America - Back Pages

[Love Expresso]

Just re-read Guy's first diary entry about this recording session. I wasn't aware at first that Mark uses his Gibson 58 on this one. He has never played STP on another guitar than his Strat, hasn't he? Can't remember the first 2001 live versions, though...

LE

[Best Brown Baggies]

Sounds great to me!!
Certainly sounds different on the Gibson.
I love the pedal steel as well.
Roll on the new album. I hope there is some
duelling between Mark & Paul Franklin.
I'll never forget them together on the 1st Hillbillies tour.

Cheers. BBB

[dmg]

Just re-read Guy's first diary entry about this recording session. I wasn't aware at first that Mark uses his Gibson 58 on this one. He has never played STP on another guitar than his Strat, hasn't he? Can't remember the first 2001 live versions, though...

LE

Early versions on the STP tour he used his white strat ('61?) - there's a picture somewhere with him from the Boston concert with James Taylor and that's from 23rd of April.  Best sounding guitar for that song IMO.

[Camerado]

Sounds great to me too!

[Jackal]

And Mark's solo is brimming with clich

[superval99]

Apart from one of the vocalists, who sounded a bit like a cartoon character, I loved it, especially Mark's guitar - great!   

[superval99]

Uninspired version. And Mark's solo is brimming with clich

[Jackal]

Uninspired version. And Mark's solo is brimming with clich

[superval99]

Every musician has their own style - even you do!   I mean this very kindly, because I really enjoy your guitar playing, but even I could detect the "style" of Artificial Paradise in your playing.   

[Jackal]

  That's very kind of you.

No, no, I don't mean to be 'difficult'. Of course Mark has his own style, that's one of the things we like so much about him. But having played guitar for about 25 years, and having listened a lot to guitar music, I know when someone (including myself) is going through the motions. It's called finger memory. You learn and develop a catalog of licks and phrases that you can play in the dark. Some you play more often than others, and some you move on from as you develop. The problem is that it is so easy to rely on and (over)use them, that when you're feeling not particularly inspired you just rehash that catalog of licks, and that's the most boring thing to listen to, especially if you know the player very well. In the case of Mark, he does indeed have such a catalog and a very identifiable sound, so it can become very predictable at times. In my opinion that solo in STP was marked by that. But like I said, when you want Mark on your song, you want a Markawagnza, not Mark-goes-down-the-greatful-dead-jam-session-road ...

[superval99]

Yes, of course, that makes sense.   For instance on another thread today, I compared the licks on "Slow Train" from the "Slow Train Coming" album and "I think I Love you too much".   Those songs are about ten years apart, but it is obvious to me that MK retrieved those licks from his archives for the later song, which is fine by me, because I enjoy that particular bluesy style of his playing very much.  I wish he would do it a bit more!

As we all know MK has many different types of styles eg STP is nothing like Coyote, but we still recognise him immediately - just like the classical composers.   

Getting back to STP, having heard him play it so many times, I do recognise a bit of auto-pilot, but on the RAH version on the instrumental part towards the end, there is a magical interaction between him and Matt on piano, where Mark echoed perfectly Matt's phrases and it is those times I feel he is really listening and the song is becoming something else.   

[Jackal]

Exactly! That instantaneous creativity is so precious. Improvisation will always entail a certain degree of licks, especially as a starting point, but the more the musician can create there and then, the more exciting and alive it gets. I for one have never found much satisfaction in learning a piece of music note for note, although it can be a great excercise, but I'd rather absorb the idea or 'idiom' of the music and give it my colors.