Not counting the various appearances with others as a guest on the occasional track, the best guitarist of my era has, since his original band split up years ago, recorded full albums with Electronic, The The, Modest Mouse, The Cribs and with a backing band of his own, Johnny Marr and The Healers.Some of the work has been outstanding. Some less so.
And I was thinking to myself the other day just what was my favourite record he's played on since The Smiths broke up.
My instant answer to myself was Love Is Stronger Than Death by The The which I featured on TVV a few weeks back. It's a song that is high up on my all-time list (it was only kept out of the 45 45s at 45 rundown a few years ago by This Is The Day), but there's no doubt that it is very much a Matt Johnson composition on which Johnny plays.
But this single from 1996 is a different kettle of fish altogether. It's a tune that is unmistakably Marr-esque that wouldn't have been out of place a decade earlier. And to be fair to Barney, he does not too shabby a job with the lyric:-
mp3 : Electronic - Forbidden City
A modest #14 hit, this, like so many other songs I've featured over the years at TVV, deserved to be so much bigger and better-known.
As ever, here's yer extra tracks on the CD single:-
mp3 : Electronic - Imitation Of Life
mp3 : Electronic - A New Religion
Decent enough video was made as well:-
Happy Listening
10 comments:
These songs are of course not bad, but I still think that Johnny Marr ruined his carrier.
Where is all the talent he had with the Smiths? I wonder.
I think I would have loved to see him continue the Smiths' work, even with instrumental tracks. But what he did with the Healers is terrible. That's sad.
Nothing but flowers
Yet again I find myself in total agreement with you
Forbidden City (and track 2 from Raise The Pressure "For You") are also my favourite Electronic / Marr tracks
This is a great song, with typically brilliant guitar. Disagree with Eric about The Healers- it had one good song (see bagging area this Friday)
+1 with Eric. Not only was the Healers' album crap, they were absolutely worthless live. Saw them in a small, sold out show. Everyone was on their side, pulling for them and cheering as much as possible, all for naught. No energy, no tunes, nothing to like. Too bad.
nothing but flowers
also
walking down madison - kirsty mcC
nothing but flowers
also
walking down madison - kirsty mcC
The first chords of Get The Message before the drum machine kicks in...strumming nirvana...that's my favourite post Smiths Marr moment. And thanks to JC's recent posts, i went back to 'Wiliiam' and particularly 'Heaven Knows' which to my money has one of the best Marr outros on his Rickenbacker...absolutely gorgeous and still makes me smile.
Healers: Agree. Saw them down here in Sydney. Dire. Awful. Tuneless. And Marr shuffled around, Manc style with cagoul and but for a few 'cheers' did very little...sad stuff.
Great tune, the Healers album is very good too. Listen to it with headphones on and you'll find there's loads of stuff going on, layers of drums, guitars, it's a real late night album.
Whether you love it or hate it, "the best guitarist of [yr] era" also contributed in a major way to the score he co-wrote with Hans Zimmer for Christopher Nolan's Inception, which surely would have felt like a completely different film without his involvement.
If you were there for the post-premiere party a couple months ago you would have heard Johnny perform live -with Hans and a full choral orchestra- excepts from this overwrought near-masterpiece which his playing was completely integral to.
Forest Mars
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http://mcdj.org/music/marr
ps- thanks for the great music blog.
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