A.M.

 (64 customer reviews)

I absolutely love this record. I am a relatively new fan to Wilco (about a year and a half), but they have quickly become my favorite band. My first Wilco record was Summerteeth (which was the best record of 1999) and from there I've worked my way backward chronologically (in fact I now have every record by Wilco, and Uncle Tupelo). Jeff Tweedy's ear for a pop hook was at it's peak with this album. It's an album in the truest sense... no filler, no need to skip a single song, and every tune will have you singing along so that you'll wonder how you've lived without this music in your life until now. Wilco is a band that you don't merely like, but love. I hope you've got some extra cash laying around because once you buy this record you'll be hooked and have to have all of them. Fans of Bob Dylan (especially the basement tapes, Blonde on Blonde, etc), The Band, the Beatles, Neil Young, Mercury Rev, Elliot Smith, etc. will love this record.

Being a band like Wilco has got to be hard. Every album is a step forward, revealing something new about the musicians, both as musicians and as human beings, and displaying a new depth and lyricism that builds on their previous work and is absent from so much contemporary music on the radio and on TV. Unfortunately, it is for this reason that 'A.M.' is to many Wilco fans what 'Pablo Honey' is to many Radiohead fans: a debut album, worth owning but not their best (and so rarely listened to).

Despite 'A.M.' being a debut record, there is nothing really amateurish about it. The songs are solid, well-written pieces, performed with energy and well recorded. What changes with each album is the way Wilco approaches the songs: how can the music change? How can the music be recorded to add meaning to the lyrics? The straightforward nature of this album is not something to be ashamed of. It takes a little time for some newer Wilco fans to open up to the more obvious country...Read more

I like records that let you know they mean business right away - and A.M. definitely does that. From the minute you put it on, it's like you've discovered a favorite record you've had buried for years in the back of your closet - all the tunes are catchy, all the words make a quirky kind of sense, and it's just plain great to listen to.I love this record, not only because of the infectious quality of the music, but the lyrics are so great you'll be humming them to yourself later, eager to hear them again. Shouldn't Be Ashamed, Box Full of Letters, and I Must Be High are all really great, but my favorite is Passenger Side - a plaintive paean to losing your license and having to be carted around (I've got a court date coming this June/ I'll be driving soon/ Passenger side/ I don't like riding on the passenger side.") The songs are deceptive in their simplicity, played by a band that can really play their instruments well. Jeff Tweedy's voice may take some people a while to get...Read more