A.M.

Wilco

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 28, 1995)
• Original Release Date: March 28, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000002MWY
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,512 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #68 in	Music > Country > Alt-Country & Americana
  #90 in	Music > Rock > Country Rock

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Comprising frontman Jeff Tweedy and other former members of alt.country legend Uncle Tupelo, Wilco was an apple that didn't fall far from the tree. A.M., the band's debut, continues that older group's brand of updated country-rock (emphasis on "rock") and emotionally powerful songwriting. However, many of the best creations here--the driver's-licenseless drunk in "Passenger Side," the bar-band celebration of riverboat gambling on "Casino Queen"--sport an unprecedented sense of humor and are unexpectedly catchy, too. Best of all might be "It's Just That Simple," in which Tweedy turns the mic over to the high and mournful singing of bassist John Stirratt. --David Cantwell

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wilco's Best, May 15, 2000

By	a music fan (illinois, usa) - See all my 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.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong Songwriting on a Strong Debut, April 21, 2005

By	life_boy "M.D.P." (Savannah, GA (USA)) - See all my reviews

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 stylings of 'A.M.' (myself included...it took me a good two years to finally appreciate Wilco's debut), but once one does, there is a great bunch of songs to be heard. "Should've Been In Love" and "Dash 7" are probably the emotional cornerstones and I consider them to be the strongest songs on the album. To be honest, the weakest song on the album isn't even a Jeff Tweedy song. "It's Just That Simple" is written and sung by John Stirratt. It isn't a bad song, it just has trouble standing next to the high caliber songwriting of Tweedy.

All in all, this is a very strong album. I urge newer Wilco fans that haven't heard it or haven't really listened to 'A.M.' to give it a chance; let it grow on you. It may not have the subjective flare of 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' or the subtle silences of 'A ghost is born', but it is a Wilco album, with the same great songwriting and the same great love of music that has been with the band from the start.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Early REM fans take note!, August 19, 2003

By	kresnels "kresnels" (Culver City, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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 used to, but he's got a great, vulnerable quality and he can really write a great song.

I gave it four stars because Summerteeth is supposed to be their best album, and the last song kind of lets the album taper off. But if you like REM (even as late as Out Of Time) you'll really like Wilco, and A.M. is a great record to get to know your new favorite band.