A thought on Mark's re-used guitar lines

[stratmad]

I haven't listened to the new album for the last six weeks or so but I indeed had the same idea when it came up that there are guitar "quotations" all over the place (that Why Worry thing in that one song, song number three? And many others.). I thought back then that they did it planned and consciously. Funny that you come up now with the same idea. 

LE

I'd agree that these "quotations" were intentional, or most of them at least. Maybe it's Mark's way of saying that the guitar playing isn't all that important anymore, that he's not a guitar god but a songwriter, and that we should all pay attention to the lyrics instead! :-)
If that's true, the next album may come with no guitars at all ;-)

[dustyvalentino]

Mark has always recycled riffs. I'm sure that there is a part from Ride Across the River (outro of live versions) that is basically the riff to No Can Do.

Correct. Also turned up when he was on the Clapton tour.

I guess by all your theories he was paying homage to Junkie Doll when he used the same part on Just A Boy Away From Home, and when he reused the middle 8 from Heart Full of Holes?

[Rolo]

Well... next album will be full of re-recycled guitar lines.

[qjamesfloyd]

I have always thought there is a striking similarity between the Calypso into version of So Far Away and the intro to the live version of Cannibals from A Night In London

[Pottel]

there is the riff used in no can do that was already in use for a decacde (e.g. during his shows with Clapton)

[TommyJ88]

Mark was using recycled/semi-recycled guitar licks as early as Communiqué—it’s nothing new, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it!

[TommyJ88]

Agree that Chad was the best, disagree that Danny was technically better than him.

Chad was certainly the best post-Straits drummer by almost every metric—but Danny remains the King of Speedway as far as I’m concerned!