A Ghost Is Kicking Television - The Wilco Thread

Music
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Lets talk about A Ghost Is Born by Wilco in what I imagine will be one of the great one reply threads.

Can’t think of another album that has this atmosphere. Airtight, metallic thing it is. From the pristine cover (so happy with the tag btw) through the track titles and the feedback that doesn’t sound like it really wants to be there.

I think as a migraine sufferer I can completely get where he was coming from with the obvious painful moment on it but that same thing has led to me being a (c/w drugs) pretty frequent strong opiate user and the distance and sheen on this thing is very similar to what that feels like, especially as I descend into postdrome. The more visceral bits of guitar are much more stark thanks to it.

Probably his best clutch of songs. An infuriating but brilliant mixing job. Superb performances all round. Can still understand why people didn’t gel with it when it came out but it’s stuck with me and as the stasis of furlough showed up it’s been one I’ve been vibing out to quite a lot. Not an album I really shared with many people, it feels very personal so it definitely a ‘walking round in my early twenties with a discman and no idea of what to do’ album.

Glad he got better. Listened to Kicking Television today on a long drive and it’s quite remarkable how huge these songs sound in that environment. The whole thing becomes quite life affirming in that setting.

So yeah do you like this or think it’s super 6/10 material? When did you hear it? All other Wilco chat is encouraged - 10 track schmilco/whole love/Star Wars playlists, epic versions of kidsmoke, Jim O’Rourke chat, we’ll take it.

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Saw them a bunch of times around the end of this tour and the lead up to Sky Blue Sky coming out, and they were a phenomenal live band every time. 2+hr shows, totally varied set lists, everything loose enough to be exciting but tight enough to still be totally pro. Such a great band.

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A Ghost is Born is great! My third favourite of theirs, that 1999-2004 period was their peak.

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I had tickets to see them circa the whole love and gave them to mum and dad cause I couldn’t make it. Still haven’t seen them and am desperate to

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I’m sure they’re still really good - I’d actually really like to see them again, it’s been a fair while.

But also the set lists around that time? Bangers, 100%

This was one of the shows I went to:

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That is an embarrassment of riches really. Well jel.

Will definitely see them next time, it always seems to clash with something!

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Fucking love this album and can remember when it came put just rinsing those first three tracks. Great shronking guitars and a driving rhythm that even had my previously uninterested flatmate, who just dismissed altcountry pretty much outright, wondering where this album had came from.

Saw them live around about this time too and they were such a cohesive band and the drumming was outrageously good.

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Great setlist that night too:

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Still yet to see Wilco live. The run through from Summerteeth through to Kicking Television is just incredible. Need to go back and relisten to this.

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Yeah I really zoned in on the sound of those drums on KT today. Gorgeous

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In my top ten albums of all time, wishful thinking is really beautiful. Was listening to kicking television just yesterday too

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Wilco were a huge inspiration for me on how to be experimental but keep things melodic. I get a shimmery summery youthful feeling when I hear them now, like when you smell creosote on a fence

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This has made me very happy :smiley:

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Got rid of my overdrive pedal and only use fuzz now, love that frayed thin tone on the solos

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This makes so much sense now when I think about your production

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Wilco are great live, but Jeff Tweedy solo at EOTR was an utterly magic set

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Really sad how boring they’ve gotten but I still hold out hope there’s another surprise in there after Star Wars came out of nowhere.

Hard to fault much of anything from Being There through to Sky Blue Sky though

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I have lots of love for Wilco (the album). One Wing and Bull Black Nova might be their best on some days

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Yeah just schmilco fell totally flat for me and jeff’s first solo album had a fai bit of bloat I thought. Bet he/they are still great live though

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Started my Monday morning with AGIB, thanks @Fintans_Cat :relaxed:

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