What's your favourite Johnny Marr guitar moment?

Iamnobody

And now you can have his guitar....

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=291508238074

badlydrawnbanjo

Iamnobody;692452" said:

And now you can have his guitar....

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=291508238074

I've had a look through that book he's talking about in the advert. @richard_henry put it together for Johnny as a 50th birthday present if I remember rightly.

BigLicks67

Headmaster Ritual, This Charming Man or the mandolin style guitar part he played on Please Please Please ......

brojangles

I guess it has to be This Charming Man but I have a soft spot too for the nutty rockabilly guitar break in Nowhere Fast. Also for the highlifey fills in the live version of Ask on Rank.

thermionic

My favourite Johnny Marr guitar moment was when I got to play "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side" on his old Rickenbacker 335 and a well-respected music journalist (Johnny gave the guitar to him) started singing along...

Probably has to be This Charming Man for me... not because it's better than other songs, but it sums up his whole early Smiths approach and sound. I've sat down many times over the years to try and learn how to play it, but I'm worried if I finally work out how it's done the magic will be gone! I also like the jangling of Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now, that whole Hatful of Hollow era had a massive influence on me. I didn't switch off my chorus pedal until the mid-90s.

He seems such a top bloke in so many ways as well, that story above doesn't surprise me.

koneguitarist

Funnily enough, I hated the smiths and the songs, but went to watch my mates new band, who did a cover of This charming man, and I realised what a great catchy song it was, especially without Morrisey!

Paul_C

digitalkettle

Forgive the necropost...

I'm well into JM's biography at the moment and have only just learned that two albums which I loved by The The (Mind Bomb & Dusk) have Johnny all over them...awesome guitar *and* harmonica moments (not normally a fan of harmonica but he really makes it work).

He was officially in the band for six years and I hadn't quite registered the fact!

Do yourself a favour and dig them out

tone1

I think JM should advertise ‘Just for Men’ even his initials are perfect (Sorry Johnny if you’re reading this.. I think you’re ace) 

RandallFlagg

So many, but I always liked I Don't Owe You Anything, The Queen Is Dead, William, It Was Really Nothing for a start.

guitartango

We all know the film this is from, great clover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIQmVqh53Jo

roberty

thermionic said:

My favourite Johnny Marr guitar moment was when I got to play "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side" on his old Rickenbacker 335 and a well-respected music journalist (Johnny gave the guitar to him) started singing along...

Probably has to be This Charming Man for me... not because it's better than other songs, but it sums up his whole early Smiths approach and sound. I've sat down many times over the years to try and learn how to play it, but I'm worried if I finally work out how it's done the magic will be gone! I also like the jangling of Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now, that whole Hatful of Hollow era had a massive influence on me. I didn't switch off my chorus pedal until the mid-90s.

He seems such a top bloke in so many ways as well, that story above doesn't surprise me.

I learnt this charming man nearly 20 years ago and it doesn't sound anything like the record when I play it. So the magic is reinforced

I was in a Smiths tribute band when I was in my early 20s and I studied about 50 Smiths songs. It helped my songwriting more than it helped my guitar playing. And the guitar on those recordings is still magical

MagicPigDetective

The subtle things he does to transform songs/chord progressions. Such as towards the end of Well I Wonder, at 3.20 he starts playing the additional ringing notes over the chords, which ups the momentum and intensity of the song. Genius. 

https://youtu.be/TpRhZnlXDNI

roberty

I like wonderful woman, cos it's not so layered you can hear the interplay between the band better

Also Morrissey sings in a low register and the guitar and bass frame his voice perfectly. This is like the prototype for the smiths sonic formula

Freebird

This soundboard recording is quite pretty

Freebird

Macca_25387 said:

For Me its The Headmaster Ritual and either Barbarism begins at home or Bigmouth for second. 

Always a good challenge learning a smiths track.

There is also a soundboard recording for Barbarism Begins At Home.

matdotcodot

Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others, I like this instrumental version. Not that I don't like Morrissey, I do, even if it sounds a bit like someone is trying to saw his legs off as he is singing.

I also think Johhny Marr is a bit underrated as a Harmonica player.

darthed1981

"Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me", just the whole thing is to me what guitar playing should be.  The way it blends that lovely melody in with Morrissey's most searingly honest lyric, it can be heartbreaking.

The little solo that kicks in just before the fade out as well always felt perfect to me.

RandallFlagg

I always loved his live tone on the Derby gig shown on TV, I had a cassette recording taken from TV with a cassette recorder mic in front of the TV speakers back in the day!

Would love to hear a proper stereo hi def audio release of this.

Pretty Girls Make Graves - The end where the band stops and he carries on playing the arpeggio chords is lovely,