This is number one in a series of posts that disappear down the rabbit hole to examine the guitars & gear used by the heroes of my youth. First up, the somewhat mysterious green Telecaster-style guitar sported by Johnny Marr in the mid-1980's that, to this day, I'm strangely drawn to. Disclaimer: most of what... Continue Reading →
My 1986 ‘Marr’ Guitar Rig
I recently uploaded a video to my channel demo'ing my attempt to get close to the guitar tone used by Johnny Marr on 'The Headmaster Ritual', the opening track on Meat Is Murder by The Smiths. https://youtu.be/akStJPe4w08 I started *trying* to play this song in 1985, not long after the album release, using the equipment... Continue Reading →
R.E.M. – Notes On 9 – 9
9 - 9 ('Nine to Nine') is, appropriately, track number nine on Murmur, the debut album by R.E.M. released June 1983. https://youtu.be/8ikzjDslNSE Before we get into the musicological, here are some facts about the song. It was written at some point in 1981 and started to appear in live sets mid-way through the year. It... Continue Reading →
R.E.M. – 7 Riffs Of Reckoning
During the mid-1980's, I would while away countless hours attempting to learn the guitar parts that weave through the ten tracks on Reckoning, the sophomore album from R.E.M. I became a fan of the band via this record (or more accurately, after seeing them perform 'Pretty Persuasion' on a T.V. show) and discovered their first... Continue Reading →
Influences: I.R.S. R.E.M.
Picture if you can. Mid-1980's Britain, on a cold November evening, a recent 16-year old convert to 'alternative music' (the author) sits down expectantly in front of the TV to watch 'Whistle Test' on BBC2. Obviously, (it is the 80's after all) my fingers are also poised over the play and record buttons of a... Continue Reading →
6 Guitar Players That Influenced Johnny Marr (Part 2)
In part one I introduced three great players who had a major influence on Marr - James Honeyman-Scott, James Williamson & John McGeoch. All three are in some way directly or indirectly related to punk/post-punk/new wave guitar culture, but the next three are most certainly not. #3 - Nils Lofgren Many people will be familar... Continue Reading →
6 Guitar Players That Influenced Johnny Marr (Part 1)
I've been posting clips to my Instagram where I play 'in the style of' some of the players that JM has mentioned as influences. So, here's a short serialised blog to compile them and talk some about where you can hear their traces in his music. There's no priority order; I'm not claiming #1 is... Continue Reading →
The Stone Roses – Love Spreads
The 'greatest comeback single of all time', according to Bobby Gillespie. He's probably right. It was released in December 1994, and given nothing new had been heard from the band since 1990, expectations were massive at the time. Apparently, the lyrics, written by John Squire, were inspired by the book 'Woman's History of the World'... Continue Reading →
The Stone Roses – Shoot You Down
Variously described as a 'Chill-out groover' and 'jazzy' (?) this track was instantly one of my favourites back when I first heard it in early-summer '89. This was during a car journey along the M62 to Stockport (to attend someones 21st birthday party). Someone had given me a cassette of the album the week before... Continue Reading →
The Smiths – Pretty Girls Make Graves
Folk music, as if you didn’t already know, is a major influence on Johnny Marr. The first interview he did purely as a ‘musician’, that I’m aware of, was for (UK-based) Guitarist magazine in 1984. At the time I was just starting to become interested in the thing that seems to regularly occupy the mind... Continue Reading →
HGP 