# Wilco fans, guide my exploration! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [October 1, 2022, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561 "2022-10-01T22:34:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/1 "2022-10-01T22:34:08Z")
To you Wilco fans, I think I am in an enviable position: exploring the band totally fresh in 2022. I managed to miss all of their stuff until now, though I had known the name. It didn’t seem like a band I would particularly like, but I listened and… _Dayum._ Like dayum for real. This band is fucking great! Great lyrics, great melodies, and–best of all–genuinely deep and emotional songs without being pretentious (at least not most of the time). I also really like Tweedy’s voice and the guitar work. So far, I’ve listened to A.M. (much better than its reputation), WTF (dayum!), A Ghost is Born (lots of stuff I like, including Less Than You Think), and most of Summerteenth (lots of good stuff). I’m basically going to listen to all of their albums in my car as I commute, etc. But you are the fans. Tell me what to listen to, including live versions and cuts not on their regular albums. Give me the Wilco hacks–stuff to notice, listen to, think about. Whatever you think I should know. Thanks in advance for your advice! ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/2 "2022-10-01T22:56:34Z")
Jeff Tweedy recently jammed with Phil Lesh in what is a far better representtion of Grateful Dead music than whatever John Mayer and Bobby Weir are doing. It was dubbed “Philco”: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EPlfJYnSt1Q/hqdefault.jpg "PHILCO - Franklin's Tower Phil Lesh - Jeff Tweedy, Nels Cline fr Wilco, Live fr Sacred Rose 082622") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPlfJYnSt1Q) I saw an up andcoming Illinois politician take the stage once at Farm Aid to introduce Wilco. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/nmR32cFfGTQ/hqdefault.jpg "Barack Obama introduces Wilco - Airline to Heaven (Live at Farm Aid 2005)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmR32cFfGTQ) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/3 "2022-10-02T00:58:43Z")
Is “WTF” supposed to be “YHF” (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot)? They have a lot of good albums but in my opinion never topped that one. “Sky Blue Sky” and “Star Wars” are two more I would suggest. I haven’t really enjoyed a lot of their more recent albums… they all kind of sound the same to me. (And yet I keep buying them!) Definitely check out the two “Mermaid Avenue” albums they did with Billy Bragg. And look for the movies “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” and “Ashes of American Flags”. The first one is a documentary about the making of “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”, where it looks like the band is almost on the brink of coming apart. “Ashes of American Flags” is a concert film, filmed in four different cities a few years later, and IMHO showcases the band at the top of their game. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/4 "2022-10-02T01:48:33Z")
Thanks for the suggestions! WTF… I was thinking Whisky Tango Foxtrot, despite knowing the correct name! Oops. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/5 "2022-10-02T02:42:38Z")
I still think Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is the best album of the century so far. Yes, even better than _that_ one. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/6 "2022-10-02T03:03:08Z")
What one?! ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/7 "2022-10-02T03:03:57Z")
It’s brilliant, though. It blew me away. I wonder why it’s not more famous than it is, or did I manage to miss how very famous it is? Or both? ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/8 "2022-10-02T03:11:17Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > What one Any that somebody brings up to refute my proclamation, of course. > [@Aeschines](#): > > I wonder why it’s not more famous than it is, or did I manage to miss how very famous it is? Or both? I think at this point it’s over 20 years old, and from a band that if people have heard of they think mostly makes Dad music. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/9 "2022-10-02T03:38:16Z")
What might people bring up to refute your proclamation? Yeah, the album was a revelation. It seems out of time to me. 2002, 2022–what’s the difference? Has any album in the interim achieved a similar reputation? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/10 "2022-10-02T04:05:28Z")
Yeah, I don’t so much rank things these days, but I would never argue with that one. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/11 "2022-10-02T08:14:45Z")
YHF is their masterpiece, but I’m partial to Being There. It’s the one I fell in love with first. I’m not sure there’s a better live band out there right now. Kicking Television, their 2005 live album, has the current lineup and gives you a pretty good taste,except that they’ve only gotten better in the last 17 years. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/12 "2022-10-02T13:10:08Z")
Jeff Tweedy on Colbert’s Late Show, making fun of Wilco’s lame album titles. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2RqPeAjHDm4/hqdefault.jpg "Wilco Is Proud Of Their Album Titles, Dang It") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RqPeAjHDm4) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/13 "2022-10-02T14:20:47Z")
I also love YHF; that is a desert island pick for me. The rest of Wilco’s stuff I’ve really tried to get into but just can’t. With the notable exception of the Mermaid Avenue recordings: a joint project with Wilco and Billy Bragg who put to music 3 albums worth of song lyrics that Woody Guthrie wrote but never recorded. Albums 1 and 2 are absolutely fantastic. By album 3 there start to be some diminishing returns, but still worth a listen. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/14 "2022-10-02T14:47:15Z")
TIL there is a third Mermaid Avenue album. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/15 "2022-10-02T14:50:03Z")
I will add to the recommendation of Mermaid Avenue I and II. They are fantastic. My favorite post-YHF Wilco song is ‘Impossible Germany’ from Sky Blue Sky. Nels Cline is a monster on guitar on that song. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/16 "2022-10-02T15:11:35Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Definitely check out the two “Mermaid Avenue” albums they did with Billy Bragg. > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > My favorite post-YHF Wilco song is ‘Impossible Germany’ from Sky Blue Sky. Nels Cline is a monster on guitar on that song. Yes and yes. In concert, the moment in “Impossible Germany” when Tweedy jumps in to bring Cline’s solo home is practically orgasmic. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/17 "2022-10-02T20:07:18Z")
I love Wilco, bought every album since “A.M.” til i stopped buying CDs and began streaming. Also saw them live two times. The last four albums were disappointing, but everything before was gold. If you want to dig in even deeper, listen to their outtake and rarities 4 CD collection “Alpha Mike Foxtrott”. It’s worth checking out. Here’s a beautiful cover of Steely Dan’s “Any Major Dude” from it: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/INwMYgQAqjA/maxresdefault.jpg "Any Major Dude Will Tell You") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INwMYgQAqjA) ETA: and seconded or thirded the recommendation for “Mermaid Avenue”. The first two albums belong to the best folk rock albums ever recorded. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/18 "2022-10-02T20:27:02Z")
Thanks, guys, for all the tips so far. I welcome further ideas! ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/19 "2022-10-02T21:31:46Z")
Addendum: when you’re done checking out Wilco, continue with the alt-country supergroup Golden Smog, consisting of members from the Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, Jeff Tweedy and others. All their stuff is great, and they have a knack for picking the greatest cover songs. > **[Golden Smog](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Smog)** > > Golden Smog is an alternative country-rock supergroup of loosely connected musicians mostly from the Minneapolis area. At various times, members of Soul Asylum, The Replacements, Wilco, The Jayhawks, Run Westy Run, The Honeydogs and Big Star have worked with Golden Smog. Given the fluid collaborative nature of Golden Smog the lineup has often changed, but relative constants who appear on all the recordings are guitarists Kraig Johnson (Run Westy Run), Dan Murphy (Soul Asylum) and Gary Louris (The... And THEN check out the Jayhawks! If you like Wilco, you’ll love the Jayhakws. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561/20 "2022-10-02T21:45:26Z")
Nice, thank you! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-fans-guide-my-exploration/972561.md?page=2)