The Wilco Book
by Fred Tomaselli, Wilco
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Book Summary Information
Author: Fred Tomaselli, WilcoPhotographer: Boris Mikhailov
Photographer: Michael Schmelling
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-11-02
ISBN: 0971367035
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: PictureBox, Inc.
Book Reviews of The Wilco Book
Book Review: jeff as a team player
Summary: 5 Stars
Much has been made of jeff being the "boss" of Wilco. I'm sure he has the final say on most of the goings on but this book proves without a doubt what a collaborative effort the Wilco team really is! The book is funny, fun, interesting, exciting, inciteful... It can be browsed, read in chunks or read in one giant sitting. I have had the most fun opening it randomly and letting my eyes and head wander. It is intellectually and emotionally stimulating. Cool. I'm not trying to be pretentious or anything. If you get yr hands on the book you gotta know what to expect, at least a little bit. The disc is...interesting. that's an adjective used when reviewers can't find a polite way of saying they don't totally like the music but in this instance the music really is interesting. It does sound like outtakes but listened to straight thru gives a wonderful overview of the "Wilco process". And there are some structured songs too that are awesome like the alternate version of "Hummingbird". Anyway, lovers of art, culture, literature and music will be satisfied to the fullest. There's something there for everyone. It's truely worth the $ and effort.
Summary of The Wilco Book
This is a book about Wilco and the pictorial, literary and musical world it conjures up on record and in performance. Created in collaboration with Jeff Tweedy, Wilco and Tony Margherita, this primarily visual book explores what Wilco does, how it does it, and where it all comes together. The band narrates the book in the form of long captions accompanying a variety of images: a Korean postcard, a Stratocaster, a backstage practice session, and so on. Along the way, central topics such as instruments, touring and recording are covered both in general (i.e., what happens, physically, when a guitar string breaks) and specific to Wilco. Just as the band assembles its disparate talents and inspirations to make music, this book coheres in the end to reveal a 40-minute CD of original, unreleased songs. Just as Wilco experiments with music by turning convention on its head, this book is an utterly new take on the old genre of the rock 'n' roll book. The Wilco Book will look and read like a Wilco record sounds; it's a translation of the band's sensibility from sound into print.Between all the critical acclaim, Greg Kot's book on the band, and the introspective I Am Trying to Break Your Heart documentary, you'd think that pretty much everything has already been said about Wilco. But The Wilco Book--the influential rock band's 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 Wilco's 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 Wilco's 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: it's a wonderful mix of compelling experimentation and heartfelt sentiment. A must-have for Wilco lovers. --Jason Verlinde
Tweedy Talks Wilco on Record
Amazon.com Music Editor Jason Verlinde talks with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy about the book, the band's music, and more in our special audio interview:
Looking for more Wilco? Check out Amazon.com's complete list of Wilco on CD.
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