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Wilco is an , and one with The Minus 5 . Wilco's music has been inspired by a wide variety of artists and styles, including Bill Fay and Television , and has in turn influenced music by The National and Cherry Ghost . The band continued in the alternative country of Uncle Tupelo on its debut album '' A.M. '' (1995), but has since introduced more Experimental aspects to their music. Wilco garnered media attention for its fourth album, '' Yankee Hotel Foxtrot '' (2002), and the controversy surrounding it. After the recording sessions were complete, Reprise Records rejected the album and dismissed Wilco from the label. As part of a buy-out deal, Reprise gave Wilco the rights to the album for free. After streaming ''Foxtrot'' on its website, Wilco sold the album to Nonesuch Records in 2002. Both record labels are subsidiaries of Warner Music Group , leading one critic to say that the album showed "how screwed up the music business {Link without Title} in the early twenty-first century."1 Last accessed July 18 , 2007 . The album was the most successful of Wilco's career, selling over 590,000 copies. Wilco won two Grammy Award s for their fifth studio album, 2004's '' A Ghost Is Born '', including Best Alternative Music Album . BAND HISTORY Formation See Also: Uncle Tupelo Wilco was formed as a result of the breakup of the influential alternative country music group Uncle Tupelo. Singer Jay Farrar quit the band in 1994, as a result of a soured relationship with co-singer Jeff Tweedy.2 Last accessed July 9 , 2007 . Both Tweedy and Farrar sought to form bands immediately after the breakup. Tweedy was able to retain the entire Uncle Tupelo lineup sans Farrar, including Bassist John Stirratt, Drummer Ken Coomer , and multi-instrumentalist Max Johnston . The band was tempted to keep the Uncle Tupelo name, but ultimately decided to rename the band.3 The four-piece named itself Wilco; after a voice procedure commonly used by US truckers.Kot 2004. p. 89 ''A.M.'' and ''Being There'' After collaborating with Syd Straw on a cover version of the Ernest Tubb song, "The T.B. is Whipping Me" (released in September 1994 on the '' Red Hot + Country '' compilation), Wilco began recording tracks for '' A.M. '', their first studio album, at Easley studio in June 1995.4Kot 2004. p. 89 A demo tape from these recordings was sent to executives at Reprise Records , a subsidiary of Warner Brothers , and the label signed Tweedy to a contract. Although Tweedy stated that he wanted a more collaborative project than Uncle Tupelo, only his name appeared on the Reprise contract.Kot 2004. p. 92 Tweedy requested songwriting submissions from other members, but only one submission—John Stirratt's "It's Just That Simple"—appeared on ''A.M.''. It was the last song Wilco ever released that was solely written by a member besides Tweedy. Stylistically similar to Uncle Tupelo, the music on the album was considered to be straightforward alternative country rock in what Tweedy later described as "trying to tread some water with a perceived audience."5 ''A.M.'' peaked at number twenty-seven on the '' Billboard '' Heatseekers chart, considerably lower than the debut album of Jay Farrar's new band, Son Volt .67 The album was met with modest reviews, although it would later rank thirty-fourth in the '' Village Voice '''s 1995 Pazz & Jop critics poll.8 Last accessed July 9 , 2007 .9 Last accessed July 9 , 2007 .10 Last accessed July 11 , 2007 . Critically and commercially paling in comparison to the reception of Son Volt's album, the Wilco members perceived ''A.M.'' to be a failure.Kot 2004. p. 97 Shortly after the release of the album, Multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett joined the band, providing the band with a Keyboardist and another guitarist. Wilco made its live debut on November 17 , 1994 to a capacity crowd at Cicero's Basement Bar in St. Louis , Missouri (the band was billed for the occasion as " Black Shampoo ").11 Last accessed September 2 , 2007 . During the two hundred-date tour supporting ''A.M.'', Tweedy began to write songs for a second album. The lyrical theme of the songs reflected a relationship between a musical artist and a listener; Tweedy chose this topic because he sought to eschew the alternative country fanbase. Ken Coomer elaborated:Kot 2004. p. 110–1 A number of songs were recorded with this theme, including "Sunken Treasure" and "Hotel Arizona".Kot 2004. p. 112 However, Wilco also recorded a number of songs that mimicked the style of ''A.M.''.12 Last accessed July 11 , 2007 . Wilco named the album '' Being There '' after a Peter Sellers Film Of The Same Name . The band went through some personnel changes during the recording sessions. Max Johnston left the band because felt that his role in the band had diminished in favor of Bennett; he had also been replaced by violinist Jesse Greene on one track because the band felt that Johnston was unable to play the part. Bob Egan of Freakwater briefly joined the band in the studio, playing Pedal Steel Guitar on "Far, Far Away" and "Dreamer in My Dreams", and then became an official member in September 1996.Kot 2004. p. 115Kot 2004. p. 119 Unlike the ''A.M.'' recording sessions, the band had no vocation for producing a hit song from their second effort.Kot 2004. p. 114 The recording sessions produced nineteen songs, too many for a single album release. Tweedy was concerned about the high retail price that a Double Album would be sold for (at least $30), so he asked Reprise Records to release it as a double album at a single album price ($17.98 or less). Reprise agreed to this on the terms that they received Wilco's share of the album royalties. It was estimated in 2003 that the band lost almost $600,000 on the deal, but Tweedy was satisfied.Kot 2004. p. 116 ''Being There'' was well-received by critics from several major media outlets, including '' Rolling Stone ''.13 Last accessed July 11 , 2007 .14 Last accessed July 11 , 2007 . The album reached #73 on the ''Billboard'' album charts,15 a significant improvement from ''A.M.'', and placed fourteenth on the Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for 1996.16 Last accessed July 11 , 2007 . ''Summerteeth'' and the ''Mermaid Avenue'' sessions In November 1997, Wilco entered Willie Nelson 's recording studio in Spicewood , Texas to record a third studio album.Kot 2004. p. 138 The album was lyrically inspired by the marital problems of Tweedy and his wife, as well as by Twentieth Century Literature .Kot 2004. p. 135 Tweedy relied heavily on Bennett to provide music for singer's "bold, but depressing" lyrics.Kot 2004. p. 140–1 Wilco recorded several songs, including "Via Chicago" and "She's a Jar", but began working on another project before assembling the tracks into an album.Kot 2004. p. 138 (''pictured'') songs.]] Nora Guthrie contacted singer-songwriter Billy Bragg in spring 1995 about recording some unreleased songs by her father, folk singer Woody Guthrie . Most of the songs were written late in Guthrie's life, when he was unable to record due to the motor impairments of Huntington's Disease . By the 1990s, Woody Guthrie had become a "relic" to the MTV Generation , and Nora sought to establish a different legacy for the musician. To Nora, Bragg was "the only singer I knew taking on the same issues as Woody." However, Bragg was concerned that his fans would not realize that the songs were written by Guthrie when he performed them on tour, so he decided to record the album with another band.Kot 2004. p. 143 Bragg contacted Tweedy and Bennett about co-recording the album while Wilco was on the European stage of the ''Being There'' tour. Bragg was particularly fond of ''Being There'' because their influences extended farther back than the 1950s. Although Tweedy was indifferent to the offer, Bennett was enthused about recording songs of one of his idols—Bennett's previous band Titanic Love Affair was named after a Woody Guthrie lyric. A recording contract between Bragg and Wilco was signed after a show at Shepherd's Bush Empire . Bragg mostly recorded the politically-charged lyrics, while Tweedy preferred to record lyrics that showcased Guthrie as a "freak weirdo." The recording of '' Mermaid Avenue '' began on December 12 1997 , and was the topic of BBC 's '' Man In The Sand '' documentary film.Kot 2004. p. 144–5 Tempers flared between Bragg and Wilco after the album was completed. Bennett believed that Bragg was overproducing his songs, a sharp contrast to Wilco's contributions. Bennett called Bragg about the possibility of remixing Bragg's songs, to which Bragg responded with "you make your record, and I'll make mine, fucker." Eventually Bragg sent copies of his recordings to Chicago for Bennett to remix, but Bragg refused to use the new mixes on the album. The two parties were unable to establish a promotional tour, and quarreled over royalties and guest musician fees. Despite these conflicts, the album was released on June 23 , 1998 , and sold over 277,000 copies.Kot 2004. p. 151–3 The album received rave reviews from Robert Christgau and ''Rolling Stone'', and was nominated for a Grammy Award For Best Contemporary Folk Album .17 Last accessed July 14 , 2007 .18 Last accessed July 14 , 2007 . It also placed fourth on the Pazz & Jop critics poll for 1998.19 Last accessed July 14 , 2007 . After the album was released, Bob Egan was replaced by multi-instrumentalist Leroy Bach .Kot 2004. p. 169 After the completion of the ''Mermaid Avenue'' sessions, Wilco returned to Spicewood to complete their third studio album, '' Summerteeth ''. Unlike previous Wilco and Uncle Tupelo recordings, the album featured a lot of overdubbing with Pro Tools .Kot 2004. p. 154–5 Stirratt and Coomer were concerned with the production, since it reduced their involvement in the music. According to Stirratt:Kot 2004. p. 158 During 1999, Warner Brothers was looking to recover a $16 billion debt acquired during a recent merger with Time Inc. .Kot 2004. p. 161 As a result, Warner's Imprint s were under pressure to produce musical acts that would yeild hit records. The head of Reprise, Howie Klein , who had previously authorized the release of ''Being There'' as a double album, was willing to let Wilco produce ''Summerteeth'' without label input. However, when Klein played the album for Reprise's A&R department, they demanded a radio single for the album. Wilco agreed to do this "once and once only," and recorded a radio-friendly version of "Can't Stand It" at the request of David Kahne , the head of the A&R department.Kot 2004. p. 162–5 The single version of "Can't Stand It" failed to cross over from Triple-A radio to alternative rock stations. Consequently, the album sold only 200,000 copies, significantly less than ''Being There''.Kot 2004. p. 167 This was despite critical acclaim—the album placed eighth on the Pazz & Jop critics' poll for 1999.20 Last accessed July 15 , 2007 . After the release of ''Summerteeth'', the band resumed the ''Mermaid Avenue'' sessions. Although they had recorded enough material for a second release in 1998, Wilco recorded a few new songs for '' Mermaid Avenue Vol. II ''. "Someday Some Morning Sometime", which features a Vibraphone filtered through a Space Echo , was identified by Tweedy as being as being the "piece to the puzzle" towards the creation of their fourth studio album. The album was released on May 30 , 2000 , and was the last release from the sessions.Kot 2004. p. 175 ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'' Shortly after the recording sessions for ''Mermaid Avenue Vol. II'', Wilco purchased a studio in Irving Park , Chicago, which they named the Wilco Loft.Kot 2004. p. 168 The band recorded some tracks in the studio in early 2000 for a fourth studio album. In May 2000, Jeff Tweedy requested to perform with Jim O'Rourke at a festival in Chicago; Tweedy was a fan of O'Rourke's '' Bad Timing ''. O'Rourke introduced Tweedy to drummer Glenn Kotche , and the trio enjoyed working together so much that they decided to record an album as a side project named Loose Fur .Kot 2004. p. 177–9 Wilco had recorded an entire album of music at this point, but Tweedy was unhappy with the drum parts. He enjoyed Kotche's contributions to Loose Fur so much that Tweedy brought him into the studio to re-record some demos. Tweedy sought to make Wilco sound like Loose Fur, and officially replaced Ken Coomer with Kotche in January 2001.Kot 2004. p. 186–8 Although Bennett sought to act as both mixer and engineer for '' Yankee Hotel Foxtrot '', Tweedy was unsure of Bennett's abilities against those of O'Rourke. Tweedy and Bennett frequently argued over whether the album should be accessible to a general listener, or attempt cover new musical ground.Kot 2004. p. 195–6 Unbeknownst to Bennett, Tweedy invited O'Rourke to remix "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart", and the results impressed the other band members—even Bennett. Tensions grew between Bennett and O'Rourke because Bennett wanted to mix every song on the album. O'Rourke cut the contributions of other members on several of the songs; some songs, such as "Poor Places", only featured the Loose Fur trio.Kot 2004. p. 198–9 The album was completed in 2001, and Bennett left the band immediately afterward.21 The recording of the album was documented by Sam Jones and released in 2002 as the film '' I Am Trying To Break Your Heart ''. Time Warner, which owned Warner Brothers, merged with America Online in 2001, leading to more pressure on Warner's record labels to cut costs. Over 600 employees of Warner Music Group were fired, including Howie Klein, the president of Reprise Records. In absence of Klein, David Kahne became the interim head of Reprise.Kot 2004. p. 201 Kahne assigned Mio Vukovic to monitor the progress of ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'' and to offer suggestions. Vukovic disdained the album, and was unhappy about how Wilco ignored his suggestions.Kot 2004. p. 202 He brought the album to Kahne, who felt that there was no single on the album. In June 2001, the album was rejected by Reprise and Wilco was asked to leave the label.Kot 2004. p. 203 Wilco managed to negotiate terms to a buy-out from Reprise. Instead of financial compensation, the band agreed to leave the label with the master tapes of ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot''.Kot 2004, p. 207 The label was already receiving bad publicity for their treatment of the band, and were willing to accommodate Wilco's request.22 Last accessed via the Wayback Machine on July 15 , 2007 . David Kahne and Mio Vukovic were both fired soon afterward for their treatment of the band.Kot 2004, p. 208 To curb the negative publicity, Reprise began to invest more in bands such as The Flaming Lips . Lead singer Wayne Coyne once remarked:Kot 2004. p. 209 As the band searched for a new label to release the album, they decided to stream it at their official website to discourage illegal trading of low-quality '', and was named one of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time by ''Rolling Stone''.25 Last accessed July 15 , 2007 .26Levy 2005. p. 216 ''Down with Wilco'', ''A Ghost Is Born'', and ''Kicking Television: Live in Chicago'' While waiting for the commercial release of ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'', Wilco agreed to back up R.E.M. collaborator Scott McCaughey as The Minus 5 . They scheduled a recording session for September 11 , 2001 , but were distraught about the 9/11 terrorist attacks that day.Kot 2004. p. 220 Late that day, Wilco and McCaughey agreed "create something good in the world right now" and record some material.Kot 2004. p. 221 Influenced by Bill Fay 's '' Time Of The Last Persecution '', The Minus 5's '' Down With Wilco '' was released in 2003.Kot 2004. p. 222 In November 2003, Wilco traveled to New York City to record their fifth album. Unlike ''Summerteeth'' and ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'', '' A Ghost Is Born '' featured songs that were created with Pro Tools before ever performing them live.Kot 2004. p. 240–1 The album featured the song "Less Than You Think", which included a fifteen-minute track of electronic noises and synthesizers, which Tweedy called "the track that everyone will hate". Tweedy justified the inclusion of the song: Leroy Bach left the band immediately after the album's completion to join a music theatre operation in Chicago.27 Like ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'', Wilco streamed the album online before its commercial release. Instead of using their own web page, the band streamed it in MPEG-4 form on Apple 's website.28 Last accessed July 23 , 2007 . Wilco sought to substantially change their lineup after Bach's departure, and added Mikael Jorgensen , who had engineered ''Down with Wilco'', Pat Sansone of The Autumn Defense , and Avant-garde guitarist Nels Cline to the lineup.Kot 2004. p. 243 Just as the band was about to tour to promote the album, Tweedy checked himself in to a Rehabilitation clinic in Chicago for an addiction to painkillers. As a result, tour plans for Europe were canceled, and the release date for the album was set back several weeks.Kot 2004. p. 244''A Ghost Is Born'' was released on June 22 , 2004 , and became Wilco's first top ten album in the U.S.29 Last accessed July 16 , 2007 . The album earned Wilco Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Recording Package in 2005.30 Last accessed July 16 , 2007 . It also placed thirteenth on 2004's Pazz & Jop Critics Poll.31 Last accessed July 16 , 2007 . In 2004, the band released '''', a two disc live album recorded at The Vic Theater in Chicago. Released on November 15 , 2005 , the album received high accolades from '' Spin '', ''Billboard'', and '' Entertainment Weekly ''.33 Last accessed July 16 , 2007 . As of 2007, it has sold over 114,000 copies. ''Sky Blue Sky'' Wilco returned to their loft in Chicago to record a sixth studio album in 2006. Influenced by The Byrds and Fairport Convention , the band considered '' Sky Blue Sky '' to be less experimental than previous releases. Also unlike previous albums, the songs were created as collaborations—in contrast, ''A Ghost Is Born'' featured only Tweedy creating the songs on Pro Tools.34 Last accessed July 16 , 2007 . Wilco streamed the album online on , 2007 . It also was a top forty hit in seven other countries.40 Last accessed July 16 , 2007 . MUSICAL STYLE AND INFLUENCE on July 20 , 2007 .]] Wilco's music is typically categorized as , 2007 . Wilco draws influence from bands from a variety of musical genres, but primarily from music created between 1966 and 1974.41 Last accessed July 23 , 2007 .42 Last accessed July 23 , 2007 . John Cale 's '' Paris 1919 '' was credited by the band as providing a musical parallel. According to Tweedy, "It was eye-opening that I wasn't the only person that felt like these worlds had a lot more in common than they'd been given credit for — that experimentation and avant-garde theory was not directly opposed to beauty, y'know?"43 Other recording artists from that timespan appreciated by the band include ''.Kot 2004. p. 136 Some critics have dubbed Wilco the "American Radiohead ", due to the their stylistically diverse catalog.48 Last accessed July 18 , 2007 .49 Last accessed July 18 , 2007 .50 Last accessed July 18 , 2007 . ''Rolling Stone'' described Wilco as "one of America's most consistently interesting bands" and "America's foremost rock impressionists."51 Last accessed July 18 , 2007 .52 Last accessed July 18 , 2007 . Despite critical acclaim, Wilco's influence on modern rock has been limited.53 Last accessed July 18 , 2007 . Bands that have been influenced by Wilco include Switchfoot ,54 Last accessed July 18 , 2007 . Derek Webb (of Caedmon's Call ),55 Last accessed July 17 , 2007 . The National , and Grace Potter And The Nocturnals .56 Last accessed July 18 , 2007 . English Indie Rock band Cherry Ghost took its name from a lyric from the Wilco song "Theologians" (from ''A Ghost Is Born'')—lead singer Simon Aldred is a self-proclaimed "massive Wilco fan".57 Last accessed July 17 , 2007 . DISCOGRAPHY See Also: Wilco discography Albums
BAND MEMBER TIMELINE ImageSize = width:600 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1994 till:2007 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:official value:claret legend:Official id:producer value:tan1 legend:Producer id:manager value:tan1 legend:Manager Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:1994 PlotData= width:20 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Jeff Tweedy text:"lead singer and guitarist" from:1994 till:end color:official bar:John Stirratt text:"bassist" from:1994 till:end color:official bar:Nels Cline text:"guitarist" from:2004 till:end color:official bar:Glenn Kotche text:"percussion" from:2000 till:end color:official bar:Pat Sansone text:"multi-instrumentalist" from:2004 till:end color:official bar:Mikael Jorgensen text:"pianist" from:2002 till:end color:official bar:Ken Coomer text:"percussion" from:1994 till:2000 color:official bar:Max Johnston text:"multi-instrumentalist" from:1994 till:1996 color:official bar:Brian Henneman text:"guitar" from:1994 till:1995 color:official bar:Bob Egan text:"multi-instrumentalist" from:1995 till:1998 color:official bar:Jay Bennett text:"multi-instrumentalist" from:1995 till:2001 color:official bar:Leroy Bach text:"multi-instrumentalist" from:2000 till:2004 color:official bar:Jim O'Rourke text:"producer/multi-instrumentalist (studio only)" from:2001 till:end color:producer bar:Tony Margherita text:"Manager" from:1994 till:end color:producer REFERENCES SOURCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
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