Vintage Guitar
October 2001

Mark Doyle
Out Of the Past
Free Will Records

Mark's been around awhile, had numerous gigs with folks you know, and put out a very good solo album a couple years back. Here he's back with a nice disc full of instrumental covers you'd associate with the '60s, and some originals that call to mind the same era.

lf slide is your cup of tea, his cover of the Doors "Moonlight Drive" is your thing. To top it off, cool pull-offs and hammer-ons power a solo that really cooks. Doyle's not afraid to showcase modern sounds with the old stuff, either. Check out the loops on "Tomorrow Never Knows," where he plays the Beatles. It sounds beautifully and mixes it up with the loops. While these are covers, they are always imaginative. The medley of "Paint It Black/Eleanor Rigby" is driven by the melody, while his solo sounds like Santana interpreting the Stones and Beatles.

All you guitarists out there will love the sounds. Doyle's a real tone freak. "Young Rabbits" has a Strat sound you'll just drool over. Punchy, with just a little distortion. Put that sound together with a knockout solo, and you've got pure heaven.

As you can see, I think this album is wonderful. But the final cut is really the topper - a cover of the '50s classic "It's All In the Game." It's one of the single prettiest guitar cuts I've heard in a long time. Doyle harmonizes the melody in such a way that it's like a hot knife through butter. Just plain gorgeous. This cut alone is worth the price of admission.

Did I mention the artwork? Very retro, matches the music. Very cool. Highly recommended. You can pick it up at markdoyle.com. -John Heidt


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