Steven Wilson the 'Guitarist'
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Topic: Steven Wilson the 'Guitarist'
Posted By: addictedtoprog
Subject: Steven Wilson the 'Guitarist'
Date Posted: September 20 2014 at 08:36
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Mr. Steven Wilson is very well known and respected all over the progressive rock community. - among very best of the producers - band leader - singer - song-writer But then he's also a multi-instrumentalist. The guitar being his primary instrument.. Yet i hav barely read anything in praise of his guitar playing.. Quite under-rated. He considers himself to b not much gud at guitar playing technically( of what i hv read in his interviews and its true maybe)...but he likes to experiment a lot wid his guitar. To me he plays wid lots of emotion..and he always seems to b playing for the sake of the song both in studio and on-stage... I was once very much in love wid his guitar playing..specially the tone of his guitar...and i still very much like it. Whats ur take then? |
Replies:
Posted By: ole-the-first
Date Posted: September 20 2014 at 10:34
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He's a hell of a composer (for me, he's the best songwriter and sound producer nowadays) but not an extraordinary musician or a singer. Much of his most emotive guitar work is more of a result of superb production. I just want to say that Steven Wilson really knows how to present his abilities to the audience to make them sound that strong. ------------- This night wounds time. |
Posted By: Wanorak
Date Posted: September 20 2014 at 11:45
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I consider him to be a strong 7. He's not a technical virtuoso, but he plays with feeling and heart. He also knows how to use effects very well. ------------- A GREAT YEAR FOR PROG!!! |
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: September 20 2014 at 11:55
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Not sure why you didn't just do 1 choice for each number. I feel like he's a strong 6/weakest 7. Never completely blew me away, and in the prog circles i guess he's a little underwhelming - in general though likable. ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: Billy Pilgrim
Date Posted: September 20 2014 at 14:07
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His creativity covers up for his slightly above average playing ability. That said I would much rather listen to Wilson solo than John Petrucci. I'll agree with everyone else and go 6-8
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Posted By: Prog_Traveller
Date Posted: September 20 2014 at 14:14
| I don't pay that close attention to his guitar playing. I would put him in the same league as David Gilmour though. |
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: September 20 2014 at 14:32
What. ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Prog_Traveller wrote:Posted By: addictedtoprog
Date Posted: September 20 2014 at 15:10
Wilson plays guitar in Gilmourish kind of way with a Gimourish tone and emotion..thats wht he means i guess. |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: September 20 2014 at 15:34
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6-8 sounds good to me. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: September 20 2014 at 19:42
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6-8 for me also....a good guitarist but not a great one....though there are a few leads here and there where he does a really nice job. He does a superb lead on the live version of Dark Matter from one of his European shows...it's up on you tube. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: September 21 2014 at 02:21
| I rate him in the 6-8 category, with emphasis on the 8. His performances on the Coma Divine extravaganza are scorching. He plays like a real mo-fo through Dislocated Day especially. |
Posted By: addictedtoprog
Date Posted: September 21 2014 at 02:32
And the ending of 'Arriving Somewhere But Not Here' in Arriving Somewhere....DVD Very intense 
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Posted By: Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Date Posted: September 21 2014 at 02:34
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You kind of have to look at the early days of Porcupine Tree, when Wilson wasn't afraid to solo his heart out in the grandest and proggiest manner! He had a tremendous space-rock sound. Nowadays, and in pretty much the second half of the Porcupine Tree catalogue, he seemed to really move away from the extended grand soloing, almost as if he's somewhat embarrassed of it now. He also often covers his solos in heaps of distortion now, etc. I'm with Tom, I would also rate him at about 6-8, but damn, it's a freaking BIG 8 for him on those early Delirium label releases! 
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Posted By: King Crimson776
Date Posted: September 21 2014 at 04:07
| He's not a virtuoso, but his playing is perfect. He's in my top 10 guitarists. |
Posted By: Xonty
Date Posted: September 21 2014 at 04:11
| Just about in the 6-8 I guess (depends on what kind of scale it is though) |
Posted By: fudgenuts64
Date Posted: September 21 2014 at 04:18
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8-10, I forgot how much I appreciated him for his playing. Go listen to Up the Downstair, it's a standout for it.
------------- 
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Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: September 21 2014 at 05:45
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4 for me since he's of middling ability.
------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005  |
Posted By: Argonaught
Date Posted: September 21 2014 at 08:57
I would agree, but you are going to ruffle some feathers here
 . |
Posted By: tboyd1802
Date Posted: September 21 2014 at 09:10
| Hard to believe, something most of seem to agree with. I too, go with the 6 to 8 category... |
Posted By: Argonaught
Date Posted: September 21 2014 at 09:45
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On the scale of 1 to 7: Sound Mastery - Wizardly (7) Band Leadership - Grand (6) Lyrics - Good (5) .. I personally do not like his lyrics, but recognize the high level of complexity and depth of his spiritual world. Composer Skills - Average (4). Not to worry: PF and KC in their heyday weren't known for intricate melody-making either. Musicianship - Below Average (3). It's prog here, not punk rock. High standards apply.
Innovation/Originality - Poor (2). Maybe it's only me, but when I listen to Wilson I very often hear what sounds like recomposed passages and soundscapes from the early Yes, KC, PF and Genesis Singing - Terrible! (1). On his early albums it wasn't as distracting and irritating as on the latter, more mature ones. I perfectly understand that it's very important for Wilson's ego to imprint his vocal seal on almost every piece they make, but I am secretly hoping one day they will roll out a fully instrumental EP in the Nil Recurring vein. |
Posted By: addictedtoprog
Date Posted: September 21 2014 at 14:22
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17 out of 26 voters say its 6-8. Now i see some appreciation for Mr. Wilson's guitar playing
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Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: September 21 2014 at 14:49
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6-8 for me.....What he does with the guitar for Porcupine Tree and his solo work is very good. I also think he is a good vocalist too. -------------   
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Posted By: CryoftheCarrots
Date Posted: September 21 2014 at 18:42
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Solid 8 from me. He has always had a lovely tone no matter which project he is involved in.He may not be a technical wizard but always manages to make his guitar sound just right for any song.
Love his acoustic work as well as electric.
Myself and mates spoke to Guthrie Govan recently about his soloing work on SW's Raven album and he said that he followed SW's demo's pretty much because they were just so detailed and "right". Good praise we thought. ------------- "There is a lot in this world to be tense and intense about" MJK |
Posted By: johnobvious
Date Posted: September 22 2014 at 15:45
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All I know is that when the solos for Shesmovedon and Sound of Muzak come on, I am happy. Don't need to grade him. He's just fine in my book.
------------- Biggles was in rehab last Saturday |
Posted By: uduwudu
Date Posted: September 23 2014 at 06:23
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When I hear something like Burning Sky it's just great. He has the guitar part to fit the piece. This is the key thing, he fits solos and leads in the arrangements to complement the music rather than ok, verse, chorus, (repeat) NOW guitar solo. Re: The recomposed thing - yes especially with the third album, the first I heard. Sky Moves Sideways. Anyone hearing that who had not heard PF may be blown away. It really is fine. But he made that "as PF were not making music like that any more" and went on to say he regretted that album now. I can note some Tull lyrical influences particularly on Stupid Dream. But everyone is the sum of their influences and newer rock is not really that different from older rock. Which is a problem as the essence of originality is being different while influenced by favourites... Fortunately SW with P Tree has a lot of talent and made some great albums like Signify. In a way he kind of reminds me of Jeff Lynne who is a great writer , v. good singer and no great guitarist - ELO got away with not having a guitar whiz on board like KC got away with not having a keyboard whiz. Slightly OT but as the vocals were already mentioned....if anyone ever wonders if SW ever over stepped the vocal mark it's on an unreleased number recorded on the Blank Planet concerts. Clearly his association with Opeth was happening. The number unreleased - tune? - features the death growl. Only... much worse than anyone who doesn't like death growls has ever heard. It was actually a bit funny. Props for stepping outside the comfort zone. More props for leaving it off the album.... |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: September 23 2014 at 08:58
Two songs by him I really like....even though they are more 'commercial' I like those as well as Even Less and Dark Matter. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Guldbamsen
Date Posted: September 23 2014 at 09:10
I'd rather listen to Steven playing his guitar over McLaughlin, Vai, Holdsworth, Petrucci or Malmsteen. All of those mentioned can wipe the floor with him in terms of technicality and flash, but fortunately that's not all there is to music In terms of a rating? 42 is always the answer when in doubt.
------------- “The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” - Douglas Adams |
Posted By: O666
Date Posted: September 23 2014 at 10:13
| 6-8 easily! |
Posted By: proggman
Date Posted: September 23 2014 at 22:07
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6-8.
------------- When he rides, my fears subside. For darkness turns once more to light. Through the skies, his white horse flies. To find a land beyond the night. |
Posted By: Souljacker
Date Posted: September 25 2014 at 08:03
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He's no Petrucci in terms of ability, but I'd give him a 8-10 for his talent for composing a great solo that conveys a lot of emotion and is amazing to listen to. I'd rather listen to him than many other guitarists purely for this reason. Just a few great moments from him. Dark Matter, Sound of Muzak, and Shesmovedon is one of the best solos I've heard in terms of structure and how it builds and builds to a climax. Check out the version on the XM CD, a radio recording. His guitar parts for Blackfield, are also very strong, he's a master at knowing what works for the song.
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Posted By: Argonaught
Date Posted: September 25 2014 at 08:27
Oh, that's so unfair
 ... The Holy Man of rock Yngwie is the only dedicated heavy metal guitarist in the World that I ever listen to! |