Probably my favorite Wilco album, but honestly, there's virtually nothing in their recorded catalog that I like better than the live versions by the band Wilco has become, who I think are the pre-eminent American live band (with all due respect to the E Streeters, who are kind of emeritus in my mind at this point). It's not about whether Nels or Jeff are playing lead (and having seen both shows in Chicago a few weeks back, Jeff shredded plenty, especially the first night) but about the fact that Wilco is a band and that these musicians as a collective bring more musical skill, imagination, empathy and passion to these songs than ever before. And they rock like a mother, every single night. Go through the their live releases and piece together live versions of this and "Sky Blue Sky" in particular and I think you'll see what I mean.
PS - I love Xgau, but thinks he's totally wrong about Wilco, among others. And I love you, but The Dead only make sense to me when I'm driving through Northern California. :-)
Just saw a live show on Thursday night. More songs from A Ghost Is Born than any other album (5). Wilco closed the show with Kidsmoke, featuring an extended Tweedy solo with him shredding the upper registers of his guitar.
Love this album so much, and definitely one of the people who thinks Kicking Television is the best version of these songs. When I want to hear these tracks, that's where I go.
I also love this album - never really thought about it as specifically really scratching both the 'brain' and the 'butt' areas so finely before but that is in fact what it does very well. Folks who think these songs are better on Kicking TV are nuts.
I do argue w/ the idea that this album is somehow a more-Tweedy album tho - it's true that his guitar playing throughout is pretty rad as hell (and, honestly, as much as I've appreciated Cline's stuff, I do wish we got some gnarly and skronked Tweedy guitar on their albums) but IIRC, this album has a lot of cooks in the kitchen.
- Jim O'Rourke handled production throughout (vs his 'only' mixing YHF, tho I'd argue the mix there is so integral it's like he did essentially at least co-produce, particularly given how much more tracking happened during his mixing) and it's no coincidence how much this Wilco album sounds like an O'Rourke songs-focused joint through and through, from the even-more-impressive-than-normal textures throughout to the extra focus on dynamics (and lack of mastering that pinches 'em) and the weird turns some of the songs take.
- Mikael Jorgensen - we kinda learned from the Wilco book that MJ was very in the mix on this one in terms of overall process and product as he drifted from engineer to honest-to-blog member. A lot of stuff here from him, both on keys and maybe just/more as importantly on recording tone and the interesting mix of 'live' and pro-tool shenanigans.
- Leroy Bach - weird one but our guy was originally going to be Jay Bennett's replacement. But, Bach was a minimalist - when he was playing WITH Bennett, this obviously worked great but once he was in the 'color' captain chair, his sparse playing, I think, made the band feel a little undercooked. I saw Wilco as just a four piece on the tail end of the YHF tour and it was indeed hella sparse/simple. Then I saw them a year later with Jourgenson and the whole vibe had changed. I actually really wish Bach had stayed and they'd kept this lineup because that version of the band was a hell of a lot of fun, and a lot more improvisatory than what we got next (which was obviously a more stable, live juggernaut lineup, but one that mostly plays it safe). I think LB's general sparse playing informs some of this stuff - you can really tell where he's playing piano vs where Jourgenson is and I think his general taste and vibe contributes a lot to the quietness of this album.
It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking of this album as all about Tweedy - he rips on guitar on it, he wrote the songs, and he's given a LOT of interviews basically doing the thing he also says he hates, tying it to a narrative of personal pan and suffering. But Tweedy has made a lot of other albums and they haven't sounded like this, and, I think it's because of the fellas listed here.
So refreshing to hear this as its not a common take and also happens to be my favorite Wilco album. So many songs on this album elicit an emotional response from me and I just get lost in the music. And my favorite Wilco track of all is the first track. The quiet, hushed intro exploding into violence. It still give me chills!
AGIB was my swan song for a bit with Wilco. I never understood why anyone was put off by it, but I also barely gave that any mind for a number of reasons, not least of which I had little extra band width at that point of my life. I was not as disillusioned as some were by the exit of Jay Bennett (though I would wade through those waters few years later). I was intrigued by Jim O'Rourke because of his solo work that I became acquainted with as he was moonlighting with Sonic Youth in the late 90s and early 00's. Then of course his work with Wilco bore Loose Fur. At nearly the same time, roughly late 2001 early 2002 I came across Banyan, Stephen Perkin's all-star extravaganza of who is who in the underground rock scene (was there really an underground though?). Enter Nels Cline through Banyan to my ears. This all coalesced with Wilco AGIB and then their 2004 supporting tour. When Nels joined the band after the recording of the record I was intrigued. I had missed the 2003 tour including the shows that he was involved as opening support. I was fortunate to see them a few time during 2004, it was a wild varied venue with each occurrence. A small club in Poughkeepsie on June 7 a few weeks before the record would be officially out. Then October 8 in a gymnasium at Skidmore College. Finally New Year's Eve at Madison Square Garden with Sleater Kinney and the Flaming Lips as openers. I went into a bit of concert cocoon from 2005 forward, especially with Wilco. I was listening to them via boots, or really accumulating insane amounts of boots I could not plausibly listen to, by dozens of bands. Anyway I guess my point is, I love AGIB. It is part of a trifecta of albums of theirs that I find deeply amazing - Summerteeth > YHF > AGIB. I have a passion for Being There, but it is of a different moment and kind. I came back in with their most recent two records after really fading off during the Sky Blue Sky era. While Cruel Country and Cousin seemingly have more in common to a Being There, there is something about them that also harkens to that great 3. Anyway this is a long winded comment to say I too like AGIB very much and enjoyed 2004 Wilco immensely.
It’s their second best album just behind Sky Blue Sky. I’ve loved it from the second it was released. I thought the critical reaction was completely blind.
Steven, although I’m probably one of the “many listeners [that] have retconned these as triumphs for Cline” I can’t say I didn’t thoroughly enjoy Cline’s rendition of those A Ghost is Born tunes when I saw Wilco live for the first time in 2022. Thanks for the thoughtful piece!
Yep, this is the best one, thank you for vindicating me on this.
What we really need is the Radiohead as Beatles Wilco as Beach Boys analysis of this era.
Probably my favorite Wilco album, but honestly, there's virtually nothing in their recorded catalog that I like better than the live versions by the band Wilco has become, who I think are the pre-eminent American live band (with all due respect to the E Streeters, who are kind of emeritus in my mind at this point). It's not about whether Nels or Jeff are playing lead (and having seen both shows in Chicago a few weeks back, Jeff shredded plenty, especially the first night) but about the fact that Wilco is a band and that these musicians as a collective bring more musical skill, imagination, empathy and passion to these songs than ever before. And they rock like a mother, every single night. Go through the their live releases and piece together live versions of this and "Sky Blue Sky" in particular and I think you'll see what I mean.
PS - I love Xgau, but thinks he's totally wrong about Wilco, among others. And I love you, but The Dead only make sense to me when I'm driving through Northern California. :-)
Just saw a live show on Thursday night. More songs from A Ghost Is Born than any other album (5). Wilco closed the show with Kidsmoke, featuring an extended Tweedy solo with him shredding the upper registers of his guitar.
Love this album so much, and definitely one of the people who thinks Kicking Television is the best version of these songs. When I want to hear these tracks, that's where I go.
I also love this album - never really thought about it as specifically really scratching both the 'brain' and the 'butt' areas so finely before but that is in fact what it does very well. Folks who think these songs are better on Kicking TV are nuts.
I do argue w/ the idea that this album is somehow a more-Tweedy album tho - it's true that his guitar playing throughout is pretty rad as hell (and, honestly, as much as I've appreciated Cline's stuff, I do wish we got some gnarly and skronked Tweedy guitar on their albums) but IIRC, this album has a lot of cooks in the kitchen.
- Jim O'Rourke handled production throughout (vs his 'only' mixing YHF, tho I'd argue the mix there is so integral it's like he did essentially at least co-produce, particularly given how much more tracking happened during his mixing) and it's no coincidence how much this Wilco album sounds like an O'Rourke songs-focused joint through and through, from the even-more-impressive-than-normal textures throughout to the extra focus on dynamics (and lack of mastering that pinches 'em) and the weird turns some of the songs take.
- Mikael Jorgensen - we kinda learned from the Wilco book that MJ was very in the mix on this one in terms of overall process and product as he drifted from engineer to honest-to-blog member. A lot of stuff here from him, both on keys and maybe just/more as importantly on recording tone and the interesting mix of 'live' and pro-tool shenanigans.
- Leroy Bach - weird one but our guy was originally going to be Jay Bennett's replacement. But, Bach was a minimalist - when he was playing WITH Bennett, this obviously worked great but once he was in the 'color' captain chair, his sparse playing, I think, made the band feel a little undercooked. I saw Wilco as just a four piece on the tail end of the YHF tour and it was indeed hella sparse/simple. Then I saw them a year later with Jourgenson and the whole vibe had changed. I actually really wish Bach had stayed and they'd kept this lineup because that version of the band was a hell of a lot of fun, and a lot more improvisatory than what we got next (which was obviously a more stable, live juggernaut lineup, but one that mostly plays it safe). I think LB's general sparse playing informs some of this stuff - you can really tell where he's playing piano vs where Jourgenson is and I think his general taste and vibe contributes a lot to the quietness of this album.
It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking of this album as all about Tweedy - he rips on guitar on it, he wrote the songs, and he's given a LOT of interviews basically doing the thing he also says he hates, tying it to a narrative of personal pan and suffering. But Tweedy has made a lot of other albums and they haven't sounded like this, and, I think it's because of the fellas listed here.
So refreshing to hear this as its not a common take and also happens to be my favorite Wilco album. So many songs on this album elicit an emotional response from me and I just get lost in the music. And my favorite Wilco track of all is the first track. The quiet, hushed intro exploding into violence. It still give me chills!
AGIB was my swan song for a bit with Wilco. I never understood why anyone was put off by it, but I also barely gave that any mind for a number of reasons, not least of which I had little extra band width at that point of my life. I was not as disillusioned as some were by the exit of Jay Bennett (though I would wade through those waters few years later). I was intrigued by Jim O'Rourke because of his solo work that I became acquainted with as he was moonlighting with Sonic Youth in the late 90s and early 00's. Then of course his work with Wilco bore Loose Fur. At nearly the same time, roughly late 2001 early 2002 I came across Banyan, Stephen Perkin's all-star extravaganza of who is who in the underground rock scene (was there really an underground though?). Enter Nels Cline through Banyan to my ears. This all coalesced with Wilco AGIB and then their 2004 supporting tour. When Nels joined the band after the recording of the record I was intrigued. I had missed the 2003 tour including the shows that he was involved as opening support. I was fortunate to see them a few time during 2004, it was a wild varied venue with each occurrence. A small club in Poughkeepsie on June 7 a few weeks before the record would be officially out. Then October 8 in a gymnasium at Skidmore College. Finally New Year's Eve at Madison Square Garden with Sleater Kinney and the Flaming Lips as openers. I went into a bit of concert cocoon from 2005 forward, especially with Wilco. I was listening to them via boots, or really accumulating insane amounts of boots I could not plausibly listen to, by dozens of bands. Anyway I guess my point is, I love AGIB. It is part of a trifecta of albums of theirs that I find deeply amazing - Summerteeth > YHF > AGIB. I have a passion for Being There, but it is of a different moment and kind. I came back in with their most recent two records after really fading off during the Sky Blue Sky era. While Cruel Country and Cousin seemingly have more in common to a Being There, there is something about them that also harkens to that great 3. Anyway this is a long winded comment to say I too like AGIB very much and enjoyed 2004 Wilco immensely.
It’s their second best album just behind Sky Blue Sky. I’ve loved it from the second it was released. I thought the critical reaction was completely blind.
I very much miss Jeff handling the lead
Hands-down my favorite Wilco album for the reasons you delineated. Great stuff!
Would also say it's my favorite by a hair, and "Handshake Drugs" is absolutely my favorite Wilco song.
Steven, although I’m probably one of the “many listeners [that] have retconned these as triumphs for Cline” I can’t say I didn’t thoroughly enjoy Cline’s rendition of those A Ghost is Born tunes when I saw Wilco live for the first time in 2022. Thanks for the thoughtful piece!