3 of Johnny Marr’s Must-Hear Bands Other Than The Smiths

Most rock guitarists can be traced to one of two paths: One blues-based and the other avoiding blues licks like the plague. You can hear the guitarists who grew up listening to Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page. Then others, inspired by punk, arrived from the school of Robert Smith, John McGeoch, and Johnny Marr. With The Smiths, Marr became one of the most consequential guitarists in rock music, and everyone from Noel Gallagher to John Frusciante has praised his signature playing.

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But Marr has continued making inspiring music following his messy breakup with Morrissey in 1987. He’s moonlighted as a session guitarist while also forming a variety of bands across many styles, including alternative rock, dance, and electronica. If you only know his work with The Smiths, here’s a quick introduction to how Marr busied himself in the wake of his legendary band.

The The

Following a brief stint with the Pretenders, Marr began working with Matt Johnson’s band, The The. While The Smiths’ guitarist is famous for layering jangly riffs, Marr’s harmonica part defines The The’s banger, “Dogs Of Lust”. Dusk arrived in 1993 and, to date, is the band’s highest-charting album. Also check out “The Beat(en) Generation” to hear how Marr’s textures briefly moved Johnson’s project closer to something like The Smiths.

Electronic

When Marr and Bernard Sumner (New Order, Joy Division) formed a supergroup, it brought together two of Manchester’s most revered music legends. They co-wrote “Getting Away With It” with Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant, which satirizes Marr’s ex-bandmate Morrissey. The lingering animosity between Morrissey and Marr has kept any chance of a Smiths reunion at nil. However, the guitarist’s work with Sumner produced three albums, and you can hear Sumner’s vocal influence on Marr’s solo work.

I hate that mirror
It makes me feel so worthless
I’m an original sinner but when I’m with you, I couldn’t care less.

Modest Mouse

Marr visited Portland in 2005 to write songs with Isaac Brock and Modest Mouse. This session had a profound impact for two reasons. One, Marr played a riff on Brock’s Fender Jaguar, which became the Modest Mouse hit “Dashboard”. When Marr played the guitar, he asked, “Where have you been all my life?” Soon, the “Jag” was his primary instrument, eventually leading to a signature model with Fender. Secondly, the Modest Mouse album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank topped the Billboard 200, Marr’s first number-one album in the U.S.

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