Wilco Through The Years: Revisiting Hometown Heroes On 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' Release Anniversary (PHOTOS)

Ten years ago Monday, Chicago-based rock band Wilco released "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", which would be met with critical acclaim and become the band's best-selling album to date.

The album, released in 2002, pays homage to the city where it was created with its now-iconic cover image of Marina City's towers, two decades-old commercial and residential buildings on State Street. Chosen by the band from a collection of city photos and edited to emphasize the buildings' unique structure, Paste ranked the cover number 18 in its list of the decade's 25 best album covers, and tourists still call the structure "the Wilco towers," according to The AV Club.

Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot, who would later write a book about the band called "Wilco: Learning How to Die," published a glowing review when the album was first released:

"Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" (Nonesuch), out Tuesday, is the best album in Wilco's career, and, had it come out last year as scheduled, it would have topped many critics' year-end top-10 lists, including mine...Call it an American classic, and pity Reprise for taking a pass on it.

Kot's admonishment refers to Reprise Records' decision to drop Wilco from their label shortly before the album's release, kickstarting a tumultuous time for the band documented in the film "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart," shot by Sam Jones during the record's production.

Shortly before "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" was set to release, the band signed with Nonesuch Records, a label they stuck with until early 2011, when Wilco announced they were leaving to start their own label, according to Billboard.

The album became Wilco's first gold record in December 2004, surpassing the 500,000 unit sales mark despite the band streaming the full album free of charge on their website before inking the deal with Nonesuch.

Check out some photos of the band from then and now: