being rated a 7 out of 10 is probably about right. Though I think the distance it is behind Summerteeth is HUGE. If Summerteeth is a 10, Wilco (The Album) doesn't deserve to be ranked no better than a 5 or 6. The first half of W(TA) is very strong. But too much of the rest is forced, bland or corny....save for Solitaire, which is tremendous. This album is hitting me like R.E.M.'s Reveal. I respect it and truly love a handful of tunes. But it's also sad 'cause I just feel like that special excitement of a great band is going away. I can't explain it. It just sounds too

I'm enjoying the new Tonight Show. It's obvious that Conan has toned it down a bit and that the bits are more aimed at a wider audience (not as many "wierd" bits that you can get away with on Late Night....speaking of, Fallon's show is much better that I thought.) But Conan's doing enough things that remind me of his type of humor on Late Night to make it a good watch. I like the unexpected nature of his bits and humor. The "Conando" bit where he acted out a Spanish skit was very creative and funny. Max and Andy are both starting to work their way into the show more, which is a good thing. H

Glad Conan's back. An OK first week. I thought the first show was very shaky and un-Conan-like. He seemed a bit nervous. And the guests were overall lame for the whole week. The Year 3000 bit was really funny on Wednesday. He had a joke about combining Youtube, Twitter and Facebook into a mega time-wasting site called YouTwitFace. Conan's remotes seem a little awkward and not as funny as his older bits. And he seems to be keeping things in check a little bit. I just think Conan and the show in general will take time to find its comfort zone. Andy is funny, but used too sparingly. Hope

Up's a really great film. Of course, seeing a Pixar movie brings very high expectations, and to some extent I'm not sure if they were met. Or at least I felt that way in some parts of the movie. But when I think of the movie, I think of so many reasons why I liked it. It's got great human emtion, and Docter keeps things fresh and unexpected and quirky. I'll definitely see it again and, like all Pixar movies, will probably like it more after the 2nd viewing. The animation is superb. Love the stylings of the characters. A very sweet, touching and funny movie. Proably wouldn't make my top 3

This is a really good record. Not really finding much I don't like on it. Rome is probably my favorite, but Love Like a Sunset is really cool also.

I've given this a few spins. I like it, but it's not sounding as special as some of his records. The good songs are really great, like Prizefighter, The Look You Give That Guy, and Fresh Blood. But the lyrics aren't overall as solid as Blinking Lights and Electro-shock Blues. Admittedly, that's high standards, but hard not to compare. I'm glad I bought it, but wish it was better...especially knowing it's been 4 years since his last.

Wow. Great performance by Lebron. I think we're looking at 2 Game 7's coming up. Orlando MUST feel some pressure going back home, knowing they need to win Game 6 to avoid going back to Cleveland. Their 3-point shooting came back to reality last night, and I expect the same in Game 6. Should be a great game tomorrow. I think Denver's actually the better team in the West, but they don't do some of the small things that usually decide who wins an important series. I think LA wins the series, but Denver probably has one good game left.