Live blogging Wilco's album "The Whole Love"

Ok, here we go!

1.  "The Art of Almost" - It's got a modern Peter Gabriel feel to it that's for sure--proggy, earthy, innovative, symphonic, drony, but constantly groovy.  It's long at over 7 minutes, but you get lost in it somewhere.  The raunchy guitar solo work is on another planet.  This song is saying, "There's a lot of others songs to come, but you gotta get through this one first."  It's like an initiation.

2.  "I Might" is a classic Wilco sound.  Constant snare keeps it going.  Deep thick bass and low guitar play a riff with the verses.  Then the chorus opens up louder in a minor seventh.  The organ and xylophone join in.  Back to the verse. Ooh that low piano on every second bar mimicking the bass riff just rips!  This song is all about that riff and instruments and voices come and go taking you on a journey where people get on and off.  Almost like a subway with the speed of the song.

3.  "Sunloathe" continues from the last song with no break but it's in a different key and slowed right down with ambience and a wavy piano arpeggio.  Not really sure where this song is going.  Seems like a contrast filler experimental.  Very Beatlesesque, especially those vocal harmonies and the drumming is so Ringo it's ridiculous.

4.  "Dawned On Me" returns to the classic Wilco sound that we just heard on "I Might".  This seems like a better continuation of it.  Constant snare again in parts and low fuzzy e-string that builds with instruments and sounds hopping on and off.  Ooh, I like the bridge that opens up into the wacked. out. solo. short.  Now he's whistling.  I can't keep up with everything that's going on.  This one will grow on me.  The chorus has a memorable melody.  Basslines are very McCartney-sounding.

5.  "Black Moon" is a dark low picked acoustic guitar drone tone with Jeff and his smokey low voice.  I love this kind of music... Sheryl Crow has done stuff like this before.  The dojo steel rings and rounds out the whole song and the cellos take over really giving it an earthy feel.  I can certainly see me driving through the mountains on this one.  The orchestral work is brilliant, subtle, and necessary.  The chord arrangements are bang on--kind of Blue Rodeoish at times.  A very delicate but strong song. 

6.  "Born Alone" is a stripped down classic Wilco sounding song.  But then the distant electric guitar takes off for a short time and stops.  It almost reminds me of Sheryl Crow's "Everyday is a Winding Road"--the verse melodies and two chord timings. Almost.  Then it's noisy with everyone joining in into a long one minute fade out.

7.  "Open Mind" is a slowed down 6/8 timed countryish waltz.  I love the tone of the electric guitar--definitely a Fender Strat and definitely the best part of this song.

8.  "Capitol City" is a simple sounding ditty.  Almost a British 1920's carnival sound.  This song would fit on a soundtrack, with its pulsating strum and back and forth bass line. 


9.  "Standing O" is an anthemic rocker sounding like it was released by Elvis Costello in '78 with the wanky organ punches.  The verses alternate between major and minor and the song rarely has a chance to breathe.

10.  "Rising Red Lung" is another quiet acoustic picked tune with Jeff's low voice.  It takes it's time to build up, but you get there and finally join.  Melodies don't allow you to join in on any singing.  It's more like an instrumental.  Beautiful though.

11.  "Whole Love" starts with a basic guitar riff for four bars then drums and Rhodes piano join in with lyrics and the song continues in a head bobbing riff with acoustic guitar strumming matching the drums.

12. "One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)" is a very acoustically driving song with guitars, piano, and snare brushes skipping along the rhythm.  And there's the xylophone accent again!  The song could almost be on Blue Rodeo's epic "Five Days In July" (1993) album.  The piano work is perfect.  Wait, it reminds me more of the Barenaked Ladies version of Bruce Cockburn's "Lovers In A Dangerous Time"--one of their first videos where they're on the back of a truck in the Toronto cold driving around.  Yeah, that's more like it.  Whoa!  The song's over 12 minutes!  Ok, let's see where it goes after the five minute mark... ... ... Ok, we're at 11 minutes now... it's still going... just humming and droning.  Excellent background music.

Now onto the Bonus Tracks!

13.  "I Love My Label" is a pretty basic rock song with the metaphor of a girlfriend as a record label.  I've heard this type of song a million times.

14.  "Message From Mid-bar" is another earthy tune with a cool acoustic guitar riff and dojo ringing in the back.  Kind of a depressing song, but intentionally convoluted.

15.  "Speak Into The Rose" has a reverbed low electric joined by an old polyphonic synth.  This sounds very much like "Kidsmoke"... drony as hell.  Drum beat is a weird off-timed thingy then crescendo to the climax and fade out.  Blah. 

16.  "Black Moon (Alternate Version)".  Alternate version?  Sounds the same so far.

17.  "Sometimes It Happens" starts off with the lyrics right away.  The title words are memorable.  Much simpler and less produced, which is what I'm preferring here.  I like this tune.  The orchestra coupled with organ coming in is a nice touch to take you to the third verse.  A very mature song and one of the best of the bunch. 

Overall, I think this album is overproduced.  Too many things going on at times and the song gets lost in the noise.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the Wilco noise as a stark contrast to the quiet groove the underlies it, but there's little of that.  There are very few chances to sing along to anything.  Jeff never really belts it out, almost like he's holding back compared to other albums.  Perhaps it's more mature.  I love the xylophone accents as always.  What really dominates is the low rhythm guitars.  The symphonic overlay is well done.  I can really see Wilco playing this whole album live with an orchestra.  I like about half the songs.  It's not that I don't like the other half, but would probably skip them to get to the good stuff.

Hatrock gives Wilco's "The Whole Love" 3 fists out of 5.  Not their best work but not terrible either.

Coming soon... review of "Fly From Here" by Yes

In summary... brilliant!  A more detailed review to come shortly.

The Top 9 Most Influential Prog Albums Ever

If Boobie can do it, then so can I... here are The Top 9 Most Influential Prog albums ever.  Not "the best" necessarily, but "most influential", not just on subsequent prog bands but on other pop and metal rock bands too.  And why Top 9?  Because it's prog, it's supposed to be different.  But take note that most of the albums here are between 1967 and 1974 ("..the year rock achieved perfection, it's a scientific fact" - Homer Simpson) also known as the Golden Age of Prog, and all are from the UK except Rush.

9.  Yes -- "Relayer" (1974).  This album was influential in that no one ever dared to try to go where Yes went with this one ever since (not even Yes themselves), except for the odd hint of chaos here and there.  The following is a review from Progarchives.com that defines this album better than anyone ever could.

"...RELAYER gathers all the band's mounting energy at their volatile and explosive creative peak, and blasts it out into space in one supercharged musical rush. I would liken it more to a sun going supernova. In these three pieces of music, there is more fury and beauty than most other "prog bands" could muster throughout their whole careers, and certainly the musicianship of RELAYER has yet to be challenged by anyone. Steve Howe's guitar work throughout is unparalleled within the entire progressive canon, period -- no other guitarist is capable of evoking the range of tones and emotions Steve does in even a single piece such as "The Gates of Delirium". Stinging scalar runs, dive-bombing pyrotechnics, cosmic sustain leads, the most beautiful slide-guitar tones ever -- it's all here. Patrick Moraz replaces Wakeman on keys and proceeds to rip out glorious synth excursions which carry the band beyond the confines of their previous classicism, while CHRIS SQUIRE and ALAN WHITE submit possibly the greatest rhythm section performance of all time. "Sound Chaser" pretty much sets the bar for guitar-driven virtuosic prog, while "To Be Over" manages to be as intensely beautiful as the previous two tracks are aggressive. Although Yes had quite a few more masterpieces ahead of them, never would the otherworldy plateau of RELAYER be fully revisited."

8. Rush -- "2112" (1976).  I'd be remiss if I didn't put Rush on here.  You know, the band that most rockers themselves secretly love?  After the "Caress Of Steel" flop, the record company wanted them to go more mainstream.  Rush said "Fuck you, we're doing it our way or we're done" and they ended up sticking to the man so much that it influenced their own music to write about a futuristic man sticking it to the establishment.  Exploding back (literally explosion sounds on the song) and resurrecting themselves with a new energy, not only is the title track legendary, but all of the side two songs are excellent (yes, even Tears and the mellotron).  I remember the first time I heard this album in 1995 (yeah, yeah, I know..) .. I wished I was old enough in '76 to be there when it came out, with the headphones on in my parents' basement.   The super long multipart full side song shows just how tight musicianship they had. And who tunes a guitar in the middle of a song?  Alex Lifeson does, that's who.  The man vs. priests part with Geddy changing his range to fit is just brilliant.  If anything, this album may have influenced Star Wars and all other space movies after that, but most importantly, without this album, there wouldn't be Rush and their brilliant subsequent four albums after that and all great rock drummers after that wouldn't be as good (yes, Mike Portnoy, I'm talking to you).  And I'm gonna say it, prog metal was born in the year 2112.

7. Jethro Tull -- "Thick As A Brick" (1971).  Seriously? One song? 45 minutes long and fucking goddamn dynamic too?  Flute?  Sure, why the hell not!  Folk prog was born.  I have no idea what the fuck he's singing about and I don't care but the vocals in this one compliment the instruments perfectly that it's like another instrument.  These guys are still rocking and touring too.  They influenced all other whole side songs, but no one had you turn over the album in the middle of the song before. 

6. Genesis -- "Nursery Crime" (1971).  "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" is a long brilliant flowing song With Peter Gabriel up front, melodic keys from Tony Banks, subtle bass lines from Mike Rutherford, and Phil on drums with Steve Hackett on guitar, this is one of the most influential prog line ups ever who would then influence 80's British pop music like no other.

5. King Crimson -- "In The Court Of The Crimson King" (1969).  I had the pleasure of seeing Asia play the title track of this one live in Boston in 2009.  Yes, you heard me, Asia, 40 years later, played it.  If that isn't influence, then I don't know what is.  This album bourne eclectic rock and even influenced later Yes albums. So much so that Bill Bruford left Yes to join them on drums.  The album cover alone is well known in artsy fartsy album cover circles and is by far, the ugliest yet most striking.  Anyway, back to the music... Robert Fripp is simply an odd songwriter.  What goes on in his head?  I don't know, but it takes you where you never thought music should go, just where all other proggy eclectic artists picked up from and are still dipping back into.

4. Pink Floyd -- "Dark Side Of The Moon" (1973).  It still floors me that this was released in '73.  It was waaaaaaaay ahead of its time in terms of production.  Psychedelic space rock is born!  Not only that, but damn, it DOES make a good soundtrack to "The Wizard of Oz".  Oh, and it contains the very very first techno song too... flying beds and all!

3. The Who -- "Tommy" (1969).  A rock opera?  What the fuck is that?  Oh!  This was a ground-breaking double album.  The movie was wacked out on well, everything...  As much as I hate musicals, most of the key individual songs can stand on their own, yet it all flows and blends together.  It's basically the original full-length concept album influencing all other blendy concept albums thereafter.

2. Yes -- "Fragile" (1971).  This album starts with "Roundabout", still one of the most popular prog songs of all time contains the best Hammond organ keyboard solos of all time (ask Jack Black).  All members of the quintessential classic Yes lineup each get a chance to strut their musicianship in a song.  "Cans and Brahms" for Rick Wakeman , "We Have Heaven" for Jon Anderson, "The Fish" for Chris Squire, and "Mood For A Day" for Steve Howe.  Bill Bruford (who went on to King Crimson) rules on "Heart Of The Sunrise", another lengthy proggy masterpiece.  "South Side Of The Sky" is one of their best songs, original, long, cool, dynamic.  "Long Distance Runaround" proved they can still stick to short poppier songs, but it's also very tight and how it blends into "The Fish" shows some production wizardry.  One thing is for sure, this album is the baseline influence for the next several Yes albums, which gave Rush inspiration for their prog side.  This album proved that 5 guys with egos can work together... for a little while anyway.  Yes, even as individual band members, would go on to influence well, pretty much everybody after this album because it grabbed more attention than "The Yes Album" before it.

1.  The Beatles -- "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967).  Without this album, none of the above would have existed.  With George Martin producing, fans were taken to a whole other world of sound that no one, and I mean, no one ever thought possible. The fab four could have recorded farts and everyone would have still bought it and been influenced by it.  You could say "Revolver" as an album was influential indeed, but Sgt. Pepper's has "A Day In The Life", really a two-part song with John then Paul is one of the great orchestral prog productions ever recorded.  Symphonic prog was born.

Honourable mentions:

• Emerson, Lake, and Palmer -- "Tarkus" (1971).  Three-piece organ no-guitar prog is born.
• Kansas -- "Leftoverture" (1976). "Carry On My Wayward Son" resurrected the band.  Also contains "Cheyenne Anthem" and "Magnum Opus" .. by the titles alone, you KNOW they've gotta be proggy.
• Rush -- "Moving Pictures" (1981).  Rush even says it's their best album.  
• The Beatles -- "Revolver" (1967).  This is when they started going off into la la land.

The Top 10 Most Influential Metal albums ever

Former blogger on here, Boobie, just sent me this...

Love ' or hate 'em, here they are: The Top 10 Most Influential Metal albums ever.

 

10. Marilyn Mason: Antichrist Superstar (he sucks, but this album did influnce everything that happened in U.S. metal in the last two decades.  All that shitty Nu-Metal?  Thank Marilyn Manson and Hip-Hop for it)

 

9. Pantera: "Cowboys From Hell" proof that Metal could survive in the 90s.  Lots of other bands were doing it, but there hadn't been anything this ANGRY in years.  Probably the band most responsible for metal's rebirth.

 

8. Queensryche: "Operation Mindcrime".  nothing that Symphony X, Statovarius, Sonata Arctica, the GREAT Dream Theater and any other "prog" metal act would have amounted to shit if not for this album.  Arguably the first prog metal band, and a helluva concept album.

 

7. Alice Cooper: "Billion Dollar Babies". He put the shock in rock.  This is Cooper's classic (pre Nightmare days).  This is the one that REALLY put Alice on the map and it changed what a rock concept could be.  If he welcomed us to his Nightmare in '75, this is how the bad dream started.

 

6. Judas Priest: British Steel.  It's a classic.  It has attitude.  It's loud.  It's mean.  And it has influenced most of the European metal (especially the Germans) that have come after it.  The Scorpions, Helloween, even Blind Guardian, owe at least a tip of the hat to this one.

 

5. Iron Maiden: The Number Of The Beast.  for a brief period in time, Iron Maiden was the heaviest band in the world.  Hard to imagine now, but it's true.  This is what made them great.  Bruce Dickinson's first album with the band, and "Run To The Hills" is still one of the most downloaded songs in the world (it's true).  It took the sound of metal in a new direction, gave prominence to the bass guitar (go Steve Harris!), and made metal as theatrical as any glam rock band that ever was.

 

4. Venom: Black Metal.  OK.  This album stinks.  No question.  But without it, there would be no thrash metal.  They set the bar for GOOD bands like Metallica (back when they WERE good). Megadeath and Slayer to blow everybody out of the water.

 

3. Slayer: Reign In Blood.  28 minutes of fury.  Nothing had ever been faster, angrier, or more intense until that moment. 

 

2. Metallica: Master Of Puppets.  My personal favorite metal album of all time.  It remains a classic for a reason.  Every track is brilliant.  It's heavy, mean, and has a point.  I wonder if the band listened to it and said "fuck.  we're done".  After the tragedy of Cliff Burton's death shortly after the album's release, maybe they SHOULD have hung 'em up, consdiering they've NEVER come close to anything this good again, and likely never will.

 

1. Black Sabbath: Paranoid.  It started it all.  Not Sabbath's first, or even best, album, but it set the trend for EVERYTHING that came after it.  I don't think there's a SINGLE metal, hard rock, or punk act that doesn't pay homage to this album in some way.  Not the best metal album of all time, but certainly the most influential.

 

 

Who's not on the list?

 

Megadeth: They ARE, without a doubt, one of the best metal bands out there, but I just don't see them as THAT influential.  Sure, Dave Mustaine's ability to play has probably influenced every single good guitar player out there, but has any one album really been THAT INFLUENTIAL?  Several are classics (notably Rust In Peace and Countdown to Extinction) but Iwouldn't call it influential.

 

Anthrax: They just plain suck.  They're overrated, and always were.  If anything, they influenced Nu Metal more than Marilyn Manson did, but I can't in good conscience include them on my list.

 

System Of A Down: Great band.  Not influential.  Why? Nobody else has the balls to sound ANYTHING like them at all.

 

Helloween: They call them the first "power metal" band.  What's power metal?  It's thrash that sounds cleaned up.  Nope.  Great band, but not influential.