John Mayer: Sob Rock and a Pink Silver Sky

monquixote

stickyfiddle said:

LPManic said:

PC_Dave said:

LPManic said:

How much do you think PRS pay him? Six figures a year? The PRS Strats look awful and he wouldn't be anywhere near them if they didn't offer him the dosh. Does he still play Fenders live?

Have you played a Silver Sky?

Do you think Mayer played one before they threw megabucks at him?

Well they designed it together, so no. But he went straight to PRS after Fender fired his mate in the CS (I forget who it was - Mike Eldred?). The story goes that he specced and played the Super Eagle for his first Dead &Co gigs and enjoyed that process enough that they went on to collaborate on the Silver Sky design to make the perfect "Strat"

Having a decent idea of the two personalities I can 100% believe that narrative - both more than a bit fanatical about tiny detail

If they had knocked out some Squier JM Strat which he never played I could believe it was for the money, but someone like him isn't going to spend a whole tour playing a guitar he doesn't like that much just for a few quid. 

When you are as wealthy as he is and as fanatical about guitar that just doesn't make a lot of sense.

stickyfiddle

Exactly - and he still plays Fenders etc, so it’s not like he has some mega exclusivity agreement or something

Fozz

I really like JM. In fact, I actually like him more now his music is more pop than blues dad. I would have said around Continuum he was prime Guitarist mag front page material, but now I enjoy his stuff. 

Also, the pink Silver Sky looks incredible.

Boromedic

Man, I'd hate to see my Spotify stats since this came out, I'm seriously addicted to Last Train Home. Can't stop playing it.... Good job we all have different tastes innit, needs more hooks, hahahaha hahaha!!

Fifty9

I like it. Am a similar age to him so get the nostalgia thing 

Musicman20

I just had a proper listen with the video.

That is pure dad rock/pop. The guitar was, in my opinion, boring. The synths ran the show.

He can sing, but I wouldn't say he has a distinctive voice.

I dunno. I like the 80s but as someone said, it feels like it is missing a major hook. Like a dull version of 'Africa'.

That would not make me want to pickup a guitar. It would however make me want to try stop being out of the Breakfast Club and sort my style out.

thecolourbox

Fifty9 said:

I like it. Am a similar age to him so get the nostalgia thing 

He could only have been about ten though when this music was out - was he really listening to middle of the road type soft rock as a ten year old enough to get nostalgic about it? I'm not really sure I get it. 

It would presumably be like me releasing an album in the style of James Blunt or Gary Barlow or something like that I'd have thought?

TINMAN82

thecolourbox said:

It would presumably be like me releasing an album in the style of James Blunt or Gary Barlow or something like that I'd have thought?

It’s comments like this that show how criminally under appreciated Clapton is these days, even among guitar players. James Blunt?!!

If this album was a lighthearted homage to Hendrix, SRV etc I don’t think he’d be coming in for so much stick.

JM is having the last laugh here. The song and video have blown up on social media. Some critics arn’t noticing that JM is showing insight into the slightly cheesy (to 2021 sensibilities) nature of it all with the clothes, big hair, vibrato, trademark 80s Clapton gear, Forever Man video style, album cover. 

monquixote

thecolourbox said:

Fifty9 said:

I like it. Am a similar age to him so get the nostalgia thing 

He could only have been about ten though when this music was out - was he really listening to middle of the road type soft rock as a ten year old enough to get nostalgic about it? I'm not really sure I get it. 

It would presumably be like me releasing an album in the style of James Blunt or Gary Barlow or something like that I'd have thought?

He's the perfect age.

He's a little bit older than me and it's exactly the kind of stuff my dad would have played in the car.

That's what you get really nostalgic for.

not_the_dj

He seems to have gone through different styles. Earlier was quite poppy, he did the blues stuff, then some James Taylor/Neil Young folky stuff. Now he’s having a crack at the 80s.

Is that better or worse than making pretty much the same album again and again? 

digitalkettle

Damn right…I get nostalgia vibes when I hear tunes that were pouring out of Radio One from the age of five onwards!

dindude

A bit of lesson on the outtro solo from the man himself. Thought I’d post as can’t imagine many tiktok users on here somehow (not a huge fan myself).

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeo1dd3w/

Boromedic

thecolourbox said:

Fifty9 said:

I like it. Am a similar age to him so get the nostalgia thing 

He could only have been about ten though when this music was out - was he really listening to middle of the road type soft rock as a ten year old enough to get nostalgic about it? I'm not really sure I get it. 

It would presumably be like me releasing an album in the style of James Blunt or Gary Barlow or something like that I'd have thought?

He's about 5 months older than me, he'd have been in my year at school. He's smack in the middle of loving this era or certainly being nostalgic for it. The same reason I love it must be the same reason he wrote it, reminds him of that time.

People like to slag off the 80's and the look, the music, pretty much the decade tbh. I loved it, yes it was tough as we had literally f**k all growing up in the north east in a dodgy council estate, but I didn't care as I was young, the music was just a positive background to grow up to as a young un. Loads of my happy memories as a kid are soundtracked by feel good tunes, perhaps that's why?

I feel sorry for a lot of kids today, they don't seem to have the same carefree childhood we had, everything seems so worrisome and stressful these days. Not to mention the rise of a lot of things that I think impact negatively on kids way more than we realise (social media etc.). I'm glad I grew up when I did that's for sure, yes there's an element of rose tinted glasses but I don't care really as I miss those times.

Cookiemonster

I don't think that radio 1 was probably playing that era Clapton even then tbh. 

Monstronaut

Im not a fan of his but I like this most likely for nostalgic reasons. Makes me think of watching the music videos on 'the chart show' on a Saturday morning. Clapton's journeyman record was on all the time in my house when i was about 10.

Boromedic

Cookiemonster said:

I don't think that radio 1 was probably playing that era Clapton even then tbh. 

No but me Dad was playing August all the time, he didn't really listen to radio much. There was plenty of yacht rock and AOR in the charts at that time as well, this is the era of the Smashie and Nicie DJ remember. Perhaps in America it was played a lot more, who knows.

dindude

Interestingly I’ve just watched the Clapton Forever Man video and it’s dated a lot less than Mayer’s pastiche! 

Danny1969

A 13 year student I teach texted me tonight to show me Last Train and ask if we could cover it at the next lesson .. He loves it apparently. 

Boromedic

Danny1969 said:

A 13 year student I teach texted me tonight to show me Last Train and ask if we could cover it at the next lesson .. He loves it apparently. 

That's cos he has great taste!

DrCornelius

dindude said:

Interestingly I’ve just watched the Clapton Forever Man video and it’s dated a lot less than Mayer’s pastiche! 

You’ve inspired me to watch it and I’m glad you did . I’ve always been a fan of his 70s output but I’d I forgotten how much I enjoyed this at the time too.