Zakk Wylde vs. Jake E. Lee

[dwizted]

Zack...

 

[rupe]

Considering how much discussion there's been in the Randy vs. Eddie debate, let's compare two players more closely matched than Randy and Eddie. IMHO it's pointless to compare those two anyway. Their styles/music is completely different.

Where in that thread was anybody asked to compare them? I made that point in the thread and I'll make it again here since you apparently don't read well for comprehension...the thread simply asked who you preferred and why...comparison was never mentioned.

Even though Jake and Zakk's styles are different too, they at least both played with Ozzy, so it's a better comparison.

Says you. Its all in how you want to look at it. First off, I feel Jake's and Zakk's styles are every bit as different as Eddie and Randy. Secondly, Jake is almost 10 years older than Zakk and cut his teeth on the west coast whereas Zakk paid his dues in NJ...conversely Randy and Eddie were the same age and essentially competed against each other on the same scene at the same time.

How is one comparison "better" than the other? I'll help you out...it isn't.

BTW, gotta go with Jake on this one although they're both great players and cool guys to hang out with.

 

[scary groove]

If Zakk had continued along the lines of the NRFTW cd, I might have chosen him.

Jake's Ozzy days were great. His Badlands riffs and solos are very underrated IMO

 

[bigdaddyd]

Jake is my favorite Ozzy player by far...and one of my all time favorites. I love Zakk, but he can't hold Jake's jock. He even copped his squeal and didn't get that right. Jake's lead playing was only over shadowed by how insanely good his rhythm work was...and that says a lot since his lead work is better than pretty much everyone's. It really is a shame what happened to him.

 

[squank]

If Zakk had just been with Ozzy for 2-3 albums, he would be ranked higher in people's minds, imho. He got stuck in a rut playing that long with Ozzy, and that's the biggest reason people kind of view him as meh now. I think the same thing would have happened to Jake, if he's stayed with Ozzy for 20 years.

But BATM is my favorite guitar solo of the post-Randy years.

 

[audiomichael]

Zakk - No Rest for the Wicked, Just Say Ozzy (live), Moscow Music (Purple Haze) No More Tears. <---- These are all amazing Zakk performances. His tone was fat and his solos were memorable, songs were great. Some amazing metal! I'm not a super fan of the bearded Zakk


Jake - Ultimate Ozzy (live), Badlands, Badlands Voodoo Highway. I was never super wild about his tone, but damn, this guy was SO unique. He didn't get into super whacky trem bar, or tapping, or effects. Just straight up unique original phrasing and touch. He's got some super great songs with Ozzy, but he also has a LOT of throw away songs with Ozzy. Badlands is SO good though. SO good ("Dreams in the Daaaaaaahaaaaahaaaaark!"). Metal guys just don't play so loose and free and off the cuff like Jake. He's so earthy even when he shreds.

I might have to give the nod to Zakk though, because of No Rest for the Wicked. It's a desert island disc for me. It was the first real metal record i bought with my own $ and it will always be close to my heart.

 

[jcj]

Jake's sense of melody just works, at least for my ears.

 

[bigdaddyd]

If Zakk had just been with Ozzy for 2-3 albums, he would be ranked higher in people's minds, imho. He got stuck in a rut playing that long with Ozzy, and that's the biggest reason people kind of view him as meh now. I think the same thing would have happened to Jake, if he's stayed with Ozzy for 20 years.

But BATM is my favorite guitar solo of the post-Randy years.

IDK, Zakk played with Ozzy for a long time, but also had P&G which was awesome and BL (which was awesome for a few albums.) I always found Zakk a bit derivative. He seems like a giant mash up of Jake and Zakk to me, yet sloppier than both and then he got into "country, " yet detuned and played heavy. I find him the best when he plays acoustic and plays from the heart and stops with the squeals and starts playing. It's like over the last decade or so he lost his chops by trying to hard to retain his "image, " which I for one wish he would lose. It's kind of hard to take him seriously when you remember this...

All that said, even when he came out and was playing stuff like this, you can hear the influences, yet his playing was much sharper. If Zakk had been with Ozzy for just 2-3 years it is possible no one would know who he is, just like Jake. Who in the mainstream knows wtf Jake is except us? Who knows about Badlands, except us? Badlands was one of the greatest bands EVER. They gave King's X a run for the most under appreciated band on Earth, except more people probably know of King's X.

 

[gtr31]

His tone was total badass on No rest IMO

 

[scottywompas]

Jake FTW

You just don't hear playing like his ever. Too bad he's dropped outta site.

Scott

 

[Mr. Willy]

Considering how much discussion there's been in the Randy vs. Eddie debate, let's compare two players more closely matched than Randy and Eddie. IMHO it's pointless to compare those two anyway. Their styles/music is completely different.

Where in that thread was anybody asked to compare them? I made that point in the thread and I'll make it again here since you apparently don't read well for comprehension...the thread simply asked who you preferred and why...comparison was never mentioned.

Even though Jake and Zakk's styles are different too, they at least both played with Ozzy, so it's a better comparison.

Says you. Its all in how you want to look at it. First off, I feel Jake's and Zakk's styles are every bit as different as Eddie and Randy. Secondly, Jake is almost 10 years older than Zakk and cut his teeth on the west coast whereas Zakk paid his dues in NJ...conversely Randy and Eddie were the same age and essentially competed against each other on the same scene at the same time.

How is one comparison "better" than the other? I'll help you out...it isn't.

BTW, gotta go with Jake on this one although they're both great players and cool guys to hang out with.

Why the hostility? Did you not think the two would be compared when you asked which one we liked better? I don't think it's a dumb comparision, but I think both are so far apart in almost every way that it's very hard to pick one over the other. THIS IS MY OPINION. Just want to make sure you understand that before you insult me again so you can feel better about yourself.

Take some prozac, grab a beer, get a hug, whatever you need to do to chill out man. Getting mad over an internet post is pointless. Hope you feel better bro.

 

[Ventura]

Jake's playing - in the shortlived context of his touring and release with Ozzy - simply sounded better. Guy was a master of phrasing and melody - again - in the context of "Ozzy Metal". Zakk came out looking like a RR wannabe. He slayed, but his pinch hamonics and focus on burgeoning biceps killed it for me. Got too Hollywood and predictable and shit.

Don't get me wrong, Zakk can put most of us here to shame I am sure; hence the reason he's touring or toured thousands of stadiums filled with tens of thousands of people. But Jake killed it when he appeared on the set. Killed it. Was like he was possessed or something...I liked it.

 

[Subclavian]

Zakk

My reasoning is not only the stuff he did with Ozzy, but the stuff he did on Pride and Glory, Book of Shadows, and now BLS (his viking wannabe stuff is getting old).


Jake did some great stuff with Badlands, but I'm still leaning Zakk

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Each one put out a few great tunes on each disc
Jake did it for 2 years while Zakk is>20
btw, Jake is still playing in a small band in Vegas...making this a lopsided ZW win

 

[King Crimson]

Zakk's best stuff was the NRFTW and Pride and Glory.

Totally disagree. JEL was nothing but noise and slop and he couldn’t play a simple major chord/scale if you feed him a boat load of lines. The guy even made jimi page look decent, and we all know jimi page blows harder than a "keepin' it up like it feels right" crack smoking paper mouse.

ZW at the very least was always precise and very clean with his lead playing especially during his ROAQWTF - and remember, without nipples boobs would be pointless . . .

 

[garey77]

Jake's playing - in the shortlived context of his touring and release with Ozzy - simply sounded better. Guy was a master of phrasing and melody - again - in the context of "Ozzy Metal". Zakk came out looking like a RR wannabe. He slayed, but his pinch hamonics and focus on burgeoning biceps killed it for me. Got too Hollywood and predictable and shit.

Don't get me wrong, Zakk can put most of us here to shame I am sure; hence the reason he's touring or toured thousands of stadiums filled with tens of thousands of people. But Jake killed it when he appeared on the set. Killed it. Was like he was possessed or something...I liked it.

This... Watch Jake's live performances, he's like Jimi (Hendrix). He's got that unpredictable, built-in random flair. That, matched with his ability to dig into delectable phrasing make him my choice.

I really loved Zakk's tone and power, but it's like comparing an alchemist to a chemist.

 

[metalmaniac93]

Well I used to be a huge Zakk fan and would of chose Zakk over Jake for the Ozzy stuff, but I think Jake really shined in Badlands even though Bark At The Moon has to be one of Ozzy's best post-Randy tunes IMO!!! So, I am still going to go with Jake for just Bark At The Moon and Rock N Roll Rebel alone!!!

 

[rupe]

Considering how much discussion there's been in the Randy vs. Eddie debate, let's compare two players more closely matched than Randy and Eddie. IMHO it's pointless to compare those two anyway. Their styles/music is completely different.

Where in that thread was anybody asked to compare them? I made that point in the thread and I'll make it again here since you apparently don't read well for comprehension...the thread simply asked who you preferred and why...comparison was never mentioned.

Even though Jake and Zakk's styles are different too, they at least both played with Ozzy, so it's a better comparison.

Says you. Its all in how you want to look at it. First off, I feel Jake's and Zakk's styles are every bit as different as Eddie and Randy. Secondly, Jake is almost 10 years older than Zakk and cut his teeth on the west coast whereas Zakk paid his dues in NJ...conversely Randy and Eddie were the same age and essentially competed against each other on the same scene at the same time.

How is one comparison "better" than the other? I'll help you out...it isn't.

BTW, gotta go with Jake on this one although they're both great players and cool guys to hang out with.

Why the hostility? Did you not think the two would be compared when you asked which one we liked better? I don't think it's a dumb comparision, but I think both are so far apart in almost every way that it's very hard to pick one over the other. THIS IS MY OPINION. Just want to make sure you understand that before you insult me again so you can feel better about yourself.

Take some prozac, grab a beer, get a hug, whatever you need to do to chill out man. Getting mad over an internet post is pointless. Hope you feel better bro.

One of my last posts on a very frustrating day (see my shipping to Germany thread)...I should have just gone to bed. I didn't intend to be insulting...just kinda came out that way.

To make up for my hostilities, here's a monkey smoking:

 

[thenine]

I think as far as riffs, No Rest For The Wicked was one of the best collections of those from that era. Still though, I would go with Jake on this poll. Bark at the Moon and Rock and Roll Rebel are both great riffs and I think Jakes leads are way, way better. I think Zakk has a ton of attitude and fire in his soloing, I just think his scale choices and note choices are beyond boring.

And I haven't been very interested in anything Zakk has done since No More Tears. I also can't stand the fake hillbilly with a southern accent(from New Jersey), fake biker, Captain Caveman persona Zakk became. I swear, that to me is as much a poser as those guys in Poison ever were. That is just as "image conscious" an image as I have ever seen. And I think it is just as contrived.

I had high hopes for Zakk when he got that Ozzy gig, but I have been mainly disappointed with his output.

This is basically how I feel. Only like to add that the Badlands stuff is just fantastic to me. Those 2 albums are great, great, great front to back. Still see regular rotation on friday nights at my house. Jake wins IMHO.

 

[koury73]

Zakk Wylde-Bleed for Me acoustic-the single most incredible acoustic playing I've seen. I just absolutely love how he does that. I like Jake E. Lee too, but there's a reason he doesn't have a Gibson endorsement and Zakk does. Zakk has been a pertinent figure in rock guitar for far longer than JL. Zakk wins.