wilco fans - suggest an album for me (1 Viewer)

[Ted Lee]

hi all -

i already own uncle tupelo's best of, but am considering checking out some stuff by wilco.

i caught their concert on the show sessions at west 54th and liked what i heard.

since i'm going through columbia house, my choices are

1. yankee hotel foxtrot
2. summer teeth
3. being there
4. a.m.

so, all thoughts or opinions welcome.

thx!

[edit] i also have some billy bragg/wilco options

1. mermaid ave
2. mermaid ave v.2

 

[Christ Reynolds]

i wouldnt call myself a huge wilco fan, but i quite enjoy yankee hotel foxtrot, being there is ok but i prefer the former.

CJ

 

[Rob P S]

A.M. is one of my favorite records. Being There is a very good follow-up. I never cared for Summerteeth, but most people around here would recommend it in a heartbeat, and I would never talk anyone out of buying it. The same goes for Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - the Wilco diehards are very passionate about them. And I dig them too - I just prefer their original alt-country sound.

Do you own the four Uncle Tupelo albums? No Depression, Still Feel Gone, March 16-20, 1992 and Anodyne - they've just been reissued and remastered. Jeff Tweedy is also part of Golden Smog - Down by the Old Mainstream is a very good release. And you should definitely check out Trace from Tweedy's former bandmate Jay Farrar if you haven't already.

 

[Ted Lee]

hmm...looks like i can't go wrong regardless of which album i choose. i think columbia house lets me sample snippets, so maybe that will help too.

i only have uncle tupelo's best of cd. haven't dived deep enough into them yet to get the individual albums. i wouldn't call myself an alt-country die hard yet, but the more i listen the more i like.

btw, how does the uncle tupelo history go? they started as UT, then split into wilco/???.

 

[Trina]

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. nuff said.

 

[Jason_H]

YHF is the first Wilco record I heard, and I love it...but if I were recommending one for a new listener, I would go with Being There.

 

[MatS]

I rank em in this order

1) Being There
2) Summerteeth
3) tie: Mermaid Ave 1, A.M.
5) Mermaid Ave 2
6) YHF

as for history Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy formed Uncle Tupelo together... when they split Jay went on to form Son Volt and Jeff, Wilco

 

[David Lawson]

Further, Son Volt has disbanded, and Farrar has put out two solo albums and an EP. While I like his solo stuff, none of it has been able to top Son Volt's Wide Swing Tremolo. The "best" album from all of the above bands is a topic of endless debate. To each his own.

If you're just getting into the Uncle Tupelo sound, I would start with Wilco's A.M. They get farther away from the "alt-country" sound with each album, so you might as well begin with the album that sounds most like Tweedy's U.T. stuff. I spin Yankee Hotel Foxtrot least out of all the Wilco albums.

 

[Angelo.M]

Favorite Uncle Tupelo: Anodyne
Favorite Wilco: I prefer Mermaid Avenue (Volume 1), to any of Wilco's proper albums; among their own stuff, Being There is my fave
Favorite Sun Volt: Trace

You should also check out Whiskeytown (fave album: Stranger's Almanac). The good news is that Ryan Adams, Caitlin Cary and her husband are reforming the band and going back to the studio. I think Adams' stuff in Whiskeytown is better than his solo stuff, and that the last Whiskeytown album (Pneumonia) is better than either of his solo albums. Just MHO.

 

[Rob P S]

In turn, Ryan Adams' solo stuff is better than almost anything on Top 40 radio or MTV these days.

 

[Angelo.M]

Agreed!

 

[Patrick Larkin]

I consider myself a HUGE Wilco fan.

It all depends on which Wilco you prefer. The first two albums are more straightforward, the last two, a bit more ambiguous. Being There is excellent - there are so many great songs on it. That being said, I have go with Summerteeth as the best Wilco record. It has it all from She's a Jar to Candy Floss. Its brilliant, IMHO. YHF is an extremely close second.

Oh, and their free EP on their website is damned good too.

 

[Scott H]

Actually, I would get Wilco's albums in the order you listed. Plus it's still linear, just backwards.

UT Anthology doesn't do justice. Definitely pick up all four UT albums.

And as someone else mentioned, the first Mermaid Ave. is a must.

Have you listened to Son Volt too? While AM kinda floundered and Wilco got their feet, Son Volt's Trace was an instant classic upon release.

 

[Scott H]

btw, how does the uncle tupelo history go? they started as UT, then split into wilco/???.

There's tons of info online regarding the UT mythology and actual history. I lived in that scene through much of it, hanging out and playing with many of the now notable characters, and was there from Cicero's to The Blue Note to the final two UT shows at Mississippi Nights. Do a search for "Coffee Creek Cicero's" to get deeper into the the lore of what is turning out to be the more notable musical movement of the early 90s, that of St. Louis and the Midwest, not Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

In a nutshell, Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy were high school friends in Belleville, IL, just east of St. Louis. Early on they formed a band called The Primatives (sic) that included Jay's brother Wade. This morphed into Uncle Tupelo with a core makeup of Jay, Jeff, and Mike Heidorn. They had kind of a punk mindset, particularly attuned the region's economic decay and the effect of Reaganomics there, but were greatly influenced by traditional music. Jay was and is a phenomenal guitar player, Mike is still widely regarded as a fantastic drummer, and they were renown for a tight style, with interesting breaks and alternating between accomplished pickings on traditional instruments and Jay's unique electric styles, often in the same song. Basically, they drew from both the Sex Pistols and Roy Acuff. St. Louis was their launching pad, and their live shows were acclaimed.

Though the three of them were UT, it's important to note who was floating around the scene and contributed to the early recordings, examples being Gary Louris from The Jayhawks and Brian Henneman from The Bottle Rockets (who was the UT roadie early on) among others.

So, they made some albums.

No Depression (1990)
Title is from the Carter Family song, which is covered. Release proves hugely influencial. Name gets attributed to the sound/movement, and a magazine which is still published covering alt.country/Americana genre (sections in which take their names from song titles on No Depression).

Still Feel Gone (1991)
On balance more electric than the other releases, and a journey into conventional recording techniques like overdubbing, which they shunned thereafter. A must own disc nonetheless, nearly every song a UT staple.

March 16-20, 1992 (title is dates recorded)
Coming of age. Invited down to Georgia by Peter Buck, who produced it, Jay and Jeff were really coming into their own as writers and musicians. Mostly acoustic, about half covers, it was recorded live in studio and Peter Buck has stated that he extremely proud of this record. And it is a remarkable recording. The inspired cover of the traditional Moonshiner is in my opinion one of the greatest recordings ever.

Anodyne (1993)
The beginning of the end. The first major label experience, and by all accounts the band entered into the venture with trepidation, especially Jay. Mike, being the family man now, chose to leave the band after the March album, and Bill Belzer filled in during touring. Ken Coomer took his place at the drums and Max Johnston and John Stirrat entered the fray as well. Recording took place at Cedar Creek in Austin, with contributions from pedal steel legend Lloyd Maines and the late Doug Sahm. The album was recorded live. Jay and Jeff wrote separately for the most part and with Mike's departure commucation between them reportedly broke down. With widespread critical acclaim of the album and a label behind them, Jay announced he was leaving the band. They agreed to fulfill their tour obligations, which culminated in two shows at Mississippi Nights in St. Louis on 04/30 and 05/01/94 (with Mike playing drums for the final encore and Brian Henneman onstage as well). As just about any music writer will tell you, there's a void in any serious music collection without this disc.

Well, Jeff picked up the pieces (ha) and with Brian Henneman temporarilly on guitar they complied with the record contract, hence the name Wilco (will comply) and recorded A.M. Jay created Son Volt with Jim and Dave Boquist, and Mike's appearance at the final UT show had even more meaning as he anxiously came back onto the scene as the drummer in Son Volt. Wilco released A.M. to lukewarm reviews at best, while Son Volt's first effort, Trace, was hailed as a masterpiece upon release. The opening track on Trace, Windfall, is IMO a masterpiece pure and simple. To give creedence to that ideal, years later I witnessed Steve Earle cover it live. Now that's saying something. Anyway, Wilco found their footing and through their trials and tribulations Jeff has proven himself a great talent. Son Volt had a great run, and Jay has taken to some more experimental solo projects lately. Interestingly, the tides have turned and Wilco is now more the critical fav, with Jay's work highly respected if not highly recommended. For now. Both are represented in film scores as well, with Jeff doing Ethan Hawke's Chelsea Walls and Jay doing The Slaughter Rule.

 

[Ron Etaylor]

I listened to most of Wilco's albums as they were released, but never really got into one until YHF.

 

[Ted Lee]

hmm..

looks like being there, a.m. and (possibly) mermaids v1 will be my first foray. thx for the suggestions guys (and the nice history summary scott) - it is much appreciated.

i've heard of son volt, but never knew their history. i may have to check out trace too.

i need money...

 

[David Lawson]

Scott, I love the choice of lyrics in your signature. Thanks for the fascinating history!

 

[Ted Lee]

welp, i received being there -- and am very happy. what a great album. i didn't even realize it was a 2-cd set. :b

there are a couple of songs that may be a little too "twangy" for me, but by far, most of these songs are great. what i really like is how "genuine" these songs feel. while i'm a big electronic music fan, i just feel like this kind of music has more heart 'n' soul.

it's truly refreshing.

thx for the recommendation guys.

i think i may try son volt next...

 

[Frank_S]

Oh, and their free EP on their website is damned good too.

Yeah, unfortunately I own the vinyl of YHF and I lose out on the free EP. :frowning:
It does sound very nice though.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

My favorites in order from your list of choices are:

1. Summerteeth
2. Being There
3. A.M.
4. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

...but I like them all, so you can't really go wrong. Of the two Mermaid Avenue CDs, I think Wilco makes a stonger showing on the second one. They are both good, though, especially if you also like Billy Bragg.

Regards,