Let's talk about the best Mike McCready solos

[E.H. Ruddock]

F U all you Mike haters.

[Strat]

I cant believe i didnt appreciate that performance when i was there . Granted I was only 14 but fuck... That one still blows me away.


There are certain emotional levels McCready can reach that Stone can't when it comes to leads....

But lately its just few and far between :\

[Kevin Davis]

Four Mike McCready leads I really like:

1. "Ole" -- evidence that he's not just the SRV/EVH-impersonating wanker he so frequently gets mistaken for. This came totally out of left field for Mike and I hope it's indicative of the kind of playing we can expect on the new album.

2. "Yellow Ledbetter" -- when I was buying up the 2000 bootlegs back when they were new, Mike's eight bars of solo in "YL" was something I looked forward to on every recording. I know a lot of people think this is just a boring pentatonic power ballad but I think it consistently solicits some of Mike's most melodic playing.

3. "Red Mosquito" -- blues rock that sounds inventive and purposeful, the rarest of musical breeds. I think Mike plays this much better than Ben Harper.

4. "Last Exit" -- that little part that follows "shed my skin at last," where it's just Mike and the drums (and maybe the bass, I can't remember). He comes up with some cool stuff there.

[Strat]

great list K Davis! Agreed on Ledbetter.

However, Ole - I feel that is only interesting because of the production. There is some backwards/reverse delay shit going on....live i have never been impressed

[Kevin Davis]

I think some backwards reverse/delay shit that they have no chance of replicating live is exactly the kind of thing I wish Pearl Jam would do more of.

[bodysnatcher]

I think some backwards reverse/delay shit that they have no chance of replicating live is exactly the kind of thing I wish Pearl Jam would do more of.

[knee tunes]

Four Mike McCready leads I really like:

1. "Ole" -- evidence that he's not just the SRV/EVH-impersonating wanker he so frequently gets mistaken for. This came totally out of left field for Mike and I hope it's indicative of the kind of playing we can expect on the new album.

2. "Yellow Ledbetter" -- when I was buying up the 2000 bootlegs back when they were new, Mike's eight bars of solo in "YL" was something I looked forward to on every recording. I know a lot of people think this is just a boring pentatonic power ballad but I think it consistently solicits some of Mike's most melodic playing.

3. "Red Mosquito" -- blues rock that sounds inventive and purposeful, the rarest of musical breeds. I think Mike plays this much better than Ben Harper.

4. "Last Exit" -- that little part that follows "shed my skin at last," where it's just Mike and the drums (and maybe the bass, I can't remember). He comes up with some cool stuff there.

I do like Mike's bluesy stuff like on Red Mosquito. That is true.

[iceagecoming]

Backspacer has some really underrated guitar interplay: Got Some and The Fixer have some great moments.

[digster]

To me, Mike's best solo is in All or None. That first note just sounds like an extremely pained scream, and I think it's hard for Mike (and maybe electric solos in general) to generate such a specific feeling for me.

[EJ]

Immortality
Self-Pollution Radio 1/8/95

[bada]

Immortality
Self-Pollution Radio 1/8/95

[stip]

My three favorites have always been Alive, I am Mine, and Wishlist.

I don't know if that counts but mike's 'patterns' at the end of FON are also some of my favorite moments from him.

[XWayne]

Porch, Melbourne #3 '98

[MissingTheSchoolBus]

I'll go with "Black" from lo2l. This one is on the little wing/maggot brain level

[Angus]

My three favorites have always been Alive, I am Mine, and Wishlist.

This is my favourite stip post.

[Oh, Jimmy]

Love Black from alot of the 2000 and 03 shows, namely 2 shows that I attended..Indy 00 and St Louis 03, but can't forget Lo2L. I think overall the Blacks from 98-03 are the peak of his playing.

The YL tags during the 2000 tour were always fun. They closed with YL quite a bit then, too so it gave you something to look forward when following the sets.

Studio it's hard to argue with Alive.
Always dug how he locked in with Stone for Glorified G.
The switching back and forth from slide in Red Mosquito is cool and like the tone.
The playing and atmospheric sounds in NAIS is very cool and something I wish he would expand on more. He worked that in quite about around this time and he's all but abandoned it nowadays.

[stip]

the life wasted solo is one of my favorites as well.

[surfndestroy]

My favorite is Alive though he's never topped the studio version. Black can be amazing some nights live.

Mike's biggest problem is that he's not a master of tone. Live he's very hit and miss. Studio, well he needs lots of improvements. He has naile dit in the past though, I Am Mine outro solo. I always wish it were longer.

[digster]

That Nothing as it Seems Groundworks performance from 2001 really affects me, also. Maybe it's just that we have good video of it.

[Will]

Nothing on record tops Immortality, although the Alive solo gets its props. I can't think of a studio solo since back in the early days that's really slayed me. He has a few good songs and the occasional cool riff, but aside from live work, its been a long time since he's put anything down in the studio that's been really exceptional. They just don't seem like they're that kind of band anymore.