Nels Cline is GOD

[mpolak21]

Well it's been five and a half years since Bennett was ousted, and the band has certainly done some incredible stuff without him, but it's hard not to get a little nostaglic listening to Summerteeth, Foxtrot or the Foxtrot demos. It would be a welcoming development if he was brought back into the fold, though I have a feeling we'd sooner see Taylor Hicks the lineup before Jay returns. But shit J. Mascis and Lou Barlow made up, so anything can happen.

 

--Mike

[Basil II]

Thanks for that, Mike..........

 

 

-Robert.

[aricandover]

Summerteeth is still my favorite Wilco album.

[radiokills]

Summerteeth is still my favorite Wilco album.

 

Finally! a non ghost head

[Basil II]

Summerteeth is still my favorite Wilco album.

 

 

 

Mine too......

 

 

Robert.

[aricandover]

Finally! a non ghost head

 

 

oh, I love Ghost too, it's just not my favorite.

[mpolak21]

Thanks for that, Mike..........

-Robert.

 

No prob. Jay too me, to use the Stones analogy, is a bit more like Wilco's Brian Jones. The Stones did some excellent stuff without Brian, but there was an element that he brought to their sound that was unreplaceable. I feel the same way about Jay. It doesn't really matter that they've found a better guitar player, or that Leroy and later Mike and Pat could replicate or better his keyboard parts, they'll probably never find a guy that could write with Tweedy as well as Jay did. He understood him on a pretty deep level, and more often then not knew exactly what he could do to make the songs better in the studio. Everyone should fire up She's A Jar right now just for confirmation. Now I'm not saying Jeff doesn't have that with the new lineup or with Jim O'Rourke, but the majority of his A+ material, Bennett was involved with in someway. And at the end of the day even if it means him soloing all over the place on occasion, and seeing those goofy whiteman dreads, I want more Jesus, etcs, damn it.

 

--Mike

[H to the ickle]

Summerteeth is still my favorite Wilco album.

 

Mine too.

[Gobias Industries]

Where does Jesus fit in this equation?

 

?

 

He never fit in the equation. I discarded him.

[danelectro]

Nel Cline is GOOD, I'm really starting to dig his playing on SBS. Twenty or so spins later I'm still diggin' his guitar work. I was convinced he would be the undoing of Wilco at one point, my fear was with him and Kotche in the band Wilco would be too out there. But he really seems to be a positive pivot for Wilco. When he came on board things changed in a good way. I really hope he sticks around for another album or two. Same with Glenn, his Bonhamesque rolls and heavy handed beats are killer on SBS. I'm just delighted with SBS.

[echo]

Summerteeth is tops here too.

[LouieB]

sounds like any other adult-lite smooth jazz guitarist.

Ouch....

 

LouieB

[jff]

Summerteeth is my least favorite Wilco album.

[sfjenniches]

Thank god Jeff's opinion of Nels has no connection to what half of you think!!! This band has become far more relevant since Bennett left. And that isn't necessarily because of Nels. But it is because the current lineup doesn't restrict Jeff's expression, which Bennett did.

 

And Nels could honestly play every note that Bennett ever did, and better. He can do anything with a guitar.

 

Well it's been five and a half years since Bennett was ousted, and the band has certainly done some incredible stuff without him, but it's hard not to get a little nostaglic listening to Summerteeth, Foxtrot or the Foxtrot demos. It would be a welcoming development if he was brought back into the fold, though I have a feeling we'd sooner see Taylor Hicks the lineup before Jay returns. But shit J. Mascis and Lou Barlow made up, so anything can happen.

 

--Mike

 

 

I kind of feel YHF happened in spite of Bennett rather than thanks to him.

[caliber66]

Thank god Jeff's opinion of Nels has no connection to what half of you think!!! This band has become far more relevant since Bennett left. And that isn't necessarily because of Nels. But it is because the current lineup doesn't restrict Jeff's expression, which Bennett did.

 

And Nels could honestly play every note that Bennett ever did, and better. He can do anything with a guitar.

I disagree with everything you said up there, with the exception of "and that isn't necessarily because of Nels."

 

I kind of feel YHF happened in spite of Bennett rather than thanks to him.

Add that to the things on which you and I disagree.

[WilcoFan]

I disagree with everything you said up there, with the exception of "and that isn't necessarily because of Nels."

Add that to the things on which you and I disagree.

 

 

I agree with your disagreeing above.

[sfjenniches]

I disagree with everything you said up there, with the exception of "and that isn't necessarily because of Nels."

Add that to the things on which you and I disagree.

 

 

That's fine. I find the early albums pretty tedious and lacking in effective depth from a musicianship point of view. There is an arbitrary feeling to many of the arrangements .

 

And I've never been fond of Bennett. Oh well.

[caliber66]

There is an arbitrary feeling to many of the arrangements .

I have no idea what you mean by this or what it means for the band to be more "relevant." Care to elaborate?

 

I think Nels is a terrifically talented guitarist, and I think Jay Bennett is a wonderful musician as well. Nobody's ever going to confuse one for the other, and Nels may very well have the edge in technical virtuosity, but I haven't heard half the emotion in his playing that I got from Jay. It's undeniable (IMO, of course) that Jay Bennett was absolutely vital to the evolution and development of Wilco after its formation. Sure, maybe his and Jeff's (and the rest of the band's) relationship had run its course, but to discount his contribution to the band during his tenure seems a bit irrational. Too each his own, though.

[JUDE]

I have no idea what you mean by this or what it means for the band to be more "relevant." Care to elaborate?

 

I think Nels is a terrifically talented guitarist, and I think Jay Bennett is a wonderful musician as well. Nobody's ever going to confuse one for the other, and Nels may very well have the edge in technical virtuosity, but I haven't heard half the emotion in his playing that I got from Jay. It's undeniable (IMO, of course) that Jay Bennett was absolutely vital to the evolution and development of Wilco after its formation. Sure, maybe his and Jeff's (and the rest of the band's) relationship had run its course, but to discount his contribution to the band during his tenure seems a bit irrational. Too each his own, though.

 

Testify!

[ction]

I'm sure some people like Yngwie Malmsteen better than Bob Stinson. I don't.

[JUDE]

I'm sure some people like Yngwie Malmsteen better than Bob Stinson. I don't.

 

Well, you're wrong.

And Malmsteen could honestly play every note that Stinson ever did, and better. He can do anything with a guitar.

[sfjenniches]

I have no idea what you mean by this or what it means for the band to be more "relevant." Care to elaborate?

 

I think Nels is a terrifically talented guitarist, and I think Jay Bennett is a wonderful musician as well. Nobody's ever going to confuse one for the other, and Nels may very well have the edge in technical virtuosity, but I haven't heard half the emotion in his playing that I got from Jay. It's undeniable (IMO, of course) that Jay Bennett was absolutely vital to the evolution and development of Wilco after its formation. Sure, maybe his and Jeff's (and the rest of the band's) relationship had run its course, but to discount his contribution to the band during his tenure seems a bit irrational. Too each his own, though.

 

 

I frequently feel that the musicianship falls short of the lyricism in the first three albums. As does Jeff's voice. The lyrics are great. I often don't like the execution. It's as if Jeff hadn't figured out how he wanted things to sound fully. And because of that, to me some of the arrangements seem forced.

 

With YHF, I feel that Jeff had finally figured out how he wanted his music to sound, and where he wanted to go. And then he set out to assemble the musicians capable of achieving that end. There isn't one song from ST, or BT that I can listen to without wishing I was hearing the current lineup playing it.

[Calexico]

[quote name='JUDE

[sfjenniches]

I have no idea what you mean by this or what it means for the band to be more "relevant." Care to elaborate?

 

I think Nels is a terrifically talented guitarist, and I think Jay Bennett is a wonderful musician as well. Nobody's ever going to confuse one for the other, and Nels may very well have the edge in technical virtuosity, but I haven't heard half the emotion in his playing that I got from Jay. It's undeniable (IMO, of course) that Jay Bennett was absolutely vital to the evolution and development of Wilco after its formation. Sure, maybe his and Jeff's (and the rest of the band's) relationship had run its course, but to discount his contribution to the band during his tenure seems a bit irrational. Too each his own, though.

 

I've been seeing Nels play live for almost twenty years. Over that time, I admit I've heard a lot of ridiculous noodling. But I've also seen him play with incredible emotion far more often.

 

Is it Bennett's style that for you equals emotion? Is Nels unemotional simply because his technique is better? Maybe it's just taste. I get more emotion out of a single phrase from Nels in the Wilco context than I get from a whole song of Bennett. They are different, no doubt.

[caliber66]

I frequently feel that the musicianship falls short of the lyricism in the first three albums. As does Jeff's voice. The lyrics are great. I often don't like the execution. It's as if Jeff hadn't figured out how he wanted things to sound fully. And because of that, to me some of the arrangements seem forced.

Apparently, that's somehow Jay Bennett's fault.

 

I agree, though, that the arrangement has matured over the years, which is to be expected, since Jeff's been constantly evolving and becoming more comfortable in the creative process. Nothing unusual about that, and no need to blame Jay for Wilco's perceived engineering shortcomings of the past.

 

With YHF, I feel that Jeff had finally figured out how he wanted his music to sound, and where he wanted to go. And then he set out to assemble the musicians capable of achieving that end. There isn't one song from ST, or BT that I can listen to without wishing I was hearing the current lineup playing it.

Again, that Jeff decided he wanted his music to sound different (not discounting the fact, of course, that much of the music was at least partially Jay's) is a personal choice by Jeff and not an indictment of Jay Bennett. I'm sorry that you don't enjoy the previous albums as much as you might. Personally, I can't even begin to imagine how "I Got You" would have sounded with the current lineup in the studio, or if (God forbid) it might not have made Being There at all.