sananguy Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Don't get me wrong....Nels is an extraordinary guitar player. Obviously gifted. I love the Pete Townshend style boots too. I have to say though that his guitar work in the context of Wilco leaves me wanting. He can ape every guitar part in every song prior to his arrival, but there's something that doesn't reach me about his playing. Despite the crappy dynamic that Jay Bennet brought to the band, I find his contribution was more compelling. More soul, less technique. Another person I would love to get out from behind the curtain is Jim O'Rourke. I hate his singing on the Loose Fur stuff, but whatever else he brings to that table as well as the other Wilco projects makes me want him to be unmasked. He's openly credited on GIB, but has anyone seen him perform with Wilco? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aricandover Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Another person I would love to get out from behind the curtain is Jim O'Rourke. I hate his singing on the Loose Fur stuff, but whatever else he brings to that table as well as the other Wilco projects makes me want him to be unmasked. He's openly credited on GIB, but has anyone seen him perform with Wilco? lot's of people have seen Jim play with Wilco. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 No offense, but you are a bit late to this party. Jay has been gone so long I don't even know how we can discuss his participation in the band, except when I see Wilco I do think about the riffs he left from Summerteeth that the newer members now get to play. Seeing Nels when he is hot and seeing the band really dig playing keeps me from caring what happened to Jay. It was fun while it lasted, but it is over. Most of us have gotten over it long ago. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
markosis Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 I think its a little unfair that, since Nels has the ability to "shred", he gets the distinction from some as not being feel-oriented guitarist. That bothers me because the guy pours his heart into the music and plays with tons of feeling. Just the ability to rip it up doesn't detract from the soul he puts into it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DAngerer09 Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 lot's of people have seen Jim play with Wilco. he even appeared on Letterman with them jeff's voice seems so tentative during that performance, compared to how he sounds right now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
radiokills Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 all i know is that jay bennett was in wilco when they were recording one of the best albums of all time. nels is in wilco and was in wilco when they were recording one of their most forgettable/uninteresting albums. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sananguy Posted March 15, 2008 Author Share Posted March 15, 2008 No offense, but you are a bit late to this party. Jay has been gone so long I don't even know how we can discuss his participation in the band, except when I see Wilco I do think about the riffs he left from Summerteeth that the newer members now get to play. Seeing Nels when he is hot and seeing the band really dig playing keeps me from caring what happened to Jay. It was fun while it lasted, but it is over. Most of us have gotten over it long ago. LouieB My post wasn't concerning Jay's current involvement in the band. Clearly, that was over a long time ago. I'm comparing what I've seen and heard with Jay and what I've seen and heard with Nels in the band. It doesn't keep me up at night. Thanks to the poster with the link to the Letterman clip. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jc4prez Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 You don't like Jim's voice? Damn, I love "Answers" sounds like a cleaner early Tom Waits. As for them not recording a great album with Nels. Sky Blue Sky doesn't really give Nels room to shine, but when he does it steals the album (his lines on "Either Way" and "You Are My Face"). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
versechorusjvh Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 my 2 cents - i think nels is what jeff was looking for in the first place - he ended up with jay somehow and that resulted in some great stuff in the summerteeth / yhf era due to jay's multi-instrumentalist / (self-imposed?) producer role, but in the end, the songs were the songs and would have been the same songs regardless of how much mellotron went over top of them. its interesting to speculate what summerteeth and yhf would have sounded like without jay - and i think jay is great - but ultimately, i think it is for the better that jay is not a part of wilco, but i look forward to what he can do in the future on his own, without the strength of jeff's songs to tinker with. i still occasionally spin 'the palace at 4am' but 'the magnificent defeat' just doesn't click with me for some reason. as for nels, i think we have barely scratched the surface as far as his potential as a wilco member. his sbs collaborations blow me away, but having heard some of his non-wilco material, i think there are great untapped possibilities in the experimental/noise realm. i couldn't be more excited for the future of wilco. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jc4prez Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 my 2 cents - i think nels is what jeff was looking for in the first place - he ended up with jay somehow and that resulted in some great stuff in the summerteeth / yhf era due to jay's multi-instrumentalist / (self-imposed?) producer role, but in the end, the songs were the songs and would have been the same songs regardless of how much mellotron went over top of them. its interesting to speculate what summerteeth and yhf would have sounded like without jay - and i think jay is great - but ultimately, i think it is for the better that jay is not a part of wilco, but i look forward to what he can do in the future on his own, without the strength of jeff's songs to tinker with. i still occasionally spin 'the palace at 4am' but 'the magnificent defeat' just doesn't click with me for some reason. as for nels, i think we have barely scratched the surface as far as his potential as a wilco member. his sbs collaborations blow me away, but having heard some of his non-wilco material, i think there are great untapped possibilities in the experimental/noise realm. i couldn't be more excited for the future of wilco. great point about jay, but i guess many would argue he had a hand in the songwriting. As for Jays great production, I think a lot of the summerteeth stuff is over done, although the material is some of my favorite. And while YHF was my favorite wilco record, as time has passed I much prefer the live takes Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mpolak21 Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 I think all three of them have added a lot to Tweedy's songs. In terms of a songwriting partner, Bennett was crucial, I feel, to Jeff's development and co-wrote a good chunk of the band's best material and was all over two of their best records YHF and Summerteeth. I think where Jay may have limited Tweedy a bit, Jim O'Rourke came in and pushed him in some other very interesting directions and I think the Tweedy/O'Rourke/Kotche collaborations-- Not For The Season, Chinese Apple, Wreckroom, Wanted, The Ruling Class-- are also excellent. Live, Nels additions to some of the band's classic compositions have been mesmerizing, and he did co-write one of the best songs on Sky Blue Sky-- You Are My Face. I'm very curious to see how he will continue to be used in the future. --Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
giraffo Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 personally, looking at the two Loose Fur records and YHF and AGiB, and his solo output I think Jim O'Rourke is, in the most unexaggerated way, a genius. I wish we could get more out of this guy Wilco-wise. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
luke79 Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 I would love to have seen Wilco during the Bennett/Coomer era. But the shows I've seen since have all been great, and Nels is a great addition to the band. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DAngerer09 Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 personally, looking at the two Loose Fur records and YHF and AGiB, and his solo output I think Jim O'Rourke is, in the most unexaggerated way, a genius. I wish we could get more out of this guy Wilco-wise. I agree with that. I think O'Rourke adds a lot. And on a side note, I'd love to hear his mix of SBS. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheMaker Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Damn, I love "Answers" sounds like a cleaner early Tom Waits. Wow, right on. I've always thought this, too! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardwood floor Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 all i know is that jay bennett was in wilco when they were recording one of the best albums of all time. nels is in wilco and was in wilco when they were recording one of their most forgettable/uninteresting albums. dig couldn't agree more it's not about "shredding" it's about making great music and that whole "bad vibe jay brought to the band" thing or whatever it was called ... let's not forget whose perspective the movie was made from, whose side it told Quote Link to post Share on other sites
markosis Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 couldn't agree more it's not about "shredding" Agreed. I might add that I don't care how fast or technically sound Nels' plying is; he plays with tons of feeling and emotion. That is what I identify with in music. If there wasn't any feeling I wouldn't give a crap. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sananguy Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 personally, looking at the two Loose Fur records and YHF and AGiB, and his solo output I think Jim O'Rourke is, in the most unexaggerated way, a genius. I wish we could get more out of this guy Wilco-wise. I have checked into Jim's solo stuff and will definitely be giving Eureka and Insignificance a listen in the very near future. I didn't realized he was with Sonic Youth on the Sonic Nurse and Murray Street records either....liked them both. The guy is prolific as hell. If Tweedy thinks he's a genius (and has said so), it's good enough for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fatheadfred Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 I gotta stop reading this shit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 I gotta stop reading this shit.I'm right there with you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
idigworms Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 The elephant in the room I tend to see is the songwriting aspect. I'm holding out for, specifically, a Tweedy/Cline credit, so I can compare it to, well, pretty much any song from ST and YHF, give or take a few that Bennett didn't write. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mpolak21 Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 The elephant in the room I tend to see is the songwriting aspect. I'm holding out for, specifically, a Tweedy/Cline credit, so I can compare it to, well, pretty much any song from ST and YHF, give or take a few that Bennett didn't write. Yeah I completely agree. You Are My Face is credited to Tweedy/Cline. --Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moe_Syzlak Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 I agree with that. I think O'Rourke adds a lot. And on a side note, I'd love to hear his mix of SBS.Agree with this completely. I liked BAitUSA better than SBS.... MUCH better. I am also a huge fan of O'Rourke's solo output too, though. The funny thing is I like most of the songs on SBS a lot, but the arrangements seem lacking somehow with the exception of You Are My Face. I think the absense of O'Rourke is real issue (at least for me). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
idigworms Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Yeah I completely agree. You Are My Face is credited to Tweedy/Cline. --Mike Yeah, I'd say that one has legs, lyrically and musically. Does O'Rourke play on that one? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mpolak21 Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Yeah, I'd say that one has legs, lyrically and musically. Does O'Rourke play on that one? He is credited with "feedback" on You Are My Face in the linear notes, so I assume he helped construct the short noise fade out at the end. --Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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