quosh Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 I'm just re-reading Kot's book and although I'm no Bennett-hater, the following Jonathan Parker quote made me chuckle: (on the sacking of Jay Bennett) 'Personality wise, it was the right move. Musically, I think it was a big mistake. The fan in me thinks, "you're not going to find a better lead guitar player|" And here we are, July 2007 with Nels Cline, undoubtedly one of the best guitarists of his generation. I love Jay's guitar sound but when the gap appeared in the group I think Jeff really started ripping things up in his own right, on AGIB for instance. Whenever I hear ALTWYS, Jeff sounds like he's been playing lead guitar (in bands) all his life, he really is a fucking good guitarist, so, so versatile... We are pretty lucky in the fact that we kinda' have two lead guitarists (and I'm not even going to mention Pat) in Wilco to boast about. Man I love Wilco.Alex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
froggie Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 when i read the title of the thread, i thought some guy has started a band and wants to advertise for a lead guitarist! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
quosh Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 just keeping you on your toes Froggie! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wilco Worshipper Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 when i read the title of the thread, i thought some guy has started a band and wants to advertise for a lead guitarist! Ditto! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
radiokills Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 nels is no replacement for jay. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yermom Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 nels is no replacement for jay.It's sort of apples and oranges isn't it? I came to Wilco after Jay was pretty well gone so there's really no missing Jay for me. I absolutely adore Nels, he's got such a great and unique sound and he seems to be a pretty wonderful guy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KevinG Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 And here we are, July 2007 with Nels Cline, undoubtedly one of the best guitarists of his generation. Wow, Nels is good, but the best guitarists of his generation? That is a hyperbole if I have ever heard one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
deepseacatfish Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Wow, Nels is good, but the best guitarists of his generation? That is a hyperbole if I have ever heard one.I think in terms of pushing both jazz and rock boundaries Nels has done a lot (particularly looking at his work outside of Wilco), I think he's certainly not the best guitarist of his generation--but one of the best? I would think so. But that's just what I think. The Nels vs. Jay argument really is apples and oranges. Nels brings much more in terms of guitar to Wilco, and live he can really tear it up as well as just being a versatile player in what he can produce. Jay brought a lot more to the table in terms of being able to co-write with Jeff. Sky Blue Sky was a very intentional record in the way that it came together, but I'm interested to see where the current lineup goes from this, if they start pushing the boundaries of what they're doing a little more--but it seems to me things are working very well--if differently from before. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wheelco Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Wow, Nels is good, but the best guitarists of his generation? That is a hyperbole if I have ever heard one.I was thinking the same maybe we could have a Hyper Bowl matchup of Jay vs. Nels Quote Link to post Share on other sites
owl Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Jay is a straightup Rock&Roll soloist. He's great in a Warren Haynes kind of way. (Note, like Haynes, it's also good when Bennet doesn't sing.) Nels is good in a completely different way; I really don't think that they can be compared. Funny thing- from a solo perspective, I think that I'd be more inclined to enjoy Bennett's Rocky/folky stuff vs. Nels' Avant stuff. At the same time, I think I'm more inclined to enjoy a 2007 Wilco show than I was in 1999. Weird. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
owl Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Wow, Nels is good, but the best guitarists of his generation? That is a hyperbole if I have ever heard one. Pretty sure he said one of the best, which I don't see as too great of an exaggeration. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Define generation. Nels is in his early 50s. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigWheeledWagon Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Nels is certainly a great guitarist, and I enjoy what he's brought to Wilco. Jay, however, was a good guitar player in his own right, and his real strength was his ability to shift effortlessly between various styles. He also brought the keyboards into Wilco's arsenal of sound, but Mike and Pat fill that role quite well now. Nels really imprints everything he does with his own unique style where as Jay altered his style to fit each unique song. For that reason, I find it hard to compare the two. I enjoy what each of them has brought to the band. If I were to judge them based solely on the output of the band while each guitarist was a member, so far Jay would win that battle -- but of course he also contributed to the songwriting, even if the extent of his role in this regard is open to some debate. I love "Sky Blue Sky," but after months of living with it, I would rank it below any Wilco (and strictly Wilco) studio album upon which Jay played. Of course, Nels only has the one album to use as comparison. In the end, I think we Wilco fans are lucky to have been able to experience both Nels and Jay and their sizable contributions to Wilco. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Nels is certainly a great guitarist, and I enjoy what he's brought to Wilco. Jay, however, was a good guitar player in his own right, and his real strength was his ability to shift effortlessly between various styles. He also brought the keyboards into Wilco's arsenal of sound, but Mike and Pat fill that role quite well now. Nels really imprints everything he does with his own unique style where as Jay altered his style to fit each unique song. For that reason, I find it hard to compare the two. I enjoy what each of them has brought to the band. If I were to judge them based solely on the output of the band while each guitarist was a member, so far Jay would win that battle -- but of course he also contributed to the songwriting, even if the extent of his role in this regard is open to some debate. I love "Sky Blue Sky," but after months of living with it, I would rank it below any Wilco (and strictly Wilco) studio album upon which Jay played. Of course, Nels only has the one album to use as comparison. In the end, I think we Wilco fans are lucky to have been able to experience both Nels and Jay and their sizable contributions to Wilco. That's a level-headed response. If you were to look at Jay's complete discography and compare it to Nels', it's pretty easy to say Nels has Jay beat by a wide margin. Of course, Nels has played on 20 or 30 times more recordings than Jay. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mkush001 Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 jay bennett is the most scotty-from-boogie-nights-look-a-liking guitarist of his generation. hyberbole? i don't think so. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
oceanman Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 I would rather have dinner with Nels,Jay would just steal my food and call it his own. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 That's a level-headed response. If you were to look at Jay's complete discography and compare it to Nels', it's pretty easy to say Nels has Jay beat by a wide margin. Of course, Nels has played on 20 or 30 times more recordings than Jay.What does solo output have to do with anything when comparing what the two have done based solely on the output of the band while each guitarist was a member? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 What does solo output have to do with anything when comparing what the two have done based solely on the output of the band while each guitarist was a member? Nothing, but this thread is not limited to Wilco since the original post says Nels is one of the best of his generation. Calm down with the bold hysterics. Are you going to freak out on Oceanman for saying he'd rather have dinner with Nels? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Groo Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 But seriously though...anyone in Chicago wanna start a band ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Nothing, but this thread is not limited to Wilco since the original post says Nels is one of the best of his generation. Calm down with the bold hysterics. Are you going to freak out on Oceanman for saying he'd rather have dinner with Nels?Not freaking out on anyone. It just seemed you were rebutting the statement you quoted, which may have been a misinterpretation on my part. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dimetapp drinker Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 nels is no replacement for jay. I'm going to beg to differ on that - completely leaving aside what Jay brought to the band (which was of course considerable) or the relative merits of their guitar work (I happen to prefer Nels, but that doesn't matter here). Nels is a perfect replacement for Jay. Why? Because Jeff is happy working with him, playing some of the best shows ever, and by all accounts more at peace and healthy than he's been in a long time. And at the end of the day, that's more important. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Not freaking out on anyone. It just seemed you were rebutting the statement you quoted, which may have been a misinterpretation on my part. Ok, fair enough. I wasn't trying to rebut anything, just thinking in print. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mountain bed Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 But seriously though...anyone in Chicago wanna start a band ?I've always wanted to be in an 'art-rock' band. But my Steve Howe skills...well nevermind. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tweedling Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 In the end, I think we Wilco fans are lucky to have been able to experience both Nels and Jay and their sizable contributions to Wilco.HERE! HERE! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Left Arm Tan Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Wow, Nels is good, but the best guitarists of his generation? That is a hyperbole if I have ever heard one. so who is then? i'm not saying nels is, by any means, just wondering who you (and others) would say is.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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