Wilco the hedgehog years: a theory

[Ghost of Electricity]

So I've had this idea for a while now but based on the discussion in another thread (which incidentally I also started), I decided to finally articulate it.

 

It comes from the ideas of Isaiah Berlin and the Greek poet Archilochus before that, who said "The Fox knows many things but the Hedgehog knows one big thing."

 

Basically I view the AM through SBS years as the "fox" years when each record broke into previously unchartered territory, and was accomplished by a different lineup. The band ran quickly from alt- country through lush pop through dissonant noise to 70s soft rock.

 

But starteing with W(TA), and then with TWL, no new territory has been discovered. W(TA) was the first record with a lineup identical to that of the previous record. They had the residency under their belt, where they went through the entire catalogue. There was an idea of what Wilco was, and the band curled up into a little ball and started trying to discover the "big thing" within itself.

 

The first phase roughly followed a bell curve with AM and SBS being lesser works that the ones inbetween. The second phase seems to be following the same course, as Wilco gets better at doing the hedgehog thing. The presupposition of this is that TWL is better than W(TA) which most, but not all , of you would agree with.

 

If there is merit to this theory, I hope we can look forward to some more masterpieces in the future.

 

It is just convenient coincidence that the record at the height of the fox bell curve is called what it is.

 

Ok, thanks for reading this far and now you can start telling me how full of shit I am:)

[-seven]

I agree with you and was just thinking today that maybe this lineup is going to also follow a bell curve. I'm hopeful for the next record.

[Robby]

A few thoughts (scratch that, many thoughts):

First of all you're not full of shit.

Many artists folow a bell curve - most are shaped more like a steep triangle.

Personally, I think Wilco would benefit by bringing in someone else to mix/produce their next album.

Many believe you should not produce your own albums.

Most people say that YHF was Wilco's best, but I don't think it would have been so well received if their original mixes had been released as the album.

I realize that the music we hear on the Sam Jones film or the engineer demos, were just that, demos, but I think Jim O'Rouke really made a difference on that album.

Certainly the sonic mixing he brought to AGIB is evident, especially if you listen to it on headphones.

He has a remarkable ability to focus your attention on one instrument or vocal in a recording.

I think the last album would have been a lot better if he had gotten his hands on the tracks.

 

Last thought: why does everyone seem to want to judge a Wilco album as a whole?

In this day when you can buy one song at a time, why not make your own album?

Personally, I'm not a fan of Billy Bragg, so my version of Mermaid Avenue is one album with just the songs Jeff sang.

I don't like some songs on A.M. or Being There so I have cut some songs out and made two single albums to listen to.

My version of Summerteeth begins with Pieholden Suite and ends with The Lonely 1.

I guess sometimes we feel like we have listen to an album like the way my parents used to make me eat dinner: '..you can't have dessert until you eat your peas & carrots..'

If I just want to eat dessert, I'll eat dessert.

If I just want to eat carrots, I'll eat carrots.

Wilco makes a lot of good meals and they can still cook, but ya don't have to like every course.

Just take what you want or like and enjoy!

But that's just my opinion and I'm full of shit too.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

A few thoughts (scratch that, many thoughts):

First of all you're not full of shit.

Many artists folow a bell curve - most are shaped more like a steep triangle.

Personally, I think Wilco would benefit by bringing in someone else to mix/produce their next album.

Many believe you should not produce your own albums.

Most people say that YHF was Wilco's best, but I don't think it would have been so well received if their original mixes had been released as the album.

I realize that the music we hear on the Sam Jones film or the engineer demos, were just that, demos, but I think Jim O'Rouke really made a difference on that album.

Certainly the sonic mixing he brought to AGIB is evident, especially if you listen to it on headphones.

He has a remarkable ability to focus your attention on one instrument or vocal in a recording.

I think the last album would have been a lot better if he had gotten his hands on the tracks.

 

Last thought: why does everyone seem to want to judge a Wilco album as a whole?

In this day when you can buy one song at a time, why not make your own album?

Personally, I'm not a fan of Billy Bragg, so my version of Mermaid Avenue is one album with just the songs Jeff sang.

I don't like some songs on A.M. or Being There so I have cut some songs out and made two single albums to listen to.

My version of Summerteeth begins with Pieholden Suite and ends with The Lonely 1.

I guess sometimes we feel like we have listen to an album like the way my parents used to make me eat dinner: '..you can't have dessert until you eat your peas & carrots..'

If I just want to eat dessert, I'll eat dessert.

If I just want to eat carrots, I'll eat carrots.

Wilco makes a lot of good meals and they can still cook, but ya don't have to like every course.

Just take what you want or like and enjoy!

But that's just my opinion and I'm full of shit too.

 

I tend to consume the artists work as they conceived it.

[Vacant Horizon]

research in creativity indicates that artists/scientists/etc. reach a peak and then decline. however, the beginning of the end is usally another burst of creativity, not as good as the first peak, however. this plays in all the major rock acts. wilco probably will coast at a declined level rather than hit bottom. neil young is a great example. if he had quit in 1979, he'd be even more legendary. however, like all the others, he aquiesced to that horrible 80s production and at the same time his writing went way down hill. he did have a peak again in the early 90s. after that, it's been smooth sailing in mediocrity. i'll be really surprised if he puts out anything better than his early 90s albums before he's through.

 

i'd love to see Wilco work with an outside producer. sansone got a little reckless on TWL.

[-seven]

I read this quote yesterday morning:

 

“He who works with his hands is a laborer.

He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.

He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.

 

― St. Francis of Assisi

 

...and then I got in the car for a long drive and was listening to my Wilco Favorites playlist which has a bit of everything from their catalogue including the Mermaid records. So I was hearing songs from the early 90's side by side with songs from TWL. I started thinking about that quote and thinking that what's missing for me on the records from SBS onward is heart. The recent songs are crafted well and the band has never performed better live but something is missing from the last few records. One of the main reasons I fell in love with Wilco's music was because of Tweedy's vulnerability in laying his heart bare in the most beautiful, poetic way. I think maybe that component has been missing for a while.

[Panther]

Wilco are certainley in a neo Phase but so what? To consitently judge new work against that which has already been examined to the enthhh is pointless and creates a conceptual basket around the work that the artist did not intend to create, with Wilco the album maybe that was exactly the context intended (wink nugde camel). As a songwriter Jeff Tweedy has been mister positive for about six years now and I feel this is what long time fans bemoan rather than some supposed loss of form. They want to see him suffer through his songs because they are suffering they want to relate through pain not through joy because this is what is intresting to us the mass consumers of art. Sky Blue Sky is great I felt that the first spin , conceptualy and contextualy its a majior succeses and yeah the songs match the vission. Wilco the Album is one of Jeff Tweedy's best attempts at a fully realized work it flows it molds it breaks your heart and it wraps it all up for you nice and easy , great great great record, the problem is that the context is childish or rather it is simple and its hard to get past this to see the brilliant record beneath. The Whole Love is a Massive chunk of gooey folktronica ha ha .. its very much there second attempt at an expansive piece infact it very much mimics A Ghost Is Born . While it's not as compelling as AGB with its dramatic appeals towards pain love and glory in its individual pieces as a "whole" it presents a similar effect . It took me a while to realize this but its true if you want to listen to The Whole Love front to back its hugely succesful and will leave you shaken and I was not a fan of its excessive fluorishes and melodic candy at first second or tenth listen.

 

If there is a wish I'd present to Wilco it would be one thing attempt to capture you're live form with these players on record something they simple havent tried to do and the sole reason I was initialy dissapointed with the last Two records aside from Art Of Almost and Bull Black Nova nothing on those records do justice to Wilco in real time LIVE!