Wilco: A Ghost Is Born poll

I had no idea I'm a Wheel was so dismissed! I too would never consider it my fav track on the record or anything, and it's pretty out of place on this album, but I like it. It sounds like Pearl Jam.

"Less Than You Think" and the studio version of "Spiders" both seemed like very clumsy & deliberate moves to me at the time, playing to critics who were showering them w/praise for transforming into a challenging art rock band. Its easy to forget at the time how ott some the praise for YHF's weirdness was.

I love both the live and studio versions of "Spiders" but this is otm. I believe that the "Less Than You Think" drone is supposed to be a representation of Jeff's migraines. Successful in that regard imo, but I don't enjoy hearing it and at other points in the band's career I don't think they would have made the decision to release it. I will grant that it is a nice buildup to the just beautifully consonant and satisfying sound of "The Late Greats." It feels like the clouds parting after the storm and just revealing this sweet sunny day. I wish "The Late Greats" was longer and more epic, and I do think of it more like a bonus track. But while its placement is undeniably weird, I like it.

once heard Less Than You Think while lying in bed suffering from an extremely bad cold and it made perfect, transcendent sense

https://imgc.artprintimages.com/img/print/you-were-right-sir-it-was-dishwater-the-chef-regrets-the-error-new-yorker-cartoon_u-l-pgrfc7o3qj7.jpg?artPerspective=n
"the third course is a representation of the chef's migraines."

lol

not sure which thread to mention this on because they're all getting bumped but I just bought tix to bring my whole family (3 youngish children) to Solid Sound over memorial day weekend. Pretty excited, will have a full report for ilm

the drone on "less than you think" is a fine concept just i don't find the execution compelling at all as far as drones go. even the drone is better live, though they usually only go for a few minutes before transitioning into "art of almost" or "ashes of american flags" or something.

i agree with hideous lump re: it coming across better if "the late greats" was a hidden track but i don't really care for "the late greats" at all so cutting it completely would be fine.

"i'm a wheel" is inessential but fun and i have no problem with it, it's nice to have that burst of energy on the album. it would have been good to have something like "kicking television" on the album too but the studio version is pretty bad, that's the biggest transformation live.

“the late greats” is awesome wtf. i don’t think “adding more songs and keeping the album at an hour-plus” is the interesting way to play god here but whatever

"The Late Greats" is awesome. God schmod, adding those two tracks in those exact spots and ditching most of the noise made me a fan.

i lol at "once in germany someone said 'nein' / one two three four five six seven eight nine" every time

There's a bootleg of their May 2002 show at the Riviera in Chicago (for Northwestern University's "ball") and the friendly-to-a-fault crowd constantly screams at them to play new stuff, as in unreleased stuff. Tweedy almost obliges when he says with a straight face, "we have something called "Someone in Germany said 'Nein'"." A bunch of people start cracking up at that, but the band decides not to play it and go straight into "Jesus, Etc."

'Kicking Television (the song) sounded less demented in live versions prior to the album's release, not sure why the studio version took the route it did... Previously it just sounded like a cousin of 'I'm A Wheel', which was why I assumed they only picked one for AGIB.

also tweedy still plays a bunch of the lead parts from this album live, like the main solo on "at least that's what you said" and most of the solos on "spiders" are him. cline just really helps fill out all the songs live, in addition to assisting with shredding.

Just a head’s up that when I tried to post a link to “Spiders” on FB I got flagged for “promoting suicide,” or some bullshit.

I guess at least one friend is not a fan

I mean, I guess?!?