SBS vs. TWL

[choo-choo-charlie]

It's utterly forgettable -- or unforgettable?

[bleedorange]

It happens. It's not a slight. Hell, I wish I could be "formerly great" at something. I disagree with you slightly on the comparative merits of the last three albums (for example, I like TWL better than the other two), but overall they are nowhere near the quality of the previous albums.

 

I still look forward to future albums from Wilco because I know they are capable of putting together something special, and most declining bands hit on that last moment of greatness. They haven't done that yet, though.

[ih8music]

Wow, couldn't disagree more with the above. TWL is Wilco returning to the level that they were prior to SBS and WTA, in my opinion.

[Magnetized]

It's not that I disagree in principle with the idea that bands have artistic ups and downs--they do. All artists do, and many are never able to repeat the success they have with their very first outing. And I'll definitely agree that Wilco is not the band it was 10 years ago. My personal favorite, if forced to choose, is still AGIB.

 

But I vehemently will not agree that it's a worse band--it's just a different band. Except for Jeff and John, it's a whole new band, with the common thread being Jeff's songwriting (words AND melody) and vision for how best to deliver those songs (musicianship and arrangement). I think they are way tighter, more accomplished and more polished now. This is a natural evolution--you can't stay stuck in place forever, and what Wilco may have lost in youthful energy and spontaneity I think they make up for in great songs and gorgeous execution, while still holding on to a fun, rock and roll spirit.

 

To me, W(TA) was the only real disappointment in their catalogue, and even that had some good moments, but sure, it was their worst album. They utterly redeemed themselves with TWL, though, which I really think will rank up there with the best of them over time.

 

Oh, and re the actual topic of this thread: TWL over SBS, but not by much.

[The Inside of Outside]

But I vehemently will not agree that it's a worse band--it's just a different band. Except for Jeff and John, it's a whole new band, with the common thread being Jeff's songwriting (words AND melody) and vision for how best to deliver those songs (musicianship and arrangement). I think they are way tighter, more accomplished and more polished now. This is a natural evolution--you can't stay stuck in place forever, and what Wilco may have lost in youthful energy and spontaneity I think they make up for in great songs and gorgeous execution, while still holding on to a fun, rock and roll spirit.

That pretty much says it for me.

[castaway]

Art of Almost will become their concert calling card. Move over Via Chicago. TWL over SBS by a nose. Side with the Seeds makes it go to the wire.

[Oil Can Boyd]

TWL is Wilco returning to the level that they were prior to SBS and WTA, in my opinion.

That is my take on it too. For me I was starting to lose some interest in Wilco and about 30 seconds into Art of Almost during my first listen to TWL I thought "they're back ..."

[linclink]

"The Whole Love" wins for me. "The Whole Love" is probably my fave Wilco album..."Wilco (The Album)" is second & "Sky Blue Sky" probably third. Love them all for different reasons at different times...

[bleedorange]

"The Whole Love" wins for me. "The Whole Love" is probably my fave Wilco album..."Wilco (The Album)" is second & "Sky Blue Sky" probably third. Love them all for different reasons at different times...

 

I just don't understand this new generation of Wilco fans.

[kidsmoke]

I think contrasting these two albums is awkward, simply because they are so different from each other stylistically. I really love both but would, if forced to choose, nab The Whole Love as the one to take to the desert island. It makes me feel happy and hopeful, it makes me sing along loudly and most likely completely off key, without caring if my family hears me. (Poor family) I love an album that can do that.

 

SBS is precious to me too. The title song resonates in my heart at such a sweet level that it nearly brings tears to my eyes. Wow, what a quietly magnificent song it is. The whole album has an understated grace that just hits the spot perfectly when that's what I'm in the mood for.

 

So I suppose if I were going to be dropped off on a desert island and could only take one of these, it would be TWL but I would tuck SBS into my back waistband and put my shirt over and hope nobody noticed. Desperate situations sometimes call for a tiny bit of cheating, alright?

[virtualreason]

I just don't understand this new generation of Wilco fans.

 

I was introduced to the band by YHF in 2002 (does that make me "new generation"?), and that album will always have a special place in my heart. It and The Whole Love are perfect albums in my ears, but I would take TWL over YHF any day, and, to keep on topic, easily take it over SBS. But hey, these are always subjective, and the fact that TWL came out when I was having a very tumultuous stretch in my romantic life might play a huge role in it. Maybe when I have a husband and kids that will change. I'm sure I'll chime in on a thread at that point.

 

And in a delightful bit of imagery--to borrow a phrase from someone earlier in the thread: I want Nels wankery all over my face. His Wilco work is ear-gasmic.

[linclink]

I just don't understand this new generation of Wilco fans.

I don't if this helps , but... I love "A.M." the least, & "Being There" just slightly less than what follows it, but...on any given day listening to either one of those I'm enraptured by them like I'm enraptured by early Beatles (before "Rubber Soul") albums that I probably, technically, like less than later era ("Rubber Soul" & onwards)...as far "Summerteeth", "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" & "A Ghost Is Born" go...I love those albums so much, that in another week those could easily be my top three...but as of late, & it seems to be holding, I do like these latest three...but we are talking about hair-splitting...I don't prefer by a large margin by any means.

Which leads me to, half-jokingly, reply, I just don't understand (some of) this older generation of Wilco fans...

I know all taste is subjective & I can imagine why that mid-era trio of albums is so dear to so many & how they could've been confused, or let down by what followed...but...I've really got to stretch to do that.

Speaking in Beatlese...it'd be like loving what they did in '66 & '67, but not getting what they did in '68 & '69. One of the things that I adore about Wilco is that their catalog keeps me guessing. It's as wildly eclectic as it is consistently brilliant. And by that I mean eclectic both album to album, and within albums as well...and just consistently brilliant period- not strike that period & make it double exclamation points!!

And what I don't get is anyone who feels there are noticeably weak links (just as I don't feel there are any truly weak links in The Beatles catalog) in their body of work...some maybe greater or lesser, but that's within the context of jockeying for whatever positions at a very high height.

I don't feel Wilco is just a great band, or a recent great band...I feel they are up there at the top of modern music's Olympus...they stand tall with any of the greatest greats- as either a studio, or live band...

[worldrecordplayer]

That is my take on it too. For me I was starting to lose some interest in Wilco and about 30 seconds into Art of Almost during my first listen to TWL I thought "they're back ..."

 

It took me no more than 10 seconds into that video trailer tease for Art of Almost to snap my head around and exclaim "holy s___!"

[worldrecordplayer]

The concepts advanced here that Wilco is a declining band, that TWL is a forgettable album, and that the band basically stinks now, are so unfathomable to me that I almost think they are being advanced as a farce. I know they are not, and by saying that I don't mean to question anyone's sincerely held beliefs, but just to show how 180 degrees I am from those views. I don't consider myself of a "new generation" of Wilco fans. I was listening to Uncle Tupelo, missed A.M. but caught on to Wilco with Being There (which remains one of my all time favorite albums of any band's). I don't disagree with the proposition that many if not all creative people have ups and downs, highs and lows, in their creative output. And I will even concede that WTA represents a "low" in the Wilco creative output, but only when compared to the rest of the body of work. There are a number of songs on WTA that I thoroughly enjoy and think are right up there with anything they've done. But to suggest that TWL represents a "low" period in Wilco's creative output is anathema to my ears. Even more so, as a live band (and to me it's mostly all about the live performance), this current lineup is by far the best of any of the Wilco versions (which I attribute mostly to Glenn's arrival). In fact, I think this current lineup is among the best live performance bands I've seen in over 40 years of concert going. I think they are that good. So, I don't see 2011-2012 Wilco as being in a low period, not at all.

[bleedorange]

I'm not trying to sway anyone to my way of thinking...it's just that to my ears, it has been a noticeable decline. YHF is my favorite album of all-time and AGIB is in my all-time top ten, so I don't expect Wilco to attain such lofty heights on all of their albums. But I found myself making excuses and apologizing to people for SBS and WTA. I tried so hard to like these albums and I finally had to just be honest with myself. They're not good.

 

(insert all caveats about subjectivity here)

 

The main problem is the songwriting. It's so much poorer on these two albums than anything that came before it. You had beautiful, abstract poetry mixed with honest, naked emotion and storytelling. And all of this combined with killer hooks, walls of sound and noise, etc. SBS and WTA never came close to this and often hit embarrassingly bad lows (What Light, Leave Me Like You Found Me, You and I, One Wing).

 

I do think TWL represents a slight uptick in quality (but falling short of a true return to form) and, hopefully, Wilco has some more greatness in them. But none of these last three albums would have cracked my own top 30 albums of their respective years of release. A reality for me that I would have never predicted before SBS came out.

[Vacant Horizon]

after AGIB there were a few good tunes and lots lazy ones. SBS was a missed opportunity after AGIB. having nels in the band could've really changed the band if he'd had the influence o'rourke had on the previous albums. i don't think anything they've done is cringe-worthy. i just don't fine anything on TWL memorable where as SBS has Side With Seeds and Impossible Germany and WTA has Bull Black Nova and Deeper Down. classic tunes in my opinion.

 

hell, maybe i just need to sit in a dark room and listen to TWL 3 times in a row.

[ih8music]

You need to go sit in a dark room and think about your misguided opinion, young/old man!

 

 

[smells like flowers]

It pains me to say this but I'm also of the opinion that Wilco was at the height of its musical power, as far as songwriting goes, between Being There and Ghost. The live experience remains incredible, but the songs I really want to hear are on BT, ST, YHF and AGIB. Although I have been waiting in vain for Country Disappeared for a couple of years now!

 

I'm glad that SBS and WTA have some staunch supporters. And I do love TWL, but I don't think it's quite on a par with the earlier stuff. For me, anyway, it doesn't have the impact of those other records. But as long as Wilco continues to treat us to setlists with material from every era, I'll be there loving it!

[bleedorange]

Exactly. I don't know how can you see all these songs live and not notice the stark differences.

[ih8music]

If TWL hadn't come out, I'd be a lot more on board with the opinion that this band is in decline. I instead consider them to be a great band that had two not-great albums but rebounded with a great one.

 

Is TWL as great as the others? I think that's personal preference, but I think it's right up there.

[rareair]

If TWL hadn't come out, I'd be a lot more on board with the opinion that this band is in decline. I instead consider them to be a great band that had two not-great albums but rebounded with a great one.

 

Is TWL as great as the others? I think that's personal preference, but I think it's right up there.

 

me too!

[lost highway]

me three!

[dagwave]

i think we all share an obvious excellent connection, unique to the band: the sound, personality,creativity, and sincerity that makes it personal.

 

I imagine therecords are like our "kids"

we love 'em all for diiferent reasons.

but we love em all.

 

great artists get comfortable in their own skin,

if they get the chance,

and learn and grow.

cultivating their creative gardens, some seasons

bear more fruit than others.

not unlike the pesonal experiences

that feed our flowers

and also

draw us to this fantastic band.

 

 

last thought:

 

if the records are like our kids

then the live show is like the kids

on vacation.

[radiatortunes]

I love both records. My emotional attachment to SBS is stronger, mainly because it was the first "new" Wilco release after I became a fan, and my wife and I were becoming fans together. The bass playing is spectacular on both records -- something that seems to be lacking in the mix on WTA -- even on a song as sub-par as Leave Me Like You Found Me. I love the 1970s classic rock vibe of SBS, and for me it's a nice palate cleanser after digging into "heavier" Wilco records.

 

That being said, I think TWL is a far stronger record than SBS and with the exception of live recordings, is the finest example of what this lineup can do together.

 

This is pretty much my story, too. With the exception of the wife part. My husband is less emotionally attached to/reliant upon music than I am. Baseball is another story.

 

I listen to Wilco shows more often than their records. Interestingly, it's the post-Jay/pre-Pat&Nels shows that I listen to the most. And when I feel like putting on one of their records, it's usually AGIB, my go-to record.

[spui]

TWL is Wilco returning to the level that they were prior to SBS and WTA, in my opinion.

 

That is my take on it as well. Only YHF and AGiB tops The Whole Love in my book.