10 Classic Music Albums Turning 20 In 2022
8. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco
In the world of rock and roll, everyone loves a good comeback story. As much as rock stars get knocked down by drugs or their own ego, it's always encouraging to see them learn from their mistakes and come out stronger on the other side. If you have the right songs in tow though, you end up looping back around and go from comeback story to living legends.
As Wilco started work on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, it seemed like everything was stacked against them. After coming off of some of the best alternative country back in the '90s, this was the moment where their relationship with their label hit an all time low, with the big wigs threatening to drop them if they didn't meet their needs. Combine that with the ongoing tension between Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett and you've got a recipe for absolute disaster, right?
In theory, yes...but Wilco were built stronger than that. Going independent and self releasing the album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot captured something a lot more visceral than what the label might have wanted, from Tweedy's struggles with faith on Jesus Etc. or the post terrorist meditation on Ashes of American Flags. If anything, the fact that this album worked should be a lesson for all up and coming songwriters. Just because you're having trouble with the label doesn't mean you have to break under the pressure. It's your music at the end of the day, and it's better to write the kind of songs that will make you respect yourself.