wilco falls smack dab in the middle of my top 5 favorite musical artists of all time. it's rather strange that i haven't ruminated over why i love the music they come up with, and maybe it's also a bit unfair, considering some of the things i say about the other people on my top 5 (weezer, teenage fanclub, the ramones and ryan adams, in case you were wondering).

here are some lists, related to wilco...

WILCO RECORDS (ranked by which one has most of my favorite tracks):

1. yankee hotel foxtrot
2. summerteeth
3. being there
4. wilco (the album)
5. a ghost is born
6. mermaid avenue
7. a.m.
8. sky blue sky

(*i didn't count their live album, "kicking television" nor "mermaid avenue vol. 2")

TOP 10 WILCO TRACKS (as of this blog)

1. poor places
2. heavy metal drummer
3. theologians
4. jesus, etc
5. war on war
6. pot kettle black
7. i'm always in love
8. passenger side
9. california stars
10. ELT

TOP 5 WILCO LYRICS

1. "every generation thinks it's the end of the world" - from "you never know" (wilco, the album)

2. "i'm a cherry ghost" - from "theologians" (a ghost is born)

3. "every moment's a little bit later" - from "pot kettle black" (yankee hotel foxtrot)

4. "i sincerely miss those heavy metal bands that we used to go see in the landing in the summer" - from "heavy metal drummer" (yankee hotel foxtrot)

5. all the words to "jesus, etc"

in the wilco documentary "i am trying to break your heart", rolling stones senior editor david fricke offers his insight into what big record companies find problematic with "yankee hotel foxtrot" (the same album voted as wilco fans' favorite wilco album that since its release has been included in all sorts of "important album" lists): [listening to it], "you don't know who it's for, who it's speaking to, and how much money it's going to make." then he ends his interview with the stuff that people who listen to music a lot can be grateful for: "as long as music exists, the stuff that's [on the cd unit] will be heard by someone, and they're going to get it. and for those who don't...well that's kind of too bad."