Wilco - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the music group. For other uses, see .
Wilco released their first album,
, in .
It is the only Wilco album that is composed of alt-country songs that resemble the former Uncle Tupelo sound. Produced by Brian Paulson and lead guitar work done by frontman , A.M.
reached #27 on the Billboard heatseeker chart; it would later place 34th on the 's Pazz Jop Critics Poll for 1995. After the release of the album, joined the band, adding more / music, as well as a second .
When Wilco released the , it won glowing reviews (it placed 14th on the Pazz Jop Critics Poll for 1996) and a devoted group of fans, but average sales, reaching #73 on the Billboard album charts.
The track " " reached the mainstream and modern rock top 40 in . Besides using country as a touchstone for their music Wilco made their classic rock influences on many tracks apparent including Stones-esque album closer "Dreamer in My Dreams." Wilco's experimental side also came out on two tracks; "Misunderstood" (which lifts a verse verbatim from Peter Laughner's "Amphetamine") and "Sunken Treasure" which saw noise and more studio effects being added to their sound.
It was during this time that Tweedy's lyrics began to become more abstract and introspective instead of being based on linear narratives like the songs " " and "Passenger Side" that appeared on . Max Johnston left the band soon after and joined the Austin band as a multi-instrumentalist.
When Johnston later left the band, the traditional Wilco role of 'other guy' became me
During the spring of 1995, 's daughter Nora had contacted English singer-songwriter about writing music for a selection of completed Guthrie lyrics.
Her father had left behind over a thousand sets of complete lyrics written between 1939 and 1967; none of these lyrics had any music other than a vague stylistic notation.
According to 's autobiographical Chronicles, Woody Guthrie gave his unpublished songs to Dylan but Bob was unable to get them from Guthrie's family. In Chronicles Bob laments that non-folk traditionalists like Bragg and Wilco ended up recording the songs.
However, liner notes of Mermaid Ave. written by Nora Guthrie indicate that it was her intention that the songs be given to a new generation of musicians who would be able to make the songs relevant to a younger generation.
Regardless, after being contacted by Nora Guthrie, Bragg approached Wilco, asking them to participate in the project as well.
Wilco agreed, and in addition to recording with Bragg in Ireland, they were given their own share of songs to finish.
Rather than recreating tunes in Guthrie's style, Bragg and Wilco created new, contemporary music for the lyrics. What seemed like a risky enterprise surprised everyone; released in 1998 as , the results were met with universal acclaim.
The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album, and went on to place fourth on the Pazz Jop critics' poll for 1998 (right behind 's ).
In , the band released , showing a band evolving from country to experimental pop rockers. Drawing as much from and the as , the songs featured dense instrumental textures and more complex song arrangements combined with some of the darkest lyrics Jeff Tweedy had written to date.
Reprise had higher expectations, but the album peaked at a disappointing #78 on the Billboard album charts. Regardless, it was still critically acclaimed and managed to place 8th on the Pazz Jop critics' poll for 1999.
They returned to their country roots once more with the warmly-received , a sequel of sorts to the original project.
Many of the tracks were leftover from the first Mermaid Avenue sessions, but Wilco also finished a few more songs, including "Someday Some Morning Sometime," which foreshadowed their next release. (Mermaid Avenue Vol. II would go on to place 32nd on the Pazz Jop critics' poll for 2000.
)
The band's next album, , is considered by many in the music industry to be one of 's best albums, as well as a standout in terms of innovation. What started as an album continuing down the musical and sonic path set by Summerteeth morphed into a monster that would attract plenty of adulation and trouble.
replaced Coomer on , who would later play with the band , and brought a more musical and improvisational style of playing to the songs.
Multi-instrumentalist also joined so the band could better duplicate their complex arrangements live and in the studio.
The production seemed to go well, though serious rifts formed between Bennett and his bandmates. The situation came to a boil when experimental musician and producer was asked to remix the album over Bennett's objections.
Contrary to popular belief, O'Rourke actually stripped away some of the avant-garde noises recorded by Wilco rather than bring them up in the mix.
Wilco in 2003, after Bennett's dismissal
Bennett was not pleased with O'Rourke's involvement, and he was fired from the band shortly after completion of the album. (Bennett later began a project with longtime collaborator and released
The Palace at 4 A.M. on the same day Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was ultimately released.)
The situation grew worse when , the band's label and a subsidiary, rejected the album, sparking a long search to find a new home for the band.
In the meantime, Wilco streamed the album from their after purchasing the master tapes for an undisclosed sum. Ironically, the band ended up at , another Time Warner subsidiary, and the album was released in the spring of 2002.
When it was released, reached #12 on the Billboard album charts, Wilco's highest chart position to that date, as well as charting in Australia.
would later go on to sell over 500,000 copies, and to date remains Wilco's best selling album.
Some fans were alienated by the noise driven elements of many YHF tracks, but the band did attract new fans who appreciated their new direction. Despite Reprise's earlier doubts of commercial viability, songs like "Heavy Metal Drummer" and "Jesus, etc.
" became staples of alternative and progressive rock radio. More impressively, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot topped 2002's Pazz Jop critics' poll, winning 2328 points over 201 votes. (Second place was taken by 's , which won 1506 points over 139 votes.
)
caught much of the YHF-era proceedings on film and from that material released the documentary, . The film chronicled the incubation of various songs in the studio, record label difficulties, and creative tensions that led to the departure of Bennett. One pivotal scene involves an acidic argument between Tweedy and Bennett over the mixing of the chaotic transition between "Ashes of American Flags" and "Heavy Metal Drummer", and ends in Tweedy running to the toilet to vomit (ostensibly due to the chronic he has had since youth).
The release contains the movie, with a commentary by the director and the band, and a bonus disc containing extra footage and clips of live performances.
Some samples of recordings from and that appear on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot put the band in legal troubles. A sample that can be heard at the end of the song "Poor places" was taken from , a four-CD collection of numbers station recordings.
The collection's record label, Irdial, sued Wilco for . The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court with Irdial receiving some undisclosed royalties for the song .
In , Wilco teamed up with (primarily and guitarist ) to record .
The record, initially intended for release by a major label, was shelved (like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot) until it was picked up by .
Released with full cooperation of the band soon after , is a fan book of pictures of the band, their equipment, and interviews with the band, stage techs, and producer Jim O'Rourke on writing, recording, and performing music. There are also random pages of ephemera which fill out the pages in between the main sections (for instance, a rough thematic sketch of ).
The book itself reads like a record album, including an interlude consisting of an essay and paintings by artist Henry Miller. The essay "5 Songs" by writer Rick Moody traces Wilco's career by choosing one song from each full album (this essay was generally considered a fluff piece and has hurt 's reputation since). A CD of early recordings is also included.
On , the band released a live album entitled , recorded May 4-7, 2005 at the Vic Theater in Chicago, Illinois. Originally intended as a DVD/CD package with footage shot by director , the band decided to scrap the film portion due to technical problems and a lack of crowd shots. is the first Wilco album to feature the two newest members of the band.
The album was ranked at #16 in 's "20 Best Live Albums" list.
On May 8, 2006, Glenn Kotche said that the band was in the writing and demoing stages of creating a new record, and that four or five of those songs had made it in to the band's recent live sets. The new songs include "On and On and On," "The Thanks I Get" (later announced to not be on the record), "Walken," "Impossible Germany," "What Light," "Let's Fight," "Either Way" "Let's Not Get Carried Away," "You Are My Face," "Patient With Me," "Sky Blue Sky," "Glad It's Over," "Shake It Off," and "Side With the Seeds.
" Kotche also said that some of the new songs were written on the spot in the studio by the band as a whole, as opposed to Tweedy fleshing out the song and bringing it to the rest of the band.
Following the fall tour, which ended with Nov. 24 and 25 shows in the band's hometown, Wilco went back into the studio to finish recording its album.
In a June 2006 interview, guitarist Cline revealed that the band would be writing and demoing new songs in August, followed by recording sessions in November The band's next album is currently slated for a May 2007 release. On January 17th at a solo performance in Nashville, Tweedy revealed that the new album is titled , and it is currently set for release on May 15, 2007.
In February 2007, Wilco announced the 12-song album's tentative track listing with the following message on its Web site: "Direct from Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, Maine.
.. here's the tracklisting, as of now, for Sky Blue Sky .
.. 1.
Either Way; 2. You Are My Face; 3. Impossible Germany; 4.
Sky Blue Sky; 5. Side with the Seeds; 6. Shake it Off; 7.
Please Be Patient With Me; 8. Hate it Here; 9. Leave Me (Like You Found Me); 10.
Walken; 11. What Light; 12. On and On and On"
In March 2007, the full album was leaked onto the internet, three months early, following a one-night only stream of the record on the band's website.
Keywords: Jop Critics, Critics Poll, Pazz Jop Critics, Pazz Jop, Jop Critics Poll, Yankee Hotel, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Hotel Foxtrot, Sky Blue, o Rourke
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