Amazon.com Review
Between all the critical acclaim, Greg Kots book on the band, and the introspective I Am Trying to Break Your Heart documentary, youd think that pretty much everything has already been said about Wilco. But The Wilco Book--the influential rock bands own scrapbook of photos, observations, and random notes--has more than a few revelations for fans. Here we get beautiful photographs of musical instruments (taken apart, being fixed and played) interspersed with quotes about their studio, their performance and recording habits, and their songwriting. Some may think a close-up of a Gibson guitar is a mundane affair, but to Wilcos Jeff Tweedy, that tool of the trade is an important element in the music-making process, worthy of plenty of attention. In addition, there are numerous shots of the band, random images by Fred Tomaselli, a new essay on the ensemble by Rick Moody, and "The Angel Is My Watermark," a piece by Henry Miller that resonates with the group. The enclosed 12-track CD contains previously unheard tracks from the A Ghost Is Born sessions. A couple tunes ("Diamond Claw," "What Good Am I") rank with Wilcos best work, while the rest show the band in the midst of the creative process, making aural sketches. All-told, the poignant randomness of The Wilco Book unfolds like a great Wilco album: its a wonderful mix of compelling experimentation and heartfelt sentiment. A must-have for Wilco lovers. --Jason Verlinde
Tweedy Talks Wilco on Record This is a book about Wilco and the pictorial, literary, and musical world they conjure up on record and in performance. The Wilco Book looks and reads like a Wilco record sounds its a translation of the bands sensibility from sound into print. It features dozens of never-before-seen photographs of the band by Michael Schmelling accompanied by reflections, drawings and photographs by members of Wilco. Also included are essays by Henry Miller and Rick Moody, paintings by Fred Tomaselli, visual images by Bern Porter, and a compact disc of unreleased music. Through words and images the book explores what Wilco does, how it does it, and where it all comes together. Includes a 40-minute CD of original, unreleased songs. Track listing:
Amazon.com Music Editor Jason Verlinde talks with Wilcos Jeff Tweedy about the book, the bands music, and more in our special audio interview:
Looking for more Wilco? Check out Amazon.coms complete list of Wilco on CD.Product Description
By Wilco and Peter Buchanan-Smith and Dan Nadel with contributions by Henry Miller, Rick Moody, Michael Schmelling, Fred Tomaselli
Pure Bug Beauty
This Is New
Diamond Claw
This Is New (The Explanation)
What Good Am I
Here Comes Everybody
Hummingbird (Soma version)
The High Heat
Doubt
Barnyard Pimp
Rottnest
Hamami
Rate Points :4.0
Binding :Hardcover
Label :PictureBox, Inc.
Manufacturer :PictureBox, Inc.
ProductGroup :Book
Studio :PictureBox, Inc.
Publisher :PictureBox, Inc.
EAN :9780971367036
Price :$29.95USD
Lowest Price :$11.75USD
Customer ReviewsGreat Book For any Wilco Fan
Rating Point :4 Helpful Point :1
Great book for any Wilco fan. Just finished the book today. It also comes with a nice CD of unreleased songs! That was a nice little surprise. Very high quality book with alot of pictures. Good read.
Rating Point :4 Helpful Point :7
If this last guy wants to go off on Tweedy for being pretentious, then he shouldnt use the word "didatic" and then misspell "heywire" (its spelled haywire, dude).
I think the price of enjoying an artist that refuses to fit into a box is that he sometimes can seem a bit pretentious. Deal with it. If you cant then go back to you Nickelback CDs...
Self-Congratulation Run Amok
Rating Point :1 Helpful Point :23
Wilco is a great band (their latest, A ghost is born, notwithstanding), but theyve let their pretentions get the best of them. The once great Rick Moodys essay, in particular, is particularly painful in every way an essay can be. I was greatly disappointed by this book of self-congratulation: Essays detailing why Wilco is so great (answer according to them: because their experimentation is better than a nameless Everyone Elses status quo - as if The Flaming Lips and Beck and numerous others dont even exist) pointless photographs (example: a boombox with a leaf next to it. Gee, thanks guys) and a CD full of Noise, which Wilco has officially decided is DEEPER than real music. They have become blinded by the notion that impenetrability equals depth and brilliance. In the case of this book and cd, it most certainly does not. They got the balance right on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and now they just dont know what to do anymore. Its a shame theyve opted for arty pretention, because they still have the potential to be one of our times most vital bands. I would only recommend this book to huge wilco fans that have lots of money to waste.
Coffee Table Art
Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :9
The Wilco Book is a great book if you enjoy the creative process. This book is less about the band and more about how they record, why they do it, and what the environment around them looks or feels like while they are doing it. Its an open-minded look at a process most of us dont enjoy on the same scale, but that we can all relate to in our own creative lives.
The accusations of pretense are understandable. But if you are someone who loves the process as much as the finished product this will be an inspiring piece. The cd and the book fit perfectly together in creating a mood of idea exploration. I found this book insightful and a very nice addition to a progressingly great body of work.
Gracing my coffee table for years to come
Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :1
This is a wonderful buy for all fans of the band. It really brings you into the Wilco circle. Excerpts and essays by and about the band, their methods, and their ideas are attractively presented through a series of pretentiously artsy photos. There is not nearly as much hard info as Greg Kots magnificent Wilco: Learning How to Die, but the two books are completely different reading expereinces. The Wilco Book is not meant for plowing through it is meant for experiencing.
The book also comes with a CD. These are not the polished studio gems of Summerteeth or the country rockers of AM. These are sonic experiments from the "a Ghost is Born era", and have a feeling of no pressure. Tweedy and co work together - Glenns influence is really felt here. "Pure Bug Beauty" is a favorite of mine, although "diamond claw" is cool, "barnyard pimp" struts its stuff, and the alternate version of "hummingbird" will be a highlight for many.
By now the story has become music-industry lore--part cautionary tale, part barometer of the times. When alt-country-cum-experimental rock indie heroes Wilco turned in their 4th album (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot) to its label, Reprise, a division of Warner
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Amazon.comThis splendid documentary captures the band Wilcos struggles (both with their record company and within the band itself) while recording their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart is completely engrossing, whether
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