Any Marr fans here? Johnny's second solo album 'Playland' is out on Monday (only one year since releasing 'The Messenger', you don't see that from many artists these days!)

Thought his first solo outing was absolutely fantastic. I've never really been a fan of anything Morrissey's done since The Smiths disbanded, but Marr seems to be on the right track.

Gonna catch him on tour later this month since I missed him the first time, anyway here's a track from the new album:

Thanks for posting - he makes a good noise, even if that number is a little monotonous.
I've always liked Marr, and am real happy to see him out from behind Morrissey, whom I never got the point of.

I really like Johnny Marr, not only as a guitarist but also as a song writer.

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Bastion
Any Marr fans here?

yes

I love how this song ends.

That new track is very catchy indeed ! Somehow I never "got" The Smiths, I think it's Morrissey's voice...but "The Messenger" was really good and the new one is getting good reviews. I missed him when I was in SF last year but I just got a ticket for his show in Paris on November 3rd at the...Trabendo!

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with sssoul
Thanks for posting - he makes a good noise, even if that number is a little monotonous.
I've always liked Marr, and am real happy to see him out from behind Morrissey, whom I never got the point of.

Yeah, I definitely don't think it needs to be 4 minutes long.

I love The Smiths and Marr is a magnificent player: interesting rhythms, sounds and textures were, and are, his hallmark. He has never been a virtuoso in the traditional lead-guitarist sense, but he created wonderful soundscapes: How Soon Is Now, Bigmouth Strikes Again, William, It Was Really Nothing... Morrissey's importantnce to the group's continuing influence cannot be overlooked, however. His lyrical prowess and eccentric nature defined the Smiths's equally as much as Marr's melodies.

The Messenger is a very good album.

I was able to catch him in Pittsburgh, this past November. He put on a great show.

I'll be picking up the new album and if he comes around here again, I'll be there for sure.

Anyone had a chance to listen to Playland? Thoughts?

First run through; standout tracks for me are Easy Money, Dynamo, Speak Out Reach Out, Boys Get Straight and This Tension.

"Easy Money" is really very catchy indeed. Quite like the album overall but haven't made notes on specific tracks yet. Can't wait to see him live!

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Big Al
I love The Smiths and Marr is a magnificent player: interesting rhythms, sounds and textures were, and are, his hallmark. He has never been a virtuoso in the traditional lead-guitarist sense, but he created wonderful soundscapes: How Soon Is Now, Bigmouth Strikes Again, William, It Was Really Nothing... Morrissey's importantnce to the group's continuing influence cannot be overlooked, however. His lyrical prowess and eccentric nature defined the Smiths's equally as much as Marr's melodies.

It's important to note that Marr is totally capable of playing in that style - he has the chops, he just chooses not to (for the most part) and finds other stuff more interesting. Bernard Butler, formerly of Suede, is very similar, whilst John Squire from the Stone Roses started off with Byrds-influenced soundscapes and went bluesy later on. There were some really superb guitarists coming out of the UK in the late 80s and early 90s.

Good band. Not as good as the the Jam, though. Marr is a very interesting guitar player. The problem I had were Morrisey fans. The female ones I knew were vegetarian twenty-somethings, usually drepressed about some guy.
And the male ones were vegetarian twenty-somethings, usually depressed about some guy.

Hello,

I'm a big fan. Brilliant guitar player and a highly intelligent and very interesting man in interviews. Without ever thinking the Smiths were the greatest thing ever (although I do like them and think some of their songs are brilliant), I've always thought Marr is fantastic. And I think the same of Morrissey, for what it's worth.

And I agree with Stoneburst regarding the Marr-Squire-Butler lineage. All of them brilliant and worth listening to if you haven't.

Declan

Great stuff! Johnny is indeed a very interesting guitar player.

Like Stonesburst says, he always focuses on playing what suits the song, but is totally capable of doing more if needed.

Going to his gig tonight, but thought I'd grab a copy of Strangeways and his new album and head down for a couple of hours.

After returning from his jog, he got changed and came out to speak to the small group of us outside. Was pouring with rain, and he ushered us to come inside the venue.

I can't put into words how kind this man is, he signed both albums for me. Asked me what I thought of the new album, why I picked Strangeways over the Smith's LP's. I asked him about the song 'Lockdown' from his first solo album 'The Messenger', which he talked about for ages; the guy wouldn't let me go!

Ignore the slightly pissed off face I have, I was freezing and dying to pee!

Thanks

That's great man. Good for you

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Keep On Rolling

...nice work Bastion ... ya look like brothers ...



ROCKMAN

LOVE that new tune. His guitar sound is becoming as recognizable as Keith's!

What a gig that was! Johnny's made a real effort to make sure these songs work well live, and they certainly do. He threw in a few Smiths tunes for good measure, Panic, Headmaster Ritual, Bigmouth, Please Please, There is a Light, Still Ill, and How Soon is Now. The new tracks work just as well as these, namely Generate Generate, New Town Velocity, Upstarts, Speak Out Reach Out.

Morrissey may be selling out the arenas and drawing the bigger crowd, but it's Marr you want to go to for that truly glorious sound, and much stronger material. If he's in your area, do yourselves a favour and get down there!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-10-29 12:30 by Bastion.

Wow, a great experience !

I'm catching him on Monday at the Trabendo, can't wait. Love his recent guitar work and find his voice quite pleasant, a lot more so than Morissey's for sure ;-)

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tomk
Good band. Not as good as the the Jam, though. Marr is a very interesting guitar player. The problem I had were Morrisey fans. The female ones I knew were vegetarian twenty-somethings, usually drepressed about some guy.
And the male ones were vegetarian twenty-somethings, usually depressed about some guy.

Post of the week!

"No Anchovies, Please"

Big fan here too. I discovered the Smiths on the later side, and JM even later. I thought his previous solo album was one of the best albums of the year.
Can't wait to listen to the new one. I saw him in NYC last winter at Irving Plaza and he was fantastic.

Big fan of Johnny Marr. I saw him twice last year at the Fillmore in San Francisco and will be catching him this December at the Independent. I have seen him with every one of his bands except the Smiths. He may not be a flash player but he doesn't need to be. As Big Al said, he creates great soundscapes and melodies. Brilliant, at least to me.

Bastion, what a great experience! Thanks for sharing!

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Stoneburst

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Big Al
I love The Smiths and Marr is a magnificent player: interesting rhythms, sounds and textures were, and are, his hallmark. He has never been a virtuoso in the traditional lead-guitarist sense, but he created wonderful soundscapes: How Soon Is Now, Bigmouth Strikes Again, William, It Was Really Nothing... Morrissey's importantnce to the group's continuing influence cannot be overlooked, however. His lyrical prowess and eccentric nature defined the Smiths's equally as much as Marr's melodies.

It's important to note that Marr is totally capable of playing in that style - he has the chops, he just chooses not to (for the most part) and finds other stuff more interesting. Bernard Butler, formerly of Suede, is very similar, whilst John Squire from the Stone Roses started off with Byrds-influenced soundscapes and went bluesy later on. There were some really superb guitarists coming out of the UK in the late 80s and early 90s.

and John McGeoch?><

I don't like the new album.

Marr was brilliant with the Smiths:

Barbarism Begins at Home
Bigmouth Strikes Again
Still Ill
Nowhere Fast
Paint A Vulgar Picture
Some Girls are Bigger than Others
Cemetry Gates
Girl Afraid
The Queen is Dead

Great songs.

Great show last night at the Trabendo and the new songs worked really well in a live setting. Nice eclectic setlist with several Smiths songs and even Electronic's "Getting Aways With It"!

I just put my recording on Dime and on mega : [tinyurl.com] - Enjoy !

Setlist : (1h35'22)
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01. Playland
02. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
03. The Right Thing Right
04. Upstarts
05. 25 Hours
06. New Town Velocity
07. The Headmaster Ritual
08. Back in the Box
09. Speak Out Reach Out
10. Generate! Generate!
11. Bigmouth Strikes Again
12. Boys Get Straight
13. The Messenger
14. Easy Money
15. Getting Away With It
16. How Soon Is Now
16a. Applause

Encore
17. Still Ill
18. Dynamo
19. I Thought The Law
20. These Is a Light That Never Goes Out

Personnel:
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Johnny Marr : Guitar and Vocals
James Doviak : Guitar, Keyboards and Backing Vocals
Iwan Gronow : Bass and Backing Vocals
Jack Mitchell : Drums

Links :
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- Check out Johnny's track by track review of the Playland CD : [www.mixcloud.com]
- Easy Money official video : [www.youtube.com]

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-11-04 15:46 by gotdablouse.

You got a nice setlist gotdablouse!
Glad you got to see him

Yeah it was certainly quite varied, with the Smiths songs (not very familiar with them) sounding more "artsy" and his solo songs more "poppy". I was really surprised when I recognized "Getting Away With It", I was like...hum, that sounds familiar, a cover ? Oh it's Electronic ;-)

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