I absolutely love this record. I am a relatively new fan to Wilco (about a year and a half), but they have quickly become my favorite band. My first Wilco record was Summerteeth (which was the best record of 1999) and from there I've worked my way backward chronologically (in fact I now have every record by Wilco, and Uncle Tupelo). Jeff Tweedy's ear for a pop hook was at it's peak with this album. It's an album in the truest sense... no filler, no need to skip a single song, and every tune will have you singing along so that you'll wonder how you've lived without this music in your life until now. Wilco is a band that you don't merely like, but love. I hope you've got some extra cash laying around because once you buy this record you'll be hooked and have to have all of them. Fans of Bob Dylan (especially the basement tapes, Blonde on Blonde, etc), The Band, the Beatles, Neil Young, Mercury Rev, Elliot Smith, etc. will love this record.

I like records that let you know they mean business right away - and A.M. definitely does that. From the minute you put it on, it's like you've discovered a favorite record you've had buried for years in the back of your closet - all the tunes are catchy, all the words make a quirky kind of sense, and it's just plain great to listen to.

I love this record, not only because of the infectious quality of the music, but the lyrics are so great you'll be humming them to yourself later, eager to hear them again. Shouldn't Be Ashamed, Box Full of Letters, and I Must Be High are all really great, but my favorite is Passenger Side - a plaintive paean to losing your license and having to be carted around (I've got a court date coming this June/ I'll be driving soon/ Passenger side/ I don't like riding on the passenger side.") The songs are deceptive in their simplicity, played by a band that can really play their instruments well. Jeff Tweedy's voice may take some people a while to get used to, but he's got a great, vulnerable quality and he can really write a great song.

I gave it four stars because Summerteeth is supposed to be their best album, and the last song kind of lets the album taper off. But if you like REM (even as late as Out Of Time) you'll really like Wilco, and A.M. is a great record to get to know your new favorite band.

Wilco is one of the two bands to rise from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo, the band that created the so-called "Insurgent Country" genre. The second of these two is Son Volt. This album was not received very well by the music press as it was released at about the same time as Son Volt's debut which was crically acclaimed. The comparison of these two albums is somewhat unfair as they are stylistically very different. Wilco is led by Jeff Tweedy, the member of Uncle Tupelo who tended toward catchy Roots Rock songs as opposed to Jay Farrar (now in Son Volt) who tends much more toward traditional country. A.M. is immediately listenable and struck me initially as something that I would tire of - this initial reaction has not held up - I still love this album each and every time I listen to it. It has almost direct follow on from "Anodyne", Uncle Tupelo's final album, with catchy songs like Box Full of Letters and Shouldn't be Ashamed. Yet there is depth provided by moody, soulful songs like Dash 7 and I Thought I Held You. Jeff Tweedy's trademark sense of humor is as strong as ever in Passenger Side and I Must Be High. In short, if you loved "Anodyne" by Uncle Tupelo, in particular these songs: Acuff-Rose, The Long Run, New Madrid, We've Been Had and No Sense in Lovin - then you will LOVE this album. But even if you prefer the style of Jay Farrar and Son Volt, this album is worth its price as the natural successor to the Uncle Tupelo era.

In 1995; music was needing a savior band. After the death of grunge; us; the music fans were needing a true band to carry the songwriting torch. Wilco came up to the plate and hit a home run.

Born from the defunct Alt-Country pioneering band; Uncle Tupelo, Wilco came out with a debut every bit as raw and edgy as The Rolling Stones early recordings; and arguably better. Jeff Tweedy's songwriting on this record is flawless and heartfelt. From the upbeat; 'Casino Queen', to the mellow; 'Dash 7', the music arrangments and songwriting seem flawless; but still sound edgy and cool.

A beautiful mind captivating record. This is what good; no great music sounds like. The record has a poise to it and still this youthful energy of a band that's just coming to terms with starting over and making a muture, elegant yet gritty debut album. Thisband rocks more than people give them credit for; and this record shows off that rock bambast.

Back in 1995, it must have been an exciting time to be a fan of Uncle Tupelo, waiting with baited breath for the debut albums by Jay Farrar's Son Volt and Jeff Tweedy's Wilco to be released, then spending countless hours debating their relative merits once they arrived. I didn't know Uncle Tupelo from my Uncle Karl at the time, but now 10 years later, I am finally ready to join the debate myself. As much as I have come to love Wilco (I currently consider them my favorite band), there is no doubt in my mind that Trace is superior to A.M. With A.M., Tweedy seemed content to step out of Farrar's shadow and offer evidence that he could write and perform several of the finest 1970s-style AOR songs of the 1990s. The stylistic leaps and consistency that would culminate in the landmark Yankee Hotel Foxtrot 6 years later would have to wait. Farrar never had plans to change his style or take his music in strange new directions. Instead, he grabbed the opportunity provided by the formation of Son Volt to perfect his sound and release Trace, a country-rock album of relentless, brooding purity that ranks among the 10 best CDs I have ever heard.

Though it fails to approach Trace's exalted status and is not even close to Wilco's best, A.M. still manages to inspire. It is the simplest and most straightforward of Wilco's albums, yet includes several of the band's most beautiful songs. If Jeff Tweedy's lament that `it shouldn't have to be this hard' doesn't touch you during `Shouldn't Be Ashamed', you are an emotionless automaton. "Shouldn't Be Ashamed" is one of those rare songs that manages to convey a universal human emotion that transcends space and time so that 20 years from now it will still sound just as powerful as it does today. Why `Shouldn't Be Ashamed', or the scorching `Casino Queen' for that matter, isn't a staple of classic rock radio is a mystery to me. Speaking of `Casino Queen', it has one of the filthiest guitar riffs I've heard this side of `Honky Tonk Women'. And then there's `Box Full of Letters', a classic breakup song rendered perfectly through Tweedy's heartfelt vocals. Even multi-instrumentalist John Stirratt takes a turn on lead vocals with the simple, yet affecting `It's Just That Simple', providing another of the album's highlights. Several additional songs, including `Should've Been In Love', `Pick Up the Change', and `Passenger Side', are also pleasant inclusions. Unfortunately, A.M. begins to lose steam towards the end with the competent but dreary tracks "Dash 7" and "Blue Eyed Soul".

Fans familiar with only Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or A Ghost is Born may be disappointed by the "traditional" sound of A.M., but if you enjoy other early Wilco offerings like Being There and the Mermaid Avenue albums, you will find A.M. to be a welcome addition to your collection. Clearly, Farrar was still running laps around Tweedy back in 1995, though his preeminence would be challenged only 1 year later when Tweedy and Co. fired back with the landmark double-disc Being There. But, that's a story for another day.