Wilco-The Wal-Mart band

[junkiesmile]

Forgive the comparison, but one of my wife's friends asked me tonight to describe Wilco's sound. I said that they were a one stop shop band, like Wal-Mart. I loathe the place, but ironically excluding good books and music, you can find just about everything you need to survive at Wal-Mart. My point is/was that Wilco is the same in music land. They cover just about every genre, sometimes within one song. Am I drunk typing or am I making some sort of sense?

[bobbob1313]

I must've missed Wilco's hip hop album.

[yermom]

There is that live rap version of "She's a Jar" in which Jeff says the "b" word.

[junkiesmile]

Try She's A Jar to a hip hop beat. It works every time. The first hip-hop folk song.

[yermom]

Have you heard the "b" word thing I mentioned? It's gnarly.

[caliber66]

Try She's A Jar to a hip hop beat. It works every time. The first hip-hop folk song.

One time, on a road trip from Virginia to Oxford, Ohio, we decided you can sing "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel to just about any pop song.

[bobbob1313]

Have you heard the "b" word thing I mentioned? It's gnarly.

 

I have heard it. But still, Wilco is an American rock band, with all of the trappings that come along with that. Their infuences are mostly based before 1975.

[junkiesmile]

Have you heard the "b" word thing I mentioned? It's gnarly.

I have not. We were actually posting at the same time about She's a Jar. I've always felt that Tweedy wrote that as a rap song and put it to beautiful music.

[yermom]

http://www.sendspace.com/file/qst3ty

It's not the whole song...he just kind of spits a bit of it out in a slam poetry fashion.

...and I'm with you on the Wal-Mart comparison. I see that you mean that they're a one-stop shop. Mellow tunes, hand clappers, foot tappers, and rock out tunes, etc. all available in the Wilco catalog.

[junkiesmile]

Their infuences are mostly based before 1975.

I'm a Wheel and Kicking Television are punk influenced. Isn't that 1975-80?

[junkiesmile]

...and I'm with you on the Wal-Mart comparison. I see that you mean that they're a one-stop shop. Mellow tunes, hand clappers, foot tappers, and rock out tunes, etc. all available in the Wilco catalog.

Thanks for the song. I'm so glad that Wilco have started playing songs from their back catalog. I saw them in Austin on Sunday and every album was represented. I felt like I was at Wal-Mart(jk).

[bobbob1313]

I'm a Wheel and Kicking Television are punk influenced. Isn't that 1975-80?

 

I'll add a 2 year margin of error.

[junkiesmile]

I'll add a 2 year margin of error.

I love you guys

[squarewave]

There is that live rap version of "She's a Jar" in which Jeff says the "b" word.

B-word?? booty??

[froggie]

here's the full version of the 'rap' She's a Jar

 

http://www.sendspace.com/file/fk3w0a

[belleboy]

are you smoking a bluelight special

[jenbobblehead]

As far as I know, Wilco has yet to put other bands out of business because of its cut-throat musical practices. I doubt Wilco locks recording techs in the loft at night to keep them from stealing anything, and I have to truly wonder whether Wilco encourages the employees it has to go on welfare so that they don't have to pay for their health insurance. Also, when was the last time you saw anyone from the band in a blue smock and a yellow smiley face?

 

I understand the idea that is trying to be conveyed here, but calling Wilco the Wal-Mart of the music world is pretty damn offensive.

[radiokills]

I understand the idea that is trying to be conveyed here, but calling Wilco the Wal-Mart of the music world is pretty damn offensive.

[Golden Smoghead]

I also understand the analogy but think it's just not true. Sure, Wilco is a one-stop joint if all you like is cool acoustic pop or folk-rock. But that's about it in terms of musical genres. Also I don't think the band is very lyrically diverse, they only write in a couple veins topically -- especially if you leave out the AM / UT 'working man / regional' stuff. (Acknowledging the irony of not including Summerteeth because of the song VC, on this board.)

 

Don't get me wrong, I love me some Wilco. But if you think this is all there is to music, buy yourself a trumpet and a flamenco guitar, steal a car and drive to Reno, take a hit of acid, and go screw some tranny hookers while calling yourself Eileen. In other words, there is a lot more out there.

[yermom]

Wilco is the independently owned, fair trade friendly, whole grain, 100% organic, zero emissions, traveling music buffet, maybe?

[junkiesmile]

if all you like is cool acoustic pop or folk-rock

 

 

There's more to it than that. Wilco's music has shades of classical, Jazz, "Flamenco", country, blues, pop, kraut rock, Hip Hop, soul, punk, 60's and 70's classic rock. If all I got out of Wilco's music was "cool acoustic pop or folk-rock" I would "steal a car and drive to Reno, take a hit of acid, and go screw some tranny hookers while calling (myself) Eileen."

 

 

I understand the idea that is trying to be conveyed here, but calling Wilco the Wal-Mart of the music world is pretty damn offensive.

 

 

I didn't mean to offend. I was just trying to describe Wilco in a way that my wife's friend would understand. She knows Wal-Mart but she's never heard of Wilco or any of the other bands I was referencing. Or... maybe I was just trying to get a rise out of some people by crudely comparing Wilco to Wal-Mart.

[Golden Smoghead]

There's more to it than that. Wilco's music has shades of classical, Jazz, "Flamenco", country, blues, pop, kraut rock, Hip Hop, soul, punk, 60's and 70's classic rock. If all I got out of Wilco's music was "cool acoustic pop or folk-rock" I would "steal a car and drive to Reno, take a hit of acid, and go screw some tranny hookers while calling (myself) Eileen."

I see no blues at whatsoever. Nor flamenco, hip hop, or soul. SOUL?? WILCO? Good lord.

 

You asked if we agree with the Wal-Mart analogy, just saying nope not at all for my part. You're ridiculous if you think Wilco is half as diverse as Beck or Ben Harper, to refer to pretty-well-known dudes who cover a lot of ground.

 

Wilco has a lot of strengths, but drawing in tons of influences really is not one of them imo.

[junkiesmile]

Ben Harper

That's all you needed to say. Obviously we are not on the same page "imo".

[Golden Smoghead]

ok

[markosis]

I see no blues at whatsoever. Nor flamenco, hip hop, or soul. SOUL?? WILCO? Good lord.

 

You asked if we agree with the Wal-Mart analogy, just saying nope not at all for my part. You're ridiculous if you think Wilco is half as diverse as Beck or Ben Harper, to refer to pretty-well-known dudes who cover a lot of ground.

 

No blues whatsoever? How about "I Got You (At The End Of The Century)", "Monday", "Hoodoo Voodoo," I could go on. All those songs are pretty much based on blues changes, although augmented a bit. As for the soul bit, its there. "Pieholden Suite", at least the first section has a bit of soul feel, to me. "Jesus, Etc." has some soul groove going on, mostly due to the bass line and drumming. For that matter, John's basslines do at times take on a smooth soul feel. Of course this is all personal opinion, and musical genre tags mean nothing, really. As far as the diversity thing, Wilco is plenty diverse and have covered a hell of a lot of ground in the past 13 years of making music. "Casino Queen", "Poor Places", "Hummingbird", "Far, Far Away", "Impossible Germany." That's a bit of diversity.