Wilco - Being There Poll

anyway...

It was initially given away as a free download (and dropped as a surprise), and along with the tongue-in-cheek title and artwork, I wonder if that led some listeners to think of it as an experimental one-off?

i think this is absolutely a big factor in Star Wars being overlooked, and i think Jeff agrees. in this interview, he talks about embracing the promotion of Ode To Joy after doing "a disservice to the last two records that we created the atmosphere of them being really low-stakes" ... the last two records being Star Wars and Schmilco:

https://www.spin.com/featured/wilco-interview-jeff-tweedy-nels-cline-ode-to-joy/

That's a good point. I definitely considered less of Star Wars because it was called Star Wars. And yeah, Wilco (The Album) and Schmilco are stupid names for albums, too. But all of those albums have some, even a lot of great stuff on them. I never even heard Ode to Joy (which is also kind of a glib or flippant title).

Anyway, good timing:

Jeff Tweedy announces his inspiring new book, How To Write One Song, out October 13th via Dutton, and available for pre-order now. It’s the follow-up to Tweedy’s bestselling 2019 memoir, Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back), which was widely praised as an illuminating, moving “uniquely raw rock autobiography” (Rolling Stone). In How To Write One Song, Tweedy has created a candid and fascinating primer on the art form he knows best, revealing both the behind-the-scenes process, and the joy he gets from making something new, as few artists have. The book is conversational and thoughtful - throughout, he offers actionable and practical tips on overcoming self-defeating dialog, building a creative habit, language techniques to get out of a writing comfort zone, easy recording methods, and so much more. He even goes through the exercises himself and shares how those techniques, along with his persistent creative schedule, have helped him write songs that listeners can fall in love with—songs that feel like they’re capable of loving back.

So, why one song? Because the difference between one song and many songs isn't a cute semantic trick—it's an important distinction that can simplify a notoriously confusing art form. By setting a goal of creating just one song from the ground up, the songwriting project becomes a focused, self-contained event, the mystery and fear subsides, and songwriting becomes an exciting pursuit. Tweedy upends the idea that songwriters and writers need to be suffering artists or constantly inspired. Instead, he focuses on the importance of digging deep and finding beauty even when we don’t have the time or the confidence in our ability to do so, and even if what we’re creating is only for ourselves. As Tweedy puts it, “The feeling I get when I write—the sense that time is simultaneously expanding and disappearing—that I’m simultaneously more me and also free of me—is the main reason I wanted to put my thoughts on songwriting down in book form to share with everyone so inclined.”

Maybe he should write (or read?) a book called "How to Write One Album Title."

yeah, i definitely have a theory that their run of uninspired album titles parallels the waning urgency of their recorded work ... i.e. "wow they're kind of mailing it in all the way around" (though not live, it should be noted)

the quality (not the name) of Star Wars is the main exception to this theory

this album is so fucking good. depending on my mood woulda voted for Sunken Treasure or Outtasite (Outta Mind)

Hotel Arizona 2

my people

i bet i was one of the "say you'll miss me" voters tho

second half stunner that deserved a vote is "why would you wanna live"

what's the world got in store -> hotel arizona -> say you miss me are my fav 3 songs on this all in a row

i hadn't heard this yet in 2011 when this poll ran despite being really into summerteeth and YHF way back in high school

second half stunner that deserved a vote is "why would you wanna live"

Otm, shocked that I apparently didn’t vote for it. In my top 3 songs on this record, maybe top 2.

the second disc of this is a fair bit weaker than the first, would have been phenomenal cut down a little bit to make a single album

still going with RE&B in 2022

misunderstood
far far away
monday
outtasite outta mind
red-eyed and blue
why would you wanna live
sunken treasure
i got you
what's the world got in store
hotel arizona
say you miss me
the lonely 1

something like this is what i'd edit it down to

i must be the only one with a soft spot for “kingpin” and “someday soon.” the zero vote-getter that i would prob choose is “was i in your dreams”

I enjoy "Someday Soon", but "Kingpin" is so embarrassingly bad they shouldn't even have recorded it. I think I'd have voted for "Misunderstood".

I read How To Write One Song, mentioned above, but it's misnamed. It's really about setting up routines and practices to become a regular songwriter. Writing just one song would presume that you sit down knowing what you want to say, which isn't Tweedy's method - he free-associates and figures out what the song might mean afterwards.

I'll have to revisit this, but IIRC every time I've played it, my enjoyment rapidly starts to fade once I hit "Outta Mind (Outta Sight)" on Disc Two.

(I should just try stopping the album after "Someday Soon" and see how it works if the first 12 tracks were THE album proper.)

Say You Miss Me or Forget the Flowers

Probably an unpopular opinion but in my edit I would lose the maudlin epics that open each disc. I get that they're important breakthroughs that point the way to the future direction of the band, but Tweedy's not really there yet imo, and when I reach for this album I'm looking for trad/Americana-era Wilco sounds, not Important Artistic Songs. I would keep all the genre pastiche and probably end up with:

Far Far Away
Monday
Outtasite (Outta Mind)
Forget the Flowers
Red Eyed & Blue
I Got You
Someday Soon
Was I In Your Dreams
Hotel Arizona
Why Would You Wanna Live
Dreamer in My Dreams