For the Wilco fans

[Cosmo]

New album coming out soon ... thought it would be a fun exercise to rate all of the studio albums from favorite to least favorite, and list your top 10 Wilco songs. It'll be interesting to see the different answers ... I'll start.

ALBUMS
1. Summerteeth
2. A Ghost Is Born
3. Being There
4. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
5. Sky Blue Sky
6. A.M.

TOP 10 SONGS
(Cripes, this is difficult ...)
1. Misunderstood -- Such a great jam, one that makes you think about that great night, it's 3 a.m., you're still up, having fun, making memories with old friends. I don't know, this one just strikes a chord with me.

2. At Least That's What You Said -- For a song with about 30 seconds of lyrics, it just rocks. Nels absolutely kills on this one. I swear, I hear something different every time I listen to this song.

3. Via Chicago -- Opened the first Wilco show I saw. Just love how Jeff sings through the musical chaos, not missing a beat.

4. Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (Again) -- Peppy, happy tune.

5. You Are My Face -- Definitely the best of Sky Blue Sky. The transition in the middle to the upbeat guitar and keyboard notes is killer.

6. Jesus, etc. -- Probably the best singalong song at a show ... seems like everyone knows every work. There's almost a desperation in Jeff's voice on this one, kind of tugs at you.

7. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart -- Take off your Band-Aid because I don't believe in touchdowns.

8. Muzzle of Bees -- Really didn't like this song much at first, but on repeated listens, it really grew on me. Thought the Friday Night Lights crew made great use of this song in the Season 2 opener.

9. What's the World Got in Store -- Kind of an underrated chill song from Being There. Love the banjo tones throughout.

10. Hummingbird -- Another killer live track ... just reminds me a lot of my time out West.

HONORABLE MENTIONS -- Theologians, Spiders (Kidsmoke), Handshake Drugs, Hate It Here, Kingpin, Hotel Arizona, Passenger Side, Poor Places, Side With the Seeds, Wishful Thinking.

 

[I Should Coco]

Wow ... discussions of Rush and Wilco on back-to-back days! SportsJournalists.com, you guys are in my music wheelhouse. :)

I'm at work now, but I'll pop back on here later, Cosmo, with my shot at ranking albums/songs. Liked your picks ... hard to go wrong, because from "Being There" onward, there aren't many stinkers on Wilco albums.

 

[Big Circus]

Wow ... discussions of Rush and Wilco on back-to-back days! SportsJournalists.com, you guys are in my music wheelhouse. :)

I'm at work now, but I'll pop back on here later, Cosmo, with my shot at ranking albums/songs. Liked your picks ... hard to go wrong, because from "Being There" onward, there aren't many stinkers on Wilco albums.

I'll do songs later (and may re-rank albums) but here's how the albums shake out for me:

1. YHF
2. A Ghost Is Born
3. Being There
4. Summerteeth
5. Sky Blue Sky
6. A.M.

 

[This is my username]

Not a huge fan at all. I got SBS when it released, liked it a lot, picked up YHF and didn't so much. Maybe it's the kind of thing where you had to be there for it.

For what it's worth, Impossible Germany was my favorite track off either album.

 

[Barsuk]

My list is completely different from those listed so far.

1. A.M.
2. Summerteeth
3. Sky Blue Sky
4. Being There
5. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
6. A Ghost Is Born

Not much difference between the top four, for me, then a big dropoff to No. 5 and a ****ing vast wasteland before you get to No. 6, which I really never need to hear again. I would have to think a lot longer about the top 10 songs.

 

[WaylonJennings]

1. Being There
2. Summerteeth
3. A.M.
4. YHF
5. A Ghost is Born
6. Sky Blue Sky

SONGS (Completely off the top of my head)
1. California Stars
2. Out of Mind, Out of Sight
3. Box Full of Letters (I know this is a very un-cool pick)
4. Kamera
5. Candy Floss
6. At My Window, Sad and Lonely
7. Theologians
8. The Late Greats
9. Casino Queen
10. I'm Always in Love (bride-and-groom entrance music at my wedding)

 

[write then drink]

the new one is more achingly dull adult contemporary ****

1. AM
2. Mermaid Avenue 1
2. Summerteeth
4. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
5. Mermaid Avenue 2
6. A Ghost is Born
7. Sky Blue Sky
8. Wilco (the Album)

1. Box Full of Letters
2. Nothingsevergoingtostandinmyway (again)
3. Remember the Mountain Bed
4. Company in my Back
5. California Stars
6. Shot in the Arm
7. She's a Jar
8. Casino Queen
9. Pick up the Change
10. Via Chicago

 

[WaylonJennings]

the new one is more achingly dull adult contemporary ****

I wonder why he keeps going in that direction.

 

[I Should Coco]

Oh, what the heck ... from the top of my head at work:

ALBUMS (the top four are interchangeable to me)
1. Summerteeth
2. Being There
3. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
4. Sky Blue Sky
5. A Ghost is Born
6. AM

SONGS
1. "Shot in the Arm" -- hard to distinguish among the Summerteeth songs, but this one stands out.
2. "Impossible Germany" -- besides the great three-headed guitar parts, this song always recalls an interesting time in my life, circa late summer 2007; I've always thought of it as "Impossible Juneau, Unlikely Ketchikan"
3. "Box Full of Letters" -- nothing uncool about this pick at all, Waylon. A great song to play on guitar, too.
4. "Spiders/Kidsmoke" -- a guilty pleasure. Again, a really fun song to goof around with on guitar ... mess around for a while, sing a few weird lyrics about beaches in Michigan, then blast the four chords.
5. "Outtasite (Outta Mind)" -- still the best rocker in Wilco's arsenal
6. "Kingpin" -- an underrated, low-key song that's grown on me. It floored me when they played an excellent version of this at Farm Aid 2005.
7. "On and On" -- really emotional and honest song about the death of Jeff's dad.
8. "Misunderstood" -- As Cosmo mentioned, a great jam that showed Wilco was turning away from the Uncle Tupelo blueprint.
9. "Kamera" -- good sing-along tune, as is ...
10. "Heavy Metal Drummer" -- OK, a cheesy pick, but a concert fave that lets Glenn show off a bit.

HONORABLE MENTION: "Hotel Arizona," "Via Chicago," "ELT," "I'm the Man Who Loves You," "Side With the Seeds," "Company in My Back."

 

[write then drink]

the new one is more achingly dull adult contemporary ****

I wonder why he keeps going in that direction.

just speculating but i think the demons he fought when he was younger - booze, drugs, migraines, relationship issues - created a fertile breeding ground for a lot of really brilliant music. now that he's healthy and happily married, wealthy, apparently content in his life, that edge is gone

i also think his partnership with jay bennett was a remarkably creative one. jay pushed jeff out of his comfort zone and the result was often incredible (this was true of the previous jay as well). the image many people have of jay bennett comes from one or two scenes in the documentary, but the guy was a remarkable musician and writer, and most of wilco's best music was a product of that partnership.

i think of jay bennett sitting at the piano, smoking a cigarette, writing the music to california stars while tweedy was passed out on the floor. without jay, tweedy has been very good at times but rarely great

 

[buckweaver]

just speculating but i think the demons he fought when he was younger - booze, drugs, migraines, relationship issues - created a fertile breeding ground for a lot of really brilliant music. now that he's healthy and happily married, wealthy, apparently content in his life, that edge is gone

I know next to nothing about Wilco, but this would not be uncommon.

It's happened to my favorite band, Live, whose lead singer, Ed Kowalczyk, writes nothing but positive, contented music these days. And, hey, good for him -- he's a positive, contented guy now, like he always struggled to be. But it doesn't lend itself to the profound songwriting that his tormented youth did, the type of songs I completely connected with as a youth. (That said, now that my life is in a similar place as his, I can appreciate the stuff he writes these days -- and they still rock out in concert, so it's not like I've ever stopped enjoying them.)

 

[Dedo]

Before "Sky Blue Sky" came out, I looked forward to it for months. And even after I was disappointed by the first few listens online, I kept waiting for it to grow on me. It never did. I don't have high hopes for (the album).

But they still put on a hell of a show.

Albums:
1. Being There
2. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
3. Summerteeth
4. A Ghost Is Born
5. Mermaids 1 & 2
6. A.M.
7. Sky Blue Sky

Songs:
1. Via Chicago
2. Jesus, etc.
3. I am trying to break your heart
4. Say You Miss Me
5. Misunderstood
6. Remember the Mountain Bed
7. Outtasite
8. Handshake Drugs
9. Kamera
10. I Got You (At the End of the Century)

 

[Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell]

1. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
2. Being There
3. Summerteeth
4. A Ghost is Born
5. AM
6. Sky Blue Sky

 

[Cosmo]

I feel like a dolt for not including California Stars somewhere on my list. And Airline to Heaven.

 

[Cosmo]

I've always found the fan reaction to "A Ghost Is Born" fascinating, too. It's kind of a divisive record. People either absolutely love it or absolutely hate it. Very few "mehs" in regard to that one.

 

[Lunker]

Well, looks I'm the Black Sheep in the Wilco SportsJournalists.com family ...

ALBUMS
1. A Ghost is Born
2. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
3. Summerteeth
4. Being There
5. Sky Blue Sky
6. A.M.

SONGS
1. At Least That's What You Said
2. Impossible Germany
3. War on War
4. Misunderstood
5. Nothingsevergoingtostandinmyway (again)
6. Theologians
7. Spiders (Kidsmoke)
8. I Got You (At the End of the Century)
9. Ashes of American Flags
10. Wishful Thinking

 

[Del_B_Vista]

I'm a huge Wilco fan, but a terrible guy when it comes to lists like these. I'll knock out the albums first, then try to come back later and do the songs:

1. "Being There" -- No-brainer of all no-brainers. And I'll even rank the discs: 1 tops 2. I was an Uncle Tupelo fan first, and that's their last album that sounded like Uncle Tupelo. (Not that that's a bad thing. Whenever I hear Jay Farrar/Son Volt I think "sounds like he's always sounded," which isn't a terrible thing, but I've enjoyed the Wilco progression.)
2. "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" -- There was a 5-1/2 year gap between "Being There" and "YHF" with only one Wilco album. (I'm disregarding "Mermaid Avenue" because of Guthrie/Bragg, only going pure Wilco here.) I had "Summerteeth," but this is where I jumped into full-on live-and-die with Wilco fandom. Not that I'd ever live and/or die with something as silly as a rock band.
3. "A Ghost is Born" -- When it came out, I was puzzled by it. It wasn't until I saw them perform it live at the State Palace Theater in NOLA before their first Jazz Fest show that I really "got" it. Really complex stuff you get a better appreciation of when you see it on stage.
4. "Summerteeth" -- Jeez, as I look at these songs, I wonder how I could have this one fourth.
5. "A.M." -- Again, closer to the Uncle Tupelo days. It's pretty neat to think that a band that could do this winds up later doing "YHF" and even the mellow "Sky Blue Sky." (And, yes, "band" reads "Jeff Tweedy" as the creative force or "Jeff Tweedy and John Stirratt" as the only constants. But the current incarnation does stuff from across the discography live now.)
6. "Sky Blue Sky" -- I don't know for sure exactly there the "Dad Rock" monicker took root, but this album probably solidified it. But, if you look around at a Wilco show, while there are dads in the crowd, there are more youngsters. And their live versions of what feels light and poppy, like "Walken," are anything but.

And, a bonus, my Wilco concerts, although these aren't ranked: http://donhammack.com/?p=155

 

[Party Barge]

Topic is so good it got me to finally register.

1. Being There
2. Summerteeth
3. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
4. A.M.
5. A Ghost Is Born
6. Wilco (The Album)
7. Sky Blue Sky

1. ELT
2. I Must Be High
3. Misunderstood
4. Dreamer In My Dreams
5. Via Chicago
6. Poor Places
7. Can't Stand It
8. Spiders (Kidsmoke)
9. Too Far Apart
10. Say You Miss Me

 

[Moderator1]

Glad we could bring you out of the woodwork!

 

[Party Barge]

Good to be here.

Also, I think write then drink is absolutely right about Bennett's absence being responsible for the recent dip in quality. It's pretty obvious Tweedy needs a foil in order to write something really interesting, whether it's Jay Bennett or Jay Farrar. The current incarnation of the band seems to defer to him almost completely, and the work has suffered.