I’m also putting in a ballot sometime today. I don’t like mine and it’s ok if you want to lose it — it will steer the results toward things everyone knows
― Karl Malone, Monday, 12 September 2022 14:27 (one year ago) link
wait fuck the deadline is this weekend?
― comedy khadafi (voodoo chili), Monday, 12 September 2022 14:44 (one year ago) link
If any of you are like “is Kamera too obvious?”, I don’t know, but it’s definitely on my ballot
― Karl Malone, Monday, 12 September 2022 14:52 (one year ago) link
I tried Cruel Country again this weekend. A lot of it is a total snooze fest, iibh. And I really liked Ode to Joy! Just could not with "The Empty Condor" or any number of other shapeless acoustic trifles. Reminds me of Sukierae, a similarly bloated album of tune after tune that I can't much discern from the last.
It has its moments: "Many Worlds," which morphs from a slow (very much the operative word for a lot of this album) piano ballad into a pretty rippin' country rock jam on the backs of Nels and Glenn; "A Lifetime to Find" has some life to it; "I am My Mother" and "Country Song Upside-Down" are greatly aided by their relative concision.
― Indexed, Monday, 12 September 2022 15:12 (one year ago) link
oh i thought cruel country was extremely tuneful and the arrangements were super cool, whereas i'm not sure if ode to joy ever snapped together for me
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Monday, 12 September 2022 15:34 (one year ago) link
maybe at least we can all agree with some distance that schmilco is incredibly dope and not boring, it's like it restrains itself so much it gets gnarled inside (aka it's star wars inside out)
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Monday, 12 September 2022 15:37 (one year ago) link
god the second half of "quarters" is like a miniature "small hours"
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Monday, 12 September 2022 15:52 (one year ago) link
i'm taking a real bifurcated path through the catalog, veering between tupelo and late wilco, and omg i forgot how much i love "watch me fall." "watch me fall"!!!!
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Monday, 12 September 2022 16:20 (one year ago) link
i listened to still feel gone a lot more in college than i thought i did
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Monday, 12 September 2022 16:23 (one year ago) link
cruel country is really lovely, it's remarkably solid the whole way through & in terms of pure front-to-back listenability it might be one of their best, though it rarely reaches the sort of heights they have elsewhere. i'm not sure that anything from it is going to manage to fit onto my ballot except "bird without a tail / base of my skull", which is the best thing they've done since "one sunday morning". maybe "sad kind of way" or something else will squeeze in though
i also really appreciate the return of the mellotron & some other keyboard textures that haven't really been heard since YHF - the album was recorded while they were preparing for the YHF anniversary shows and that influenced the sounds they used
"many worlds" is actually one of the weakest tracks, the starting piano ballad is not very compelling & feels pretty disconnected from the ending duelling solos which are just fine.
― ufo, Monday, 12 September 2022 22:11 (one year ago) link
I like “The Universe,” trying to find space for it on my ballotAny tracks from any of the Tweedy solo albums anyone want to stump for? Of all his work those are the ones that really go in one ear and out the other for me.
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 03:48 (one year ago) link
sukierae is worth a listen at least, it's more than the sleepy acoustic tunes of the following solo albums (though those are also jeff playing most instruments with his son on drums). there's some weirdness like "diamond light pt. 1"
― ufo, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 11:16 (one year ago) link
I’m probably going to sit this poll out - there’s a lot of solo Tweedy I haven’t gotten to, plus the very early Wilco albums and yet to get through Cruel Country - but am looking forward to the rollout and discussion and listening along.
― The Triumphant Return of Bernard & Stubbs (Raymond Cummings), Tuesday, 13 September 2022 11:54 (one year ago) link
(Sitting it out in terms of voting.)
solo tweedy is not particularly worth digging through unless you're really dedicated (though i do heavily recommend the first loose fur album)
if you can get any sort of ballot together it's worth voting even if you haven't had a chance to take an exhaustive listen of the entire discography
― ufo, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 11:57 (one year ago) link
will be positively torturing myself to get this down to 40 tracks
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Tuesday, 13 September 2022 14:24 (one year ago) link
anyway i hung out with ode to joy for a little while last night. it's a good record. i only just learned the method of its recording (tweedy and kotche putting down sketches that the band filled in after the fact) which may be the very thing that makes the album refuse to focus for me (and is also the thing that's most interesting about it, the dislocation between its elements). anyway i really adore "one and a half stars" (great lyric) and "quiet amplifier" and "we were lucky" and the singles are both lovely but i remain confused that it was hailed as a return to form while acknowledging it's been growing on me slow as ivy since it was released and one day i'll probably think it's the best wilco album idk
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Tuesday, 13 September 2022 14:29 (one year ago) link
the atmosphere & arrangements are really lovely but tweedy's tunes are generally some of his weakest ever
― ufo, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 14:32 (one year ago) link
what are everyone's favorite mermaid avenue songs? mine are "remember the mountain bed" and "someday some morning sometime"
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Tuesday, 13 September 2022 15:28 (one year ago) link
The solo Tweedy songs that are on my ballot radar:
Having Been Is No Way To Be (lock)I Know What It's LikeSome BirdsDon't ForgetFamily GhostSummer Noon (from Sukirae)
― Indexed, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 15:35 (one year ago) link
xp I didn't realize it until going through to make this ballot but a lot of my fav Mermaid Avenue tracks are actually Billy Bragg ones. That surprised me. Even "Another Man's Done Gone," which I love, was apparently written by Bragg though sung by Tweedy. But yeah, huge fan of "Remember the Mountain Bed." I will also be voting for "Airline to Heaven" and "One by One" even though the latter is a little dirgey and repetitive. Considering "Secret of the Sea" too
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 15:40 (one year ago) link
I voted for a bunch of Mermaid Avenue songs. "One by One" was at the top, though a lot of that has to due with the poetry, some of Guthrie's finest. It's surprising and heartbreaking stuff - I'm not sure when Guthrie wrote it, but I imagine it was after his illness had begun to overwhelm him. I kept thinking about it when I visited the Guthrie exhibit at the Morgan Library and saw the materials they had from his final years.
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 15:45 (one year ago) link
Airline to Heaven, 100%. There are a bunch of others on my radar. California Stars almost certainly and Christ for President, probably. One by One and Secret of the Sea both great tunes that have a shot for me if I have room.
― Indexed, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 15:54 (one year ago) link
TBH, I think I may have voted for nearly every eligible Mermaid Avenue track from the first volume and at least a few from the second. The ones mentioned from the second - "Airline to Heaven," "Mountain Bed," "Secret of the Sea," "Someday Some Morning Sometime" - all made my list.
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 15:59 (one year ago) link
California Stars... so simple but so pure. Yeah I guess that one needs to be there too
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 16:17 (one year ago) link
the whole love has the two incredible career-high bookends and then the rest is just fine
― ufo, Monday, September 5, 2022 5:30 PM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink
i don't agree with this but i feel like my wilco opinions are entering contrarian-for-its-own-sake territory. just wanting to say that the whole love is def not my favorite wilco album but "black moon" is awesome
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Tuesday, 13 September 2022 16:19 (one year ago) link
i am calling it, "one sunday morning" is gonna win this poll
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Tuesday, 13 September 2022 16:32 (one year ago) link
I left Mermaid songs off my ballot because I had a hard enough time fitting in some of Jeff's Loose Fur & Uncle Tupelo tracks without bringing Woody's lyrics into that equation.
― BrianB, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 16:39 (one year ago) link
The Whole Love is the artier older brother to Summerteeth. "Dawned on Me" is a lock. Bunch of others I'm considering.
― Indexed, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 16:50 (one year ago) link
I will die on any hill for the song “Whole Love” as well. Something about the production just gets me. As far as the upbeat tracks on that album, not a fan of “Dawned on Me”, a little too hooky and singsongy. I do enjoy “Born Alone” though and I think I’m in the minority in digging “I Might”.
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 18:32 (one year ago) link
All of that being said, The Whole Love is not sniffing my albums ballot. I feel like for this poll 5 is too small a number, having to make some painful choices…
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 18:34 (one year ago) link
We are up to 6 submitted ballots.
I hope all of you are revisiting A.M. Has a few of my favorite Tweedy songs of all time. "That's Not the Issue" will be very high on my ballot.
― Indexed, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 18:58 (one year ago) link
My two favourite Mermaid Avenue tracks are Birds & Ships (no Tweedy) and The Unwelcome Guest (barely any Tweedy). Will probably vote for California Stars, At My Window and Remember the Mountain Bed.
― Shard-borne Beatles with their drowsy hums (Chinaski), Tuesday, 13 September 2022 20:23 (one year ago) link
yeah 5 albums is too little to vote for lol, there's too many to choose from.
nothing from mermaid avenue is going to make my ballot
as far as TWL goes beyond the bookends, "whole love" might have a chance of squeezing into my ballot. "black moon" is quite nice for sure but it's not enough of a standout to have a chance of making my ballot or anything
does anyone have any non-album track recommendations? i've listened to most of what i can find & i don't think i'll vote for any - best is "kicking television" and some of the yhf-era rarities like "cars can't escape", "the good part" "a magazine called sunset", "more like the moon"
― ufo, Tuesday, 13 September 2022 23:09 (one year ago) link
if I actually get my ballot done in time, "Woodgrain" will be on it, and Being There outtakes "No Poetry" and "Blasting Fonda" are contenders for me as well
― nobody like my rap (One Eye Open), Wednesday, 14 September 2022 12:27 (one year ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7ecZ4_v7kI
wild discovery from going through the summerteeth deluxe is that "locator" dates back to an early draft of the "can't stand it" riff or something like that?
really looking forward to the yhf deluxe which is partially out this week
― ufo, Wednesday, 14 September 2022 13:19 (one year ago) link
Partially? As far as I can tell, it’s been pushed back two weeks to the 30th, for both the physical versions and the digital release (at least according to the bandcamp page).
― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 14 September 2022 13:25 (one year ago) link
ah the itunes page still says it's coming this week but maybe they just forgot to update that too
― ufo, Wednesday, 14 September 2022 13:27 (one year ago) link
Trying to piece together my ballot, but not sure I’ll have it done in time. This was a lot tougher than I anticipated and just refreshing myself with the track lists of albums I haven’t heard recently proved insufficient.
Saw a little drama on another forum from people who pre-ordered the YHF box straight from Wilco for $120 when it is only $70 on Amazon right now, particularly since Wilco is charging a 5% cancellation fee.
― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 14 September 2022 13:28 (one year ago) link
If we need to extend voting by a week or two to get more ballots, let me know.
re: non-album tracks, "The Thanks I Get" is one of those incredibly simple Tweedy songs that is a joy to hear performed live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqRZ9E0DeSw
― Indexed, Wednesday, 14 September 2022 13:31 (one year ago) link
goddamit how is it that i can't find room on my ballot for "Reservations"
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Wednesday, 14 September 2022 16:01 (one year ago) link
Before I build 77 of these...
https://i.imgur.com/TrLyS7D.jpg
― Indexed, Wednesday, 14 September 2022 16:10 (one year ago) link
is it wrong to characterize born again in the usa as proto-star wars lol
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Wednesday, 14 September 2022 16:42 (one year ago) link
.... wow @ "wreckroom" aka jazz wilco
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Wednesday, 14 September 2022 16:53 (one year ago) link
amazed that i am the first person to bring up "wreckroom" itt
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Wednesday, 14 September 2022 16:54 (one year ago) link
xp Indexed, I know that I could get a ballot together for sure with another week, but I'll leave that up to you as the poll runner
― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 14 September 2022 16:55 (one year ago) link
bring on another week, i almost requested it myself (my ballot will be done tomorrow)
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Wednesday, 14 September 2022 16:55 (one year ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ3G1t0O8ic
i'm sorry but this is the greatest shit ever to me
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Wednesday, 14 September 2022 16:56 (one year ago) link
Yes, "Wreckroom" kills. Not sure how I forgot that!
Also: wow I was digging around on wilcoworld, and in the "Credits & Notes" drawer on the Sunken Treasure page there's a link to a dropbox with all the mp3s from the DVD. As I mentioned upthread, this is well worth your time and has many great Jeff solo recordings, including the version of "The Thanks I Get" I posted this morning.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5i5hvkudi54lmc5/AAAmm7KLw7v1snlQ4s3T5swSa?dl=0
― Indexed, Wednesday, 14 September 2022 16:58 (one year ago) link
How fucking great is it that wilcoworld has every setlist and official show poster ever? Do other bands do this?
― Indexed, Wednesday, 14 September 2022 17:04 (one year ago) link