Seriously, I'm sure most of us started to listen to Mark partly because he's an incredibly gifted guitar player. While I agree that he still has the touch and can achieve sounds today that he could not 25 years ago when he was still inexperienced with distorted guitars, there's hardly any reason debating that he was technically a much better player up to 2005. His playing now is slower and he misses more notes. Sultans is but a shadow of what it once was.
And it's just not about greenies, the problem is that you can hear him struggling, sliding over notes and barely making it. I suppose his style is very demanding; it has that "perfect" quality when you're up to it because of the special style, but it sounds much weaker as soon as you hesitate.
And again, of course you should enjoy the live shows but it's only in hindsight that you can judge the actual quality of the playing.
Do you know ANYTHING about guitar playing? It's of course OK that you don't like his current guitar style (which has changed drastically since the 70's and 80's), but this doesn't make sense at all...
Pity you aren-' able to see him this summer! Why don't you just pop over to Oslo?
Haha, I've played the guitar for about six years. MK made me pick up the guitar and I play his songs almost daily; that's why it matters so much. (Though everyone is entitled to their opinion, guitar player or not...)
I LOVE his playing today, but I don't mind criticizing it when I think it's not up to par (judged by MK standards). That's the way I reason with my favourite players, writers, singers, painters, whatever. Being a fan is not the same thing as worshipping every little thing someone does. I never said I did not like his present style, I like it a lot. But 2005 was the last tour where he, to me, seemed to be fully in control of his playing. I don't see why that's such a controversial thing to say. It's not very strange; the guitar comes second these days, the songs come first. But I'm entitled to comment on a guitarist's playing, am I not? These days, his playing, which has been a central sound of my life since being a kid, doesn't do it the way it used to. Again, judging by MK standards. I should say that, as you indicate, he's after different things today with his playing. I think it's a combination of a new desired style and new physical limitations.
Oslo is an alternative but I'm afraid it doesn't look like it will happen. Are there tickets available, the MK News link leads nowhere?
