In Defense of Mick Mars

[tedvanfrehley]

So I picked up the new GUITAR ONE magazine with Motley on the cover. It got me to thinking, why over the years have so many players, writers, critics and even fans bashed Mick's guitar playing?!?!? I mean, I don't think he's ever done anything to revolutionize the instrument or change the music world, for pete's sake. But come on! The guy can play. Last month Guitar World did the 100 worst solos ever and LOOKS THAT KILL was on the list. WHAT? Seriously, I love that damn solo and that album altogether. Is it really that bad? Again, Mick is no Hendrix or SRV, but he's no scrub. Let's hear it for MICK MARS! Are there any other believers out there?!?!?

 

[Insania]

No shit, nothing wrong with that solo. I really only liked that album from them, it formed my metal foundation, so to speak, when it came out.

I found that my favorite solos are Cirith Ungol's Blood and Iron, and JPs Jawbreaker. Just like Looks That Kill, nothin' revolutionary...but still killer...

 

[tedvanfrehley]

Exactly, my good man. Who says the player has to be the most groundbreaking and technically proficient? If it sounds good, it is good! What about Johnny Ramone? R.I.P. Certainly no techno wizard but what a sound! Same goes for Mick. A true balls to the wall guitarist!

 

[SickBoy]

Certainly no techno wizard but what a sound! Same goes for Mick. A true balls to the wall guitarist!

Didn't listen to much Crue, but guitars on Girls, Girls, Girls are really good and meaty. I suppose a phony guitarist couldn't play it like that...
Who cares what Guitar ________ (insert something) magazine thinks about anything?! These are the guys that praised Cobain over, let's say, Satriani, only because it was a fashionable thing to do. And you expect a dose of taste from them? Don't be silly...

 

[SoundMaster]

These are the guys that praised Cobain over, let's say, Satriani,

But this actually helps to validate the point of the thread concerning Mick.
Sure, Cobain may not have been anything special, technically speaking, but goddamn that "Nevermind" album kicks ass!

Funny thing: I've known about a dozen metalheads over the years that have slagged & dissed Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the like, yet these same people have many of said bands CDs in their collections!!!

Grunge didn't "kill" metal. Awful metal killed metal: the rise (and oversaturation) of the hairbands, the single-mindedness of thrash, and the break-ups of Judas Priest, Maiden, etc.

 

[JonnyD]

Mick Mars is Great. He has one of those Unique guitar sounds that is Reconisable instantly ... and out of all the Metal albums I have heard in the last 13 or 14 years nobody else sounds like Mick

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Mars' ain't one of my favourites and he's prob my least fave member of the Crue but he's no scrub you're right - rock guitar playing is about rockin hard and kicking ass which he does, you don't have to be Malmsteen or be original, you just have to rock.

He writes great riffs & catchy solos and plays with conviction, that's all that counts. Here Here - I'll have a drink to Mick Mars!

 

[SoundMaster]

The tone/sound on the SHOUT album is just dirty!

I love it. Just think of the opening notes to "Ten Seconds to Love" or "Knock em Dead, Kid". GREAT STUFF.

Of course, I believe that Nicki wrote those, but I could be wrong.

 

[Aethyrs]

I'm with you on that JonnyD, Mick is great and need to be recognised as such. He plays what a song needs no more or less, not overdo it like so many others do.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Yeah Nikki was the songwriter but if I'm not mistaken, I think Nikki pretty much took his chords & hooks to Mick and Mick would lay his riffs over it.

 

[Clammy]

Mick was perfect for the Crue! Their music was never super-technical or complex, and didn't NEED crazy shredding solos all over the place. Mick was great at playing melodic, tasteful solos that complemented the songs rather than overshadowing them. That's often a lot harder than shredding all over a song.

Who really knows how technical he can/could be if he wants/wanted to? He played the leads the songs needed, nothing more nothing less.

I too dig the solo in Looks That Kill... it's catchy!

Cheers!

 

[sixxswine]

Mick is good, I think type of playing that fits him best is the stuff you hear on MC '94, or stuff like Primal Scream or the cover they did of Teaser...
You think the Guitar One was bad? Look at the Guitar World, they included Mick in that as well...

 

[SickBoy]

But this actually helps to validate the point of the thread concerning Mick.

My point about Satriani and Cobain was that Joe had much to offer not technically but melodically, while Kurt's playing is of no importance whatsoever... Sure he fitted his own band nicely, but to be praised as one of the most important guitar players?! Gimme a break...
Here's an example: Dave Gilmour is no technical player, but can wipe the floor with most shredders...

Funny thing: I've known about a dozen metalheads over the years that have slagged & dissed Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the like, yet these same people have many of said bands CDs in their collections!!!

I hate Nirvana, but I consider first two Pearl Jam CD's very good.
I don't see anything grungy in them (grunge is very undefined, on the other hand), these two albums are r'n'r and that's it. Afterwards they strayed into some alter rock waters which I didn't like at all and gave up on them...
Soundgarden had (aside from an awesome vocalist) some good songs, but not enough to consider myself a fan of theirs.

Grunge didn't "kill" metal. Awful metal killed metal: the rise (and oversaturation) of the hairbands, the single-mindedness of thrash, and the break-ups of Judas Priest, Maiden, etc.

Maybe "grunge" didn't kill metal, but definitely helped putting the nails in the coffin. It was more the decision of MTV and major labels execs, who suddenly decided that metal was "out" and that it should be put to death and pushed "grunge" bands as THE music. Once you played big arenas and all of the sudden you are despised.

 

[SoundMaster]

Maybe "grunge" didn't kill metal, but definitely helped putting the nails in the coffin. It was more the decision of MTV and major labels execs, who suddenly decided that metal was "out" and that it should be put to death and pushed "grunge" bands as THE music. Once you played big arenas and all of the sudden you are despised.

Major-label record companies are big business. They only "put the nail" in the coffin AFTER it became evident that popular metal was "dying". It's simple economics. If these bands were all still generating ton$ of money, the record companies would have been behind them 100%.
Once the Nirvana sound took off, record companies backed similar bands.

It's supply and demand. Once demand began to cease, the supplu began to shrink as well (ie: cutting these bands from major labels).

And, in my view, grunge is nothing more than another arm of "hard rock". Heck, Alice in Chains is/was alot more "metal" than bands such as Slaughter or Poison, or any others could have ever hoped to have been.

Ironically, certain metal bands achieved the GREATEST success during the early 90s: Metallica, Guns r Roses, Ozzy Osbourne (No More Tears is his best selling album), Megadeth, etc.

If the QUALITY of the music had remained strong, the demand would have remained strong.

Instead, Priest broke up; Maiden started releasing garbage; Vince left the Crue; Slayer & Queensryche both took FOUR years between releases, Ac/Dc took 5.......these are some of the major factors as to why 'traditional metal' died.


But, that's a blessing in disguise. Metal works BEST when it's underground.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Mick is good, I think type of playing that fits him best is the stuff you hear on MC '94, or stuff like Primal Scream or the cover they did of Teaser...
You think the Guitar One was bad? Look at the Guitar World, they included Mick in that as well...

Agreed about Primal Scream, though I think most of Motley Crue '94 was played by Corabi rather than Mick.

Mars was at his best though on the Decade Of Decadence songs and Dr. Feelgood though I think.

 

[Jean-Pierre]

I found that my favorite solos are Cirith Ungol's Blood and Iron, and JPs Jawbreaker.

HELL YES.

 

[sixxswine]

Agreed about Primal Scream, though I think most of Motley Crue '94 was played by Corabi rather than Mick.

Mars was at his best though on the Decade Of Decadence songs and Dr. Feelgood though I think.

Mick played 80% of the guitar on the MC '94 disc & ALL the solos.
Decade was a grst hts. Dr. Feelgood was too too polished I thought.

 

[tedvanfrehley]

Whoah...I haven't read the liners close enough...but I didn't know Corabi played on MC 94! My personal opinion of Mick's shining moment is TOO YOUNG TO FALL IN LOVE. He's got a lot of cool runs going on in that song...the solo is crazy, and the riff is killer.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

Really? From The Dirt I got the impression that Corabi played most of it. I know Mick didn't play all that much of Generation Swine... but I thought on MC94 as well that Corabi played alot. I know Mick played all the solos... but usually where Mick really shined was how he layed his guitar riffs over Nikki's songs, but on MC94 Corabi wrote nearly all the guitar parts I think.

Too Young To Fall In Love has awesome melodic guitar stuff!

 

[SickBoy]

But, that's a blessing in disguise. Metal works BEST when it's underground.

I really do agree on this one!