Wilco, A.M. (1995)

I was a Wilco fan from Being There – I had to go back to hear this one. And then to Uncle Tupelo and now this album makes more sense as a last Uncle Tupelo record, rather than a first Wilco album. That’s because of the distance between the bands and albums, Wilco are a different beast altogether, refined, polished – with that fierce almost-too-clever experimental trilogy in the middle of their career. I like A.M. on vinyl; it’s made me care about the songs a lot more than I used to. I used to just chuck it on playing catch up. Figuring that Passenger Side would probably be played at the gig, or that I should be across this music since I liked all of the rest of it. But I’ve sat down with the LP and enjoyed the rustic, far-more country sounds. Maybe it’ll always be the one that sticks out the least in the band’s career – but it will also always be the one that started it. And I’m glad I have a copy to enjoy (still) from time to time. (Also, all the Wilco albums on vinyl have a CD-copy of the album as well. A nice touch).

Sample Track: Casino Queen