Vinyl Me Please Essentials

[Matt M]

Mine would go...
1) YHF
2) Summerteeth
3) A Ghost Is Born
4) Being There
5) Sky Blue Sky
6-11) everything else

but I think you could make an argument for 1-4 in any order.

Kind of shocks me that everyone dismisses A.M. so much. Not sure if it is because of the split of Tupelo and that first Son Volt album was so good or what. But there are some great songs there that they still play a lot live. They hadn't become the alt/pop/dad rock band yet, but they did the first step of it pretty well.

I really rate the first 4 the top 4. I kind of lost a bit of interest with A Ghost Is Born and Jay Bennett being gone, and especially most everything after. Being There is my top. They found their way there, and it's a notch above YHF and Summerteeth for me. Also, I spent a lot of time in the car with that album when dating someone a couple hours away. Once again as you all have mentioned above, it's where it fits in your timeline.

 

[BjorgenFjorgen]

Kind of shocks me that everyone dismisses A.M. so much. Not sure if it is because of the split of Tupelo and that first Son Volt album was so good or what. But there are some great songs there that they still play a lot live. They hadn't become the alt/pop/dad rock band yet, but they did the first step of it pretty well.

I really rate the first 4 the top 4. I kind of lost a bit of interest with A Ghost Is Born and Jay Bennett being gone, and especially most everything after. Being There is my top. They found their way there, and it's a notch above YHF and Summerteeth for me. Also, I spent a lot of time in the car with that album when dating someone a couple hours away. Once again as you all have mentioned above, it's where it fits in your timeline.

I like A.M. quite a bit--a lot more than most Wilco fans, it seems. It's got a lot of great songs for sure, but it's just not nearly as interesting as any of the four (or most of the rest, either) that followed, to me. Too much of a continuation of Uncle Tupelo.

 

[Matt M]

I like A.M. quite a bit--a lot more than most Wilco fans, it seems. It's got a lot of great songs for sure, but it's just not nearly as interesting as any of the four (or most of the rest, either) that followed, to me. Too much of a continuation of Uncle Tupelo.

Honestly for me, most of the stuff after YHF bores me to death besides a song or two an album. To me, post YHF is when the dad rock thing started. And I totally agree.

 

[jbspaulding]

Kind of shocks me that everyone dismisses A.M. so much. Not sure if it is because of the split of Tupelo and that first Son Volt album was so good or what. But there are some great songs there that they still play a lot live. They hadn't become the alt/pop/dad rock band yet, but they did the first step of it pretty well.

I really rate the first 4 the top 4. I kind of lost a bit of interest with A Ghost Is Born and Jay Bennett being gone, and especially most everything after. Being There is my top. They found their way there, and it's a notch above YHF and Summerteeth for me. Also, I spent a lot of time in the car with that album when dating someone a couple hours away. Once again as you all have mentioned above, it's where it fits in your timeline.

I really love that A.M. VMP did.

Interesting? Ehh, not really. I got it as a swap way after it came out, but I've really played it a lot. People always love hearing young Jeff Tweedy's voice, too.

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

Kind of shocks me that everyone dismisses A.M. so much. Not sure if it is because of the split of Tupelo and that first Son Volt album was so good or what. But there are some great songs there that they still play a lot live. They hadn't become the alt/pop/dad rock band yet, but they did the first step of it pretty well.

I really rate the first 4 the top 4. I kind of lost a bit of interest with A Ghost Is Born and Jay Bennett being gone, and especially most everything after. Being There is my top. They found their way there, and it's a notch above YHF and Summerteeth for me. Also, I spent a lot of time in the car with that album when dating someone a couple hours away. Once again as you all have mentioned above, it's where it fits in your timeline.

Yeah, Wilco wasn’t important to me as a band until YHF, then I also loved AGIB when it was released. There was a bit of space between that and Their next release so I went and explored their back catalog. Being There instantly clicked but Summerteeth didn’t really grab me initially. I think that one took Pet Sounds clicking with me to finally become receptive to the big orchestral pop vibe it was putting out but once I fell for Summerteeth I fell hard. AM is a nice record with some great songs. It’d likely be #6 on my list. I just enjoy ALBUM experience as a whole more with the others I listed.

 

[combedge]

So, just took a listen to the new Caroline Rose single and I'm digging it. It has me feeling that the next two months will be a pretty nice way to end my tenure with VMP. My yearly is scheduled to re-up in March and I'm def opting out at that point.

 

[TCell]

Its as "adventurous" as anything Radiohead has done since Amnesic.

I love Radiohead. I love Wilco. Both are top 10 bands (of all time) for me, but have either Radiohead or Wilco done anything adventurous since 2002?

Not throwing shade, more I just feel like it's the nature of music, that artists have a window where they can make an impact on music and then they either die, break up, fade into obscurity, or best case scenario (as is the case of Wilco and Radiohead) just continue to make high quality music that's not as influential as their previous work.

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

Honestly for me, most of the stuff after YHF bores me to death besides a song or two an album. To me, post YHF is when the dad rock thing started. And I totally agree.

A Ghost Is Born is pretty fucking weird album though for a band to release following their most critically lauded album. I get how folks might find it abrasive but I personally don’t find it boring I am a huge Jim O’Rourke fan too and I feel his fingerprints all over it. Also, “At Least That’s What You Said” might be my favorite Wilco song they ever released.

 

[Matt M]

I really love that A.M. VMP did.

Interesting? Ehh, not really. I got it as a swap way after it came out, but I've really played it a lot. People always love hearing young Jeff Tweedy's voice, too.

I find super fun albums to be interesting! Sometimes just get sick of everything having to be more than that. A.M. is a fun album of a guy coming out of a shitty situation.

 

[Matt M]

Yeah, Wilco wasn’t important to me as a band until YHF, then I also loved AGIB when it was released. There was a bit of space between that and Their next release so I went and explored their back catalog. Being There instantly clicked but Summerteeth didn’t really grab me initially. I think that one took Pet Sounds clicking with me to finally become receptive to the big orchestral pop vibe it was putting out but once I fell for Summerteeth I fell hard. AM is a nice record with some great songs. It’d likely be #6 on my list. I just enjoy ALBUM experience as a whole more with the others I listed.

Good point, I get you there. YHF is great in that it pulls Being There and Summerteeth influences into one.

 

[Matt M]

Have all you Wilco fans heard Robert Sean Leonard's cover of "The Lonely 1" from the Chelsea Walls soundtrack? I think I might like it more than Wilco's version.



Edit: And don't even get me started on Jimmy Scott's rendition of Jealous Guy in that movie. Whew.

Funny, couple friends are making a playlist of covers with their originals on Spotify right now. That may have to go on.

 

[Joe Mac]

I love Radiohead. I love Wilco. Both are top 10 bands (of all time) for me, but have either Radiohead or Wilco done anything adventurous since 2002?

Not throwing shade, more I just feel like it's the nature of music, that artists have a window where they can make an impact on music and then they either die, break up, fade into obscurity, or best case scenario (as is the case of Wilco and Radiohead) just continue to make high quality music that's not as influential as their previous work.

In Rainbows is a top 5 all time record over here. Probably didn't move their sound forward but for me was a perfect distillation of all the Radiohead hues into one whole. I think King of Limbs was adventurous but despite a handful of brilliant songs it has quite a few misses, was very short and didnt work as whole for me.

 

[Matt M]

A Ghost Is Born is pretty fucking weird album though for a band to release following their most critically lauded album. I get how folks might find it abrasive but I wouldn’t personally don’t find it boring I am a huge Jim O’Rourke fan too and I feel his finger prints all over it. Also, “At Least That’s What Said” might be my favorite Wilco song they are released.

I need to listen to it again. But I've tried a couple times in the last year and it just hasn't clicked. @hatfieldpdx got me to take a re-listen too

 

[radiodead]

1. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
2. Summerteeth
3. A Ghost is Born
4. Being There
5. Ode to Joy
6. Schmilco
7. Sky Blue Sky
8. Star Wars
9. A.M.
10. The Whole Love
11. Wilco (The Album)

Sky Blue Sky is the most vanilla/overrated Wilco record. I’m sorry but it is so uneven and a handful of the songs lack defining moments. It’s about as bland as Wilco gets tbh. That said, I like it just fine and it has some beautiful songs on it. But yea no way is it too 5. If “Impossible Germany” wasn’t on it I would have no real reason to revisit. A lot of my criticism is relative, Wilco is my all time favorite band.

 

[BjorgenFjorgen]

I love Radiohead. I love Wilco. Both are top 10 bands (of all time) for me, but have either Radiohead or Wilco done anything adventurous since 2002?

Not throwing shade, more I just feel like it's the nature of music, that artists have a window where they can make an impact on music and then they either die, break up, fade into obscurity, or best case scenario (as is the case of Wilco and Radiohead) just continue to make high quality music that's not as influential as their previous work.

They're not as good as YHF or Summerteeth, probably, but AGIB and Star Wars are both very adventurous, I'd say.

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

1. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
2. Summerteeth
3. A Ghost is Born
4. Being There
5. Ode to Joy

Sky Blue Sky is the most vanilla/overrated Wilco record. I’m sorry but it is so uneven and a handful of the songs lack defining moments. It’s about as bland as Wilco gets tbh. That said, I like it just fine and it has some beautiful songs on it. But yea no way is it too 5. If “Impossible Germany” wasn’t on it I would have no real reason to revisit. A lot of my criticism is relative, Wilco is my all time favorite band.

6. Schmilco
7. Sky Blue Sky
8. Star Wars
9. A.M.
10. The Art of Almost
11. Wilco (The Album)

LOL, it's funny because to me, and the folks I run with I would say most underrate Sky Blue Sky. Lot of folks I have spoken with tend to feel as you that their output started to dip after A Ghost Is Born. and I completely get that argument. Sky Blue Sky did very little for me initially but It is a wonderful chillout album. Something to put on when your cleaning up after a get together or Sunday morning while flipping Pancakes. It's a different and unexpected vibe for sure and I certainly understand why a lot of folks don't identify with it but I find it quite charming.

 

[Viking Dan]

I love Radiohead. I love Wilco. Both are top 10 bands (of all time) for me, but have either Radiohead or Wilco done anything adventurous since 2002?

Not throwing shade, more I just feel like it's the nature of music, that artists have a window where they can make an impact on music and then they either die, break up, fade into obscurity, or best case scenario (as is the case of Wilco and Radiohead) just continue to make high quality music that's not as influential as their previous work.

Yes. I think that due to their elder statesman/Dad Rock label...their more experimental stuff gets overlooked and they don't get the swoons that newer acts with lesser material get.

The Entire Ghost Is Born Album probably falls in that category when you consider Funeral, Franz Ferdinand, The College Dropout, American Idiot and How to Dismantle An American Bomb were the Zietgiest that year. Then they graced your ears (now I'm stanning again) with: Bull Black Nova, Impossible Germany (which I despise) and Art of Almost after that.

And Before the thread turns on the subject, lets just all agree its:
1. YHF
2. Summerteeth
3. Being There
4. A Ghost Is Born
5. Schmilco
6. Ode To Joy
7 A.M.
8. The Whole Love
9. Wilco (the Album)
10. Star Wars
11. Sky Blue Sky

 

[dhodo]

They absolutely did change but still one of my favorite bands. I think if you get past the production on some of the newer songs and listen to the lyrics the same Avett Brothers are still there.

Part of what I loved about them was that roughness present on those earlier albums. Emotionalism had about as much polish as I wanted from them. I suppose I should give them another shot but it really seems like they wanted to be a different band, which is cool with me, just not a band I like much.

We actually used Swept Away (Sentimental version) for our wedding song but if we weren't picking the more appropriate wedding version I probably would have pushed more for the non-sentimental, rougher, screamier version, which might be an indication of something I like about them that's been lost.

 

[radiodead]

They're not as good as YHF or Summerteeth, probably, but AGIB and Star Wars are both very adventurous, I'd say.

Ode to Joy is as well. Understated but adventurous.

 

[Ethos99]

Part of what I loved about them was that roughness present on those earlier albums. Emotionalism had about as much polish as I wanted from them. I suppose I should give them another shot but it really seems like they wanted to be a different band, which is cool with me, just not a band I like much.

We actually used Swept Away (Sentimental version) for our wedding song but if we weren't picking the more appropriate wedding version I probably would have pushed more for the non-sentimental, rougher, screamier version, which might be an indication of something I like about them that's been lost.

I get that, Emotionalism is my fav album next to the Gleam II. However I and love and you and the carpenter are outstanding album's and I wouldn't let their producer steer you away.

The Decembersist's changed their whole sound and even sung about the change and it didn't turn me away. As a matter of fact I like their newer stuff more.

To each their own but I love AB, even after their newest album which has some real duds on it.

Rambling, sorry.