Great guitar double-acts/interplay

[silentium_vk]

Palm.

[MT]

Yeah, three of my favourite guitarists are actually pairs of guitarists:

Adam Franklin/Jimmy Hartridge
Tom Verlaine/Richard Lloyd
Peter Koppes/Marty Willson-Piper

All good guitarists individually but as pairings the whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts.

If you get a chance to see The Church play with the current lineup, definitely do so. Ian Haug is an excellent replacement for MWP and the band are playing as well as I’ve seen them play. Steve quitting hard drugs certainly helped.

[BoringPostcards]

No mention of Lee and Thurston/SY?

[andy_tchp]

Yes, in the first post.

[shadowplay]

I'm not very rock, so I'm probably the last person to ask this question to but I'd light a candle in the window for the Kyser/Kunkel Thin White Rope Axis as recommended by scottT.

However I'm going with the Curtis brothers from Dif Juz who seem to complement each other perfectly with Dave handling the swooping leads and Alan building waves of tremulous chordal work. I saw them live a few times and they were pretty amazing, though you could argue that they were a unit above all other things with no element dominating and that Gary and Richard on bass and drums were as or more vital than the guitars.

Dif Juz - No Motion

Dif juz - Cs

Dif Juz - Echo Wreck

Dif Juz - Roy's Tray where they were getting into Maximum joy territory.

I've also always enjoyed the twin guitar play of the Au Pairs which has a wee bit in common with early Dif juz.

Au Pairs - It's Obvious

Au Pairs - Headache for Michelle

D

[UlricvonCatalyst]

I'm not very rock

No need to be. Your much-lauded The Scarecrow, with its dream-team of Martin Carthy & Richard Thomson qualifies just as well.

Which acoustic rooting reminds me how much I love Mike Heron and Robin Williamson's interplay. Ducks on a Pond, anyone?

Bonus points to all who posted links with their lists. I've never heard Built To Spill, mentioned by a few, but would have no idea where to begin, as they seem to be quite some way into their career at this point.

[mynameisjonas]

Some or my favorites that haven't been mentioned yet:

-Matt Sweeney and Clay Tarver of Chavez
-David Pajo and Brian McMahan (and Britt Walford) of Slint
-Todd Rittman and Mark Shippy of U.S. Maple

[UlricvonCatalyst]

I think Beautify Junkyards deserve an honourable mention here too. Both guitarists generally eschew simple strumming in favour of complementary arpeggios and melodic runs, often making use of effects not often associated with acoustic guitar playing.

Check out The Beast Shouted Love if you haven't already.

[mezcalhead]

If you get a chance to see The Church play with the current lineup, definitely do so. Ian Haug is an excellent replacement for MWP and the band are playing as well as I’ve seen them play. Steve quitting hard drugs certainly helped.

Yeah, I'm hoping to get to the Brisbane Starfish gig - I tried to buy tickets a few days ago and the venue won't take credit cards from overseas. I'll be in Brisbane in a couple of days so I'll try again then.

I am slightly wary of Haug tbh - the new stuff does sound really good and he probably is the best fit available given his background e.g. Far Out Corporation with McLennan etc. The 12-string Crockenbacker is a definite win.

BUT to me the Church has always been Kilbey/Willson-Piper/Koppes - when MWP left temporarily way back when, Kilbey & Koppes recorded as the Refo:mation and if this was billed as Refo:mation 2.0 it would sit a lot better with me. (I know that doesn't necessarily make financial sense.)

I was considering getting the top-tier tickets where you get to meet the band backstage, but decided that feels weird given that Haug went to Grammar when my sister was at BGGS .. I'm not paying money to meet some bloke that went to school with my sister!

[Jaguar018]

I came here just to put in Fugazi and Bedhead, and find The New Year. I do not think I have ever heard them, but do not see how I could not, perhaps I just forgot about them somehow? Either way I am quite excited to give them a listen, have wanted more Bedhead for years.

Funny this should happen to you as the SAME THING happened with me like six months ago. I never heard of the New Year either.

Snapped up a few of their albums. It's good stuff, but you have to be in a really mellow mood to appreciate it.

[oid]

Funny this should happen to you as the SAME THING happened with me like six months ago. I never heard of the New Year either.

Snapped up a few of their albums. It's good stuff, but you have to be in a really mellow mood to appreciate it.

It turns out I had heard it, I got 'Newness Ends' yesterday and it came back to me quickly. I heard it when it first came out and had issues with the way the vocals are recorded/mixed and just forgot about them. I still very much dislike the vocals, they sound like they are just sitting on top of everything else and not in a good way. Musically it very much sounds like the logical step from 'Transaction de Novo' and I am looking forward to listening to more or what they have released.

[sammynb]

Yeah, I'm hoping to get to the Brisbane Starfish gig - I tried to buy tickets a few days ago and the venue won't take credit cards from overseas. I'll be in Brisbane in a couple of days so I'll try again then.

I am slightly wary of Haug tbh - the new stuff does sound really good and he probably is the best fit available given his background e.g. Far Out Corporation with McLennan etc. The 12-string Crockenbacker is a definite win.

BUT to me the Church has always been Kilbey/Willson-Piper/Koppes - when MWP left temporarily way back when, Kilbey & Koppes recorded as the Refo:mation and if this was billed as Refo:mation 2.0 it would sit a lot better with me. (I know that doesn't necessarily make financial sense.)

I was considering getting the top-tier tickets where you get to meet the band backstage, but decided that feels weird given that Haug went to Grammar when my sister was at BGGS .. I'm not paying money to meet some bloke that went to school with my sister!

I'm with you the Church without MWP isn't the Church.
That said a friend who has always been a hater of Powderfinger and lifelong Church fan, actually rates Haug's work with the Church.
Personally I cannot get past the absolute cunt the Kilbey is.

[MT]

The quote I loved about Marty Wilson Piper was that “he mastered the art of making the simple look complex”.

I was sceptical of the new lineup until I saw them play and realised how great they sound. Peter and Steve are much more important than Marty was. It turns out he’s pretty easily replaced. Peter is the one who adds all the “atmospheric” sounds to the songs. I can understand why Steve replaced him if Steve was ready to record new stuff and Marty didn’t want to. It’s always been Steve’s band and he was the one writing the basics of the songs.

[mackerelmint]

LYNYRD SKYNYRD.

AND THE OUTLAWS.

Summers/Fripp. Music for musicians, for sure, but pretty great interplay.

[jimboyogi]

Summers/Fripp. Music for musicians, for sure, but pretty great interplay.

Agreed!

Also Belew/Fripp in early 80's King Crimson.

Byrne/Harrison from Talking Heads, particularly on MSABF and Fear of Music.