# Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot ! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 24, 2002, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456 "2002-04-24T23:33:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/1 "2002-04-24T23:33:00Z")
Does anyone have this album yet? what do you think? i think its great… i love all the different sounds on it. my favorites are ashes, war on war, kamera so far, but i just got it recently… ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/2 "2002-04-24T23:37:52Z")
i thought i might check it out. kinda getting into a “indie-country-alt-rock-folk” phase and it just might hit the spot. i’ll check this thread for more feedback when it gets more reviews… ---
**Author:** ![Yo\_La\_Tengo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/41988e/32.png) [@Yo\_La\_Tengo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yo_La_Tengo)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/3 "2002-04-24T23:43:41Z")
Yeah! High five, man. Best CD I ever bought. My favorites are “Ashes of American Flags”, “Jesus etc.”, and “I am trying to break your heart”. I was surprised when I saw the thread. I never knew anyone else had heard of **Wilco**. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/4 "2002-04-25T00:00:05Z")
I bought it and _Come Away With Me_ by Norah Jones this morning after work. Both are great. For once, thank you 24-hour Wal-Mart. I’ve been listening to _YHF_ all day long, including right now. Never bought any Wilco before, but I do have some Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt. Now I have to go get some of their older albums. My favorites so far are Ashes, Radio cure, Poor places, and of course, I am trying to break your heart. I’m already singing along to that one. It’s probably the best new music I’ve heard in a long time. I hope it does well based on reviews and word of mouth because it’ll never get played on the radio, at least where I live. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/5 "2002-04-25T00:39:39Z")
It’s very good **if** you like that kind of music. I do, but I also know it’s not for everybody. I hope I’m not patronizing anyone here, but there are others doing this same style of music. Lucinda Williams, Iris DeMent, Nanci Griffith, Old 97’s, the list goes on. Chances are if you like Wilco you’ll find these others to your liking as well. ---
**Author:** ![pezpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@pezpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pezpunk)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/6 "2002-04-25T01:59:24Z")
I am halfway through my first listen and to be honest I think after my second listen I may really like it. It is a long departure from typical Wilco though. For a better part of the album it can hardly be classified as alt-country. I love Jeff Tweedy’s voice though. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Frink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Mr.Frink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Frink)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/7 "2002-04-25T03:34:48Z")
Can you believe that _Reprise_ actually **dropped** Wilco after getting this album??? The management told Jeff Tweedy that the album would be a “career killer”!!! The saga of what the band went through, and how they ended up at their new label is recounted in a NYTimes article from Sunday,[**"A Jilted Band Finds Love After All"**](http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/21/arts/music/21PARE.html?homepageinsidebox)\* (free registration required)\* ---
**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/8 "2002-04-25T21:42:51Z")
Great, its cool that you are digging it. I highly recommend the album Being There… It’s my favorite wilco album. All their albums are good i’d say. Also if you are looking for other artists, you guys should check out the Jayhawks. they are more melodic and they are awesome too! Gary Louris has an amazing voice!! > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by widdershins \* > \*\*I bought it and _Come Away With Me_ by Norah Jones this morning after work. Both are great. For once, thank you 24-hour Wal-Mart. > > I’ve been listening to _YHF_ all day long, including right now. Never bought any Wilco before, but I do have some Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt. Now I have to go get some of their older albums. > > My favorites so far are Ashes, Radio cure, Poor places, and of course, I am trying to break your heart. I’m already singing along to that one. > > It’s probably the best new music I’ve heard in a long time. I hope it does well based on reviews and word of mouth because it’ll never get played on the radio, at least where I live. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/9 "2002-04-25T22:12:21Z")
I’m looking forward to picking this up. I liked the older Wilco albums okay, but thought the band made a great leap forward with Summer Teeth, which was downright magnificent after repeated listens. ---
**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2002, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/10 "2002-04-26T00:42:33Z")
Picked up YHF this afternoon, and it sounds really good. I can’t wait to listen to some of these songs on headphones, just to take in all the little sonic blips. Especially “Ashes” - what a great song. I’m not even American, but I feel…well, _something_ that’s probably quintessentially American. One of the songs that I haven’t heard mentioned in any reviews of the album is “I’m the Man Who Loves You.” Does no one like it? I think it could be a great summer song, with Tweedy’s rapid-fire delivery and it’s propulsive beat. But the off-kilter guitar would probably throw off radio programmers, I’m guessing. I’ll play it on my community radio show, fershure. Oh, and count me in as another person who recommends The Jayhawks. ---
**Author:** ![Yo\_La\_Tengo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/41988e/32.png) [@Yo\_La\_Tengo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yo_La_Tengo)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/11 "2002-04-26T01:17:35Z")
I would just like to add “Radio Cure” to my list up there. Good stuff. This post was really just an excuse to put the thread on email notification… ---
**Author:** ![Yo\_La\_Tengo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/41988e/32.png) [@Yo\_La\_Tengo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yo_La_Tengo)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2002, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/12 "2002-04-26T02:03:31Z")
Wait wait wait! I have a question… Is “Ashes of American Flags” pro-america or anti-america? I’ve never actually been able to figure that one out… ---
**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2002, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/13 "2002-04-26T21:59:49Z")
i would probably say its pro since he mentions the word salute ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_Hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f0a364/32.png) [@Bad\_Hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_Hat)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/14 "2002-04-29T02:34:14Z")
I missed this thread so i started my own, but would like my comments to be added to the multitude of pro- wilco voices here… threadid=111437 in short: this album is amazing, and completely emobidies for me what it feels like to live in chicago. Chris ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/15 "2002-04-29T02:59:35Z")
Haven’t got it yet, but noticed it got a perfect 10.0 rating from [PitchForkMedia.com](http://PitchForkMedia.com). Which is unusual, to say the least. ---
**Author:** ![krazy\_kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b2d939/32.png) [@krazy\_kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krazy_kat)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/16 "2002-04-29T14:41:35Z")
this album is amazing, I saw them at the Bowery Ballroom in nyc on thursday and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever had the fortune to witness. [hijack] the new Jay Bennett album is also good [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Billy\_Baroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/76d3ee/32.png) [@Billy\_Baroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billy_Baroo)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/17 "2002-04-29T14:50:03Z")
It’s a weird experience for me because I’ve already heard many of the songs performed by Tweedy live with just acoustic guitar and harmonica. They sound much different with the studio magic applied. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Frink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Mr.Frink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Frink)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/18 "2002-05-07T06:44:31Z")
Just to let y’all know…this summer the documentary **I Am Trying to Break Your Heart** will be released. It follows Wilco as they record _Yankee Hotel Foxtrot_ and as they struggle with their record label. There’s a story in today’s Salon Magazine about the film: **[Wilco’s three-act Greek tragedy](http://www.salon.com/ent/music/feature/2002/05/07/wilco/index.html)**:\* Sam Jones wanted to make a simple movie about recording the Chicago band’s newest album. Instead, he ended up with a saga.\*. Pretty good read. ---
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/19 "2002-05-07T16:24:28Z")
I picked it up last night. I was really in the record store to pick up **Crooked Fingers’** latest, _Reservoir Dogs_. It’s a 5-song EP of covers. Anyways, since it seems that I can’t be in a record store and buy just one album, I picked up this one, too. I like it. If you like this, give Crooked Fingers a try. It’s a similar indie-rock feel, with lots of loops, guitars, brushed drums, and Eric Bachmann’s croaky voice. But quite a bit more depressing. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2002, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456/20 "2002-05-07T18:14:43Z")
Fun trivia: the album title, and the sound clip of a female voice repeating the title that appears on one song, come from one of the famous [shortwave radio “spy number” stations](http://www.spynumbers.com) . The station, YHF, broadcasts on several frequencies, offering 100 groups of five-letter codes on the quarter-hours, and is apparently operated by the Israeli Mossad. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wilco-yankee-hotel-foxtrot/105456.md?page=2)