Wilco: Sunken Treasure

In Sunken Treasure, Tim Grierson comprehensively and probingly examines Wilco’s history, discussing each of their albums in detail and exploring their often divisive 20-year output.

With an eclectic blend of country, alternative rock and classic pop, Wilco was born out of the influential alt-country group Uncle Tupelo in 1994. Led by Jeff Tweedy, Wilco then made a series of albums that won varying levels of acceptance. From the relatively unsuccessful A.M. through the praised but contentious Mermaid Avenue collaboration with Billy Bragg and the troubled Yankee Hotel Foxtrot that eventually became their best-selling album, Wilco and Tweedy have kept the show on the road for two decades, winning Grammys, inspiring countless other bands and taking the flak on the way. This is their extraordinary story.

Sunken Treasure is a fascinating look at one of the most interesting and, perhaps under-appreciated, bands of recent years. Despite being musically very talented, they can often be difficult to accommodate, with feuds with record labels, collaborators and even themselves marring their undeniably brilliant musical output. In Sunken Treasure, Tim Grierson has managed to actually unearth a lot of valuable information, through interviews with artists, producers and engineers. This re-evaluation of their back catalogue is an essential read for any fan of great music.

For new and old fans, Wilco: Sunken Treasure offers a great deal of interest. In an authoritative and trustworthy account of this band, Tim Grierson offers the new fan an incredibly detailed introduction to the band, while the experienced fan will be served a lot of food for thought and previously-unknown information.