You guys scare me a bit. Will it get old?

[ripthisjoint908]

So I haven't been here long, I know, but for the time I have been here, I've found it a lot of fun and have enjoyed it. But one thing I want to address as a young Wilco fan is, the amount of folks on here who claim the music has "run its course" for them, "gotten old" or just "isn't doing it" anymore. The people who say these things claim the still respect the band but they don't  feel like listening to them anymore. And hey, I get that. I mean its happened to me with some bands. But for me at least, Wilco is a band that changed my life in a few ways, and has influenced me as a musician more than any other group..other than MAYBE The Replacements. I don't want the flame to go out. I've been a Wilco fan for close to 2 years, and Misunderstood still sounds as fresh as the first time I heard that mess of an intro. (First Wilco song I ever heard.) Yankee is still an album I go to when I want a unique sonic experience. On the latest Impossible Germany thread, some claim the song is a "piss break" song. And I know its all opinion...but I love the song and feel like I couldn't not love it. Obviously a big Stones fan doesn't want to sit through "Start Me Up" but for Wilco, I personally don't feel like they have a "Start Me Up." All and all, I'm just saying I don't want it to get old, and how many VCers are there that actually don't care to frequently listen to the band anymore? Think it'll happen to me and others? I apologize for the rant ahead of time, I'll probably get shit for this.

 

Signed,

A young, passionate, lover of music.

[lamradio]

Think of it as a long term relationship with a man/woman.  At first you are head over heels in love.  Then after a while you still love that person to death, but you are no longer "in love" with them.  Every once in a while, something happens to make you fall back "in love", but eventually the head over heels "In love" feeling starts to fade.

 

I have been listening to Wilco since 1996.  I haven't seen Wilco live in over 3 years, and don't plan to anytime soon.  But ever so often I will hear them on the radio, or catch a live tune on concert TV, and I get all giddy like a school girl... If only for a moment. 

[bleedorange]

I guess it really depends. For me, I've been disappointed in their last three albums to varying degrees and my desire to listen to the older stuff has waned. I haven't been a Wilco fan for as long as some here (13-14 years for me), but I still consider them one of my favorite bands and continue to hold out hope for a musical redirection I can fully embrace.

[Magnetized]

I guess compared to some others on this board I'm a naive true believer, but my enthusiasm has remained at pretty close to obsessive level since 2010. I would call myself a casual follower since the early days of Wilco, but I shifted into high gear in 2010, following an Evening With show in Richmond, rediscovery of this board, and the first Solid Sound. It must have been some heady mixture, because it hasn't worn off one bit. 

 

I've noticed that most--not all--of the people who post on here and seem to have lost their passion for Wilco also don't go to live shows. Maybe they don't go BECAUSE they're no longer interested, but I wonder if they're not interested because they don't go see them live. Seeing this band live is a transcendent experience, and I'm not exaggerating. When I'm watching and listening to Art of Almost, I feel like my heart might burst out of my chest. In Impossible Germany, I feel transported toward the end of Nels's solo when the 3 guitar attack kicks in. And Jeff--what can I say? His voice is just pure magic to me. It resonates with me more than any other singer's voice I've ever heard. It just reaches right into my heart.

 

So my prescription for staying excited about Wilco is to envelop yourself in everything you can learn about them--read the books, watch the movies, check out youtube videos, listen to old shows and most important, do everything you can to see them play live as much as possible, Take road trips, make Wilco friends, GO TO SOLID SOUND! And see Jeff solo.

 

Also, for me, the icing on the cake is what good, down-to-earth guys they are. Their values are generous, socially responsible, but not overtly in your face. Their love for music and for doing what they do is what comes through loud and clear in everything they do.

 

So no, you don't have to get jaded. Or check back with me in a few years and let's see where I am at that point. .  . .

[bleedorange]

Everything Wilco Me said about the band is true. And I never miss a show when they come close to Fort Worth. But I consume a lot of music and it has just been a while since anything Wilco has produced has truly excited me the way a lot of other bands have.

[Thats Me Beefing]

I could argue the case for newer Wilco all day, I absolutely love the stuff I listen to them almost every day...I check this board almost every day to see whats going on even though I don't post all that much. I just saw them last year 2 nights in a row in Nashville at the Ryman which is a small intimate venue and it was an orgasmic experience. I guess I'm in the minority here because I loved the last two albums and I think AGIB and SBS are the greatest records they have ever done...I'm curious the people here that long for the older stuff, do they mean the more alt country style Wilco? Or is YHF considered older stuff too?

 

To me there is an obvious line that was crossed from Summerteeth to YHF that brought the band into a whole new space. I'm just speculating, but is YHF the album that started things going downhill for you? It would make sense to me because it does almost seem like 2 seperate bands from then on, but on the other hand I thought that Yankee was the most popular album amoungst the fans so it doesn't really compute.

 

It seems to me that Wilco went on a journey from alt country to experimental alt country to some experimental rock I have no word for with YHF and AGIB, and then SBS was an attempt at just stripped down rock (a brilliantly successful attempt imo) and then the last 2 albums seem like a fusion of that experimental style and the old alt country stuff, and I dig it as well. There is nothing I love more than seeing a band evolve the way they have it fascinates me. Radiohead is another favorite of mine and they give me that same satisfaction. Nothing would disappoint me more than seeing Wilco start playing straight Being There style tunes, even though it's one of my favorite albums. It's the ride, the changes that keep me listening and wanting more.

[lost highway]

I really think it comes down to styles of music.  If you got into Wilco so many years ago because you were particularly fond of whatever stage they were at, you also had no way of knowing where the band would go. As they've changed they've landed on some musical approaches that some fans are less fond of.  Weirdly for me the band has evolved from stuff that I listen to sometimes (roots rock, americana) through some styles that I listen to a fair amount from other bands (chamber pop, beach boys rock) and eventually seemed to occupy the same sphere as the majority of my listening (hybridized pop, psychedelic rock, 'indie', etc etc ).

 

At this point there is not a likely style that the band would entertain that could totally throw me.  Even if they made a freakin Zydeco album I think there talents would make it a fun listen.  Just so long as they don't try to play hiphop, or dubstep.

 

There is also a quality argument some people might make.  I thought WTA was not quite as well crafted as AGIB, or SBS.  But it was mainly the fact that it had a different spirit.  Now when I listen to it (especially on vinyl) as a 'lesser' album in their catalog, with the relief of the Whole Love being for me, a pretty profound musical statement I actually like it more.  It doesn't have to be devastatingly amazing (they have other records that do that), I can appreciate it for what it is: a cool, layered little album with some fun energy.

 

I've learned not to criticize folks on here for regularly participating in conversations about a band they started liking less a decade ago, it's their prerogative.  But fear not, there are plenty of people who are just as excited about the present and future of the band, as they are their past.

[LouieB]

Some of us have been listening to and following the band for nearly 20 years. (Throw in fandom for Uncle Tupelo and it is longer than that.)  That is longer than you have been alive Rip.  You have to cut everyone a break.  Some of us have seen the band dozens (some hundreds) of times, spun their records hundreds of times, listened to boots of shows, seen band side projects, seen members solo, seen ex band members solo, etc.  To exlpect everyone to be as thrilled now as they were when they first heard Wilco is not something you can expect. 

 

There are hundreds, no thousands of musicians and musical groups out there. Hopefully at 17 you won't get into a rut and think that only the handful of musicians you now listen to and dig are the only ones you will ever appreciate.  If you like the Rolling Stones, a bunch of has been, millionaire, geriatric, pretenders (remember I was younger than you when I became a Rolling Stones fan) then it is your responsibility to listen to those musicians who influenced them including Muddy Waters and the entire Chess catalogue. (Not to mention the country blues figures who influenced them.) The influences on Wilco are massive.  And Wilco continues to be influenced by others as they continue to influence others.

 

I am also someetimes amazed that folks come on here and criticize the band and express their disinterst.  For one thing the band actually reads this shit (I hope not too often) and why come on and insult them.  But then again everyone is entitled to not feel the same way today that they did 5 or 10 or 15 years ago.  Part of the reason the Replacements continue to influence folks is that they really weren't around all that long, same as the Beatles really.  If you run you rcourse and break up you have a better chance of gaining immortality I guess.  No one here, not even the most fervent fans of Bob Dylan and Neil Young think everything they do is great, in fact some of it is dreck. 

 

I like Whole Love quite alot. I also like SBS.  I really don't like W(TA) (a song here in there on it is okay.) Then again I like AM a whole ton because it was their first album.  Nothing will ever surpass Summerteeth, nothing will ever be more exciting then Being There or YHF when they were released.  Wilco is a mature working band.  Jeff is no longer the kid he was when he started out. I know what that feels like.  So now we have a mature Jeff to has become a producer, the owner of a record label, leader of a great touring band, nearly an elder statesman contemporary rock.  That's good enough for me. 

 

You have not heard this from me before, but your favorite Stones album was panned when it came out.  Rolling Stone magazine hated it.  Now it is lauded as a masterpiece.  LIfe is funny that way.

 

LouieB

[bleedorange]

For me it's a quality argument, but that only leads us down the subjectivity rabbit hole.  There aren't too many bands who can claim a high-quality four-album run the way Wilco can with Being There, Summerteeth, YHF, and AGIB.  Bolstered by a great live album and their deserved reputation for being a great live band, which puts them in the upper echelon, in my opinon.

 

Sky Blue Sky had a couple of great songs on it but has a terrible back half (and no, I'm not being hyperbolic).

 

Wilco (the album) suffers from banality across the board.

 

The Whole Love has some great songs but really sags in the middle.  It does represent an uptick in quality from the previous two, which is why I still remain hopeful that Tweedy can produce another gem.  But the quality of the songwriting, or lack thereof, is what has me worried.

 

I guess I don't understand why any of this worries you.  If you enjoy the band, then enjoy listening to them as much as you want.  Don't worry about the eventual day when your interests will lead you elsewhere.

[rwilson580]

I climbed on-board in 2007. And for three straight years they were pretty much all I listened to. And then one day I realized I didn't NEED to listen to them quite as much as I had previously. And then I remembered there was other music out there. I was kind of glad. I have hundreds of bands, and I don't want to spend all my time with one. Now I go lengthy periods without listening to their music, but I know it will be great when I do. When a new album comes along, probably, and I immerse myself in the band again for a month or two. I still come here a couple times a week to see if anything is new. And when they tour I will make DAMNED SURE I get tickets if they are within a few hours of me. It's ok. A little healthier than it was. Wilco is a band that can foster unholy obsession.

[ripthisjoint908]

I'm not at all saying I don't listen to other music. Or I won't try to discover other music. I am just curious as to why some people feel like this music is worn out when it's so fresh to me. And you guys answered and I thank you. But as far as the Stones go Louie, I did know that about Exile. And I am a huge Muddy fan as well as Johnson, Hank Williams, Sonny Boy Williamson and many other blues, country and folk artists. I am a liver and searcher of music just as you all are. Here I should be more of a music fan than I am a 17 year old. I am probably just like a lot of you when you were my age. I don't just like music, my interest is to know more about its history. Black American roots. White American roots. I'm interested in the timeline. The influences. The concept as a whole. Not just throwing on Exile or Bringing It All Back Home to listen to.

[mpolak21]

So I haven't been here long, I know, but for the time I have been here, I've found it a lot of fun and have enjoyed it. But one thing I want to address as a young Wilco fan is, the amount of folks on here who claim the music has "run its course" for them, "gotten old" or just "isn't doing it" anymore. The people who say these things claim the still respect the band but they don't  feel like listening to them anymore. And hey, I get that. I mean its happened to me with some bands. But for me at least, Wilco is a band that changed my life in a few ways, and has influenced me as a musician more than any other group..other than MAYBE The Replacements. I don't want the flame to go out. I've been a Wilco fan for close to 2 years, and Misunderstood still sounds as fresh as the first time I heard that mess of an intro. (First Wilco song I ever heard.) Yankee is still an album I go to when I want a unique sonic experience. On the latest Impossible Germany thread, some claim the song is a "piss break" song. And I know its all opinion...but I love the song and feel like I couldn't not love it. Obviously a big Stones fan doesn't want to sit through "Start Me Up" but for Wilco, I personally don't feel like they have a "Start Me Up." All and all, I'm just saying I don't want it to get old, and how many VCers are there that actually don't care to frequently listen to the band anymore? Think it'll happen to me and others? I apologize for the rant ahead of time, I'll probably get shit for this.

 

Signed,

A young, passionate, lover of music.

 

I understand and really love what you're saying. I think all of us here know exactly how you're feeling and probably have gone through similar periods of wondering if we'd burn out on them or not. I got into Wilco in 2002 right before YHF came out, and have been very passionate about them ever since. They're absolutely one of my favorite bands. I don't think Wilco has ever gotten old to my ears. Though each of their records has been a varying degree of divisive when it came out. So people might not necessarily be burnt out or jaded. They just like some of their albums or songs more than others.

 

If you ever start to near a burnout. Start downloading live shows, get Tweedy solo stuff, hunt for the demos and B-sides, and it'll all start up again. I would start here: http://www.owlandbear.com/wilco-archive/

 

--Mike

[LouieB]

I'm not at all saying I don't listen to other music. Or I won't try to discover other music. I am just curious as to why some people feel like this music is worn out when it's so fresh to me.

You answered your own question really.  It is fresh to you because it is fresh to you NOW.  In five more years it will be somewhat second hand.  Wilco is not all that prolific a band.  If they were putting out a couple albums a year like some artists used to, we would have had dozens of Wilco albums by now, but they don't work like that and hardly anyone does anymore. 

 

Even the Whole Love is already over a year old.  We are not expecting another Wilco album any time soon (are we?  Someone tell me if something is coming out soon.)  so it will be the new album for at least over two years, maybe closer to three. 

 

I have been collecting albums for years and I still don't have every MIles Davis album.  I suppose it is okay that groups like Wilco don't totally burn themselves out, but if Jeff is getting into producing, then his energy is going to be elsewhere than churning out a new album every year. Frankly I am amazed how much hey still tour after all these years. I would think that would be getting kind of old for them. 

 

LouieB

[Magnetized]

You answered your own question really.  It is fresh to you because it is fresh to you NOW.  In five more years it will be somewhat second hand.  Wilco is not all that prolific a band.  If they were putting out a couple albums a year like some artists used to, we would have had dozens of Wilco albums by now, but they don't work like that and hardly anyone does anymore. 

 

Even the Whole Love is already over a year old.  We are not expecting another Wilco album any time soon (are we?  Someone tell me if something is coming out soon.)  so it will be the new album for at least over two years, maybe closer to three. 

 

I have been collecting albums for years and I still don't have every MIles Davis album.  I suppose it is okay that groups like Wilco don't totally burn themselves out, but if Jeff is getting into producing, then his energy is going to be elsewhere than churning out a new album every year. Frankly I am amazed how much hey still tour after all these years. I would think that would be getting kind of old for them. 

 

LouieB

Yes, Louie, you ARE missing something! They've annouced a new album coming out this year!!!

[mountain bed]

I think it's safe to assume that once members of a band get older other things occupy space in their lives that was once taken up almost entirely by the music - children, marriage, etc. It's extremely rare that a band continues to have the "fire" it once did when they were just living from gig to gig, album to album.

 

Personally, I burned out on the band when WTA came out. Not to say that I don't enjoy it when I hear their tunes, it's just that I don't make too much of an effort to dig out the LPs or the 100s of hours of shows I have laying around here. 

 

That's not the case (for me) with The Dead - it's been well over 30 years and I never tire of plowing through their exhaustive live show archives. 

[ripthisjoint908]

I see I see. I hope my posts don't come off as whiny, are rude to anyone. I'm just stating and clarifying some of my thoughts. You guys are great.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

I am also someetimes amazed that folks come on here and criticize the band and express their disinterst.  For one thing the band actually reads this shit (I hope not too often) and why come on and insult them.  

I don't get this at all. What's wrong with expressing disinterest? Isn't that part of music discussion? Second, I really doubt/hope the band isn't so sensitive about their music that a couple negative posts on a message board gets to them. Jeff's a big boy, I think he can handle a bit of anonymous criticism.

 

Anyway, I'd say Wilco's still my 2nd favorite band, but the passion is waning. I still await new songs and new shows, but not as rabidly as I did in the past. Maybe some truly killer albums could change that, maybe not. I don't listen to Wilco as much as I used to but when I do I still love the shit out of them, so whatever.

[lost highway]

I don't get this at all. What's wrong with expressing disinterest? Isn't that part of music discussion?

 

I don't think anything is wrong with it.  It's just a curious motivation to post on a band's fanboard about how bad they've been.  You can do it, you will start a conversation, it isn't mean or evil.  It's just weird.

 

I don't post on the Pearl Jam board very much, and I certainly don't feel motivated to explain why their last album sucked so bad (sorry PJ fans).  I do love their back catalog though, so I get how people approach Wilco on those terms.

[Lammycat]

Oh come on, I bet Jeff doesn't even listen to Wilco much anymore.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

so because this is a wilco fanboard its weird for people to think some wilco stuff is bad or less than great? i dont get it. wilco's a great band but there's plenty of room for criticism. not sure why that bothers or confuses so many people

[LouieB]

Yes, Louie, you ARE missing something! They've annouced a new album coming out this year!!!

See I am not paying attention.  Clearly I don't have the obsession others do.  When exactly is it coming out?  This year is still 11 months long, so it could be two years between the release of TWL and whatever this new one is called.

 

I don't get this at all. What's wrong with expressing disinterest? Isn't that part of music discussion? Second, I really doubt/hope the band isn't so sensitive about their music that a couple negative posts on a message board gets to them. Jeff's a big boy, I think he can handle a bit of anonymous criticism.

 

Anyway, I'd say Wilco's still my 2nd favorite band, but the passion is waning. I still await new songs and new shows, but not as rabidly as I did in the past. Maybe some truly killer albums could change that, maybe not. I don't listen to Wilco as much as I used to but when I do I still love the shit out of them, so whatever.

OKay it isn't that weird (but what is your first favorite group?)  I only say that because there was a time when Jeff and some of the others did read this stuff but I suspect that now they are a bigger band (not in size but in reputation) they don't spend so much time here. On the other hand if one (not you in particular) are going to dis a band, doing it here seems a bit tacky.

 

Oh come on, I bet Jeff doesn't even listen to Wilco much anymore.

Well he is pretty busy I am guessing producing Sarah Guthrie and Low as well as others (I hope).  Many recording artists don't listen to their old work, just as actors rarely watch their movies or TV shows.

 

LouieB

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

theres a huge difference between dissing a band and speaking critically. i see a lot of the latter here, not so much the former. dissing a band to get a reaction is tacky, merely expressing negative thoughts is not.

 

again, why would you think jeff is so sensitive that he couldnt handle reading negative posts here? no way is he deluded enough to believe every wilco fan likes all his songs. id think he'd like reading the negative posts more than the positive, but thats just me. at the end of the day he's gonna write the songs he wants to write, but i dont see why he wouldn't want to know which songs people dig and which they're not too into.

[Atticus]

Wilco is a good band.

[Sir Stewart]

What's wrong with Start Me Up?

[tinnitus photography]

What's wrong with Start Me Up?