W is for Wilco

By Sean

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

ith so few bands of substance able to maintain the longevity that WILCO has obtained over the last sixteen years, and despite rotating members, WILCO seems to have formed their best line up and I believe them to be the last great American band. While I realize this is a bold statement and I anticipate that most folks will argue otherwise, one must not only look at their timeless catalogue, work ethic, professional and artist development, but most interestingly, the value system which guides these innovators. By industry standards, WILCO achieved a noble, yet relatively unheard-of bait and switch with their record label while maintaining full control over an album (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot) that was deemed commercially unmarketable. There's no question that this album launched WILCO into their more ambient and experimental sound that they have become known for over the last ten years, leaving behind the "alt-country" genre that was often an unfortunate descriptor.

Essentially, Warner/Reprise explained that there would be no more funds coming in unless the record was overhauled. WILCO, with notable principles and no interest in modifying the record, and clearly beginning to redefine a new sound was asked to leave Warner/Reprise; the album was too complex and they simply did not understand it. For this reason, unlike previous albums, it was hard to determine the albums potential to generate sales. In the end, the best of all situations worked out for WILCO. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot had been recorded and mixed for six months and ready for distribution and a heavy marketing campaign when Warner/Reprise said, why don't you just take your record and allow any other ecstatic label to pick it up for release; we will eat the cost. This is basically an opportunity that comes along once, if ever, in a bands career. Nine months after the record was completed, WILCO finally signed with Nonesuch Records; ironically, Time Warner is the parent company of both Nonesuch and Reprise.

This is a classic American rock 'n roll story with the last great American band. WILCO was "released" from their contract with record in hand and then sold it back to them (parent company) for three times the money; the label paid for the record twice! Upon release, Rolling Stone cited Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as "an American classic… the first great album of the year." WILCO is one of those bands whose influence will not fully be recognized until they disband. I imagine that years from now my children (and probably yours) will be in search of your WILCO records and maybe even an old tour t-shirt.