a ghost is born
by Wilco
  • Record Label: Nonesuch
  • Release Date: Jun 22, 2004
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 140 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 130 out of 140
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 140
  3. Negative: 5 out of 140

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  1. JonH
    Jul 2, 2004
    10
    Another wonderful album from Wilco, Since Being There They've been releasing one classic after the other, amazing band.
  2. DevendraG
    Jun 21, 2004
    10
    Best of '04. In every way an equal to Summerteeth and YHF, this album is sure to please many a Wilco fan: a record that is earnest, intimate, fresh, and entirely human. Give it a few spins though, as this is definitely Wilco's most challenging release to date.
  3. jibink
    Jun 23, 2004
    10
    Easy to get lost in this one, the most interesting album of the year so far...love it!
  4. IanR
    Jun 24, 2004
    10
    this album is amazing... another new, creative, unexpected work from wilco. more organic and warm sounding than yankee hotel foxtrot, with some amazing guitar works the likes of which have never really been seen from wilco. on par with YHF, not necessarily better but not at all worse, and entirely different.
  5. MookiePatookie
    Jul 15, 2004
    10
    Anyone who gives this cd less than 9 does not have ears to hear with!! Tweedy and co. stand on the shoulders of giants to produce yet another masterpiece!
  6. DC
    Jul 1, 2004
    10
    A solid album. The lyrics are Tweedy's usual uneven output--several gems buried in a whole lot o' "huh?"--but the work as a whole is a wonderful mood piece. It fits nicely into the background without ever allowing you to ignore it. In reality, I'd give Ghost an 8, but I bumped that up to a 10 to offset idiots who unjustly gave it a 0.
  7. StanleyI
    Jul 5, 2004
    10
    Sublime
  8. AdamK
    Jun 6, 2005
    10
    Richer and more dense than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, this album leads the way for Rock and Roll into the future; with the exception of some work by Radohead, there hasn't been as good of an album in 25 years.
  9. KalleL
    May 31, 2006
    10
    Wilco may be my favorite band - all categories. Thier last is their best!
  10. joeln
    Mar 14, 2007
    10
    This is by far my fave Wilco album and i have all of them, yeah "Summerteeth" is great but for me this is the album i find myself always going back to. "Less than you Think" is a freaking great song, it's just the noise for 10 minutes that people shouldnt enjoy, but the song is beautiful. "Hell is Chrome" is the best song of all time, along with "Theologains" Listen Up, AGISB is a This is by far my fave Wilco album and i have all of them, yeah "Summerteeth" is great but for me this is the album i find myself always going back to. "Less than you Think" is a freaking great song, it's just the noise for 10 minutes that people shouldnt enjoy, but the song is beautiful. "Hell is Chrome" is the best song of all time, along with "Theologains" Listen Up, AGISB is a Classic! You'll See!… Expand
  11. StevenPro
    May 8, 2008
    10
    Stylus' review is spot on. This album is absolutely stunning.
  12. EricH
    Jun 21, 2004
    10
    A delightful masterpiece. More complex than YHF, and consequently a more mature Tweedy shines through.
  13. [Anonymous]
    Jun 22, 2004
    10
    rocks. you gotta listen to it over a period of time to get it. when you do, you realize it's amazing.
  14. andyc
    Jun 23, 2004
    10
    wilco evolves, if you give this a bad rating you are lieing to yourself, they have melodic power, lyrical power, briliiant arrangements, original, honest guitar playing by tweedy, another wilco classic
  15. SeamusS
    Nov 1, 2005
    10
    Easily Their Most Accesable And Brillaint Album. Though its hard to compare it to Yanke Hotel Foxtrot, its easier to say that it comes together much better on first listens. Brilliant album.
  16. ElliottM
    Oct 15, 2005
    10
    It's a flawed album, yet it's still a perfect album. My favorite album of 2004.
  17. Peter
    Feb 6, 2005
    10
    This album will go down as a classic and one of the best of the decade. I love every single track but the highlights are "Hummingbird", "Company in my Back" and "Spiders". For those people who like Wilco and were disappointed with this album, I strongly encourage you to give it a second, third and even fourth listen on a really good pair of speakers.
  18. MicahA
    Apr 21, 2005
    10
    I have been reading all the reviews; amazon, pitchfork, etc. None of them truly capture the beauty in this album. This CD is my FAVORITE CD currently. The album spans the largest spectrum yet, and "Muzzle of Bees" shows this wonderfully; slow and methodical at the beginning, and then it moves into one of the most beautiful and melodical pieces of music I have heard in all of my life. I have been reading all the reviews; amazon, pitchfork, etc. None of them truly capture the beauty in this album. This CD is my FAVORITE CD currently. The album spans the largest spectrum yet, and "Muzzle of Bees" shows this wonderfully; slow and methodical at the beginning, and then it moves into one of the most beautiful and melodical pieces of music I have heard in all of my life. Although it is a "departure" from YFH, and the music is more spontaneus and the lyrics do lack some of the luster they once did, the critics should not be penalizing them for it. All in all, A Ghost Is Born is my favorite album of 2004.… Expand
  19. FionaE
    Feb 17, 2006
    10
    An exciting album. It was on my turntable for weeks and months without change. A firm favourite
  20. WesM.
    Oct 4, 2008
    10
    Is it crazy that I liked this way more than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot?
  21. John
    Nov 29, 2004
    10
    Despite some negative reviews, I think this is Wilco's best album to date. It isn't as important (or as immediate) as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot , but it's easily as good, if not better. The songs certainly linger longer, and it helps bring about the return of the ALBUM. It's my favorite album this year. And at first I didn't think M83's album couldn't Despite some negative reviews, I think this is Wilco's best album to date. It isn't as important (or as immediate) as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot , but it's easily as good, if not better. The songs certainly linger longer, and it helps bring about the return of the ALBUM. It's my favorite album this year. And at first I didn't think M83's album couldn't possibly be topped, but I find myself listening to this exponentially more... Wilco is emerging as one of the most important bands of this new century.… Expand
  22. MattS
    Jun 21, 2004
    10
    Surpasses anything Tweedy & co. have done in the past. Just as good or better than YHF. A great rock album from one of the greatest American rock bands.
  23. TomR
    Jun 23, 2004
    10
    Inspiringly great. Like Charlie Kaufman's "Eternal Sunshine.." is to "Adaptation", "A Ghost is Born" is to "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot". Maybe I'm a pessimist, but I didn't think either artist could create something as strong there previous efforts. Lucky for us they did. Enjoy!
  24. CharlesM
    Jun 23, 2004
    10
    I actually like this CD far more than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. While I found their last CD to hectic, I found "A Ghost Is Born" to be a brilliant mixture of whimsical elements and lyrical brilliantless. If you like mellow, sincere, and peaceful music...this is the perfect CD for you.
  25. JohnT
    Aug 17, 2004
    10
    I totally agree with Joey M. while this album was a bit hard to grasp on the first few listens, luckily I was smart enough to not every dismiss a Wilco album! soafter I had played through it a couple times I started to recognize the beauty, and I think I would have to say that 3, 6, and 10 are my favorite songs on this masterpiece!
  26. Alec
    Nov 20, 2005
    10
    I have come to the conclusion that A Ghost Is Born is just as good if not better than YHF. Best of 2004, for sure.
  27. ApeRobot
    Nov 28, 2005
    10
    Possibly the most underrated album of all time. Better than YHF. Stop sleeping on this album.
  28. ChadS
    May 26, 2005
    10
    "I attack with love, pure bug beauty, curl my lips and crawl up to you, and your afternoon, and I've been puking," is the most inspired example of rock and roll poetry since Stephin Merritt wrote "On a ferris wheel looking out on Coney Island/under more stars than there are prostitutes in Thailand," from "Strange Powers". "Company in my Back" outshines anything Beck ever wrote, and "I attack with love, pure bug beauty, curl my lips and crawl up to you, and your afternoon, and I've been puking," is the most inspired example of rock and roll poetry since Stephin Merritt wrote "On a ferris wheel looking out on Coney Island/under more stars than there are prostitutes in Thailand," from "Strange Powers". "Company in my Back" outshines anything Beck ever wrote, and this is no slam on Beck. Jeff Tweedy is just better. "Wishful Thinking" is another gem. "Is any song worth singing if it doesn't help?" is a very good question. A track like "Spiders(Kidsmoke)" reminds me of how adventurous Prince once was on an album like "Sign of the Times". Listening to "Spiders" elicited the same what is this reaction I had when I first heard "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker". "A Ghost is Born" is the best rock album since Prefab Sprout's "Two Wheels Good".… Expand
  29. StephenF
    Jul 31, 2005
    10
    This album is absolutely phenomenal. I'm internally divided over which of their last two albums is better; but one thing is for sure, this album is a great follow-up to YHF. I love how wilcos music has progressed from album to album, and a ghost is born continues that tradition. Music fans that prefer simple and predictable arrangements will not like this album, but for those of us This album is absolutely phenomenal. I'm internally divided over which of their last two albums is better; but one thing is for sure, this album is a great follow-up to YHF. I love how wilcos music has progressed from album to album, and a ghost is born continues that tradition. Music fans that prefer simple and predictable arrangements will not like this album, but for those of us that are always looking for new music that is pushing artistic boundaries this album is an absolute must. Finally the united states has an answer to radiohead.… Expand
  30. evilb.
    Jan 20, 2005
    9
    it is amazing! i thought that YHF would be the end of wilco: you simply can't go on re-inventing yourself. and yet... this record is clearly wilco, but not as you've heard it before: it sounds dirtier than YHF, rougher on the edges. and i llllove it, Tweedy takes his electric guitar further than ever before. listen the opening track "at least that's what you said" and try it is amazing! i thought that YHF would be the end of wilco: you simply can't go on re-inventing yourself. and yet... this record is clearly wilco, but not as you've heard it before: it sounds dirtier than YHF, rougher on the edges. and i llllove it, Tweedy takes his electric guitar further than ever before. listen the opening track "at least that's what you said" and try not to think about Neil Young! great record!… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

63
#63 Best Album of 2004
26
#26 Most Discussed Album of 2004
31
#31 Most Shared Album of 2004

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. Playlouder
    80
    This time, as well as simply delivering the goods, Wilco come bearing a basket of extras.
    Read full review
  2. Tiny Mix Tapes
    100
    Unlike the first three Wilco albums and even more than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, A Ghost is Born requires careful listening.
    Read full review
  3. Austin Chronicle
    78
    Ghost is not a lot of fun. Still, it's an accomplishment, because it's an angry album.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »