Johnny Marr tagged posts

In the interest of of saving our ADHD friends from too much of a read, this snippet will hit quick at the importance of this record and the quality of The Smiths “Rank”.

“Rank” is a 1987 release. It didn’t come about during the band’s actual tenure, but posthumously as a contract requirement. I was recently asked about my thoughts on this record while DJ’ing the last CASUAL. I was asked by a person whose tastes differ on many different musical subjects, yet we both managed to come to the same exact conclusion on this album.

The Smiths legacy is massive. Actually, it’s unquantifiable. Most fans and critics will tell you that in order to “get into” the band, you should start with “The Queen Is Dead” or “Strangeways, Here We Come”...

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:20:41 — 110.9MB)

It’s a new episode of the Danger Radio Podcast! This may be the best one yet. We’ve got a load of new tracks mixed in with some absolute classics. Give it a listen.

PLAYLIST:
The Laurels – Endeavor
Verbal Kint’s Gone – Doomsday Killer
Echo & The Bunnymen – Do It Clean
Parlour Flames – Manchester Rain
The Mighty Lemon Drops – Out Of Hand
Sulk – If You Wonder
Lilys – Any Several Sundays
Pete Fij & Terry Bickers – Betty Ford
Welcome Pariah – Neither Here Nor There
Johnny Marr – New Town Velocity
The Dandy Warhols – The Last High
The Brian Jonestown Massacre – When Joker’s Attack
Elephant Stone – Setting Sun
Division of Laura Lee – Rudderless
Weepikes – Nothing But A Soar
Throwing Muses – Fish
The Pixies – Alec Eiffel
Joy Division – Wars...

“Dammit, Stephen, quit playing the fucking machine for one minute so we can take this picture.”

As mentioned last week, the YMIA crew spent a few fun filled days in the nation’s Ed Hardy clad playground, Las Vegas, NV. I don’t think any concert had ever pulled any of us out of state before, but the allure of Johnny Marr opening for New Order in a really swank hotel was apparently too much for any of us to resist. 

New Order began their set with Low-Life‘s side 2 opener, “Elegia”. While a 17 minute version of this song exists, we were treated to an extremely abbreviated rendering lasting only a couple of minutes as the band jumped into “Crystal”, from 2001′s effort, Get Ready.   From there we were treated to a thick career spanning set, which also included a number of Joy Division tracks...

Last week, myself, Jake Ryan, and a few friends (including new YMIA contributors Michael  Trundle and Kitty Vincent) headed off to Las Vegas for a DJ set at Beauty Bar one night and a live performance by Johnny Marr and New Order the next night at The Cosmopolitan. You know Marr - former Smiths, Electronic, The The, Modest Mouse, The Cribs guitarist – not to mention my personal hero.

While we were ticketed concert goers (some of us more ticketed than others as Michael and Kitty were equipped with VIP passes), we chose to watch Johnny Marr from the fortunately placed balcony from Michael and Kitty’s room, which was perched several floors above the stage...

On a short list of my heroes – and I suspect Jake Ryan’s as well -, former Smiths guitarist, Johnny Marr is sure to land. His track record for being around (and likely the cause of) the worst period of every band he’s been a part of since The Smiths*, excluding his own projects (Electronic, Johnny Marr & The Healers), does little to tarnish his legacy with me.

The man not only embodies “cool” and always has, but he also emotes through his instrument. While Johnny Marr & The Healers’ “Boomslang” wasn’t the most amazing album, it certainly had it’s high points. The last I heard of any Johnny Marr solo stuff – I believe it was in the context of being a follow up to Boomslang with The Healers – but here we have it, no Healers… Johnny Marr’s new track, The Messenger.

Sounds like a bit of Tame ...