I've listened to this record hundreds of times, and still manage to find new snorks and squonks. I love the fact that WB initially didn't find it "commercial" enough, but when all was said and done, they ended up buying it twice! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Buy this, and listen to it over and over again.

I must admit that when I first heard YHF back in '02 or '03, I thought it was interesting but not quite on par with Being There or SummerTeeth. I actually felt disappointed by it in a way that now seems inexplicable to me, especially since it has become my favorite Wilco CD over time. Sometimes first impressions aren't the best, and, sorry Ginsberg, first impulses aren't always right.

In pulling together the songs that would ultimately boil down to make YHF, Tweedy and company left a lot of castaways behind, including several band members and the 6 song "More Like The Moon" EP which can now be downloaded for free from their web site in 192kbs MP3 form with artwork. Working with new collaborators Jim O'Rourke and Glenn Kotche (Tweedy's Loose Fur pals), the band began honing the sonic experiments and melodic songwriting to their purest, often disquieting form. A wealthy of unreleased material exists from these sessions, and songs like "Cars Can't Escape," "Venus Stop The Train," and "Let Me Come Home" would have fit in nicely with YHF's overall vibe. Hopefully those songs and others from these sessions will get official releases in the future.

From here on out, YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT will be regarded as a beautiful, haunting classic, and one that seems to deal with issues of communication, or the lack thereof. Now it's hard not to hear this album as a looming soundtrack for the post-911 world. This is essential listening!

But if you ever saw me dance you'd be very relieved. I used to do the Elaine back in the day. YHF is a great album start to finish. For a 49yo guy like me its not easy finding good music these days. More young musicians could learn a lot from Jeff Tweedy, don't be classified, do your own thing and pour yourself into your music. My 15yo kid loves WILCO too thanks to me playing them all the time.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was my first experience with Wilco, after much advisement from a friend. I have to say, I was not disappointed. My expectations were not only met, but far surpassed. This is a truly amazing album. Right from the first two songs, I was hooked and the rest of the album was just as entertaining. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot really flows in a way few albums do. Wilco managed to put together a dozen songs that, while all maintaining a similar feel, are entirely unique to each other and enjoyable for completely different reasons. Every song by itself is a reason to own this album, luckily for us they're all on one CD.

This is Wilco at its most creative and inspired. Not for the faint of heart. There are swings, so be ready. "Jesus Etc" shines as an easy-going, pretty song. On the other hand, you'll find the haunting dissonance of "Ashes of American Flags". In the same way "Kamera" and "I am Trying to Break Your Heart" are opposites but engaging in their own way. Love the bouncey mood of "Pot Kettle Black". I like the fact that I can't figure out most of the lyrics. That pairs well with the music and deepens the accessible mysteriousness of this album.

Don't let these others hacks talk you into wasting money on this album. Its boring. There's no intricate sounds, amazing lyrics, etc... Its just plain boring.

...Whatever that means. This is the band music has been waiting for since Bonham died. And you know what, I'm glad! *

If you're new to Wilco don't start here unless you have an open ear and an open heart. and willing to listen at least threee times thru...but then you may never want to leave.


* I say this not because of this album but due to recent transactions and transcurrences

This is a watershed album, one of Wilco's best. It's also one of the most adventurous albums in the last 10 years or so, incredibly eclectic and meticulously produced and performed. As many Wilco fans already know, it almost didn't get released because Wilco's original label, Reprise (a label who is supposedly "artist friendly") decided that the album was too out there. Well, luckily, Nonesuch (a real artist friendly label that has released many Philip Glass works) picked this album up, and all those who rejected this album at Reprise should be ashamed.

Jeff Tweedy (who really is the heart and soul of Wilco) is one of the greatest American songwriters today. Here he doesn't disappoint. This album reminds me of Sgt. Pepper in a way, in that the album has an experimental concept/vibe and beauty to it, much like the more famous Beatles album. Tweedy and Wilco have always had wonderful harmony in their songs (especially their most recent album, Sky Blue Sky), and here they do as well. But they have that aggressive, avant garde style too, which really comes to the fore with the beginning track, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. After a powerful first half of the song, it breaks into a beautiful tapestry of distortion, one that I wish went on longer (there's a distortion track called Less than You Think on the follow up to this, but I Am Trying to Break Your Heart is better). The next song, Kamera, is a much more melodic song, but still excellent. Radio Cure gets a little dark and noisy again, and I love Jesus, Etc., one of Wilco's best tunes and kind of a signature song/hit for them. I love the closer Reservations too. I've never been disappointed by any Wilco album. From A.M. to Sky Blue Sky (and beyond), I think they'll always do something worthwhile. This is one of their best albums, and I'm glad to see Wilco continuing in their experimental ways.

This sounds like a mixture of Pavement and Burt Bacharach. Stay away from this like the plague!

Wilco is another highly-prized band that I like without fully understanding what all the talk is about, with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot being atop many critics' lists for 2002. They apparently started out as a more or less traditional country band, but their sound has warped and twisted into what it is now, something almost completely unidentifiable with that genre. Like a lot of well respected artists, their music isn't easily pigeon-holed, but it can be described as pop with a lot of experimentation with noises and distortion mixed in to keep it interesting. Jeff Tweedy has a nice voice that few could find a dispute with, and he has decent range to either accompany or contrast the music. They use a variety of instruments to add depth to the more standard rock elements, although they're more than competent at those aspects. It's not quite the stuff that tends to really grab me, but it's not because of a flaw in the music. The songs are expertly constructed and have a lot of heart and truth to them, it's just not what I tend to listen to.

"I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" isn't as personally gripping as some first tracks on my favorite albums, but it does show you what Wilco is about these days, with an eclectic mix of sounds that come together and form the backing for a nice song. "Kamera" is a more standard, pleasant song with a lot of strumming, and it's fine, just an example of what I don't like as much. "Radio Cure" is probably my favorite on the record, as it starts sounding one way but gradually incorporates differing elements to round out the sound and holds interest throughout. "Jesus, Etc." leans a bit more away from their roots, and is about as nice as anything else to be found here. "Heavy Metal Drummer" throws in some electronic bloops along with the standard radio pop. "I'm the Man Who Loves You" has some real electric guitar in there, picking away and adding further schizophrenic deviations from the formula. "Poor Places" breaks down in the end with distortion, it's a bit of a chaotic climax before the warm down of the last song. I may grow to like this more as time goes on, but right now I see it as an enjoyable album that I'll probably only listen to once in a while.

This easily one of my four or five favorite albums of all time. I got into Wilco through "Summerteeth", but this was the second Wilco album I heard and as soon as I listened to it the whole way through I knew it was an absolute masterpiece. This is one of the best cases I can think of (along with OK Computer and Loveless, just 2 off the top of my head) where the production matches absolutely perfectly with the lyrics. I think this album and Summerteeth have Jeff's best lyrics. Their best album methinks.

I like this album because I feel that Wilco (Jeff Tweedy) makes music they want to make. Music that they think is good, not what everyone else says is good. That said. I do not love every second of this album, but I do love this album :)

This album has been overhyped. It is a really mixed bag... I think track 3 is amazingly good, and the rest ranges from tolerable to a total loss. Buying the whole album is a waste of money, in my opinion. Be selective and save yer pennies...

Wilco had already been around for many years when they released this record and had received their fair share of critical plaudits. But nothing in their back catalogue sounded as good as this record. "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" combines excellent songwriting with spare, effective production to create one of the best records of the decade so far. Alienation is a recurring theme in these songs and there are times when the slightly deadpan vocals or bursts of dissonance aim in the same direction but overall the sound of this album is warm and personal. The guitars have a clean, warm sound and the songs are written more from the heart than the head. A word that springs to mind is likeable: this is an easy album to like and keep coming back to.

I've been listening to music for 40 years, and it's rare for me to write fan mail. However, I can't think of any other group that does to me today what the Beatles did 40 years ago--Wilco makes me wish I could walk up and shake their hands and say "Thank you". That's how much I like this album. It's innovative, beautiful music that doesn't have a bit of extra crap thrown in. Unlike some bands, Wilco even makes "noise" sound like an essential part of the music--it isn't artsy-fartsy at all. Anyway, you get the point--buy this album, listen to it 5 or 6 times, and you'll want more.

I actually understand where many who don't like this come from. This isn't really the most energetic album I've come across at all, but it's not about being heavy or intense -- it is neither of those things. Also, I agree that the excessive hype made me hesistant and I still think Wilco are a very overrated band, however, this is one time when they actually do impress me. If you followed them before, this might not seem as "groundbreaking" as other critics kept calling it. There are a bunch of great songs, and one thing I also disagree about it people talking about how the record's esoteric. It's not. These are mostly pop songs, although in cases like "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," the electronics of the track come in, kind of like a new element to their song. Also, the group transcended from alt-country long earlier in their career, arguably as far back as "Being There" from '96. Jeff Tweedy is not an amazing vocalist, but is listenable and fits with the music fine enough. I may also note that his voice doesn't exactly sound uplifting, either. The emotion/character and the songs are what make "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" a great record. It did not seem unnecessary to me like the re-hash of older works put through new age music (in my terms) known as "A Ghost Is Born," and the songs do more for me than on "Summerteeth," actually.

If I could make any complaint, it's that "Reservations" could have ended about three minutes sooner. That was a completely unnecessary and draggy ending. That being said, it is a minor complaint, and if you're into hooks, give it some time for them to sink in because they are there. This record is a winner and while I'm not huge on Wilco, I am a fan of "YHF".

I wholeheartedely and unappoligetically love Wilco. I love ever album that they have ever made, and even love the DVD's that they have released. I also do not consider myself a pretentious intellectual with an indier than thou mentality. I love all kinds of music, but Wilco just happens to be my favorite band, and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is my favorite album.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was released four years ago and I still listen to it all the time. There is not a weak or wasted moment on the entire album. YHF starts off with possibly the bleakest song in the Wilco catalogue, the haunting and poetic I Am Tring to Break Your Heart. Right from the get go, if your a fan of Wilco's earlier material you might be turned off by the noise and production techniques on this album. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart features plenty of noise and dissonance to go along with the haunting lyrics. I urge you to give it a chance and listen to it a few times, because the material is complex and it takes time to sink in.

From there the album lightens up, with songs that are catchy and warm, even a bit romantic. The most surprising part of this album is that it is incredibly catchy despite all the noise and dissonance in the production. Heavy Metal Drummer is a nostalgic tune about getting started in rock and roll, Ashes of American Flags is a slow and touching ballad with a great soundscape.

Overall I feel that this album is a classic and the best album to come along so far this decade. Some have critcized the production by claiming that it takes away from the songs and is distracting. I feel completely opposite. I think that the noise and production enhance the songs. As Jay Bennett said about the production "we didn't want to make just a bunch of folk songs, we wanted something more." So I recommend this to Wilco fans and fans of groups like Radiohead, Pink Floyd, and Brian Eno. But I urge you to give it a chance, even if you struggle with it in the beginning.

I have given this album a half-a-dozen listens in the hope that I could find something of value here. Nope!

The rating system is 1 - 5 stars or I would have given this a well deserved negative rating as it is just not good enough for a zero.

Innovative? Give me a break! Yoko Ono, Radiohead, Bjork, King Crimson and many others are innovative. These guys just sound incoherent, lacking in talent and overly stoned.

I will say this though, if I ever have a serious case of insomnia I will take this CD out from under the half-full glass on my coffee table and give it a spin. I should be asleep in no time.

This record feels like a quietly spoken, frank, unexpected comment from a friend. Wilco really has a unique sound, and an individual way of experimenting with different tonal palettes. At the end of the day, this batch of songs also has enough going on on the melodic surface to leave you whistling a little piece of a song when you're torn away from your listening foray by the world.

Other than Heavy Metal Drummer, this album is totally mediocre. This album is perhaps the most overated, overhyped alternative album of all time. I do not see what all the fuss was about. I guess that sums up Wilco for me in general. I could not name another song on this album because none of the other tracks are worth remembering. Download Heavy Metal Drummer off a paysite and skip this album at all costs.

If you don't like this album, you're missing the point. It took me a while to get into it, but its one of those CD's that, when you finally do get it, becomes infinitely rewarding because you feel like you've unlocked something. Give it a few listens, and somehow the superficial ordinary pop will simply melt into something truly powerful and moving. There's no excuse for not appreciating the tremendous beauty and warmth of this album. It captures some ideas and emotions beautifully, and it also has something that just feels classic about it, as if it somehow fits with the albums of Bob Dylan, The Band, Neil Young, and The Beatles, as the product review wants you to believe. Believe it-- this is truly a classic.

Wilco is basically just a really soft band that could use a bit more pep if you ask me. I tend to like soft music just fine, but the songs on this CD simply don't have good melodies to offer. If you happen to like Wilco anyway in spite of my review, check out Golden Smog, because they're similar to Wilco but infinitely better. P.S. The cover art is the best part.

This album is amazing. It took me about 3 listens in order to fully appreciate the album, so don't give up on it if you don't get it at first. I listened to it so much that I wore out my first copy and had to buy a second. "Jesus, Etc." and "Ashes of American Flags" are two of the best Wilco songs ever made. Jeff Tweedy is at his best. I'd also suggest watching the documentary "I am Trying to Break Your Heart," which chronicles to making of the album and the troubles that went along with it. It gave me a new appreciation for my favorite artist.

I just wanted to log in my five stars, because it doesn't deserve less than that.

This is what music should be... beautiful, challenging, daring, simple, melodic, enlightening. This is truly a tremendous album.

This is not a singles work...it needs to be heard from start to finish...like Dark Side of the Moon.

The cd is simply melodic, tuneful songs surrounding by and infected with a variety of noises. The noise, at first, makes the songs annoying but then you realize that the noise makes the songs more rewarding.

There is an obvious pacing to the cd. It goes from loud to soft, noisy to quiet. If you saw the film "I am trying to break your heart" you will know that there was a tremendous amount of thought put into the album.

The cd starts out with I am Trying to Break your heart. This is a preview with things to come. Tweedy is saying this cd is not going to be easy listening. Camera sounds noiseless but strange sounds do sneak into the tune at the end. Heavy Metal Drummer is another seemingly poppish song but shifts towards the end.

My favorite song is "pot kettle black". It has an unusual structure and the instruments all change throughout the song.

The last song is interesting because it is the most serene... its almost a reward for sticking with the album. The last song is just "pretty" like Wilco saying you made it through the album and now it will just nice, peaceful sounds.

Wilco duplicates these songs live. They are tremendous musicians. Unlike most of the other crap out there, they take chances on each new work. Every cd is different.

Wilco is the Pink Floyd/Sgt Pepper era Beatles of today. Anybody that is a musician, song writer or music affectianado will love them. Just remember, Wilco won't come to you...you must go to them.

I'm not sure if this, Being There or A Ghost Is Born is my favorite Wilco album, but it really doesn't matter. All three are masterpieces. This album, however, is almost certainly the most important in Wilco's career. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is where Wilco totally changed their sound. They quickly moved from rock-infused country to almost pure alt-rock. And just as they did the alt-country thing better than anyone else, they do alt-rock as well as anyone, and I like it better than Radiohead.

Some people complain that the avant-garde sounds serve to hide deficiencies in the songs (which may be slightly more true on A Ghost is Born), but I think those sounds are very important to the album, tying every thing together very beautifully.

The best songs are "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," "Jesus Etc.," "Radio Cure," "Ashes of American Flags" and "Reservations." The melodies really stick with you, and, as always, Jeff Tweedy's strained voice is extremeley expressive.

The lyrics are great when they're on (on "Jesus Etc."--"Our love is all of God's money / Everyone is a burning sun."--and the chorus of "Reservations" especially) and enjoyable when they don't seem to make sense. An example, from "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart": "I am an American aquarium drinker / I assassin down the avenue." Either way, they always find a way to make you think, even if it's "What the hell is he talking about?."

This is one of the great musical achievements of the last few years and should not be missed.

After giving this album repeated listenings, I'll echo the complaints many have made: there simply aren't enough memorable melodies here and I'd say the lyrics are a bit dodgy as well most of the time. ("You are not my typewriter/But you could be my demon..") The band masks these deficiencies with electronic squawks, blipping synth, toy pianos and cascading white noise that make for a gorgeous soundscape while you're listening. The problem is when the little aluminum disc stops spinning: the songs don't keep replaying in my head as they're supposed to. Sometimes the band has a good melody going but belabors it into dust. (See 7 minute + epic "Reservations")

HIGHLIGHTS:
The band's moment with the littlest pretense is easily the best. "Heavy Metal Drummer" wistfully recalls starting out in music. ("I miss the innocence I've known/playing KISS covers/beautiful and stoned") It's probably also blessed with the catchiest melody here and the electronics ladled onto it COMPLEMENT the song rather than compete with it. Outside of that one, lowkey "Jesus, Etc." is a country-tinged charmer that again features one of the better melodies here. Superfluous instrumentation and effects are missing here but they're not MISSED: The song doesn't need them. "I'm the Man that Loves You" employs a bit of jaggedness musically in the form of a willfully cacophonous, feedbacked guitar but it's there to spice up the song. Without it, Wilco would still have a solid effort.

LOWS:
It's hard to single out the valleys here, not because the songs are pretty decent but because the flaw with most of them is the same: I just can't recall the melody as soon as the song ends. I'd probably say the worst offender here is "War on War". "Poor Places" is another that never really seems to grab onto me at all.

BOTTOM LINE:
In the end, I see this as Wilco's counterpart to R.E.M.'s REVEAL: an album with weak tunes gussied up with fussy and avant-garde sonics to make them sound larger than life. It DOES grow on you a bit with repeat plays but not so much that I think it'll ever become a favourite Wilco release and certainly not one of my "Desert Island" albums. Enough Wilco fans are deriding this that I'd say that it's safe to say "Diehard fans only". Best to hear this one before plunking down your duckets...

2 1/2 stars

I am somewhat of a new Wilco fan. This is the first album I heard from Wilco and it took 5 listens to really apreciate it. I watched a movie about the making of this album and I fell in love with Jeff Tweeny. His voice is truley unique. Some songs that really got to me on this album were Radio Cure and Reservations. I think 'reservations' is one of the best closers of an album I have heard in a very long time. The reason I did not give this album 5 stars was because not all the songs were brilliant. 'War on War' has some cheesy lyrics and is probly a political song and same with 'Ashes of American Flags.' Some of Tweenys lyrics though are amazing and I really enjoy his work. Overall this was a great album and it's a must have for any Wilco fan.

Im going to start off saying that this is the first Wilco album i have owned/heard, and that its good, i mean real good. I must admit that there are certain tracks that have taken some warming up to, but this is a beautiful album. Jeff Tweedy's vocals are so unpolished yet there is something smooth about them at the same time (if that makes any sense). The music itself is fairly minimal, except for the distorted noise at the ends of various tracks, and makes for beautiful yet fairly sad songs, yet many are upbeat. In my opinion the best tracks are "Jesus Etc.", "Ashes of American Flags", and "Reservations". I have heard many negative things about the silly "Heavy Metal Drummer", but i think that its great, catchy and rather poppy, but none the less a fun song that i can never skip.
This is a truely great album that i would recommend to almost anybody, so check it out, but i dont think the 30 sec. clips do it justice, and give it a thurough listening.

This is one of the most beautiful albums I've ever heard. From the very first couple of seconds of putting on, I was taken aback...it was just something i picked up at the library after seeing it on the shelf time and time again, but after hearing the opening bass and drum lines I was like...[...]...OH, this is REAL music... I mean , when I listened to it I got the same feeling as when I heard some of the stuff from Pet Sounds for the first time...you know, the "shock of recognition" when something makes total perfect sense, and it sounds like something you've been listening to all your life even though it something new. By that I don't mean it's derivative or a rehash, it's more like when you get deja vu -- something just feels familar from nowhere and fits.

The pop and the noise, the harmonies, singing, bass, drumming, everything on this just fits perfectly..Kamera and I'm the Man Who Loves you are absolutely perfect pop gems... the same three chords but overlaid with such perfectly unobvious melodies and arrangements ...every song evokes a different feeling....Jesus etc has a heartbreaking melody and chorus... it's beautiful and it really is outside any straight genre of music (not country, pop, jazz, or anything else).

there's a little bit of annoying fluff on this album, but i can overlook it because i suppose it makes the whole thing more thematic.

I listened to summerteeth after this -- a lot of cool songs, but this is on an entire different level -- it makes summerteeth look like ditties made by teenagers.

When this first came out, it was lionized in the extreme, and I just thought it was okay. Then I randomly played it with a healthy volume one night, and WOW. To be sure, it's not for everyone- anytime a band experiments, they're going to alienate some. Still, the songwriting is wonderful, the noisy interludes feel so good (especially when loud), and it keeps a coherent (though not stagnant) feel throughout. And, it's the sort of thing that gets more satisfying with repeated listens.

By the way, it's been long established that Jeff Tweedy can't sing in any technical sense. Maybe he's like Kris Kristofferson, whose producer told him, "so what if you can't sing- you have a voice that communicates."

This is Wilco's masterpiece album. If you are just checking Wilco out and you're not sure where to start, start here. This album strays from the "country" genre under which ealier Wilco is usually classified, but maintains the flow and focus that is somewhat lost in A Ghost Is Born. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot really shows off the band's stylistic range. Upbeat poppy songs like Heavy Metal Drummer flow seamlessly into country-like songs such as Jesus, Etc. and darker songs like Poor Places. The emotional and melodic nature of this album allows the tracks to follow each other easily, and makes the whole album feel like one piece as opposed to 11 separate tracks. However, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is a little melancholy, so beware if that's not your thing.

I bought this album after hearing about it from many sources and was utterly dismayed on the levels of both performance and songwriting.

First of all, the lead singer can't sing. He literally should not be getting up in front of his immediate family let alone singing on a mass-distribution album. I'd say 30-40% of his notes are off pitch and his voice is bad. A lack of judgement such as this puts into doubt Wilco's musical ability and sure enough I thought their songwriting was primitive and simplistic -- several of the songs feature a repeated bass line kept going throughout.

About the depressed negativity of the music, I have no problem with that in and of itself, but the musical incompetence makes it sound very poseurish.

This is simply an awful album and I won't be listening to any other Wilco in the future.

....is beyond me. Now I like Wilco. Summerteeth is a great album, basically everything up until this terrible album was very good. Maybe this album wouldn't be so terrible if the horrible song "heavy metal drummer", was not on here. In fact, that song is so terrible it should not have been made. I am sorry to those who love this album, but I just can't get into it. There are a few scattered tracks on here that keep me from giving it a worse rating than 2 stars. Maybe this album would be good if you were used to listening to really crappy music for an exstensive period of time and than discovered that coldplay is a really sad excuse of a band, and you put away your interpol cd's because you finally realized that they are a joy division ripoff but way worse. Than maybe YHFT would be a good album to you, but Wilco could, and has done alot better than this.

I have only recently discovered Wilco, and I'm so glad that I did. This has to be one of the most creatively wonderful fantabulous albums I have ever heard, every song is a gem. And as has been oft-stated about it, and in more eloquent words than I can string together, the great parts come together to make a brilliant whole - it's so nice to just put it on and listen to it from start to finish. I would give this 10 stars if I could. Jeff Tweedy must be one heck of a cool guy, I bet his friends consider themselves to be very lucky to know him. I LOVE THIS ALBUM!!!!