Customer Reviews

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot [ENHANCED]

5 star:		(344)
4 star:		(68)
3 star:		(44)
2 star:		(39)
1 star:		(49)

 

 

i bought this album after hearing practically no wilco previous to the purchase and for about 6 months is stayed that way . i listened once , thought "heavy metal drummer" was bland , "war on war" was downright boring and "jesus ect. was the only thing that kept me listening then after hearing the live version of "jesus ect." on a steady basis it brought me back to YHF and thank got it did . this is a brilliant album on so many levels . Frontman Jeff Tweedy's lyrics and the music created by the band work hand in hand creating something all together cohesive which is a rare thing . odd samples , rhythms that can creep up on you and the ability the break through the whole alternative country thing are just a small part of making this a special album . SO BUY IT......NOW......like NOW NOW !

Since so many people have reviewed this album already, I have no illusions about saying something for the first time nor plan on repeating what has already expressed fully and well.
I do still -specially for those people reading this after listening to YFH's follow-up the also impressive "A Ghost Is Born- need to point to a couple of important things that this album show about Wilco's consistently surprising output.
This album clearly demonstrates that Jeff Tweedy's musical vision and commitment to shed songwriting skins is remarkable and an inspiration, specially in the current midst of so many Rock and Pop icons continuing to repeat themselves, who at best flavor their "butter" differently but go on churning the same formula, forgetting to take the kind of risks that made them important in the first place.
Now, unlike many people have mourned earlier, I don't think this album is an absolute departure from what Wilco has been hailed for before. Although this is not "Summerteeth" or "Being There," Tweedy's love for Pop has not been renounced, "Kamera," "Heavy Metal Drummer" and "Pot Kettle Black" proved that.
More than abandoning former song-glories, Tweedy has evolved, has taken all that he can do and pushed it further into a new atmosphere. Where Jay Bennet was so instrumental in what the albums that preceded this one sounded like, Jim O'Rourke is now Tweedy's full musical partner.
And O'Rourke is no Yoko breaking a great band -actually Yoko did not either!- but rather someone who helped Tweedy say well what he was already prepared to say. His production deepens and thrusts these songs to a higher level. " Ashes of American Flags," "I am Trying to Break Your Heart" and "Radio Cure" are magnificent examples of a composer and a producer making music together that reaches farther that either one would have managed on his own.
This is a great album, not the end of a certain Wilco but the evolution of a sound into brave, new and exciting new possibilities.

Like most listeners, it took me several listens before I could even really tolerate many of the songs on YHF. Now I consider it brilliant and truly beautiful. I assure anyone concerned that people only like this album because it's different that my love for the album is genuine. Two years later and the songs still seem to connect more with each listen. The lyrics are sometimes cryptic but make more sense over time and have a distinctive flavor. The song-writing is not really as groundbreaking as some might proclaim, but the production of the songs is brilliant. Although the songwriting certainly comes from a different angle, I can't avoid the comparison to Pink Floyd with the incorporation of extraneous soundeffects into the flow of the songs. Ashes of American Flags is particularly brilliant in this regard, with two stunning but simple guitar parts cutting through out of the swirling static. The result of the production is that even lines of music that essentially amount to pop gain an otherworldly glow; Pot Kettle Black is another great example of this, as is I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. I would also be doing an injustice if I didn't mention how much I love I'm The Man Who Loves You, with its swelling conclusion. This is a collection of songs that would be good without the magical glow of the brilliant production, but which gains a unique appeal in its combination of swirling dissonances and common sense melodies. Buy this album! There's a decent chance you won't like it, but it will become a cherished possession if you do; it occupies a completely unique space in music and will move you more with each listen.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have in our presence an album that breaks ground much the same way Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of The Moon" did. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is a mind blowing experience that takes Wilco from alt-country to art. Finally burying the legacy of being a piece of the former Uncle Tupelo, this record works on all levels. The songs are well written and meaningful, except perhaps for Heavy Metal Drummer, but even intense drama needs a laugh to lighten the air. This is on my top ten of all time list along with The Beatles "Abbey Road", Pink Floyd's "Dark Side", The Replacements "Let It Be" and a few others. Buy this record!

I'm not at all a fan of whatever genre Wilco were before this album. I've never heard any Uncle Tupelo, and I don't own any other Wilco alubms.

Which is to let you know that coming to this album completely out of the blue, on the basis of great reviews, hype and friends who are fans, I'd have to say this album is pure genius.

If they ever were country, or anything like what passes for country these days, this album is a miracle. It is intelligent and innovative (everything most country is not) and yet, somehow the songs are all simple and catchy as possible.

A beatiful mix of songwriting, experimentation and whatever additional genius went into it.

This is the first Wilco album I've ever heard, and I must say its amazing. Coming from a new listener's point of view, I think the songs are really amazing in that they are experimental but highly listenable. Little sound effects in songs like Radio Cure and (my favorite track) I am trying to break your heart make the album really interesting. The songs seem to be really well written also. I particularly like Jesus, etc... it almost reminds me of a Steely Dan song.

Most of the songs on the album are really mellow. It seems pretty laid back, although some songs transform from subtle acoustic tunes to pure white noise, which isnt a bad thing. If you're used to standard verse-chorus-verse song styles and nothing out of the ordinary, you might not enjoy this album. It's definitely something different, which is fine with anyone who has listened to experimental music before. As I said before, the great part about this album is that although it is experimental, the songs are still good quality and you can enjoy them over and over.

This album is possibly the best rock album since The Talking Heads masterpiece "remain in light". Jeff tweedy's song writing is not to be believed. Anybody who doesn't like this album is clearly avert to change. These people are pushing the boundries of what music is. These people are all about the music, theres no glitz, glam, or sex appeal. It's just a bunch of guy writing and playing some of the greatest music ever written. If you dont like this album, you obviously aren't smart enough to get it. The music is far to sophisticated for anyone who likes rap or pop.

AM - Wilco tries to be the Stones. They're not the stones, they're not Gram Parsons, but so what I've heard all the stones songs and all the Gram Parsons songs a million times. I wanna hear something slightly different, but the same if ya know what I mean. Good, but to play when I'm so sick of the originals.

Being There - Same as AM review, but slightly more experimental. It could have been interesting, but its not. Some more killer stonesy songs however.

Summertime - Abandoned the stones/Gram for the Beatles/Brian Wilson sound. I actually like it better. It's no less derivative, but I do like it better than their stones rip-offs.

YHF - White Album??????? I like it, but then my wife started to like it too and I started to get really sick of it. Definately a beatles rip-off. The more experimental stuff doesn't quite work cause Tweedy isn't really a musician. He can't pull off like the Beatles/George Martin/Brian Wilson/etc. Its enjoyable.

Everyone knows the drama behind this record. Their label refused it because they did not hear a "hit single" on it. So Wilco buys their record from their label and circulate it underground via internet and important record reviewers. "Yankee Foxtrot Hotel" gains such a buzz. That Warner Music Group the same label that rejected this album offers more money to put the album out of Nonesuch which is the avant-garde label of Warners. It was a triumph of art over style and superficality. A middle finger to MTV, Clear Channel and Fred Durst. Without Yankee Foxtrot Hotel, the successes of Modest Mouse and Franz Ferdinand could not happen. That is why this album is important!

The music press has me convinced: I should like Wilco. Their roots go back further than any of their contemporaries, and they have a complex and deep history of their own. Seems like a good current band for an 'older' fan who doesn't find much unprocessed sincerity in today's stuff. Perhaps the new, as yet unreleased cd's lineup, will do it, but so far, I think these guys need a few more music lessons. Sure, it's cool not to flaunt virtuosity, but it should always be waiting in the wings.