On balance I'm going to say without. YHF is a masterclass in textures and arrangements but I much prefer the spacey dad rock of current Wilco to the ol' chickenwire jug band deal.

With. With the exception of "A Ghost is Born", which is probably just as good as "YHF"

zeb, you really prefer the last few Wilco albums to the ones leading up to YHF?

I like Summerteeth but there's not a lot on Being There that resonates with me.

Their last few albums have been the musical equivalent of beige walls, though.

I was just talking about this in the 'objectively greatest albums of the 00's' thread.

With....Tweedy needs someone to push him and be the foil. This goes all the way back to Uncle Tupelo with Jay Farrar.

Agreed. I completely fail to understand the constant praise heaped upon that album.

I'm not sure Wilco ever bettered "Summerteeth" and "YHF" from a sonic standpoint--they're two of the most brilliantly arranged albums I own, and Bennett, to my understanding, was no small part of it. You can hear ideas just pouring out of the band on those records. Tweedy has just as sharp a collaborator now in Nels Cline, but it doesn't seem like the same kind of creative partnership--Cline seems more like he's there to fulfill Tweedy's vision rather than help shape it, which is probably the band's loss. I suspect the way things played out with Bennett, personally, is largely responsible for the way Wilco works now: A kind of reliable, trustworthy touring band that runs a lot smoother behind the scenes but comes at the expense of the creative tension between two leaders with similarly big voices. The turning point is pretty clear, too--you can almost instantly hear the tension deflating on "Ghost is Born."

That said, while I think "YHF" and "Ghost is Born" represent Tweedy's greatest achievements as a songwriter, I generally think the post-"Ghost" albums are better composed, from a songwriting standpoint, than most pre-"YHF" Wilco--more careful craftsmanship and better lyrics. However you divide them up, I'll always take the group that includes "YHF." But I'll definitely take what came after over what came before.

Being There has some really incredible highs......Sunken Treasure and Misunderstood are two of the best songs Tweedy has ever written. I don't think there is quite enough quality to justify a double album......but I wouldn't change it just due to the fact those two songs are such great album openers. And Dreamer In My Dreams is a pretty bad ass way to close a record...

Being There has at minimum 5 of Wilco's best tunes by my count...

i'd put every single one of these in my top 15 (with the top 2 being in my top 10) Wilco songs

Misunderstood
Sunken Treasure
The Lonely 1
Monday
I Got You (At the End of the Century)

but then again '96-'01 was the height of my Wilco fandom. the last record stunk to high hell.

what he said

Misunderstood and Sunken Treasure are A+ tunes. The majority of the balance is only OK.

Love me some Sunken Treasure. Also, there's a chord change or something in Ashes Of American Flags that sounds just like Sunken Treasure.

it certainly is a mixed bag and could have been better as a single, no question there.

that said, while Sky Blue Sky and The Whole Love are more consistent than Being There, the highs aren't quite as high either.

The Whole Love is def my favorite post AGIB Wilco record tho.

Studio/song composition = better with Bennett

Live = better without Bennett

Agree.

hmm... thing is, i disagree at times with both... i saw them 7x with Bennett and have seen 20+ since he left, but i'd put 2 of my '97-01 shows in my top 5 Wilco shows of all time still

But if made to, which live incarnation would you choose?

I agree with this assessment. I love Being There. But then again, I also love A.M. and pretty much everything Uncle Tupelo ever did. The last few Wilco albums have done nothing for me even if I find myself liking some of the songs.

I mean, this was the setlist of my first Wilco show:

Handshake Drugs
Sunken Treasure
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
War On War
Bob Dylan's 49th Beard
More Like The Moon
Heavy Metal Drummer
Jesus, Etc.
Red-Eyed and Blue
I Got You (At The End Of The Century)
Poor Places
I'm the Man Who Loves You
Laminated Cat
Airline To Heaven
Hesitating Beauty
New Madrid
Misunderstood
California Stars
Monday
Outtasite (Outta Mind)
Kicking Television

It's been almost all downhill for me ever since, mostly since they'll never be able to top that experience for me, and because I love the Being There > Summerteeth > YHF trilogy far, far more than anything else they've ever done.

If Jay never left the band do you think the decline would still be there as it is or do you think he would have been able to stop that?

It seems most bands after putting out 4-5 albums tend to have a drop off. I don't know if Jay staying in the band could have stopped the mediocrity we have seen in their music recently.

they still write good songs i'm just not sold on their recent ablums being good full albums.

With Jay Bennett is definitely better, however, sometimes I think AGIB is my favorite Wilco record (until I listen to YHF again). Everything after AGIB is good but just doesn't resonate with me the same way the trio with Bennett on them do.

I really like the Uncle Tupelo records and Son Volt's first record is really good as well.