Sky Blue Sky - Confession of a Relatively New Fan

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

It's ok to tell yourself that.

 

And it's still ok for you to be wrong.

[caliber66]

And it's still ok to tell yourself that. Let other people talk about the album.

[Scott Gyrrr]

You Never Know is worth the price of admission alone

 

Hold on to that copy it could be worth something

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

And it's still ok to tell yourself that. Let other people talk about the album.

 

I'm not talking about it. I'm playing the game of talking about you talking about it.

[dark]

 

Because it doesn't sound like AGIB or YHF...

 

And that is the correct answer .... course I like SBS and AGIB and YHF ... lord I even like most of WTA and I bet I like TWL ...I notice some here hide behind the grassy knoll waiting to pick off even the new album ...its all kind of funny

[kidsmoke]

Because it's a shitty album.

 

From our Rules and Regulations:

 

"Please also abide by the following common sense guidelines:

 

Avoid being dismissive of other peoples' opinions. Try "I don't see it that way." instead of "That's bullsh*t!" or "I don't care for that band" rather than "That band sucks!" It's called civility."

 

Perfectly fine to dislike something. Not okay to state categorically that something is crap simply because it is crap to you. Differing tastes keep the world interesting. How boring if we all had exactly the same tastes!

[rhino4evr]

I think the reason why SBS gets a lot of slack is because it followed the 1-2 punch of YHF and GIB. There are quite a few fans that ONLY want Wilco to be experimental and ambitious. There are other fans that not only love those albums, but also adore the work done on Mermaid Ave, Summerteeh, and Being There. In my opinion, if you enjoy stuff like Mermaid Ave, and early Wilco there is no reason for you to dislike Sky Blue Sky. It's probably the most personal and down to earth that Jeff has ever gotten, and for fans that just equals something special.

[dark]

Its ok to only like a particular lineup of Wilco or a phase but to me that is like loving Sgt Pepper but missing out on Revolver...or visa versa

[caliber66]

 

From our Rules and Regulations:

 

Totally right, Donna, despite the fact that I was kidding. Sorry about that.

 

Its ok to only like a particular lineup of Wilco or a phase but to me that is like loving Sgt Pepper but missing out on Revolver...or visa versa

 

To me it's like liking what you like and not liking what you don't.

[kidsmoke]

Good to know you were kidding, Ben. It can be hard to read tone online.

[lost highway]

I see people responding to being shamed for disliking things on here. It is so often a conversation around this band: person A says "This is neat." Person B says "No it sucks." Someone else tells person b not to down on everything. Person b responds with the rationale that opinions, art, music- all that stuff is interesting for discussion. You don't have to like everything to be a fan of the band. (This gets relevant cause I think SBS is a big breeding ground for this cycle).

 

I could always philosophically appreciate this 'person b' line of reasoning, but in practice it sometimes irritated me. I think I've figured it out. Showing up to a conversation to discuss how much something sucks is not interesting. I don't really love the album A.M. I like some things about it. If every time someone mentioned the album I brought this up I wouldn't really be enhancing anyone's experience of a piece of art. I wouldn't be enhancing my own experience either. I would just be... being obnoxious. I find it more interesting to think about how a non-drinker could sing a song like "Passenger Side", and how would that change the singer's experience of the song. Or, to notice how A.M. has the most 'slick' production sound of any Wilco recordings (except perhaps 'I Can't Stand It').

 

So what was the band going for in a song like "Leave Me Like You Found Me"? It sounds a lot different than the rest of the record. Was it just a tune they thought came out kinda nice, and then didn't stand the test of time (they never play it live). What made Jeff change the title of "Lullabies for Rafters and Beams" to "Sky Blue Sky"? If he hadn't would there still be a sandwich named after it?

[worldrecordplayer]

So glad you started this topic. I've been listening to Wilco since a.m.. I love SBS. Don't have to explain why, don't know if I can even state why. I love the preceding releases too. The negativity directed to SBS around here always amazes me. I just again looked at the track list. To each their own. But I'm firmly in the SBS camp.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

The first five tracks on SBS are among the best album runs anywhere in Wilco's entire catalogue, and On and On and On is really good too. But everything between Seeds and On is less than great, even if they all do have certain charms and listenability. I can still listen to the whole thing, but the distance between those six elite tracks and everything else is massive.

 

Take Either Way->Side With The Seeds and On and On with 3/4 of WTA's strongest tracks and there's an album that can just about stand up to any other Wilco disc.

[rhino4evr]

Will have to agree that the last half of SKy Blue SKy is definitely weaker then the first half, and it all starts with Shake it Off. However I still like On an On, and Hate it here is a great song live. I could probably do without Walken, but a lot of people love that song live too.

[A Radio Cure]

 

Take Either Way->Side With The Seeds and On and On with 3/4 of WTA's strongest tracks and there's an album that can just about stand up to any other Wilco disc.

 

I was thinking the same thing. Except, I think the album's weakest parts are Side With The Seeds and Shake It Off. My problem with both SBS and W(TA) are that they sound too similar to each other and both of them have too much filler. If they had just made one album it would be great. The quick play list that i just made:

Either Way

You Are My Face

One Wing

Impossible Germany

Bull Black Nova

Please Be Patient With Me

Deeper Down

You Never Know

Walken

Solitaire

Sky Blue Sky

I'll Fight

Sonny Feeling

On And On And On

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

I love On and On, and I'm glad it's the last song. Doesn't quite redeem the rest of the second half, but it's a great track.

 

Hate It Here is pretty good live. But I wouldn't call it a great song or anything. The second half of the album is littered with songs that have something good going for them but not enough. Even What Light. I really like the idea of that song, and I'd love to see more of that kind of laidback country song from Wilco, but it's got some of Jeff's worst lyrics.

 

Anyway, with no sequencing consideration at all, I'd go:

 

Either Way

You Are My Face

Impossible Germany

Sky Blue Sky

Side With The Seeds

On and On and On

Deeper Down

Bull Black Nova

One Wing

Solitaire

and maybe Country Disappeared.

 

That's a great album.

[Guest Jules]

Wilco - Greatest Hits From Our Last Two Albums That Some People Like And Some People Don't

[jakobnicholas]

I like that Sky Blue Sky is personal and hopeful, and that it seemed to very much reflect some of the struggles Tweedy was dealing with at the time. Anybody who's ever been thrown for a loop and/or into a funk for any reason can surely relate to a LOT of this record.

 

I sense that some Wilco fans are turned off by its sometimes "wussy-ish" or adult-contemporary sound and lyrics. And I can understand that. But MY gripe with Sky Blue Sky is that Wilco didn't go ALL THE WAY in making a soulful, hopeful, beautiful record.

 

I agree with Shakespeare that Tracks 1-5 are fantastic....maybe as good as any opening 5 songs in the band's history. These seem to be what Jeff and the band were aiming for. And I also agree that "On and On and On" is on par with the first 5 songs. To me, the song encapsulizes the spirit of Sky Blue Sky.

 

"Patient With Me" isn't a favorite of mine, but I think it fits on the record. As does "Leave Me Like You Find Me", which I happen to like a LOT (I know there's lots of haters for this song, but you all are wrong...ha). "What Light" is a bit corny, but I think it also fits onto Sky Blue Sky.

 

To me, 3 songs absolutely ruin Sky Blue Sky:

 

- Shake It Off: I despise the song. I despise it's choppiness and Jeff's vocal. The song sounds SO remote from what I feel the aim of this record was to be and what it presented us with on the first 5 tracks. "Shake It Off" sounds like Jeff and the band wanting to be loose and spontaneous and fun, but instead it brings the record to a screeching, annoying halt.

 

- Hate It Here: This just should never have made the record. The lryics are throw-away. And twice the song comes to a "Shake It Off"-like halt with Jeff screaming the song title with stupid drum thumps and piano fills and a dorky electric guitar riff. Nels...er, nails on chalkboard.

 

- Walken: Not a fan of the lyrics. And like the 2 songs above, seems to purposely try to veer off the course that Sky Blue Sky aimed to be on. The closing jam, which I imagine the band thought was really groovy and cool and rockin', sounds forced and lame and makes my hair curl.

 

WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE ALBUM:

 

- One True Vine: I'm clueless why Jeff chose not to put this on the record. Great song.

 

- Let's Fight: This song has never been officially released, but the heard live versions I've heard are great. It rocks quite a bit and would offset the slower songs.

[Sir Stewart]

If it weren't for Walken and What Light, SBS would be perfect to me. I enjoy Walken, and can bear What Light sometimes, but damn, they are light years behind the rest of the album.

[choo-choo-charlie]

I also would've liked to have had One True Vine on there, as well as The Thanks I Get and Glad It's Over.

[Guest Jules]

I like Walken.

[rhino4evr]

has Wilco ever played Shake it Off Live? You can usually tell what songs Wilco is "embarrased" about by the songs they choose or don't choose to play live. I can't remember seeing a set list with that on it.

 

It's the worst song on the album, mainly because it doesn't fit with anything else on the album. It's really out of place.

[Guest Jules]

It has been played. They even opened with it one time.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

has Wilco ever played Shake it Off Live? You can usually tell what songs Wilco is "embarrased" about by the songs they choose or don't choose to play live. I can't remember seeing a set list with that on it.

 

It's the worst song on the album, mainly because it doesn't fit with anything else on the album. It's really out of place.

 

Opened in Dallas with it.

[rhino4evr]

was it any good live? Cause I've seen and heard tons of bootlegs, and that song always seems to be left out.