Product Description: This is a book about Wilco and the pictorial, literary, and musical world it conjures up on record and in performance. Created in collaboration with Jeff Tweedy, Wilco, and Tony Margherita, this primarily visual book explores what Wilco does, how it does it, and where it all comes together. The band narrates the book in the form of long captions accompanying a variety of images: a Korean postcard, a Stratocaster, a backstage practice session, and so on. Along the way, central topics such as instruments, touring, and recording are covered both in general (i.e., what happens, physically, when a guitar string breaks) and specific to Wilco. Just as the band assembles its disparate talents and inspirations to make music, this book coheres in the end to reveal a 40 minute CD of original, unreleased songs. Just as Wilco experiments with music by turning convention on its head, this book is an utterly new take on the old genre of the rock 'n' roll book. The Wilco Book will look and read like a Wilco record sounds; it's a translation of the band's sensibility from sound into print.
Amazon.com Review: Between all the critical acclaim, Greg Kot's book on the band, and the introspective I Am Trying to Break Your Heart documentary, you'd think that pretty much everything has already been said about Wilco. But The Wilco Book--the influential rock band's own scrapbook of photos, observations, and random notes--has more than a few revelations for fans. Here we get beautiful photographs of musical instruments (taken apart, being fixed and played) interspersed with quotes about their studio, their performance and recording habits, and their songwriting. Some may think a close-up of a Gibson guitar is a mundane affair, but to Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, that tool of the trade is an important element in the music-making process, worthy of plenty of attention. In addition, there are numerous shots of the band, random images by Fred Tomaselli, a new essay on the ensemble by Rick Moody, and "The Angel Is My Watermark," a piece by Henry Miller that resonates with the group. The enclosed 12-track CD contains previously unheard tracks from the A Ghost Is Born sessions. A couple tunes ("Diamond Claw," "What Good Am I") rank with Wilco's best work, while the rest show the band in the midst of the creative process, making aural sketches. All-told, the poignant randomness of The Wilco Book unfolds like a great Wilco album: it's a wonderful mix of compelling experimentation and heartfelt sentiment. A must-have for Wilco lovers. --Jason Verlinde
Gracing my coffee table for years to come This is a wonderful buy for all fans of the band. It really brings you into the Wilco circle. Excerpts and essays by and about the band, their methods, and their ideas are attractively presented through a series of pretentiously artsy photos. There is not nearly as much hard info as Greg Kot's magnificent Wilco: Learning How to Die, but the two books are completely different reading expereinces. The Wilco Book is not meant for plowing through; it is meant for experiencing.
The book also comes with a CD. These are not the polished studio gems of Summerteeth or the country rockers of AM. These are sonic experiments from the "a Ghost is Born era", and have a feeling of no pressure. Tweedy and co work together - Glenn's influence is really felt here. "Pure Bug Beauty" is a favorite of mine, although "diamond claw" is cool, "barnyard pimp" struts its stuff, and the alternate version of "hummingbird" will be a highlight for many.
Great Book For any Wilco Fan Great book for any Wilco fan. Just finished the book today. It also comes with a nice CD of unreleased songs! That was a nice little surprise. Very high quality book with alot of pictures. Good read.
Lighten up, Francis If this last guy wants to go off on Tweedy for being pretentious, then he shouldn't use the word "didatic" and then misspell "heywire" (it's spelled haywire, dude). I think the price of enjoying an artist that refuses to fit into a box is that he sometimes can seem a bit pretentious. Deal with it. If you can't then go back to you Nickelback CD's...
Coffee Table Art The Wilco Book is a great book if you enjoy the creative process. This book is less about the band and more about how they record, why they do it, and what the environment around them looks or feels like while they are doing it. It's an open-minded look at a process most of us don't enjoy on the same scale, but that we can all relate to in our own creative lives.
The accusations of pretense are understandable. But if you are someone who loves the process as much as the finished product this will be an inspiring piece. The cd and the book fit perfectly together in creating a mood of idea exploration. I found this book insightful and a very nice addition to a progressingly great body of work.
Self-Congratulation Run Amok Wilco is a great band (their latest, A ghost is born, notwithstanding), but they've let their pretentions get the best of them. The once great Rick Moody's essay, in particular, is particularly painful in every way an essay can be. I was greatly disappointed by this book of self-congratulation: Essays detailing why Wilco is so great (answer according to them: because their experimentation is better than a nameless Everyone Else's status quo - as if The Flaming Lips and Beck and numerous others don't even exist); pointless photographs (example: a boombox with a leaf next to it. Gee, thanks guys); and a CD full of Noise, which Wilco has officially decided is DEEPER than real music. They have become blinded by the notion that impenetrability equals depth and brilliance. In the case of this book and cd, it most certainly does not. They got the balance right on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and now they just don't know what to do anymore. It's a shame they've opted for arty pretention, because they still have the potential to be one of our time's most vital bands. I would only recommend this book to huge wilco fans that have lots of money to waste.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
Amazon.com Music Editor Jason Verlinde talks with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy about the book, the band's music, and more in our special audio interview: 
