Blogcritics: Comments on Wilco - A Ghost is Born

Comment by scott

Fri, 7 Oct 2005 11:47:21 EDT

i like to call a ghost is born "the ego record", as it seems that is what it is...tweedy making sure he has control again. he certainly misses jay bennett, but he would never admit it. still, to show how great he truly is, the album--third or fourth on the wilco list--is better than 99% of what is out there. the true wilco classic? being there. it is timeless, and easily outstraps the somewhat shallow moods of summerteeth. relatively speaking, of course.

Comment by dave

Sat, 15 Jan 2005 18:03:16 EST

As members of Uncle Tupelo, Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy could be likened to a roots-rock (or ALT-country) Lennon-McCartney songwriting team. Their individual vertical (Tweedy) and horizontal (Farrar) talents complimented each other and allowed for some pretty amazing and original material. Fast forward to the Summerteeth-era Jay Bennett/Tweedy songwriting team and you get a similar mix. This time, though, Tweedy is taking the Lennon/horizontal and his counterpart Jay is doing it McCartney/vertical. Now the new album lacks that strong collaboration between a pair of composers, but is still full of both the vertical (I'm a Wheel, Handshake Drugs) and the horizontal (Hummingbird, Theologians). So why does anyone wonder why Jeff Tweedy goes through talented bandmates as often as he does? The answer is simple: who needs a Lennon or McCartney if he has them both inside his very own head?

Comment by The Theory

Tue, 29 Jun 2004 15:35:16 EDT

ehhh... I agree about the white noise of less than you think. but the actual song before it is fantastic.

Comment by Brian

Mon, 28 Jun 2004 13:40:38 EDT

Actually, it's really easy to see what's going on. Listen to Jay Farrar's and Jay Bennett's solo stuff. IMHO, it's not that impressive. It's depressing and moddy, but it's also that one piece that I think is missing from Wilco's current release. I have no idea why Jeff keeps parting with talented writers...honestly, he and the two Jay's should just put their crap aside and lock themselves in a studio for six months and come out with the next groundbreaking album. BTW, happy dad moment. When walking past my 12 yr old daughter room a few months ago...singing along... I am an American Aquarium Drinker...

Comment by matulich

Mon, 28 Jun 2004 10:39:44 EDT

I agree, it seems that Tweedy can't get along with guys named Jay.

Comment by Brian

Mon, 28 Jun 2004 09:43:48 EDT

Honestly, I think the departure of Jay really took Wilco down a few notches. While it might be Jeff's band, Jay brought in a number of different influences and a chemistry that really made YHF such a monumental record.