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Nels vs. Jay and the mystery of Jim


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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.

 

Amen to that...

 

Look no further than his solo at the end of Ashes of American Flags during his first Austin City Limits performance with the band...

 

:worship

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looking at that War On War Letterman vid two things are apparent: Jeff looks much much younger thanks to makeup (and being younger at that point) and he looks visibly ready to shit his pants at the drop of a pin.

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He has a new one coming out? I thought he was in Japan Japaning it up?

 

from Pitchfork:

 

Jim O'Rourke Reissues, New Album Due on Drag City

 

Jim O'Rourke-- producer, one half of Loose Fur, former Sonic Youth member, and experimental musician in his own right-- will enter the reissue game on May 20 with the help of Drag City. That's when the Chicago label will reissue O'Rourke's Tamper (1991) and Osorezan (2006).

 

Both reissues will feature the original albums sans the distraction of bonus tracks. Take that, Elvis Costello!

 

Following the release of those reissues, Drag City imprint Streamline will continue the unearthing with the release of Long Nights, "a double-disc release of pure drone that dates way, way back but is only now seeing the light of day," according to Drag City.

 

Finally, there's the matter of O'Rourke's new album. Details are scant for now, but he's planning to have it finished early this year.

 

UPDATE: We've got the tracklists for the old stuff now:

 

Tamper:

 

01 Spirits Never Forgive

02 He Felt the Patient Memory of a Reluctant Sea

03 Ascend Through Unspoken Shadow

 

Osorezan:

 

01 Form of the Collapse If a Collapse Should Occur

02 All We Know So Far

03 In Addition

 

Long Nights:

 

01 Long Nights

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I love Nels, and I think the current lineup is without question the strongest Wilco lineup ever. Still, Jay brought a breezy pop sensibility that was a bit of a counterbalance to Jeff's intensity. Not much breezy pop on AGIB or SBS. I'd love to hear them do something light and fluffy like the song "summerteeth" or "nothingsevergonnastand" again.

 

Also, Jay was a very strong singer, and I think the band's backup vocals are weaker without him. No offence to Pat, but his vocals are just not up to Jay's level.

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Also, Jay was a very strong singer, and I think the band's backup vocals are weaker without him. No offence to Pat, but his vocals are just not up to Jay's level.

really? I thought Jay was pretty weak. his voice is weird and abrasive in some ways, so I thought this was an odd comment.

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really? I thought Jay was pretty weak. his voice is weird and abrasive in some ways, so I thought this was an odd comment.

 

it depends on the mix. i've heard some soundboards where you're listening through headphones, when his backing vocals come in, it scares you. new madrid is a good example!

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Yeah, Jay's voice is just terrible. Just listen to him sing "My Darling" on the IATTBYH documentary... he's got a voice like shards of glass, and not in a good way. His backing vocals always seemed over the top and I've always thought they were to high in the mix. Sansone's a much better singer - maybe even a better all-around vocalist than Stirratt.

 

I like the new lineup. Nels is just amazing - one of the best guitarists I've ever seen - and the harmonies are as tight as they've ever been.

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Also, Jay was a very strong singer, and I think the band's backup vocals are weaker without him. No offence to Pat, but his vocals are just not up to Jay's level.

 

 

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I think nels is fantastic. He shreds his 'featured' solos but his additions are much broader. I was watching the youtube of forget the flowers recently and was really impressed at how he knocks out a country music lead like that. I think that some who don't like his solos think that's all he adds. One of my favorite things about him is the counter points he adds to jeff's solos and some of the subtle flourishes he adds all over the place. The guy appears to have no ego - he is certainly the best technical guitarist in the band, but he does not need to be the center of attention on every song.

As far as calling SBS forgettable, I think that is way off. It is a collection of great songs. My only gripe is that it does not contain much change of pace. It's all "Jesus, etc." and no "I am trying to break your heart" or "i'm a wheel". But I love the way the new material fits into the live shows where it can be balanced by some faster songs and some weirder songs. I have been listening to recordings of the residency shows lately and they just blow me away with the variety of songs present. In my opinion, this version of wilco is the best rock and roll band in america in the last 20 years.

What I would love to hear for the next album is a few songs with O'Rourke and Nels working together. That could produce some fantastically weird results.

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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.

 

I agree. But the only question is, is that the direction in which Jeff Tweedy would like Wilco to go?

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i agree with the ugly pussy above! :lol

 

 

Taken out of context...this would make a great sig

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Yeah, Jay's voice is just terrible. Just listen to him sing "My Darling" on the IATTBYH documentary... he's got a voice like shards of glass, and not in a good way.

 

Wow, watch him near the end of the film harmonizing in a hotel room to Someday Soon....he is note perfect. Although I will concede that the reason the backing vocals on Summerteeth are arguably Wilco's best may not be so much Bennett's voice as it is the layered production.

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Wow, watch him near the end of the film harmonizing in a hotel room to Someday Soon....he is note perfect. Although I will concede that the reason the backing vocals on Summerteeth are arguably Wilco's best may not be so much Bennett's voice as it is the layered production.

 

hehe, if you watch John's face during that part, he actually is singing along and whatnot, you can catch him wince when Bennett kind of falters.

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I think nels is fantastic. He shreds his 'featured' solos but his additions are much broader. I was watching the youtube of forget the flowers recently and was really impressed at how he knocks out a country music lead like that. I think that some who don't like his solos think that's all he adds. One of my favorite things about him is the counter points he adds to jeff's solos and some of the subtle flourishes he adds all over the place. The guy appears to have no ego - he is certainly the best technical guitarist in the band, but he does not need to be the center of attention on every song.

As far as calling SBS forgettable, I think that is way off. It is a collection of great songs. My only gripe is that it does not contain much change of pace. It's all "Jesus, etc." and no "I am trying to break your heart" or "i'm a wheel". But I love the way the new material fits into the live shows where it can be balanced by some faster songs and some weirder songs. I have been listening to recordings of the residency shows lately and they just blow me away with the variety of songs present. In my opinion, this version of wilco is the best rock and roll band in america in the last 20 years.

What I would love to hear for the next album is a few songs with O'Rourke and Nels working together. That could produce some fantastically weird results.

 

well said. nels' fills are where it's really at. the fills in Company in My Back are a good example.

 

as for SBS...the only real change of pace is Walken. however, Impossible Germany can get a littler hotter in concert.

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