Wilco - 'I'm Trying To Break Your Heart'

Wilco - 'I'm Trying To Break Your Heart'

Repeat Prescriptions Shell Hunter Wilco

Repeat Prescriptions....The Top 100 Classic Albums Of All Time that you keep coming back to!

Like doing a university course as a mature student, I am returning to my musical education and filling in the gaps. I intend to revisit The 100 Best Albums Of All Time (see them all here) as recommended by Q Magazine back when the poll was last done in 2006. Some I will know and love, some I will have skimmed and some I will not even have given time of day. This will all change when I listen to every album in full as it was intended, from 100 to 1, and choose my favourite song from each.

Album Number 100: Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - I Am Trying To Break Your Heart (2001)

I know of Wilco and I know I know some of their stuff, but when I tried to think of a song or album, oops, I couldn't! So the journey to reinforce my musical foundations has officially begun. It was a gloriously sunny day and myself and LS had just set off for home from Bognor Regis having just visited the mother in law. The start of the journey is through rolling hills and farmland which had fresh bails of hay everywhere. This album couldn't have been more perfect for the scenery and now won't be forgotten. In a nutshell I enjoyed it from the off and actually listened to it several times over the week (I only set myself the task of listening to it twice but it was that good). In my opinion, it has the right balance of folk, pop and electric sound with too many highlights to mention without fear of leaving a song off the album out! 

Although I did try to pick a favourite that wasn't the first track on the album, (don't know why, just felt like a cop out!) I couldn't deny that I enjoy it the most. It reminds me of Beck or Badly Drawn Boy. I just love the rattly bamboo clicks and echoey piano, perfect sunny day music despite the break up sentiment. It's great when the last lines of the song are the guy admitting he is 'the man that loves you'. I shall now be watching the Wilco documentary of the same name!

Shell Hunter's seal of approval.

sfw Pada 04:24 4 Komentar

Wilco - 'Handshake Drugs'

Wilco - 'Handshake Drugs'

Flycasual Musical Medicine Wilco

Musical Medicine...a track that's like Houmous for the soul!

 

Wilco - 'Handshake Drugs' (2004)

 

"I was chewing gum for something to do"

A Wilco stunner and one track I never tire of hearing, taken from their excellent 2004 album, A Ghost is Born. It's been awhile since I heard this gem and bizarrely, it's all due to a book I found by Team Bush and co's favourite political analyst, Noam Chomsky. Not my usual choice of reading material but you find all sorts the airport, Interventions is a collection of essays on American foreign policy, notably the dubious reasons for waging war in Iraq. This in turn reminded me of 'iffy' Iraq war drama, Over There, which I used to watch back in 2005, the soundtrack was particularly ropey but I almost choked on my houmous when, on one episode, it featured 'Handshake Drugs'. A sterling if a little peculiar choice to be blasting that song out of your Humvee whilst cruising around Anbar province's 'Triangle of Death', I wonder what Jeff Tweedy made of it. Strange how the mind associates stuff.

 

 

sfw Pada 13:50 2 Komentar

WEDNESDAY CLUB - Wilco/Bill Fay - Jesus Etc.

WEDNESDAY CLUB - Wilco/Bill Fay - Jesus Etc.

Bill Fay Jeff Tweedy Wednesday Club Wilco

MIDWEEK CRISIS you need somthing new, come to WEDNESDAY CLUB we've got Whiskey India Lima Charlie, a Bear that Sings and a Swede that Scratches, Oh! and Bill Fay

Whiskey India Lima Charlie

 
WILCO - Jesus Etc.(Live)

I have been a fan of Wilco and Jeff Tweedy ever since I bought their 'Summer Teeth' Album in 1999 . Every new album I have hastily got hold of immediately on release. They have never matched before or after the heights of  'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' (2002). It is frightening to know that their Record label at the time did not think it was suitable for release. One of my favourite and standout tracks from the album is Jesus Etc. I came across this brilliant live version of the song quite by accident.

A few weeks back the artist Bill Fay was brought to my attention when I was browsing through the excellant Blog Grownupbackwards (The Singing Bear). I was aware of Bill Fay but had not listened to his stuff. I knew he had a new album out after many many years. The album  'Life is People' is magnificent. Here is a true talent. It includes a fabulous slowed down cover of Jessu etc. Which along with the rest of the album is on my ear phones constantly. When I was searching Youtube for this version I came across the amazing Wilco live version.(Play it loud)

The moral of the story is, I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about music but since I have been contributing to Tune Doctor I have met other like minded people and have been introduced to many Artists and songs that I have not even heard off before. Bill Fay is a shinning example.   Altogether it has been a far more rewarding experience than I could ever have imagined.  So I would like to thank my fellow TD boffs and of course, The Singing Bear, The Swede,  etc etc.

Keep 'em coming! friends!

BILL FAY - Jesus Etc.(2012)

I hope these two version turned your 'orbit around'.

For More WEDNESDAY CLUB religion

sfw Pada 16:36 5 Komentar

TUESDAY BLUES! Wilco - One Sunday Morning

TUESDAY BLUES! Wilco - One Sunday Morning

Tuesday Blues Wilco

Wilco - One Sunday Morning (2011)
This features on Wilco's 2011 album 'The Whole Love' and I can't recommend it enough.  Laid back Americana, perfect for watching the sunset, or sitting by the sea, when music sounds like this there's no need to be feeling blue.... 

sfw Pada 22:00 5 Komentar

TRACKS OF THE WEEK - 10/07/11

TRACKS OF THE WEEK - 10/07/11

Little Dragon Philip Selway Tracks of the Week Wilco

These are our tracks of the week. Do you have any? Let us know!

  

SFW
Philip Selway - Running Blind by Bella Union

This is a great track from Radiohead drummer Philip Selway and features on his new EP Running Blind (Last year he released an album called "Familial").   It's all acoustic niceness and a world away from the beats and rhythms of Radiohead. So if you like Radiohead you'll be interested, though if you don't but like acoustic singer-songwriter stuff, give it a try. It's a bit like steak, it's good with a glass of vino.

Flycasual
Little Dragon - 'Ritual Union' (2011)
Not the official video but still ball achingly entertaining nonetheless!

Apparently the band acquired their name by giving singer, Yukimi Nagano, the nickname Little Dragon as she was prone to throwing tantrums whilst recording! The petulance has paid off, as Ritual Union is a great piece of laid back electronica from the Swedish four piece's forthcoming album of the same name. I first heard this song late at night, probably the perfect time to be receptive to it and it reminded me of bands like Portishead or Morcheeba. They've been just below the radar for around 4 years now, despite having made a number of high profile collaborations, notably with Gorrilaz and more recently SBTRKT. But I think all that is about to change now as I am pretty sure they are about to blow up this year and finally get the recognition they deserve.

Old Pa's Corner
Wilco - 'I Might' (2011)


This track is from Wilco's new album, out, I believe in September called the 'Whole Love'. A pretty good taster, I think and the Album will be eagerly awaited. I first got into Wilco in the late 90's with the 'Summer Teeth' album and I have followed Jeff Tweedy ever since. I still have to say that they have never bettered  'Yankee, Foxtrot Zero' for consistency and I did like that low key stripped down sound. I was a little disappointed, personally, in their last album and hope the new effort will be a return to form. Maybe its me, but do you not think there is a hint of Joy Division's 'Dead Souls' in the backing?

sfw Pada 02:21 3 Komentar