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Nels Cline is GOD


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This record is what Wico should have sounded like with Bennett. He had too standard of a style of playing that got kinda boring after a while(in my opinion). Tweedy and Cline are like a 4 fucking headed dragon spewing fire and killing unicorns.

PS- can you tell that i play guitar?

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This record is what Wico should have sounded like with Bennett. He had too standard of a style of playing that got kinda boring after a while(in my opinion).

 

Phew! You had me worried for a second, I thought that was a fact! :unsure

 

They are hardly comparable in both the kinds of contributions they make to the band (song-writing versus guitar solos) and also their style of play. I don't see Nels jamming on the keys. I love Nels, I also love Bennett. Post-Bennett Wilco is just a different band...in my opinion.

 

Tweedy and Cline are like a 4 fucking headed dragon spewing fire and killing unicorns.

 

But they each only have one head... :hmm

 

PS- can you tell that i play guitar?

 

:no

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Dumb metaphors notwithstanding, I also really appreciate Nels' work on this album. It's both explosive and reserved which fits the album's tone very well.

 

I was half-afraid that a studio record with Nels on it would de-evolve into a clusterfuck of crazy noodling and eight minute long instrumentals.

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I'm pretty sure Pat and John's pop sensibilities reined Nels in. A little.

I was a little worried that Pat and John's Autumn Defense sensibilities would influence this record too much--and I'm still a little worried.

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I was half-afraid that a studio record with Nels on it would de-evolve into a clusterfuck of crazy noodling and eight minute long instrumentals.

 

I had similar "fears", from the minute Nels came on board I thought the band was heading in that direction. Then BAM comes SBS. Honestly this is the record I always hoped Wilco would make, classic classic rock without sounding like a retro act or ripping any one band.

 

As for the Jay Bennett thing, Jay brought alot to the band and IMO the albums he had a hand in are still the "best". With just one album under his belt I'm not going to say Nels is some kind of Wilco savior though he certainly brings great stuff to the band. His playing on SBS is just great, at times he sounds like George Benson and Jimmy Page, on the same song. Truely amazing stuff.

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Nels does have a different sound than Jay Bennett;

However! I've only seen snippets of Pat's guitar work from Walken / Hoodoo Voodoo / Autumn Defense shows, but the snippets have been pretty good; he's got that Jay sound to it.

 

And as far as Nels goes, the reason why I think he's so good is that his best moment isn't the noisy shredding in I.G., but the soft touches he has on "Either Way"'s solo. The notes he strikes in seconds 2:03 to 2:06 are so amazing.

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This record is what Wico should have sounded like with Bennett. He had too standard of a style of playing that got kinda boring after a while(in my opinion). Tweedy and Cline are like a 4 fucking headed dragon spewing fire and killing unicorns.

PS- can you tell that i play guitar?

 

I'm a big Bennett fan...but

 

God...can you say that thing about Unicorns again? It was amazing...a youtube link maybe?

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Nels is amazing. I hope he stays with Jeff & Co. for a long time. But lets be factual...there is only ONE God.

 

180pxyoungjerrygarciawg8.jpg

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It'd be nice if people would stop trying to compare and contrast the different iterations of Wilco's sound and, well, band members as well. Their catalogue is what it is and all of the songs represent solid musicianship. That said, Nels Cline does a great job on all the songs. I was somewhat worried that a lot of his guitar work would have the same kind of sound. But luckily I was quite wrong - his playing is all spectacular, whether its a supporting riff or an all out solo. You can't compare his playing to that of Jay Bennett. Nor can you really compare how much either guitarist added to the band at the time. They both have lended great musical talent to Wilco.

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And as far as Nels goes, the reason why I think he's so good is that his best moment isn't the noisy shredding in I.G., but the soft touches he has on "Either Way"'s solo. The notes he strikes in seconds 2:03 to 2:06 are so amazing.

While I can get behind you on this...

 

sounds like any other adult-lite smooth jazz guitarist.

...and this seems a little hyperbolic, I'm not much of a fan of Nels as a studio guitarist for Wilco. There's no doubt the man's an extremely talented guitarist, but I don't think he's ever going to be my favorite.

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You guys do realize that Nels has played a lot of styles other than jazz (like... every other style) over the course of his career. And its not like he plays exclusively jazzy stuff on SBS, which is what I was afraid of.

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