Ed Bicknell Interview

[TheTimeWasWrong]

I do agree on this tho, it would be interesting to have a thread / poll to discuss what was peak MK in terms of guitar playing 

I’d say technically 91-96, but most passioned/interesting in 82-83

[JF]

I do agree on this tho, it would be interesting to have a thread / poll to discuss what was peak MK in terms of guitar playing 

I’d say technically 91-96, but most passioned/interesting in 82-83

+1000 

[Peter1981]

I'd also say '92 is ultimate peak. The precision, phrasing, speed even feel of his playing is unrivaled there, IMHO.

[dustyvalentino]

Alchemy era for me.

By 92 he was using distortion on the Pensa and it's easier to play faster under those circumstances. The clean picking on Alchemy is much more impressive to me.

[stratmad]

Totally agree, the peak with his own bands was in the 90s, including the NHB gigs.
But for me, his best work as a guitarist only is in the late 80s, the tour with Clapton. Maybe it's because he didn't have to sing and was able to focus just on the guitar. They were all top-rate musicians on that stage, one top-class guitarist (Eric), and then there was this alien robot playing the "second" guitar - it's like something from a different galaxy! And most of the time you get the impression that he's playing with the brakes on, so that poor old Eric can keep up with him! 

[stratmad]

Alchemy era for me.

By 92 he was using distortion on the Pensa and it's easier to play faster under those circumstances. The clean picking on Alchemy is much more impressive to me.

That's right. The Strats and Schecters are much harder to play. And the solos on Alchemy, especially, are somehow tighter, more constructed. I don't know how much of it was actually improvised, but it comes across like it's just one giant, mapped-out symphony, no fillers or rough edges.

[Robson]

I do agree on this tho, it would be interesting to have a thread / poll to discuss what was peak MK in terms of guitar playing 

I’d say technically 91-96, but most passioned/interesting in 82-83

It's hard to say. But he should receive a special mention for Sultans Of Swing in aLCHEMY.

[Rolo]

Totally agree, the peak with his own bands was in the 90s, including the NHB gigs.
But for me, his best work as a guitarist only is in the late 80s, the tour with Clapton. Maybe it's because he didn't have to sing and was able to focus just on the guitar. They were all top-rate musicians on that stage, one top-class guitarist (Eric), and then there was this alien robot playing the "second" guitar - it's like something from a different galaxy! And most of the time you get the impression that he's playing with the brakes on, so that poor old Eric can keep up with him! 

In my opinion, MK's late 80's playing were the worst.
That 88/89 tour with Clapton, i felt that MK was smashed by Eric.
Well, its not a competition. Really.
Mark's tone dureing these years were the worse ever, same as his playing.
Clapton was on fire, giant tone, great playing.
Mark had his kind of brilliance playing on Can't Find My Way Home, Holy Mother and more one or two countrish style songs.

People often talk how great MK was soloing on Badge.
I think just the opposite.

[iorch82]

Alchemy era for me.

By 92 he was using distortion on the Pensa and it's easier to play faster under those circumstances. The clean picking on Alchemy is much more impressive to me.

That's right. The Strats and Schecters are much harder to play. And the solos on Alchemy, especially, are somehow tighter, more constructed. I don't know how much of it was actually improvised, but it comes across like it's just one giant, mapped-out symphony, no fillers or rough edges.

I think that Sultans of Swing solos of BiA tour run circles around Alchemy ones. OES tour sultans are rather bland IMO - though ofc he was playing super clean back then -

If you ask me peak MK is 1996, sure not as flashy as 91 but his lick vocabulary and sensibility playing was of charts. Indeed I would say that SoS and TR solos from GH tour are much more elaborate and interesting than these of the OES. But perhaps it's also a matter of state of mind / burnout.

[JF]

Totally agree, the peak with his own bands was in the 90s, including the NHB gigs.
But for me, his best work as a guitarist only is in the late 80s, the tour with Clapton. Maybe it's because he didn't have to sing and was able to focus just on the guitar. They were all top-rate musicians on that stage, one top-class guitarist (Eric), and then there was this alien robot playing the "second" guitar - it's like something from a different galaxy! And most of the time you get the impression that he's playing with the brakes on, so that poor old Eric can keep up with him! 

In my opinion, MK's late 80's playing were the worst.
That 88/89 tour with Clapton, i felt that MK was smashed by Eric.
Well, its not a competition. Really.
Mark's tone dureing these years were the worse ever, same as his playing.
Clapton was on fire, giant tone, great playing.
Mark had his kind of brilliance playing on Can't Find My Way Home, Holy Mother and more one or two countrish style songs.

People often talk how great MK was soloing on Badge.
I think just the opposite.

fully agree. Mark plays minor pentatonic on Badge, while than Eric plays major myxlodian.
Eric is right (of course it's his own tune, he knows what to play !) Mark is wrong here, he doesnt play the right mode, and his solo doesn't fit the song flavour imho

[JF]

Alchemy era for me.

By 92 he was using distortion on the Pensa and it's easier to play faster under those circumstances. The clean picking on Alchemy is much more impressive to me.

fully agree 

[Shredder1977]

Totally agree, the peak with his own bands was in the 90s, including the NHB gigs.
But for me, his best work as a guitarist only is in the late 80s, the tour with Clapton. Maybe it's because he didn't have to sing and was able to focus just on the guitar. They were all top-rate musicians on that stage, one top-class guitarist (Eric), and then there was this alien robot playing the "second" guitar - it's like something from a different galaxy! And most of the time you get the impression that he's playing with the brakes on, so that poor old Eric can keep up with him! 

In my opinion, MK's late 80's playing were the worst.
That 88/89 tour with Clapton, i felt that MK was smashed by Eric.
Well, its not a competition. Really.
Mark's tone dureing these years were the worse ever, same as his playing.
Clapton was on fire, giant tone, great playing.
Mark had his kind of brilliance playing on Can't Find My Way Home, Holy Mother and more one or two countrish style songs.

People often talk how great MK was soloing on Badge.
I think just the opposite.

"Top-class guitarist"; "smashed by Eric". You're kidding, right? Eric Clapton is a severely overrated guitar player. Plain boring playing, lots of (blues) cliches, mediocre songwriting. MK was and is lightyears ahead of this mediocre player. But because someone once wrote that EC is god, you're not allowed to critcise him, right?

[dustyvalentino]

Speaking of the 96 tour, I always assumed that the reason that it was in small theatres was due to a decision by MK to scale things back.

Turns out it was because Ed was scared after booking venues that were too big in 96.

[stratmad]

"Top-class guitarist"; "smashed by Eric". You're kidding, right? Eric Clapton is a severely overrated guitar player. Plain boring playing, lots of (blues) cliches, mediocre songwriting. MK was and is lightyears ahead of this mediocre player. But because someone once wrote that EC is god, you're not allowed to critcise him, right?

Clapton has certainly been overrated for many years, and he didn't like that Clapton-is-god nonsense eiher. But he is better than a lot of others, and he's written a few songs that are just very, very good ;-)
As a guitarist, MK is simply on a different level, a level that most "ordinary" blues/rock guitarists will never reach. It's not just the tone and the technical control of the instrument, but the vast musical knowledge, about harmonies and different playing styles that sets him apart from most guitarists.
In those shows, he was trying to be a member of the band, to bring out the best in Clapton, so he stayed in the background a lot.

[stratmad]

Speaking of the 96 tour, I always assumed that the reason that it was in small theatres was due to a decision by MK to scale things back.

Turns out it was because Ed was scared after booking venues that were too big in 96.

Huh? The shows that I went to in 96 were pretty much sold out, as far I can remember.