Is Mike McCready an underrated guitarist

cydonia · May 2013

I know it's probably been said before, but I still have the intense memory of mike playing the song deep at manchester arena on 21st june 2012 , the improvisation during the verse is just mind blowing and listen to it endlessly on the bootleg.There were many great guitarists from the 90's, Kim Thayil(soundgarden), Gary Lee Connor(screaming trees), Kurt Cobain and Jerry Cantrell(alice in chains), but never seem to get the kudos they deserve.I suppose being born in the era of mtv can take away some credability, but hendrix and clapton would have done the same. It's just good to see a guitarist play for the song and not the ego, echoes of comfortably numb can be heard in nothing as it seems and even flow just keeps evolving. I rank him as one of my favourite guitarists and that gig will always be fresh in my mind.

JB128716 · May 2013

Mike gets ton of props. I believe he is the second best guitarist alive when it comes to playing with feeling.

mookeywrench · May 2013

I just Googled Mike Mcready is a horrible guitar player and I couldn't find any results backing that.

I'd say he isn't underrated at all.

mca47 · May 2013

JB128716 wrote:

Mike gets ton of props. I believe he is the second best guitarist alive when it comes to playing with feeling.

You see, I disagree with this. I think Mike is a very good guitarist, but he isn't one of the greats IMO. The reason I say this is because I don't think he plays off "feel" nearly enough. I also think part of that is how the songs are played these days....way too fn fast! The guy can rip the fretboard no question, but rarely does he take over the song and rarely do his solos "speak" or have much direction.
Clearly he's a better guitarist than say...in the mid-90s, but I preferred his style then compared to now where it seems like playing fast equals playing with heart and soul.

TheGhost · May 2013

Absolutely! And so are Stone and even Ed, I think. Maybe one of the reasons is that Mike's style is so rooted in classic rock. If you listen to the original version of say, Evenflow, you hear an amazing but very traditional hard rock guitar solo. If you hear it live over the years you hear him stretch and pull it into far more innovative territory. He's one of the best ever, he just doesn't play one definable style. Somebody like Jack White is going to get way more attention as a player because he has such a distinct sound and style.

JB128716 · May 2013

mca47 wrote:

JB128716 wrote:

Mike gets ton of props. I believe he is the second best guitarist alive when it comes to playing with feeling.

You see, I disagree with this. I think Mike is a very good guitarist, but he isn't one of the greats IMO. The reason I say this is because I don't think he plays off "feel" nearly enough. I also think part of that is how the songs are played these days....way too fn fast! The guy can rip the fretboard no question, but rarely does he take over the song and rarely do his solos "speak" or have much direction.
Clearly he's a better guitarist than say...in the mid-90s, but I preferred his style then compared to now where it seems like playing fast equals playing with heart and soul.

I'm in awe every time I hear a version of Black. In the words of Ed during YL, "Make me cry"

mysticweed · May 2013

TheGhost wrote:

Absolutely! And so are Stone and even Ed, I think. Maybe one of the reasons is that Mike's style is so rooted in classic rock. If you listen to the original version of say, Evenflow, you hear an amazing but very traditional hard rock guitar solo. If you hear it live over the years you hear him stretch and pull it into far more innovative territory. He's one of the best ever, he just doesn't play one definable style. Somebody like Jack White is going to get way more attention as a player because he has such a distinct sound and style.

i agree

i saw my first ed solo last year and i was afuckingmazed by his shredding

DewieCox · May 2013

Nope, and around here he's ridiculously overrated. He's a great player and I wouldn't want another lead guitarist in PJ, but he's one of the least unique guitar players in a major band that I can think of. When I check out top guitarist polls there's always tons of unique players, and while they could easily find a spot for him I don't think it's a big travesty when he's left off. And he's always getting props in the comments below said lists.

I find Stone to be underrated here and outside of the board. Great groove, great one of a kind sound and a very unique feel to his leads.

Ed's a solid guitar player, but most of the stuff he does is incredibly simple.

peacefrompaul · May 2013

Billy Howerdel is an underrated guitarist... he creates a sonic atmosphere that Mike could only dream of creating

Mike is not even close to underrated. He's good, very talented, but not my favorite.

Digital Twilight · May 2013

DewieCox wrote:

Nope, and around here he's ridiculously overrated. He's a great player and I wouldn't want another lead guitarist in PJ, but he's one of the least unique guitar players in a major band that I can think of. When I check out top guitarist polls there's always tons of unique players, and while they could easily find a spot for him I don't think it's a big travesty when he's left off. And he's always getting props in the comments below said lists.

Totally agree. mike isn't even in the top tier. I love Pearl Jam, they are my favourite band but there are many, many better guitarists out there. He has his moments but lets not over do it here. Only with Pearl Jam fans is he seen as underrated.

peacefrompaul · May 2013

DewieCox wrote:

Nope, and around here he's ridiculously overrated. He's a great player and I wouldn't want another lead guitarist in PJ, but he's one of the least unique guitar players in a major band that I can think of. When I check out top guitarist polls there's always tons of unique players, and while they could easily find a spot for him I don't think it's a big travesty when he's left off. And he's always getting props in the comments below said lists.

I find Stone to be underrated here and outside of the board. Great groove, great one of a kind sound and a very unique feel to his leads.

Ed's a solid guitar player, but most of the stuff he does is incredibly simple.

Couldn't agree more on Stone. I enjoy his playing a lot more than Mike's

boyo79 · May 2013

DewieCox wrote:

I find Stone to be underrated here and outside of the board. Great groove, great one of a kind sound and a very unique feel to his leads.

Definitely. Mike is fantastic but I get far more enjoyment watching Stone on a solo in Evolution, Fuckin Up or RIFTW for example. I think its more of the surprise factor because obviously Mike gets all the attention on the guitar.

I would think there are people on the board who are more bothered about whether Mike or Stone are under-rated guitarists than Mike or Stone are. I would imagine they don't really care why they are on 'great guitarist' lists!

YieldToNothing · May 2013

he's properly rated.
if anything, stone is underrated. very out of the box, interesting guitar player. not traditional at all and does thing that make you have to press pause and think for a second.
mike is great, but he's kinda one dimensional and plays his leads the same way many before him have.
he's a bit underrated as a songwriter, but definitely not as a guitar player.

mca47 · May 2013

DewieCox wrote:

Nope, and around here he's ridiculously overrated. He's a great player and I wouldn't want another lead guitarist in PJ, but he's one of the least unique guitar players in a major band that I can think of. When I check out top guitarist polls there's always tons of unique players, and while they could easily find a spot for him I don't think it's a big travesty when he's left off. And he's always getting props in the comments below said lists.

I find Stone to be underrated here and outside of the board. Great groove, great one of a kind sound and a very unique feel to his leads.

Ed's a solid guitar player, but most of the stuff he does is incredibly simple.

Exactly!

TheGhost · May 2013

I think what makes Mike exceptional is that his solos can evolve way past scales and notes into just waves of sound... he gets way outside sometimes... does that make any sense?

brianlux · May 2013

Mike's an excellent guitar player but his biggest strength, IMHO, is as a team player. No one in Pearl Jam is "the best" (what ever that means) at their individual instruments, but they are one of the all-time greatest when it comes to ensemble playing. Singling out McCready and then looking at great guitarists as individuals- Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ry Cooder, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Mike Bloomfield, Robert Fripp, Richard Thompson... the list goes on and on and at some point it gets embarrassing but there's no need to make these kinds of comparisons. Mike's a great player but more importantly, he's part of a great team effort- one of the best groups ever.

mca47 · May 2013

TheGhost wrote:

I think what makes Mike exceptional is that his solos can evolve way past scales and notes into just waves of sound... he gets way outside sometimes... does that make any sense?

He doesn't. He stays to script like the rest of them.

Foriginal Sin · May 2013

YieldToNothing wrote:

he's properly rated.
if anything, stone is underrated. very out of the box, interesting guitar player. not traditional at all and does thing that make you have to press pause and think for a second.
mike is great, but he's kinda one dimensional and plays his leads the same way many before him have.
he's a bit underrated as a songwriter, but definitely not as a guitar player.

Absolutely, start the bring back Last Soldier thread

Foriginal Sin · May 2013

brianlux wrote:

Mike's an excellent guitar player but his biggest strength, IMHO, is as a team player. No one in Pearl Jam is "the best" (what ever that means) at their individual instruments, but they are one of the all-time greatest when it comes to ensemble playing. Singling out McCready and then looking at great guitarists as individuals- Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ry Cooder, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Mike Bloomfield, Robert Fripp, Richard Thompson... the list goes on and on and at some point it gets embarrassing but there's no need to make these kinds of comparisons. Mike's a great player but more importantly, he's part of a great team effort- one of the best groups ever.

I don't know if vocals is an instrument but if it was I think one of them may be "the best"

veddertown · May 2013

Yes. He may not be as versatile or fluent as some of the greats you could mention but he has great technique especially when he slows it down. I hear a lot of Gilmour in his bluesier work and he can shred in style with a lot of Hendrix influence behind it. He is more expressive now than ever and I'm excited for what he (and Stone) might do on the new record. The unreleased tracks on Above sound amazing and it makes me wish that at a time where side projects are busier than PJ that Mike and Mark Lanegan could have something on the go because they always come up with pure gold.

Niko80 · May 2013

Mike has had his moments, and he still finds some soul in his playing now then. Overall I do find his playing to be a bit flat. Mikes best years to me were from 1993-1998.

I agree with the the ones who says Stone is the one who is underrated. It is sometimes astonishing to look at the older pj shows in 1992 where you see Stone took center stage and allowed himself time to play his thing. Stone has alot of groove and I wish he'd show this side more in PJ's playing.

A good example of this is maybe I've got a feeling at Melkweg 1992.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKNw6uv78Dc

Stone has some wonderful moments here. He also tears down Porch from the same show.

jason_94 · May 2013

I'm not sure. Lets ask dimitrispearljam & see what he thinks.

cydonia · May 2013

It's just my experience of seeing pearl jam live and the impact it had. I'm not saying he's underrated, he's just not recognised as much as say jack white or slash. I agree I don't think stone or mike care about being on any list in a magazine etc and I'm not saying he's more important than any other member. Stones a great guitar player and eddie plays with passion, it dosn't matter if it's simple it;s about moving people and creating that emotion. The ghost sums it up well, it's way past scales and notes, it's about emotional waves and sounds, like the doors sing, breaking on through to the otherside. He transports the song and the audience with him.

Indifference152 · May 2013

Slash is insane overrated.

pjradio · May 2013

The whole band is underrated in my opinion

Kimmiebyrom · May 2013

JB128716 wrote:

mca47 wrote:

JB128716 wrote:

Mike gets ton of props. I believe he is the second best guitarist alive when it comes to playing with feeling.

You see, I disagree with this. I think Mike is a very good guitarist, but he isn't one of the greats IMO. The reason I say this is because I don't think he plays off "feel" nearly enough. I also think part of that is how the songs are played these days....way too fn fast! The guy can rip the fretboard no question, but rarely does he take over the song and rarely do his solos "speak" or have much direction.
Clearly he's a better guitarist than say...in the mid-90s, but I preferred his style then compared to now where it seems like playing fast equals playing with heart and soul.

I'm in awe every time I hear a version of Black. In the words of Ed during YL, "Make me cry"

THIS. Yes!

Vedderlicious · May 2013

All I can say is that Maggot Brain performance was the best thing I've seen him do to date and was worthy enough to give him mention enough of being one of the best of all time. He really doesn't get the recognition he deserves I think, and I just wish everyone would watch that performance at least once in their lives

rearviewross · May 2013

Stone was my favorite from day one. Loved his rhythms and riffs he wrote early on but the last 5-6 years I have shifted more towards Mike. I thought he was a little off during the mid 2000s especially during Evenflow. Felt like he was trying too hard. I think he has loosened up since then and I love the way he is playing now.

Rating musicians is always interesting because it is up to personal taste. I feel he is underrated in that most rock fans who are not guitarists don't know who he is. Even most guitarists don't know his name unless they are PJ fans. Being in a band with another great guitarist hurts him in this sense as well. I would agree with the earlier comments that he is a little over rated around here. Like most things I think the reality lies somewhere in between.

Foriginal Sin · May 2013

Vedderlicious wrote:

All I can say is that Maggot Brain performance was the best thing I've seen him do to date and was worthy enough to give him mention enough of being one of the best of all time. He really doesn't get the recognition he deserves I think, and I just wish everyone would watch that performance at least once in their lives

Been blasting Maggot Brain all week. And if Mike isn't a top flight guitar player than why is the Alive solo on RockBand 2 expert level the hardest song in the game?

rearviewross · May 2013

Indifference152 wrote:

Slash is insane overrated.

Lol, I was watching PJ and my 5 year old son asked me if the guitar player, Mike, was good. I said yes, he is phenomenal. He asked if he was better than Slash. I said yes.

DewieCox · May 2013

rearviewross wrote:

Indifference152 wrote:

Slash is insane overrated.

Lol, I was watching PJ and my 5 year old son asked me if the guitar player, Mike, was good. I said yes, he is phenomenal. He asked if he was better than Slash. I said yes.

Oh my...I'd say Mike is a long way off from Slash. I agree Slash is overrated, but he has a much more unique sound and has done things speed wise that I've never heard Mike approach. Just listen to the outro of Paradise City for that. Slash ain't no slouch when it comes to slower more melodic playing either and he's consistently had better tone.

Is Mike McCready an underrated guitarist

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