Johnny Marr - is it just me ?

ESBlonde

Not wanting to bash JM particularly as he always seems a normal decent bloke on tv interviews, but Andy Summers was the pop master of arpeggios ahead of JM  and I can't put them in the same league as guitar players. I do respect that he was different in his approach and kudos for that. I might have said that I never 'got' the Smiths and Sainsbury or whatever his name is always struck me as a wanker.

hungrymark

Lixarto said:

hywelg said: 'He's not even the best drummer in the Beatles'.

You know that was a joke (at McCartney's expense), yes?

He probably never even said it.

streethawk

ToneControl said:

found this when looking for other stuff, I hope this is a treat for some of you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DH6B06GwjQ#t=27

He was 19 when he recorded that. Listen to the bit at 1.05 and tell me Andy Summers - or whoever - was doing anything like that at a similar age? Or at all?

A lot of Marr's best bits were sacrificed in the studio, he chose to replace the arpeggios played here (@45secs) with keyboards: this is not easy to work out, never mind play:

This riff is really tough to work out and hard to play, on the record you can't hear it properly but this crappy live version gives you an idea: if you know anything about fingerstyle guitar you will understand what's going on, if not, you might not 'get it'.

Care to show me one of these 'complex Andy Summers' riffs where he picks out chords at this kind of speed?

I happen to love his music, but the technique he displayed and breadth of styles - at such a young age - makes him top ten material. 

streethawk

The lovely layers of guitar on this mask a pretty nifty main riff.

Here's the main part (more or less). Not so easy to pick clean and just lovely. 

stickyfiddle

ToneControl said:

found this when looking for other stuff, I hope this is a treat for some of you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DH6B06GwjQ#t=27

Cheers. That's fantastic playing.

I'm far from a Smiths fan but that track in particular is the one that makes me like Marr. I can imagine how he'd have come up with it, as it's similar to the mindset I had playing with an old band, but to be the first to do so when everyone around you is playing floyds and spending every penny on hairspray and spandex is phenomenal

To suggest it's not impressive because it's not technically difficult in the Vai/EVH/Satch way is ridiculous. That's like saying Beethoven's 9th is rubbish because the bassoons aren't pushing themselves.

Lixarto

stickyfiddle said: To suggest it's not impressive because it's not technically difficult in the Vai/EVH/Satch way is ridiculous. That's like saying Beethoven's 9th is rubbish because the bassoons aren't pushing themselves.

Well put

Mr Marr is a lot more musical than the shred boys

bertie

Lixarto said:

Mr Marr is a lot more musical than the shred boys

Portsmouth Sinfonietta are more musical than the shred boys      

Lixarto

Well, yes

stickyfiddle

Lixarto said:

stickyfiddle said: To suggest it's not impressive because it's not technically difficult in the Vai/EVH/Satch way is ridiculous. That's like saying Beethoven's 9th is rubbish because the bassoons aren't pushing themselves.

Well put

Mr Marr is a lot more musical than the shred boys

Ezzackerly

hungrymark

stickyfiddle said:

Lixarto said:

stickyfiddle said: To suggest it's not impressive because it's not technically difficult in the Vai/EVH/Satch way is ridiculous. That's like saying Beethoven's 9th is rubbish because the bassoons aren't pushing themselves.

Well put

Mr Marr is a lot more musical than the shred boys

Ezzackerly

What do you mean by 'musical'? I'm no shred-head (I think I could listen to Marr for longer if I could filter out Morrissey's godforsaken drone, although I like a bit of widdling in small doses) but there's no doubting the musicality of the likes of Satch and Vai, surely? Do you mean 'you can hum along', or 'I like it better', or something?