DVD? Finally?

[border_reiver]

Madrid 2001. Really. Have you all forgotten how better was then his guitar playing?

SOS was still seriously swinging!

Yes, but I listened to Speedway the other day. The 2001 versions are extraordinary lame.

[dmg]

Madrid 2001. Really. Have you all forgotten how better was then his guitar playing?

SOS was still seriously swinging!

Yes, but I listened to Speedway the other day. The 2001 versions are extraordinary lame.

I would say that they are different.  They build up to a crescendo more than the current versions with various band members changing instruments, including Mark.  In the end I think it is even more powerful.  Then there are the first few performances in S America which have extended solos.

[herlock]

Madrid 2001. Really. Have you all forgotten how better was then his guitar playing?

SOS was still seriously swinging!

Yes, but I listened to Speedway the other day. The 2001 versions are extraordinary lame.

I would say that they are different.  They build up to a crescendo more than the current versions with various band members changing instruments, including Mark.  In the end I think it is even more powerful.  Then there are the first few performances in S America which have extended solos.

2001 tour...
The good:
- Great new songs from a great new album
- Unique gems like Pyroman and Junkie doll, plus the nice intro on WII, sadly never to be listening too again
- Powerful guitar playing
- Fantastic TR with great piano arrangements, would have love to have Madrid 2001 released, maybe even better than 1996 or 2005
- Amazing original new intro on MFN

The bad:
- Speedway takes to much time to build up, much more powerful in 2005-2015
- BIA is too slow
- Calling Elvis is so-so compared to 96
- Removing the keyboards on Sultan is a bad idea for me (yes I know many will disagree)

The ugly:
- Synth can be too much and sound cheap. I do not like it all all on WII especially, I prefer the more sober yet more powerful versions of 2005

[Eddie Fox]

In terms of guitar playing I think Mark was Mark til the STP tour. He was still in top form during the SL tour but not quite the same. After that it went downhill, he lost it. He's still unique and stuff but way behind the fabulous guitar player he used to be. Mark was a guitarist that would impress anyone and everyone, even metal or classical guitar fans, but it's gone now.

[Eddie Fox]

Still, I'd love to have a live DVD of this encarnation. As was said, the current band is the best he's put together.

[junkiedoll]

In terms of guitar playing I think Mark was Mark til the STP tour. He was still in top form during the SL tour but not quite the same. After that it went downhill, he lost it. He's still unique and stuff but way behind the fabulous guitar player he used to be. Mark was a guitarist that would impress anyone and everyone, even metal or classical guitar fans, but it's gone now.

I do not really agree. His unique tone and feeling still impresses any guitar player that can be taken seriously. The Alchemy speed is not needed for this, though it was an additional component to impress players. For me personally it nowadays sounds much more elegant, with the guitar playing much more embedded in the song in a very smooth and subtile way so that the overall outcome of a song - which is finally mostly important - is usually pure beauty. 

[herlock]

In terms of guitar playing I think Mark was Mark til the STP tour. He was still in top form during the SL tour but not quite the same. After that it went downhill, he lost it. He's still unique and stuff but way behind the fabulous guitar player he used to be. Mark was a guitarist that would impress anyone and everyone, even metal or classical guitar fans, but it's gone now.

I believe that what we mean with guitar playing is essentially down to Sultans and Telegraph, the two guitar-intensive songs which have lost in speed. Altough TR was still great in 2005 and in 2010 for the end solo, and even in 2013 and 2015 for some performances.
WII used to suffer a bit from slowness in 2008-2013.
For the rest, Speedway is guitar-intensive and is very well played nowadays. KOG has a great solo, HFB too. So I would'nt be so radical...

[Eddie Fox]

In terms of guitar playing I think Mark was Mark til the STP tour. He was still in top form during the SL tour but not quite the same. After that it went downhill, he lost it. He's still unique and stuff but way behind the fabulous guitar player he used to be. Mark was a guitarist that would impress anyone and everyone, even metal or classical guitar fans, but it's gone now.

I do not really agree. His unique tone and feeling still impresses any guitar player that can be taken seriously. The Alchemy speed is not needed for this, though it was an additional component to impress players. For me personally it nowadays sounds much more elegant, with the guitar playing much more embedded in the song in a very smooth and subtile way so that the overall outcome of a song - which is finally mostly important - is usually pure beauty.

Well, that's what I said, back then he would impress anyone and everyone, now he doesn't. He's still unique but he's no longer able to deliver what he did back then. And these days he's more into serving the song instead of making it a vehicle for his guitar playing.

If it's better, worse, more elegant, less entertaining and so on it is up to the listener. I particularly prefer something in the middle, a version that can both let the song breath and also play more intensively, with the fluidity and passion he used to display.

[superval99]

I think that Mark's guitar playing suits the songs he writes these days perfectly.   

[herlock]

In terms of guitar playing I think Mark was Mark til the STP tour. He was still in top form during the SL tour but not quite the same. After that it went downhill, he lost it. He's still unique and stuff but way behind the fabulous guitar player he used to be. Mark was a guitarist that would impress anyone and everyone, even metal or classical guitar fans, but it's gone now.

I do not really agree. His unique tone and feeling still impresses any guitar player that can be taken seriously. The Alchemy speed is not needed for this, though it was an additional component to impress players. For me personally it nowadays sounds much more elegant, with the guitar playing much more embedded in the song in a very smooth and subtile way so that the overall outcome of a song - which is finally mostly important - is usually pure beauty.

Well, that's what I said, back then he would impress anyone and everyone, now he doesn't. He's still unique but he's no longer able to deliver what he did back then. And these days he's more into serving the song instead of making it a vehicle for his guitar playing.

If it's better, worse, more elegant, less entertaining and so on it is up to the listener. I particularly prefer something in the middle, a version that can both let the song breath and also play more intensively, with the fluidity and passion he used to display.

TR is a good example of that: in '92 the end solo was out-of-this-world, but the rest of song was lame, no intro, no passion, horrible pedal steel, and even the solo feel like showing off guitar skills.
Today the song is touching but too much on the laid-back side (karaoke mode...)
In 96,01 and 05 was in between: still a lot of guitar, energy, and a great solo that was slower for the better - less rushed. That was the right trade-off...

[Eddie Fox]

I think that Mark's guitar playing suits the songs he writes these days perfectly.   

I think so too! That's why I'm hoping for a DVD, I like this encarnation just as much as all the other ones. I can't let that cloud my judgement though. When you listen to old live stuff it's pretty obvious that Mark's playing was much more fluid, instinctive and clever. He always found a way out, his licks were much better connected and his fingers went to places that are not on his guitar fret anymore. Again, it's not worse, it's just different. Some people prefer the old Mark, some the current Mark. I like all Marks.

[dmg]

I think that Mark's guitar playing suits the songs he writes these days perfectly.   

I think so too! That's why I'm hoping for a DVD, I like this encarnation just as much as all the other ones. I can't let that cloud my judgement though. When you listen to old live stuff it's pretty obvious that Mark's playing was much more fluid, instinctive and clever. He always found a way out, his licks were much better connected and his fingers went to places that are not on his guitar fret anymore. Again, it's not worse, it's just different. Some people prefer the old Mark, some the current Mark. I like all Marks.

I agree with just about everything you've said ed_raposo.  You pretty much nailed it.  I also feel that his playing used to be much more fluid, instinctive and clever (if I may quote you)!  I think that may come from lack of practice?  He also has lost some accuracy and I'm finding myself at times listening and hoping he'll not hit notes too much or too little...or not at all!

[ds1984]

I think that Mark's guitar playing suits the songs he writes these days perfectly.   

If you go that way, then he could do even better : still write new songs and make them record and perform by someone else which has the ability to do it properly...

[superval99]

I think that Mark's guitar playing suits the songs he writes these days perfectly.   

If you go that way, then he could do even better : still write new songs and make them record and perform by someone else which has the ability to do it properly...

Only Mark can perform his songs the way I like them, no-one else will do for me! 

[superval99]

I think that Mark's guitar playing suits the songs he writes these days perfectly.   

If you go that way, then he could do even better : still write new songs and make them record and perform by someone else which has the ability to do it properly...

Who do you have in mind who can do it "properly"?