The best thing to say about Wilco (the Album) is its alot better than Sky Blue Sky...

[learnhowtosteer]

I have come to the conclusion that "Deeper Down" is the best thing that this version of Wilco has recorded.

 

Deeper Down is cool, I will grant you that. But it really is just a Jeff Tweedy song with some cool atmospherics. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. But it isn't what this group of musicians does best. For the cool, atmospheric, moodier Tweedy tunes, I'll take Radio Cures, or Reservations, or even Wishful Thinking before Deeper Down. It's like a different category of Wilco song to me. It's hardly a band performance.

[bleedorange]

Deeper Down is cool, I will grant you that. But it really is just a Jeff Tweedy song with some cool atmospherics. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. But it isn't what this group of musicians does best. For the cool, atmospheric, moodier Tweedy tunes, I'll take Radio Cures, or Reservations, or even Wishful Thinking before Deeper Down. It's like a different category of Wilco song to me. It's hardly a band performance.

 

It is the only song on the album to get a co-writing credit (Tweedy/Sansone).

[learnhowtosteer]

It is the only song on the album to get a co-writing credit (Tweedy/Sansone).

 

Yeah, but I am talking about the performance, not the composition. Radio Cures is a Tweedy / Bennett song, I think. But it still comes off as very Jeff-focused.

[GLHawk]

One Wing and Everlasting Everything almost get to the point where they start soaring into the stratosphere, and then they end abruptly. What's up with that?

 

And by the way, Impossible Germany is a friggin' remarkable song. One of my most cherished Wilco memories is the first time I heard them play it live. (Lollapalooza, 2006)

 

"One Wing" and "Everlasting" are perfect as is. Just because Nels Cline's in the band doesn't make it necessary to have 3-minute guitar freakouts a la "Impossible Germany." I much prefer the tighter structure of the W(TA) songs, but both approaches are valid; I like the fact that Wilco is unpredictable that way.

 

To me what hurts SBS by comparison are the lyrics, which mostly seem very generic to me. In W(TA) Jeff seems to have his mojo as a writer back; Deeper Down, Country Disappeared, I'll Fight and Sunny Feeling contain some of the most interesting and complex lyrics he's ever done. And some of the simpler songs, like W(TS) and You and I, are great pop lyrics as well.

[bleedorange]

"One Wing" and "Everlasting" are perfect as is. Just because Nels Cline's in the band doesn't make it necessary to have 3-minute guitar freakouts a la "Impossible Germany." I much prefer the tighter structure of the W(TA) songs, but both approaches are valid; I like the fact that Wilco is unpredictable that way.

 

To me what hurts SBS by comparison are the lyrics, which mostly seem very generic to me. In W(TA) Jeff seems to have his mojo as a writer back; Deeper Down, Country Disappeared, I'll Fight and Sunny Feeling contain some of the most interesting and complex lyrics he's ever done. And some of the simpler songs, like W(TS) and You and I, are great pop lyrics as well.

 

Very well said.

[auctioneer69]

It amazed me the attention SBS got. It was a bad soft rock album. Every critic was just dying to pen them as the next greatest band which we know they are. They just chose the wrong time to do it. Be fair, but Hate It Here, Impossible Germany and Side With Seeds was never played live again would anyone miss it with their catalog of songs to choose from? Yawn. I'll be at Austin tonight. Anyone else?

 

I adore "SBS". Have Wilco written better songs? Are there a couple of songs that sound weak on their own? Yes and yes. But it just sounds so good as a complete piece of work. At a time when thanks to I-PODs I rarely listen to an album start to finish - "SBS" is an exception. The sequencing of the songs is spot on and the overall tone of the album has remained incredibly consistent to me over nearly three years of listening. Melancholy, soulful in a restrained fashion and hopeful and optimistic. I wasn't surprised to find out that Jeff had written a lot of it during the period when his mother passed on. As a side-note, my better half who seldom likes anything mellow loves this album. Two of my good friends who are Wilco fans rate as their favourite Wilco album. As for "WTA" , I like it a lot but think it lacks the continuity of "SBS".

 

As for missing the songs live. I am probably in the minority here but having seen Wilco at the Greek this year "You Are My Face" and "Hate it Here" were two of the many highlights of the show in addition to "Impossible Germany". Fingers crossed for "Side With The Seeds" in Seattle in February.

[Guest Alan]

 

 

 

I believe it was a fact, not an opinion.

He said "personally" making it an opinion. You can stop now.

[Guest Speed Racer]

He said "personally" making it an opinion. You can stop now.

 

He was stating a personal fact about himself. Personally, I don't like Stryper. That's a fact.

 

Edited for clarity: If I don't like Stryper because I think they're second album sucks, that's a fact (first clause) supported by an opinion (second clause).

[rwilson580]

What the heck does "You Are My Face" mean, anyway? Either the title or the lyrics?

 

SBS is one of my favorite albums, Wilco or otherwise. It's been good to see it getting some love on this site lately. For a while it seemed to be a badge of honor among Wilco fans that they had to dismiss this album out of hand. Which made the OP's premise kind of a surprise to me -- I've NEVER had to look too far to find a discouraging word about this album. The OP's revolutionary opening comments are actually pretty old hat.

 

(TA) is a bunch of excellent tunes to me, but it's not an excellent album. It's got kind of a greatest hits vibe -- too many songs sitting side by side that just do not belong together. Most other Wilco albums have a distinct feel, even as each song stands well on its own. That's certainly true of SBS. (TA) just makes me feel...ambivalent.

[jff]

He was stating a personal fact about himself. Personally, I don't like Stryper. That's a fact.

 

Edited for clarity: If I don't like Stryper because I think they're second album sucks, that's a fact (first clause) supported by an opinion (second clause).

 

Just wanted to note that this is at least the second time Stryper has graced this forum in one week.

[Sir Stewart]

Just wanted to note that this is at least the second time Stryper has graced this forum in one week.

 

Truly we are in the Endtimes.

[Guest Black Witcher]

I feel that Sky Blue Sky is the best of the worst three Wilco albums.

Only AM and Wilco(The Album) are less interesting to me.

 

I am very sorry if that opinion is aggresive or offensive.

[lamradio]

I feel that Sky Blue Sky is the best of the worst three Wilco albums.

Only AM and Wilco(The Album) are less interesting to me.

 

I am very sorry if that opinion is aggresive or offensive.

 

Not aggressive at all and very accurate IMO.

[Guest Speed Racer]

I am very sorry if that opinion is aggresive or offensive.

 

Ditto what brandt said, and nice avatar. You sure are coooool...

[learnhowtosteer]

"One Wing" and "Everlasting" are perfect as is. Just because Nels Cline's in the band doesn't make it necessary to have 3-minute guitar freakouts a la "Impossible Germany." I much prefer the tighter structure of the W(TA) songs, but both approaches are valid; I like the fact that Wilco is unpredictable that way.

 

To me what hurts SBS by comparison are the lyrics, which mostly seem very generic to me. In W(TA) Jeff seems to have his mojo as a writer back; Deeper Down, Country Disappeared, I'll Fight and Sunny Feeling contain some of the most interesting and complex lyrics he's ever done. And some of the simpler songs, like W(TS) and You and I, are great pop lyrics as well.

 

I don't know . . . "Wilco will love you, baby"? That doesn't strike me as especially interesting or complex. I will grant you that some of the subject matter on W(TA) is more oblique. But that doesn't make it interesting.

 

"Impossible Germany, unlikely Japan"? "Side With the Seeds"? Hardly generic, I think.

[Jesusetc84]

It's interesting that people are citing the feel of SBS as a good thing. I'm much more a fan of Wilco's studio creations than their guitar jams. The two things that original attracted me to Wilco was the studio brilliance of Jay Bennett and the lyrical genius of Jeff Tweedy.

 

I wasn't a fan of A Ghost is Born for a while, but eventually took to it. Sky Blue Sky to me is the epitome of what I don't want from a Wilco album. "You Are My Face", for exampel, is sub-Cat Stevens soft rock that degenerates into a sub-Lynyrd Skynyrd boogie jam, devoid of any interesting instrumentation. It's pretty gray and bland to me.

 

Wilco The Album is full of interesting instrumental choices, and maybe it is too similar to past Wilco albums, but I think it's a much more intelligent album than Sky Blue Sky. It never degenerates into corny "Rawk" jams, which are a cheap stand in for actual composition. Wilco is at their best imo when they're writing great pop songs and subverting them with studio trickery. It's a long tradition that stretches back to The Beatles, and is a practice that does a lot more for me than mulleted Skynyrdesque jamming of "You Are My Face".

 

Neither album holds upto the best Wilco has to offer imo (Summerteeth, YHF), but of the two, Wilco (The Album) towers above Sky Blue Sky.

[GLHawk]

I don't know . . . "Wilco will love you, baby"? That doesn't strike me as especially interesting or complex. I will grant you that some of the subject matter on W(TA) is more oblique. But that doesn't make it interesting.

 

"Impossible Germany, unlikely Japan"? "Side With the Seeds"? Hardly generic, I think.

 

In my comment I distinctly did not put W(TS) in the "interesting and complex" category, but some of those lines are very cool in a pop way: I love "the stare of your stereo" and "aural arms open wide" and "a sonic shoulder for you to cry-y-y on."

 

The two SBS songs you mention are not lyrically generic, but much of the album is, including the title track, Either Way, Hate It Here, Please Be Patient, Leave Me Like You Found Me, Walken and What Light. Some of those songs have a lot to recommend them musically, but the words are mostly just folk- and blues-rock cliches.

[Guest Speed Racer]

The two SBS songs you mention are not lyrically generic, but much of the album is, including the title track, Either Way, Hate It Here, Please Be Patient, Leave Me Like You Found Me, Walken and What Light. Some of those songs have a lot to recommend them musically, but the words are mostly just folk- and blues-rock cliches.

 

I would argue that part of Hate It Here's message is the simplicity in the lyrics. The speaker is clearly afraid of what will happen when he runs out of household chores to do and simply has to sit and think about the fact that he's alone. It's a literal song about literal things - the pain of silence. I've always been a bit bothered that the music doesn't match up to the lyrics. For another take on the song, download the 2003-05-16 solo show at Martyr's, featuring "You're Really Gone," the predecessor to "Hate it Here." I think it captures the pain-in-silence a bit better.

 

I would argue the same thing for Walken - it's a simple song about simply loving someone and thinking about them. And it's got a good bounce - I always get that song in my head when I'm walking somewhere in a good mood.

[GLHawk]

I would argue that part of Hate It Here's message is the simplicity in the lyrics. The speaker is clearly afraid of what will happen when he runs out of household chores to do and simply has to sit and think about the fact that he's alone. It's a literal song about literal things - the pain of silence. I've always been a bit bothered that the music doesn't match up to the lyrics. For another take on the song, download the 2003-05-16 solo show at Martyr's, featuring "You're Really Gone," the predecessor to "Hate it Here." I think it captures the pain-in-silence a bit better.

 

I would argue the same thing for Walken - it's a simple song about simply loving someone and thinking about them. And it's got a good bounce - I always get that song in my head when I'm walking somewhere in a good mood.

Both of those really are a lot of fun live.

[learnhowtosteer]

It's interesting that people are citing the feel of SBS as a good thing. I'm much more a fan of Wilco's studio creations than their guitar jams. The two things that original attracted me to Wilco was the studio brilliance of Jay Bennett and the lyrical genius of Jeff Tweedy.

 

I wasn't a fan of A Ghost is Born for a while, but eventually took to it. Sky Blue Sky to me is the epitome of what I don't want from a Wilco album. "You Are My Face", for exampel, is sub-Cat Stevens soft rock that degenerates into a sub-Lynyrd Skynyrd boogie jam, devoid of any interesting instrumentation. It's pretty gray and bland to me.

 

Wilco The Album is full of interesting instrumental choices, and maybe it is too similar to past Wilco albums, but I think it's a much more intelligent album than Sky Blue Sky. It never degenerates into corny "Rawk" jams, which are a cheap stand in for actual composition. Wilco is at their best imo when they're writing great pop songs and subverting them with studio trickery. It's a long tradition that stretches back to The Beatles, and is a practice that does a lot more for me than mulleted Skynyrdesque jamming of "You Are My Face".

 

Neither album holds upto the best Wilco has to offer imo (Summerteeth, YHF), but of the two, Wilco (The Album) towers above Sky Blue Sky.

 

Fair enough, everyone has their own preferences and Wilco certainly has a diverse enough catalog to endear itself to listeners with a variety of tastes.

 

Although I would point out that the "mulleted Skynyrdesque" aspect of Wilco is an aspect of their music that has been around as long if not longer than the "subversive pop" quality that some of their material has. "Monday" is as rawk as they come-- it has more greasy stomp in it than "Gimme Three Steps."

 

Summerteeth and YHF are brilliant, no doubt, both of them are definitely high points in the band's body of work. But there is definitely some rock stomp on both of those records. I wouldn't dismiss "I'm the Man Who Loves You" or "ELT" as mulleted or Skynyrdesque. But they have plenty of plain old rawk energy.

 

All of which is to say that the more "rawk" aspects of Sky Blue Sky have as much of a precedent in the Wilco world as the more sonically adventurous stuff.

[learnhowtosteer]

And, btw, while on the subject of Lynyrd Skynyrd, dare I say that "One Wing," in its progression from ballad to balls-to-the-wall rock bears more than a passing resemblance to "Free Bird"? I'm just sayin' . . .

[Guest Speed Racer]

And, btw, while on the subject of Lynyrd Skynyrd, dare I say that "One Wing," in its progression from ballad to balls-to-the-wall rock bears more than a passing resemblance to "Free Bird"? I'm just sayin' . . .

 

 

I can't say I see any balls near any walls when I listen to "One Wing." To me, it starts out as u2 and ends as U2.

[learnhowtosteer]

I can't say I see any balls near any walls when I listen to "One Wing." To me, it starts out as u2 and ends as U2.

 

Oh, I don't know . . . I think there are some balls in that song and they do begin to approach the wall toward the end.

[Jayson]

I think that the criticism of Sky Blue Sky's "Skynrdesque" musical sections is a complete overlook of the beauty of simple melody and clean playing, which frankly, Wilco does better than anyone else.

 

I don't mean to sound haughty, but the instrumentation and organization of Sky Blue Sky makes me, as a musician, say "Wow, that's awesome. I can ONLY hope to do this someday". Have elements of it been heard before? Of course, but the pure emoting this Wilco lineup puts into their execution, combined with spot ON production makes it so completely new, sonically. I understand that a lot of you don't share this opinion, but I just wanted to point out that for what I assume is a good amount of people, the instrumentation of Sky Blue Sky is nothing less than a decade-defining accomplishment, not a hackneyed attempt at jamming.

[Jesusetc84]

I think that the criticism of Sky Blue Sky's "Skynrdesque" musical sections is a complete overlook of the beauty of simple melody and clean playing, which frankly, Wilco does better than anyone else.

 

 

 

Exactly, this album has too elements I don't like...Slick 70s quasi-yacht rock and grating jamming, all in the most uber professional of packages.

 

Basically, it's adult contemporary rock made to sell VWs.