So, if we were to continue the analogy, if Manabe is the soul (let's say "heart"), then Sawao is the brain, Shin is the backbone, and Jun is the appendix.

Actually, Kashima was the appendix. Jun is the left kidney.

I agree wholeheartedly. Manabe is my main inspiration for trying to learn guitar. His lead parts are so full of expression and originality, which is why I originally got into the pillows. Swanky Street is my favorite pillows song by far, and definitely one of my favorite songs of all time, mainly because of that solo. I just think that the pillows' new style coincides with the current pop world's viewpoint of rock music. However, constant power chords and punkish music is not rock n roll. It's really generic and tedious, and hardly has any soul to it. the pillows still manage to add their charm to these songs, but it's odd (and difficult) to see a band become more simplistic with age.

I've always liked Manabe for not going too far. He's not trying to be the greatest guitarist of the world with two-minute solos and stuff. His solos are still amazing, though. I used to think he's at hs best in energtic solos, adding some flavour into songs like Kanojo wa Kyou or Overamp, but then I listened the Monster C.C solo.

That's for solos. For leads, I can't disagree

The thing that I have always found the most amazing about Manabe as a guitarist, and the reason that he's my favorite guitarist is that he has this amazing sense of what the song needs. On a song like No Surrender, he doesn't do an intricate lead line because the song doesn't need it, while he wrote the perfect lead guitar for Strange Chameleon that the song just wouldn't be the same without.

[quote="Marekenshin"]The thing that I have always found the most amazing about Manabe as a guitarist, and the reason that he's my favorite guitarist is that he has this amazing sense of what the song needs. On a song like No Surrender, he doesn't do an intricate lead line because the song doesn't need it, while he wrote the perfect lead guitar for Strange Chameleon that the song just wouldn't be the same without.[/quote]

This.
Has Sawao written any of the lead lines?

one thing about lead guitar is that your mistakes and poor melodies pop out, you can't really hide em. Imo, its because of that fact that manabe's skills are so integral to lasting and memorable songs but it doesn't mean that Manabe is the sole dependent to make a memorable song. Air resistor for instance, has an awesome lead but the lyrics and melody are delivered rather unenthusiastically so it becomes negligible.

I don't consider him the heart, he's definitely more the brain to me since I've always seen sawao's songwriting as the core of what makes the pillows music great.

one marked thing about their recent stuff is the fact that their music isn't as lead guitar driven and still manages to have great songs. the most recent I can cite are Tokyo Bambi and Poison Rock'n'roll which are my favs on the new album behind New Animal and equal to Pied Piper. They have lead lines but they take backseat to the usage of horns or are upstaged by the power chord riffs.

[quote="Marekenshin"]amazing sense of what the song needs.[/quote]

Yeah, except for Sweet Baggy Days

[quote] I don't consider him the heart, he's definitely more the brain to me since I've always seen sawao's songwriting as the core of what makes the pillows music great. [/quote]

The combination of the lyrics that Sawao writes and the emotion Manabe adds to the song combine to form what I think is the "heart" of the pillows. Of course it is, and always will be, a group effort for the whole band, but these two are the core of everything. Lose one, and you lose what makes the pillows what they are.

[quote="Marekenshin"][quote="MyFoot"]But even if they did little lead lines over the power chords like in Blues Drive Monster, it just gives it a whole different feel.[/quote]

Blues Drive Monster DOES have a lead line.
[/quote]

I know. That was...the point.
I said they should do little simple lead lines over power chords like they do in BDM. It just adds so much even though it's so simple.

Oh shit, didn't see the "like."

THere are very few guitarists like that. To be able to craft something where it is absolutely perfect wherein if you add anymore notes, it's not the same and if you take any out it's changed as well. Not in the literal term of changed but in terms of feel. Don Felder of the Eagles and George Harrison are both like that in my eyes.

Manabe is one of the key members who deliver what the pillows are all about. Its true that
if you lose either manabe or sawao, the pillows would no longer be. He to me is just the hands of
the pillows, the craftsman that creates his own style of work that gives us a lasting effect in each song
manabe plays, Sawao is like the voice of the pillows (Well Duh) he drives his songwriting abilities to points
where I can't even measure how inspirational. Songs like Strange Chameleon, Robotman, Thank you my twilight,
Hbrid Rainbow, and notice that each of those songs has two major keys, manabe's leads, and sawao's lyrics.

I think that Manabe is a very influential artist through his leads, but he would be incoomplete without Sawao and
the words that perfectly go in sync with his playing. They are hand in hand, right to left, up and down, positive and
negative, etc... I would like to see a lot more of manabes leads in a coming album, but I wouldn't want to just hide sawao's
beautiful songs by just manabes leads, I want everything to be at a balance. Thats what makes a song great, the balance between lyrics and lead, every song thats been mentioned has a balance.

[quote="MyFoot"]...if you add anymore notes, it's not the same and if you take any out it's changed as well.[/quote]

Logically, yes...

How do we know for certain that Sawao was (and still is) the main song writer in the earlier days?

Just because he is the front man doesn't mean he is the "brains" of all the music. for all we know, shin could be the main songwriter, lol.