Jeff Tweedy talks about New Album to Spin

[Scott Gyrrr]

meh.

 

 

 

I think you mean meh-HEGGA AWESOME. And I'll take Wilcobnoxious over Gagaobnoxious any day.

[jff]

Jeff said in his Strombo interview posted elsewhere that he's come to terms with the fact that new albums will never be as well received by fans as the older material is. He said that new material can't compete with the emotional investment and attachment that time affords the older stuff.

 

This might be true to some extent, but it doesn't tell the whole story.

 

When YHF came out, people knew it was something special. When WTA came out, most people knew it was pretty mediocre, and far below what Wilco had shown itself to be capable of.

[knotgreen]

Tweedy in Rolling Stone, by David Fricke:

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/alternate-take/jeff-tweedy-opens-up-about-wilcos-new-album-20110425

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

This might be true to some extent, but it doesn't tell the whole story.

 

When YHF came out, people knew it was something special. When WTA came out, most people knew it was pretty mediocre, and far below what Wilco had shown itself to be capable of.

 

You either have selective memory or the people you associate with were really on top of the curve.

 

I have/had a friend who was incredibly tuned into Wilco. After he gave me a copy of a disc labeled Yankee Foxtrot Hotel sometime in early Fall 2001, he referred to it as "just more of that Jeff Tweedy noise shit". I remember getting into some pretty heated conversations about YHF. YHF certainly was a line drawn in the sand for old time Wilco fans. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was the fulcrum of the end of one era and the beginning of another.

 

How about A Ghost is Born? The fan base was certainly lukewarm to that one at first.

 

I dont want to get into a pissing match, but rabid fans are never completely satisifed with anything an artist produces. Time and distance used to allow one to gain perspective on these things, but the immediacy of the internet doesn't really allow for reasoned perspective on anything.

[Kalle]

David Fricke has another piece on the new album.

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/alternate-take/jeff-tweedy-opens-up-about-wilcos-new-album-20110425

 

Pretty interesting to hear Jeff wrote upwards of 50 songs for this record, I get more and more excited the more I hear about this though.

 

Paste also has their 30 Best Wilco Songs, and I must say I really will have to disagree with this list on the whole.

 

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/04/the-30-best-wilco-songs.html

[phish907]

I find myself very excited for this new cd. More excited than I have been for new Wilco music since YHF. Can't wait till September!!!!!!!

[jff]

You either have selective memory or the people you associate with were really on top of the curve.

 

I have/had a friend who was incredibly tuned into Wilco. After he gave me a copy of a disc labeled Yankee Foxtrot Hotel sometime in early Fall 2001, he referred to it as "just more of that Jeff Tweedy noise shit". I remember getting into some pretty heated conversations about YHF. YHF certainly was a line drawn in the sand for old time Wilco fans. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was the fulcrum of the end of one era and the beginning of another.

 

How about A Ghost is Born? The fan base was certainly lukewarm to that one at first.

 

I dont want to get into a pissing match, but rabid fans are never completely satisifed with anything an artist produces. Time and distance used to allow one to gain perspective on these things, but the immediacy of the internet doesn't really allow for reasoned perspective on anything.

 

OK, well let's leave Wilco out of it and substitue Radiohead. OK Computer and Kid A were hailed as masterpieces upon release. Just about everything they've done since has been considered inferior, and is still considered inferior after significant time has passed.

 

The point is, Tweedy is right that albums tend to gain respect/appreciation over time, but he's wrong in that he seems to be denying that albums sometimes come out of the gate as huge critical and fan favorites. He's wrong if he thinks WTA will earn acclaim on par with YHF over time.

 

As for this statement:

 

he's come to terms with the fact that new albums will never be as well received by fans as the older material is.

 

The next album is already better received than WTA was or is, and nobody's heard a single second of it.

[Kalle]

OK, well let's leave Wilco out of it and substitue Radiohead. OK Computer and Kid A were hailed as masterpieces upon release. Just about everything they've done since has been considered inferior, and is still considered inferior after significant time has passed.

 

The point is, Tweedy is right that albums tend to gain respect/appreciation over time, but he's wrong in that he seems to be denying that albums sometimes come out of the gate as huge critical and fan favorites. He's wrong if he thinks WTA will earn acclaim on par with YHF over time.

 

As for this statement:

 

he's come to terms with the fact that new albums will never be as well received by fans as the older material is.

 

The next album is already better received than WTA was or is, and nobody's heard a single second of it.

 

In terms of what you're saying about Radiohead, Kid A was basically the exact opposite of what you're saying (although it is a perfect example of what Tweedy is saying). When Kid A first came out yes some people thought it was a masterpiece but it received plenty of bad reviews as it alienated a lot of people who hailed Radiohead as the "saviours of rock". Melody Maker (at the time still sort of influential in the UK) gave it a 1.5/5 and NME (again the same as Melody Maker) gave it a 7/10, and now it's basically universally hailed as the best record of the 00's.

 

Tweedy is totally dead on.

[jff]

In terms of what you're saying about Radiohead, Kid A was basically the exact opposite of what you're saying (although it is a perfect example of what Tweedy is saying). When Kid A first came out yes some people thought it was a masterpiece but it received plenty of bad reviews as it alienated a lot of people who hailed Radiohead as the "saviours of rock". Melody Maker (at the time still sort of influential in the UK) gave it a 1.5/5 and NME (again the same as Melody Maker) gave it a 7/10, and now it's basically universally hailed as the best record of the 00's.

 

Tweedy is totally dead on.

 

Yeah. Kid A, bad example, although it did get it's share of raves to go with the obnoxiously predictable British press bashngs. I should have just used OK Computer as an example.

 

I still think Tweedy is only half right. I don't have the exact Tweedy quote, or the full context from the Strombo interview, so maybe he's not saying what it appears he's saying (based on Shabba's paraphrasing of his interview). But if he's saying the natural order of things will eventually result in WTA being acclaimed on the level of YHF, I can only conclude that he's off the wagon.

[bleedorange]

In terms of what you're saying about Radiohead, Kid A was basically the exact opposite of what you're saying (although it is a perfect example of what Tweedy is saying). When Kid A first came out yes some people thought it was a masterpiece but it received plenty of bad reviews as it alienated a lot of people who hailed Radiohead as the "saviours of rock". Melody Maker (at the time still sort of influential in the UK) gave it a 1.5/5 and NME (again the same as Melody Maker) gave it a 7/10, and now it's basically universally hailed as the best record of the 00's.

 

Tweedy is totally dead on.

 

Yeah, I remember how every Radiohead fan I knew back then was anxiously awaiting Amnesiac, because in their minds it promised to be the "real" guitar-based follow-up to OK Computer, while Kid A was just a bump in the road.

[bleedorange]

Yeah. Kid A, bad example, although it did get it's share of raves to go with the obnoxiously predictable British press bashngs. I should have just used OK Computer as an example.

 

I still think Tweedy is only half right. I don't have the exact Tweedy quote, or the full context from the Strombo interview, so maybe he's not saying what it appears he's saying (based on Shabba's paraphrasing of his interview). But if he's saying the natural order of things will eventually result in WTA being acclaimed on the level of YHF, I can only conclude that he's off the wagon.

 

I don't think that's what he's saying. I think it's more of the fact that no matter how good the new material may be, the inevitable comparisons by those fans of the older material who have built up years of an emotional attachment will usually result in the denigration of the new material.

 

I don't think he means that as years go by, they'll eventually like it all the same (though it's a possibility...which is where the Kid A comparisons can come in), but their initial perceptions will forever color their opinions on it.

 

And this is where Crow Daddy's statement really resonates: "Time and distance used to allow one to gain perspective on these things, but the immediacy of the internet doesn't really allow for reasoned perspective on anything."

[jff]

I think it's more of the fact that no matter how good the new material may be, the inevitable comparisons by those fans of the older material who have built up years of an emotional attachment will usually result in the denigration of the new material.

 

 

That's obviously correct. I doubt any sane person has ever loved their new dog the day they brought it home as much as they loved their old dog who was a faithful companion for 15 years.

[Kalle]

Yeah Bleedorange articulated what Jeff was trying to say really well I think.

 

George was asking Jeff if he still thinks he's making the best music of his career, if he's still thinks he's writing better songs. Jeff made no direct references to WTA in the interview he just said that there is no way he can compete with his older material and past success with any new record because of the time that has allowed those records to seep into people's lives. He doesn't know if he's making the best music of his career but he still thinks he's making music that is interesting to him, and maybe that's the most important part for him personally right now.

 

Jeff just seems upset by how an opinion on a new record can become so universal and travel so fast because of the internet, yet this opinion is usually based upon first impressions or first listens or just generally not enough time to fully understand what he was going for.

 

I think we can all agree that WTA is not as good as YHF no matter how much time has gone by, but if you look at AGIB or SBS both received nowhere close to the same amount of praise as YHF and were sort of deemed as inferior right off the bat. But for me at least I think both those records have aged really really well over the past few years, and in my case AGIB is my favourite Wilco record even though when it came out it certainly didn't seem that way compared to YHF.

 

I've said this before, but if any other band put out WTA or SBS we'd lose our shit over them, but because it's Jeff and Wilco and we know their potential or at least their past records so well, no new album will ever live up to our favourite Wilco record, whatever it may be.

[jff]

 

I've said this before, but if any other band put out WTA or SBS we'd lose our shit over them, but because it's Jeff and Wilco and we know their potential or at least their past records so well, no new album will ever live up to our favourite Wilco record, whatever it may be.

 

This is probably true. Last night a friend was over and pulled out Captain Beefheart's Moonbeams and Bluejeans album, which is almost unanimously considered an embarrassment on his music career. But if it were a one-off historical artifact by an obscure artist, it might be considered a lost gem.

[martynep]

This is probably true. Last night a friend was over and pulled out Captain Beefheart's Moonbeams and Bluejeans album, which is almost unanimously considered an embarrassment on his music career. But if it were a one-off historical artifact by an obscure artist, it might be considered a lost gem.

 

It's considered an 'embarrassment' mainly by true Beefheart fans I think - but because of that, it doesn't get much attention from anyone else. I think it's a fantastic album. 'Observatory Crest', for one, is a great song, which Mercury Rev covered a few years back. More people should give it a listen.

[Synthesizer Patel]

Melody Maker (at the time still sort of influential in the UK) gave it a 1.5/5 and NME (again the same as Melody Maker) gave it a 7/10, and now it's basically universally hailed as the best record of the 00's.

 

melody maker and nme, by this time, were not considered influential - or not in terms of being trend setters. that ended for them in the 1980s. also, you tend to find that great albums from the past that go off the edge of the map a bit tend to get very high or very low reviews, because people either love them or hate them. i can't see how anyone could ever get that passionate about the last 2 wilco albums. i don't think i've ever seen anyone on this board go off on a rant about the greatness of the last 2 wilco albums, because nobody really cares about them that much. it's normally "well i know they aren't as good as the other albums, but the band has moved on from that, i still like them blah blah blah" has tweedy ever mentioned how predictable some of his fans are - how they'd defend any old shit he pumped out - or is he only interested in dealing with the thought patterns of the naysayers? let's face it, people do go mental in arguements about Summerteath being over-produced or not etc etc... there is a reason for that.

 

as for jeff tweedy's view on how people regard new music - he's just deluded, why aren't people in his life/the band pointing out to him, "actually those last few albums were a bit lacking." i really would love him to prove us wrong by making a great album again so we can disappoint him with our opinions on it . now that would be nice. unlikely (judging from how he's talking about his career), but nice.

 

everything jeff tweedy says at the moment seems to annoy me. i just don't like how he's viewing making music, and everything surrounding that process, at the moment - to me, it doesn't seem like it's going to lead to good music being made.

[hazel]

Wow. You people are taking like pretentious dicks. Jeff can do what he wants.

 

amen.

[Guest Speed Racer]

Wow. You people are taking like pretentious dicks. Jeff can do what he wants.

 

Of course he can. But people expressing their opinions about the fruits of his labors does not make them "pretentious dicks." Telling other people what opinions they should and should not express, of course...

 

Frankly, I think the "If W(TA) or SBS were released by any other band," argument would work only for people who actually listen to those albums. If either of those were released by any other band, I still wouldn't be listening to them.

 

All great songwriters with any kind of longevity have had periods where their product plateued for a while. I'm hoping Jeff can come back, but he's really not making music I'm interested in listening to these days. The fact that he thinks quantity (noting that he's written 50-60 songs recently) in any way equates to quality (after noting the quantity, he remarks that it's been a productive time in song-writing) is really disheartening to me.

 

This is the first article I've read about an upcoming album where it actually made me feel worse about the forthcoming product rather than better. "Open Up Your Mind" sounds like Peter, Paul and Mary and Jeff, and I'm just not interested in that. I'm certainly not interested in a song that sounds like another rehashing of BBN/Spiders. What's worse, the songs are becoming numbingly predictable. I will donate my entire salary for three months to support the bandwidth of VC if the new 7", "I Might," is not a mid-tempo piece about falling short in love and life.

 

We'll see. I'll certainly buy the new record, but I've got as much faith in them as I do in Santa Claus right now.

[WishfulThinking13]

I just can't believe what I am seeing... I mean calling Jeff deluded, and making statements like "If you want to like an album that sucks, go ahead." First of al, OF COURSE Jeff is not saying that WTA will be as good as YHF in ten years or so... he is making a general (and powerful) statement about the perception of records over time. Leave it to some of you, who wouldn't be satisfied with anything this band will ever create in the future, to assume he is making that statement about WTA. If you don't like the new music and are "annoyed" by statements made about a record you haven't even heard, then go listen to your 2002 era bootlegs of the golden years of this band.

 

Jeez.

[WishfulThinking13]

Of course he can. But people expressing their opinions about the fruits of his labors does not make them "pretentious dicks." Telling other people what opinions they should and should not express, of course...

 

Frankly, I think the "If W(TA) or SBS were released by any other band," argument would work only for people who actually listen to those albums. If either of those were released by any other band, I still wouldn't be listening to them.

 

All great songwriters with any kind of longevity have had periods where their product plateued for a while. I'm hoping Jeff can come back, but he's really not making music I'm interested in listening to these days. The fact that he thinks quantity (noting that he's written 50-60 songs recently) in any way equates to quality (after noting the quantity, he remarks that it's been a productive time in song-writing) is really disheartening to me.

 

This is the first article I've read about an upcoming album where it actually made me feel worse about the forthcoming product rather than better. "Open Up Your Mind" sounds like Peter, Paul and Mary and Jeff, and I'm just not interested in that. I'm certainly not interested in a song that sounds like another rehashing of BBN/Spiders. What's worse, the songs are becoming numbingly predictable. I will donate my entire salary for three months to support the bandwidth of VC if the new 7", "I Might," is not a mid-tempo piece about falling short in love and life.

 

We'll see. I'll certainly buy the new record, but I've got as much faith in them as I do in Santa Claus right now.

 

I wouldn't trust descriptions on an article... they rarely describe songs with much accuracy. I think the record sounds promising, but I will make the judgement when I actually hear it. As far as "Open your Mind," we have only heard that song in an acoustic setting, where those slower songs are perfect. We haven't heard any instrumentation or anything. Whether it sounds like Peter, Paul, and Mary.. well that is your opinion, but it doesn't sound far removed from some of the beloved songs in Wilco's catalogue. Also, Jeff doesn't really describe the new single as a mid tempo song about falling short in love and life... but I'm not sure what you want the song to be about anyway. In the Rolling Stone interview, he said that he has had a lot of time to write these songs and is happy with them... I for one believe him and am psyched about that. Also, the 14 minute piece that he describes sounds pretty novel to me... I'm not sure why this article made you seem less excited about the record, I mean it's just a pre-release article, I don't think you should let it affect what you think the album will sound like.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

Thanks for filling me in on that. There isn't much on W(ta) that shows "the greatness of this songwriter and this band", in my opinion. If you want to like shitty albums because you think it's cool, you just go right ahead.

 

Which do you think is more applicable here: "lik(e)ing shitty albums because you think it's cool" or "calling a really nice record record shitty because you are cool"? Cuts both ways.

 

We'd probably all be better off and get along better here is we would simply accept that some of us are going to be disappointed in the new record and some are going to like it. Until somebody actually hears the new record in full, this is all just jacking off on the internet.

 

Internet muscles should be used sparingly.

[Guest Speed Racer]

Which do you think is more applicable here: "lik(e)ing shitty albums because you think it's cool" or "calling a really nice record record shitty because you are cool"? Cuts both ways.

 

Sounded to me more like he was calling a really shitty album shitty, in his opinion.

[u2roolz]

Until somebody actually hears the new record in full, this is all just jacking off on the internet.

 

(sets stop watch to September)

 

 

 

 

Both articles have me happy with excitement and I'm also expecting them to let loose some of the new songs this coming week on their mini tour.

[bleedorange]

I do wonder why so many people assume others have ulterior motives for liking or disliking an album.

[Atticus]

Until somebody actually hears the new record in full, this is all just jacking off on the internet.

 

sometimes I wonder if you really pay attention around here