John Mayer: Sob Rock and a Pink Silver Sky

TeleMaster · June 2021

John Mayer is the guitarist John Frusicante could've been.

Winny_Pooh · June 2021

TeleMaster said:

John Mayer is the guitarist John Frusicante could've been.

You forget that Frusciante is a Heroin addict, not an Ego addict.

monquixote · June 2021

TeleMaster said:

John Mayer is the guitarist John Frusicante could've been.

His origin story is like the Joker except instead of toxic waste John Fruciante fell into a vat of beige paint to become John Mayer.

fretmeister · June 2021

dindude said:

Lewy said:

It's interesting to see other players like Mary Spender mentioned on this thread because for me the difference is just so stark when it comes to their writing and also arrangements, and it's why they are destined to stay confined to their youtube channels and the occasional 500 person gig as opposed to achieving the kind of popular success John Mayer has.

Generally most people just don't have the patience to indulge artists who's approach to writing and arranging songs basically boils down to a tedious combination of "look how clever I am" and "welcome to my problems".

Everyone on that Mayer track is doing 5% of what they're capable of, and the lyrics are super relatable. I see no evidence the Spenders and Posens of the world have that in them. I think that's what leads people to refer to them as talentless despite them clearly having skills....they are arguably a bit talentless when it comes to connecting with people through music, other than with people who have some other vested interest in giving them the time of day (like they aspire to learn their techniques, want to know about gear etc).

I think the likes of Mary, also someone like Mick and Dan from TPS when they write and record their own music, sit in that middle ground where it’s impressive that they can write/record and complete a process to decent level, and to a non-musician or beginner it seems very advanced, but it’s a million miles away from being professional grade musician who connects on an emotional level with absolute quality control.

Like the top 40 you mean?

fretmeister · June 2021

RaymondLin said:

I have never sat through one single JM track...am I missing out?

Only for the times he plays guitar for Pino.

Also - that is a proper vintage P bass. 44mm nut width.

Exactly how big are his hands????????

Philly_Q · June 2021

Lewy said:
Everyone on that Mayer track is doing 5% of what they're capable of, and the lyrics are super relatable. I see no evidence the Spenders and Posens of the world have that in them.

Really? I went and read the lyrics, since you made a point of drawing attention to them. They're just a load of boring, cliched, phrases that have been used in a million other songs. You could chop it up line by line, reassemble in random order and it wouldn't make any more or less sense.

I know 99% of pop lyrics are trite bullshit and these are no better or worse, but don't tell me they're proof of John Mayer's songwriting genius.

TINMAN82 · June 2021

LPManic said:

Played the new song on Kimmel last night. Enjoyed the MJ-esque ending.

This was excellent. It’s a taster of what you get at a live gig where he can let loose a bit more with the guitar solos on tunes that are often more radio friendly on record. Those who say it’s not a catchy song must be deaf!

Artists go through phases and try stuff out. It is what it is.

Lewy · June 2021

Philly_Q said:

Lewy said:
Everyone on that Mayer track is doing 5% of what they're capable of, and the lyrics are super relatable. I see no evidence the Spenders and Posens of the world have that in them.

Really? I went and read the lyrics, since you made a point of drawing attention to them. They're just a load of boring, cliched, phrases that have been used in a million other songs. You could chop it up line by line, reassemble in random order and it wouldn't make any more or less sense.

I know 99% of pop lyrics are trite bullshit and these are no better or worse, but don't tell me they're proof of John Mayer's songwriting genius.

I didn't say they were original, I said they were relatable. And it's not so much genius as it is the confidence to not be too try-hard.

Musicman20 · June 2021

Sorry but Frusciante is rock and roll, a tasteful riff writer and one of the only people I'll be really into in terms of soloing. He isn't the focus he is part of the whole band.

guitarblaster · June 2021

I love John Mayer, I have done since I first heard the trio and I was about 16!

I love Last Train Home too!

I couldn’t lump Ariel Posen and Mary Spender together. Ariel is a proper guitar player, top top level, really advanced harmony and improvising with neat and unusual chord voicings.

I’d say Mary Spender is more of a Youtuber who’s passion happens to be music. I don’t mean that as an insult though. Good luck to her!

Fifty9 · June 2021

It’s not proper 80s without noiseless single coils.

TTBZ · June 2021

TINMAN82 said:
Those who say it’s not a catchy song must be deaf!

I'll be honest I've had bits of it stuck in my head this week so I have to take back what I said a bit. The vocals are utterly forgettable though, it was the backing music/Africa rip-off bits that are catchy for me.

artiebear · June 2021

Loobs said:

This can get tae absolute fuck.

You sir, should you run for a seat at Holyrood would get my vote, as long as that is your reply to every stupid suggestion put forward.

As for the rest of this thread

It's pop music = entertainment = frivolous ( and you can make silly money out of it ). Don't be so bloody down on those who are in on the joke while talking about their art, while doing the musical equivalent of painting a living room. I will qualify myself by stating that sometimes it really is art ( but generally doesn't pay a decent size mortgage, or a large coke habit ). This weeks challenge, write, record and release something that some other fxxxxxxx will buy in quantity, while you are being taken seriously by other musicians /producers/engineers ( everybody except the label boardroom)

But seriously folks ( heard that before somewhere). If this was twitter, some of the "set em up tear them down" stuff would be par for the course, but surely a guitar forum is a place to hope for, at least, a technical dissection of the subject rather than the it's /he's / she's shit bollocks all to too prevalent on this thread and across the forum.

LPManic · June 2021

artiebear said:

But seriously folks ( heard that before somewhere). If this was twitter, some of the "set em up tear them down" stuff would be par for the course, but surely a guitar forum is a place to hope for, at least, a technical dissection of the subject rather than the it's /he's / she's shit bollocks all to too prevalent on this thread and across the forum.

Is Mayer mixing major and minor in the outro solo? His phrasing is fantastic.

thecolourbox · June 2021

I liked the outro solo in the live video, actually. I didn't make it that far In the original video.

Other than that it just sounded the same in the live video to me, I'm just not the target audience for his stuff I think. Sorry to anybody I've offended with my indifference.

artiebear · June 2021

LPManic said:

artiebear said:

But seriously folks ( heard that before somewhere). If this was twitter, some of the "set em up tear them down" stuff would be par for the course, but surely a guitar forum is a place to hope for, at least, a technical dissection of the subject rather than the it's /he's / she's shit bollocks all to too prevalent on this thread and across the forum.

Is Mayer mixing major and minor in the outro solo? His phrasing is fantastic.

Thanks for making my point

TeleMaster · June 2021

Musicman20 said:

Sorry but Frusciante is rock and roll, a tasteful riff writer and one of the only people I'll be really into in terms of soloing. He isn't the focus he is part of the whole band.

I'm sorry but if Frusicante tried harder he could be like John Mayer.

I repeat. Mayer is the guitarist Frusciante could have been. Aha.

UnclePsychosis · June 2021

This is some kind of elaborate hoax, right? You're all at the windup and trolling me. Surely.

I mean we all have different tastes and all that, but this is complete and utter unlistenable wank.

Sync · June 2021

Last Train Home is a decent song with a nice tune. Nice to see Maren Morris on it.

John Mayer usually has a nice pure musicality to his songs and guitar riffs. Something that's been missing from much of our charts for a long time.

America still has that strong presence of country & blues rock still going strong which we don't.

dazzajl · June 2021

Cookiemonster said:

I think this is dreadful.

I like slow dancing, but what the hell is this, awful video as well

The only way it could get worse. if had Phil Collins on drums.

What is with this 80s crap soft rock thing

That’s odd, my first thought was that if you want to do ‘jacket sleeves rolled up 80s dinosaur pop’ that it only works with PC on drums.

https://youtu.be/5bkJV5dxUBo

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John Mayer: Sob Rock and a Pink Silver Sky

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