Johnny Marr (The Smiths)

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Fri Aug 31, 2001 10:02 am

I hear much talk about Rick-users Roger McGuinn, Pete Townshend, Peter Buck and the lot, but lest we not forget that the great Johnny Marr sported a Fireglo Rick 360-12 (I think he bought it off of Townshend) and used it on such great songs like "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side", "There Is A Light...", "Half A Person", "William, It Was Really Nothing", etc? The whole entire 90's Brit-pop, grunge, and indie scene, in my opinion, owes a lot to the Smiths as well as R.E.M. and, in the late 60's, the Velvet Underground. Anyone agree, disagree

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Fri Aug 31, 2001 10:51 am

To see Johnny Marr with a Rickenbacker go and hear his comments please visit here.

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Sat Mar 16, 2002 3:59 pm

Loved Johnny Marr's work with the Smiths. I've always thought he was shamefully overlooked as a guitar talent. I thought I read in a Guitar Player interview a long time ago (late 80s-early 90s) that he'd changed to playing a Strat mostly after leaving the Smiths. At the time he'd been working with The The (their newest release then was Mind Bomb), playing stuff that was a lot funkier, a style he really liked but didn't get to explore much with the Smiths. He also did a project with Bernard Sumner of New Order, calling themselves Electronic. They had one minor hit, can't think of the name just now. He also recorded a couple of tunes with the Pretenders and was heavily recruited to join them. He and Chrissy Hynde would have been awesome together. Any body know what he did through the 90's until now?

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Fri May 10, 2002 5:13 pm

Here's an "exhaustive" interview with Johnny Marr... pretty in-depth, goes into song writing with Smiths, management etc.

http://arcane.morrissey-solo.com/smiths/interviews/post87/marrview.htm

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Sat Jun 08, 2002 7:51 am

Doug:
That would be the Jan 90 issue of Guitar Player magazine. It is a great issue.

In that interview, Mr.Marr reveals Billy Duffy & the Fatback Band as influences as well as the late James Honeyman-Scott of the Pretenders.

The interview is also worth reading because, he details how he came up with certain guitar pieces & sounds.

Regards fellow Rick-O-Phille

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Tue Jun 11, 2002 2:11 pm

I just found out Mr. Marr played on the latest Pet Shop Boy's album. No word on if he used any RICs

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Wed Jun 12, 2002 9:38 pm

Marr also played in the Petshop-neworder "super group" from the early nineties called electronic. I saw him with the smiths in 86; it was a great show. What I remembered most of his playing was that he used a les paul for "how soon is now".

jblakey · Post by **jblakey** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 6:08 pm

The book, "Morrissey and Marr - severed alliance" by Johnny Rogan, mentions the use of Rickenbackers by Marr.. interesting though is that they were borrowed Ricks, one belonging to Elvis Costello was used by Marr with a pre-Smiths band, "White Dice", in 1980 while recording a demo at Nick Lowe's home studio in London. Costello's Rick was used for the lead in a cover of Tom Petty's, "American Girl"... then later in 1986 while recording "The Draize Train" instrumental with the Smiths, Marr used two of Pete Townshend's Ricks. It's an interesting book, though unfortunately does not go into the Smiths hardware very much.. it is more about the dramas, wranglings, personalities, business etc.

longhouse · Post by **longhouse** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 7:51 pm

Johnny played 'Down On The Corner' (from Boomslang) on TV, here. He used a nice Jetglo 370 12.

He played a Ric or two with The The too.

paul_yan · Post by **paul_yan** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 9:13 pm

I have his latest album (2003?) "Boomslang" and like the majority of the songs a lot. The album is overall well-produced and mixed and sounds quite modern from a production point of view. I can hear Strats, Les Pauls and RICs employed for different parts in different songs.
I miss his guitar style with the Smiths though...Unmistakenly Marr! His stuffs in recent years don't have that old enchanting melodicism anymore, but it's the evolution of the artist that I respect. He's brilliant anyway.

paul_yan · Post by **paul_yan** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 1:30 am

Finally found the Jan. 1990 interview with Mr. Marr.

Excellent read!

mutato · Post by **mutato** » Mon Sep 20, 2004 8:04 am

I love the RICs on "Hatful of Hollow" album. A ton of the songs on that CD are with RICs. Some are not so easily identifiable.

"William it's really nothing" really got me dreaming for a Ric 12 string. That and Lloyd Cole and the Commotions' second CD "Easy Pieces" (which has 12 string on a bunch of songs yet WASN'T recorded with a RIC to my surprise later on)

Obviously George's fine work had a big play in the decision too ; - )

'89 330/12 Jetglo