Mike Campbell on Vibrato Technique and Influences

Always liked the way that tune is put together. Great example of how talent and inspiration can take simple playing to a higher level. Magic happens in the layering, the way it all combines to form something evocative, a whole that's greater than the sum of its parts.

I like the way a lot of their/Tom's tunes are put together.
 
I'll repeat my opinion, which I've doubtless shared more than once.

Tone is in the head & the heart. And the hands. And the wood. And the pickups.
And in the pedals, amps, mics, studio compression & EQ, reverbs, etc, etc.

But the last measure of tone is only realized in combination with the other parts.
It hasn't fully manifested until heard with the rest of the music.

When it comes to the big picture, tone is in context. That aspect sometimes gets overlooked.

Tones that sound great alone aren't necessarily great in a mix. Often the right tone isn't fat or rich or beautiful or effect-laden.
Sometimes perfect tone sounds dry or skinny by itself. A precise expressive studio part can sound almost lifeless when soloed.

Nowadays you can listen to isolated tracks; one notices right away that they don't sound quite the way you'd expect.
Planty of absolutely great and iconic sounds were achieved by players who never had this luxury.
There's an art to it; some have a natural talent for it, others can learn the skill with experience. Some don't really listen and never find it.
So tone is in the ears too - not the listener's, but those that are dialing in a particular layer to blend with the other parts.
 
DirtySteve said:
Mike is a badass! He has a lot of these videos up on youtube. I've been playing it wrong on a lot of TP songs. Here's a really good one...

Click to expand...
Steve, I might have never been able to explain it, but Mike tells exactly what I would hear in the song where he says he would leave the 3rd out of the chords and how that sounds. Somehow my ears often hear stuff, yet for some reason I can't seem to find it on the guitar. This type vid explains why. I lose what I hear among 2 or 3 guitar parts and multi track etc.

Mike still has some cool sounds to compliment Tom's guitars too. Another thing, does anyone else hear similarities in the way Mike talks and how Tom talked?
 
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