For Wilco chords, CLICK HERE!
By Chris Moore:
Welcome back for another installment of “Chris Moore Monday” here at the Laptop Sessions. I’m excited to bring you another installment in my little Wilco project. I decided a couple months ago that I would like to record one song from each of their albums — since there are six, I figured that would be a reasonable goal.
I’ve already recorded from their first album (“Box of Letters” from A.M.), third album (“How to Fight Loneliness” from Summerteeth), fourth album (“I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot), and now I’m happy to present “Wishful Thinking,” a track from their fifth album, A Ghost is Born.
This album took me a little time to get into, but once I did, I really grew to love the songs. There aren’t really any songs on the album that stand out as single-worthy; in fact, I don’t believe they even released a single. But, as you become more and more familiar with the songs, you begin to pick up on the subtle nuances in both the instrumentation and the vocals. Considering the album’s twelve tracks, I thought this one would work best as a solo acoustic number. In addition, I think the vocals are a particularly good match for my range and style, so I’m always excited when that happens…
Although I chose this song, my instant favorite track on the album was “Company In My Back.” I didn’t even know what that meant at first, but I loved the song, so I had to do some research so I could fully understand what I was singing along to! I may yet record that track (coincidentally the song that follows “Wishful Thinking”) for a future “Members Only” video or a surprise non-Monday video. After all, with so many great bands and songs that we haven’t covered, I don’t feel like I can spend too much time on any one artist, even if they’re one of my favorites…
So, I’ll hold myself back from recording my final two Wilco songs of this little “project” at least for a while. I did finally buy the second Wilco studio album today with a Best Buy gift card from Christmas. That was exciting, if a bit sad, since that’s the final gap in my Wilco collection. But, it’s a double album, so it’s a sizeable gap and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it. I’ve only had time to listen to the first disc, and I was distracted for part of it, so I think I’ll put it on as I get ready for bed.
I should share that the second CD I bought with the gift card today is Warren Zevon’s 1991 album Mr. Bad Example. Apparently, this is the “Encore: Back in Print Imprint” version. If I recall properly, this album was such a flop when it came out that it went out of print until recently. I couldn’t be more excited, as my second favorite Zevon album of all time is The Envoy, his eighties album that was so poorly received that his record label dropped him. And I love that one! What a shame.
On a personal note, outside of my DVD player temporarily going haywire last night, I had a really relaxing weekend. For those of you who don’t teach and/or have work that you bring home, that’s also code for “I didn’t really get much work done.” Oh, well. The week will begin soon enough, and as good ole T.S. Eliot wrote, “There will be time. There will be time.” I hope so, because I’m going into midterms with a slightly larger pile of work than I hoped for and my BEST portfolio on the horizon…
Oh, and I almost forgot. If you haven’t already, you should check out my review of Meade Skelton’s new single “My Loudoun County Home,” which I posted yesterday. Jim and I are quite excited to have our music reviews section expanding, so go ahead and read them all! Or, if you don’t have time for that, then browse the archive for another awesome “Jim Fusco Tuesday.”
See you next session!
Editor’s note: this post was originally published before December 2015; the exact original date is uncertain.