Wilco 101 - The Essentials

Okay, here it is -- the very essential twelve Wilco songs, gleaned from all their albums from the Uncle Tupelo-esque A.M., all the way up to their Sgt. Pepper's -- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and on into their latest album, A Ghost Is Born.

I say that Foxtrot is their Sgt. Pepper's because it was a pivotal moment in their career. It marked a great giant leap ahead in terms of musical expression and production, and it is considerably more abstract than their previous work. This is similar to the giant leap that the Beatles experienced when they released Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, one of the most influential albums in rock n' roll history, ever. (It also reminds me of OK Computer, but that's a post for another day, seriously.)

Why are these "essential?" Well, that's hard to say. Really, let's say these are "accessible." This is where your Wilco journey should begin. These songs are all up-beat, catchy, and show the seriously rockin' side of Wilco without any fog or too much abstraction. These songs are great roll-your-window-down sort of fast-driving car songs, and they should form the basis of any good Wilco playlist. When I approach a new band, the hooky, upbeat songs always catch my ear first, so here they are for you!

Well, except that sometimes there's a slower song that's just so good that it too immediately catches your ear, instead of requiring the usual second listen. Jeff Tweedy's rewrite of Woody Guthrie's California Stars is just such a song.

1) Casino Queen from A.M.: A high-energy ass-kicker that I featured in my Vegas playlist last week. This is the best song off of A.M, which is probably the most country-rock or alt country of their CDs. It's near to Uncle Tupelo, but distinctly Tweedy. Don't get too used to that fiddle, friends, nor the slight twang. We're soon to lose it.

2) California Stars from Mermaid Avenue: This is one of the best songs of all times, period. It so difficult to describe... you just have to listen to it. If ever there was a love song among love songs... amen! It comes from the excellent Wilco & Billy Bragg (with Natalie Merchant) album of recovered Woody Guthrie songs, and this is definitely the shining star among all the beautiful jewels on that album. (This song is a big motivator for me to want to learn to play piano again.)

3) I'm The Man Who Loves You from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot: Whoa! I've jumped ahead several albums! You can hear a marked difference in the production, with the noise track and sharply electric guitars.

4) Heavy Metal Drummer from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot: Another great abstract rocker, with plenty of cheese, nostalgia, and fake psychodelica. This song wakes me up every morning at 6am. Say Amen brother, Hallelujah. ("I miss the innocence I've known... playing Kiss covers... beautiful and stoned...")

5) The Late Greats from A Ghost Is Born: This is the most "modern" of the songs on this playlist, and the only song on Wilco 101 from their latest album. Sean was very right the other day in calling this song out as one of Wilco's best songs. It tells the story of a mythical (I guess) band, the "Late Greats," the best band ever that never played a show. There's a lot of commentary on the music business in this song.

6) Just A Kid from The Spongebob Squarepants Movie Soundtrack: If you missed my review of this the other day, well then shame on you. This is without a doubt the most rockin' Wilco song ever. I will hear no arguments against it. Shoo! Shoo!

7) Monday from Being There: This album was Wilco's second album, a double-disc CD, and it's odd. It's very up and down, inconsistent, but filled with great songs. They're a bit on the deeper side, though, so this is the only song from the double-disc that makes it into the 101 curriculum. Another song about a failed band.

8) Can't Stand It from Summerteeth: I think that Summerteeth, Wilco's third album, is by far their most accessible, and so it has the most number of songs in this playlist -- four. This is a much poppier album than A.M. and Being There, and is much more slickly produced. This is definitely where the fiddles become violins, if you know what I mean. But similar to the Beatle's Sgt. Pepper's preludes Rubber Soul and Revolver, this very accessible and yet experimental album is one of my favorites. This song, in particular, is a catchy, hooky masterpiece.

9) ELT from Summerteeth: "Every little thing," another catchy Summerteeth single, rocks my world. I sing shamelessly to this one in the truck on the interstate.

10) A Shot In The Arm from Summerteeth: A strangely chipper song for such a dark subject. It hints of drug abuse and obsession if you listen too closely.

11) I'm Always In Love from Summerteeth: Me too! Great song! Very Beatlesque, but a bit more bubble-gum. This one also has a darker underside.

12) One Hundred Years From Now from Return of the Grevious Angel: This is a Gram Parsons tune from the late 90s tribute album to Gram's works. This is straight-up rock music... no chaser.

Tune in on Saturday to catch the last two playlists, Wilco 201 - Intermediate and Wilco 401 - Advanced. Keep your pencils sharpened and your ears open, kids. No late slips accepted.