Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I was discussing this with my resident 17-year old Wilco fan, and he was incredulous that there aren't universal raves by the board for The Whole Love. (I told him I got the impression that the feelings on the board were pretty positive.) He just said to me that "for a Wilco fan site, there are a lot of posters who just don't get it. People don't realize that everything they do on an album is for a reason. If you think there's a weak track, it's there for a reason." (He seems to be really incensed that Capitol City gets such negative marks. And he was downrigh scornful of the folks who rank One Sunday Morning less that 9/10.) I also listened to a 20 minute diatribe against the boards negative views of SBS and W(TA). "I really like them. I don't understand the reason why these two albums seem to be universally disliked. I can kind of understand people's problem with W(TA) because it doesn't have the coherent album structure, but it has some of the best songs that Jeff has written. Same for SBS, there are some really, really good songs on there". You guys know the charges presented against you.Now defend your position, because I can't. Maybe we should try and listen with the passion of a 17-year old every now and then. I don't know why he doesn't post here...he is very passionate for this band. Maybe it's because of the heavy douche factor that pops up and feels the need to belittle new posters. That and he gets really pissed off at the AM, BT, ST, YHF, AGIB, SBS, W(TA), WL posts. It's really fun living with someone who is more passionate about the music than I can be at my age. Link to post Share on other sites
Ghost of Electricity Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 My kids' favorite songs are Casino Queen and Box Full of Letters. Pretty good for 4 and 9, I think. Long live Dad rock! Link to post Share on other sites
mus2009 Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I'm 20, have been listening to Wilco passionately for 4 years, and I can say my problem with The Album is indifference. Wilco works best with mostly personal & passionate lyrics mixed with their alt style of badass rock & roll. I really enjoy the whole love & every album besides Wilco the Album. If I can enjoy the album as a whole, it helps me to appreciate each track even more, and the meaning of a particular song, but that just never happened with W(TA). Link to post Share on other sites
Scott Gyrrr Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 At that 17 I would have had a tough time hearing anything negative about something I loved on a fan message board too. I imagine it would kind of feel like a personal attack. Link to post Share on other sites
Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 At that 17 I would have had a tough time hearing anything negative about something I loved on a fan message board too. I imagine it would kind of feel like a personal attack. That's a bit condescending... Link to post Share on other sites
bourbonbreath Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I don't think SBS gets enough credit... the first five songs are flawless. YAMF, IG, and SWTS are three of my top 20 Wilco songs ever. HIH and Walken are terrific live and very fun musically. Always thought One True Vine should've been on there over Leave Me... and would've encouraged them to strike Shake It Off, but it is a solid 8/10 release. W(TA) just feels like a throwaway to me. One Wing, BBN, and YNK are solid numbers, but everything else is just kinda dull. I think it may be fair to say the same about the band's feelings on these numbers as well. Go back and look at setlists... songs disappeared fairly quickly. The biggest thing that hurt SBS... is that the 'new' band took an already fantastic record AGIB and took what they did with Leroy as a five piece to a whole new level live. I felt people wanted the same feel on record as they were seeing live, but instead got something completely different with SBS. Additionally, Wilco had created BT, ST, YHF, and AGIB which in my opinion were all the best albums of the year when they were released... and four of the best records made over the last decade. Eventually there would've been a step down or something that did not meet our standards. Also we need to remember the beauty of the MA releases and the terrific songs that came from those sessions... also we had songs from the YHF demos that people would die to make... same can be said for a few of the tracks off the EP (i.e. Magazine Called Sunset). After only one week of getting into TWL --- i believe that it fits in with the discussion of the BT, ST, YHF, and AGIB. Time will tell how it positions itself though. OSM was great on my first couple listens, but i have already tired of it's length. I think the majority of the tracks are some of the best they've ever done. TWL and RRL are just superb... and everything seems to flow pretty well. Tell the kid to calm down... we love it... but when you've experienced BT, ST, YHF, and AGIB on their release days... it is hard to put on top of the mountain so quickly. Link to post Share on other sites
Autumnteeth Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 My dad always used to say now is now, and you can't relive the summers past. I used to think it meant shut up, we are not going back to Hawaii, it is too expensive. As I have aged, however, it makes more sense. A lot of peoples expectation is that the band will issue the definitive response to YHF, or revert to Uncle Tupelo form, or whatever their best memories of Wilco are. I don't think people dislike it, I think it didn't meet their expectations. That is sad, because I think it is a brilliant album. A lot of new things on this record. John Stirrat pounds the bass on Art of Almost and establishes his presence on virtually all of the tracks on the album. Nels puts his preference for atmospheric playing as opposed to tearing it up on the back burner for the better of the album on three or four songs. Pat's involvement in the production adds a whole new aspect to the layering, texturing, and tone of the album. Milkael stretches his multi instrumental talents and develops sounds that make me feel the lyrics. The spotlight on Glenn proves what everyone knew; the guy is one of,if not the best, drummer of modern times. Jeff has gone from lyricist to wordsmith. And the highlight is that all of this is done in the typcal understated way. In production they didn't jag with everything and over produce. All of this is my opinion, and certainly everyone is entitled to their own, but I truly believe that if people look at it for what it is rather than what they expected they would love it as much as I do. Except for the trolls, of course, who delight me in their own ways. The working title, Get Well Soon Everybody, really describes the effect the Whole Love has had on me. I love it. Link to post Share on other sites
Thats Me Beefing Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Well I'm 26 and SBS is probably my favorite album. A Ghost is Born is a close second. And I love Wilco the album. I agree that "The Album" is more like a collection of songs rather than an album that kind of sets its own tone collectively, but I think SBS does that beautifully. Link to post Share on other sites
Scalzunfield Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 The only reason I rank Sky Blue Sky poorly is because I have zero desire to listen to it of my own volition. Sure, there are a few songs on there that I love to hear in the live setting (You Are My Face, Impossible Germany, Walken, Side With The Seeds). The rest of it is fairly forgettable and doesn't warrant me busting out the album on a regular basis. Sadly, Wilco The Album has even fewer songs I desire hearing on a regular basis. The Whole Love has totally redeemed my faith in this band though. Link to post Share on other sites
Scott Gyrrr Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 That's a bit condescending... No not all. I was only imagining myself at 17 and how I would have felt about the music hearing it at that age. You said maybe we should try and listen with the passion of a 17-year old every now and then. Well when I was 17 I lived through music to an extent that was kinda unhealthy. I didn't have much else going on in my life at that point and every band I was into defined my personality way more than actual people and experiences. If Wilco had entered the picture then I would have simply become obsessed with them to. Add a message board like this into the mix and every opinion that slightly differed from mine would have been seen as a personal attack. So for me listening with the passion of a 17 year only conjures up bad connotations. Never meant to suggest that other teenagers would take it the way I might have. Crow, in another thread you said something along the lines of "they have a way of putting out the album that I need when I need it" (I think) This is something that rings true with me for the most part. The shift from A ghost is born to Sky blue sky was particularly welcome in that if some of the more painful emotions (on agib) hadn't been dealt with and moved on from I would certainly have lost interest and moved on from the band. So far as it stands I say that the new album falls somewhere between great and fucking fantastic. Link to post Share on other sites
sananguy Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 "I don't think people dislike it, I think it didn't meet their expectations." Can't think of a better way to say it. I was hoping for something pithy, but as a whole, it's not. I've seen comparisons to Summerteeth and I can see some musical similarities, but there's no "She's A Jar", "How To Fight Lonliness", "Shot In The Arm" or "Via Chicago" here. Save "One Sunday Morning" none of the songs make me feel anything. That's what Wilco did for me, and has failed to do since AGIB. As much as Jeff Tweedy denies it, again, the cliched "tortured artist" produced his best work. How selfish of me to say that, but out of the crucible rose almost tangible music. I fear there will be no more "Poor Places" or "Wishful Thinking". For me anyway, Wilco has fallen into the same category as so many other artists who had their period of genius, then evolved into something I wanted to hang onto, but ultimately couldn't. Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 There's a whole lot on The Whole Love that wholly moves me. Link to post Share on other sites
97flatcars Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 My only gripe with Jeff these days is he needs a hair cut and a membership to a gym. I've been listening to Wilco BEFORE they were Wilco (I think I was 26 when UT came out with No Depression--I even have a demo cassette of the album they were sending out to college radio stations at the time). Every time I hear the band, every time I see Jeff spin his magic on the guitar, it makes me smile and think, WOW, look how far this has come. It's not a sellout, it's an evolution. One thing I have noticed about TWL is I'm hearing musical phrases I've heard on previous Wilco albums. That's a first, as far as I'm concerned, but maybe it's OK. I've always thought every Wilco album stands by itself and creates a different musical communication--that's what makes them so damn good. I only wish I could afford to see them live now (my last show was in Idaho, and I drove 3 days to get there, in 2008, and the whole experience was like we were all in somebody's backyard at a BBQ--not in some giant arena with 10,000 people). Link to post Share on other sites
welch79 Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 That's a bit condescending...i would disagree. i think it sounds like a developmentally- appropriate description of a reaction to said posts in the adolescent mind, actually. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 you call your kid "D-Man"? Link to post Share on other sites
newbornghost Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 I pretty much agree with most of what's been said here. What I love about TWL is the way some of the songs have the flowing, seemingly effortless melodies and rhythms that define JT's songwriting legacy, in my opinion...and which seemed to be slightly lacking on SBS and W(TA) (though I truly LOVE those albums...just for different reasons). Link to post Share on other sites
Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 you call your kid "D-Man"? Yeah...Jules was taken Link to post Share on other sites
junkiesmile Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 you call your kid "D-Man"?It's so strange what a good avatar can do for a poster. Every time I read one of your posts I hear Sammuel Jackson's voice and it somehow makes the posts funnier. Link to post Share on other sites
JUDE Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 I feel no more need to defend my opinions on Wilco’s latest musical outputs than I do the need to debate the merits of Ke$ha’s latest with my 17 year old niece; regardless of any hip monikers their parents may have bestowed upon them. Link to post Share on other sites
Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted October 4, 2011 Author Share Posted October 4, 2011 I feel no more need to defend my opinions on Wilco’s latest musical outputs than I do the need to debate the merits of Ke$ha’s latest with my 17 year old niece; regardless of any hip monikers their parents may have bestowed upon them. Thanks for the input.Useful and enlightening as always! Link to post Share on other sites
rareair Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 I feel no more need to defend my opinions on Wilco’s latest musical outputs than I do the need to debate the merits of Ke$ha’s latest with my 17 year old niece; regardless of any hip monikers their parents may have bestowed upon them. belittling someone's nickname for his own child. nice work. Link to post Share on other sites
Doug C Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 I don't see how a person could quit VC. No matter the pointless drivel posted, the self-important musings nor the time wasted, you can always count on exchanges like the above to make it all worthwhile. Thanks again, ya'll. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 belittling someone's nickname for his own child. nice work.It is kind of ridiculous. Link to post Share on other sites
Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted October 4, 2011 Author Share Posted October 4, 2011 It is kind of ridiculous.Thanks.Your opinion has been duly noted and given the appropriate weight. Link to post Share on other sites
JUDE Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 belittling someone's nickname for his own child. nice work. Just be glad magic-whatshername didn’t call out the board for not showing the proper reverence for the last two albums. Link to post Share on other sites
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