Ed Bicknell Interview

[Robson]

"I was in the front row at that Basel concert, and remembering thinking how awfully cool Mark was. You can't be cool AND smile all the time"

Wow! You're lucky I was also sitting in the front row, but in front of the TV:) A very important Sunday.

[iorch82]

and to be honest, on many videos of the tour, I find Mark tired and bored to death

Isn't that just Mark being Mark? I don't think someone can play THAT well when being tired and bored. Not even Mark. Just imagine what level of concentration such a show requires. Calling Elvis is not Broken Bones!

Calling Elvis live for 199x MK was like Smoke On The Water for any intermediate guitarist, total autopilot mode and zero risks at all.

[Rail King]

and to be honest, on many videos of the tour, I find Mark tired and bored to death

Isn't that just Mark being Mark? I don't think someone can play THAT well when being tired and bored. Not even Mark. Just imagine what level of concentration such a show requires. Calling Elvis is not Broken Bones!

Calling Elvis live for 199x MK was like Smoke On The Water for any intermediate guitarist, total autopilot mode and zero risks at all.

Listen closely. The solos in the (looooong) middle sections are different every time. Actually, I can't remember Mark improvising nearly that much on most other songs. It's just the "signature" bits that stay the same. Musically, he was out of this world on that tour.

[Robson]

stratmad
"Maybe you could use some software to get a rough transcript? Something like turboscribe.ai ?

dustyvalentino
"Was going to say, should be straightforward to rip the audio and getting AI to transcribe?

Yes it's a good idea. Thanks

[iorch82]

and to be honest, on many videos of the tour, I find Mark tired and bored to death

Isn't that just Mark being Mark? I don't think someone can play THAT well when being tired and bored. Not even Mark. Just imagine what level of concentration such a show requires. Calling Elvis is not Broken Bones!

Calling Elvis live for 199x MK was like Smoke On The Water for any intermediate guitarist, total autopilot mode and zero risks at all.

Listen closely. The solos in the (looooong) middle sections are different every time. Actually, I can't remember Mark improvising nearly that much on most other songs. It's just the "signature" bits that stay the same. Musically, he was out of this world on that tour.

Can't really agree IMO 80% of the solo consists of these 4 or 5 long phrases he plays in pretty much every single version, and harmonically speaking Calling Elvis allows to pretty much shove any B dorian / Bm Pentatonic / B maj lick without lots of risks of messing it up - the complete oposite of PONO for example , where he quite frequently put blops -

"Musically, he was out of this world on that tour."
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 

[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