A collection of Johnny Marr’s favourite songs
Although Johnny Marr rose to prominence as the lead guitarist and co-songwriter of The Smiths, the musician has continued to have a successful and well-respected career since the band split in 1987. Although The Smiths were only active for five years, they became one of the most influential British bands of all time, inspiring a wave of other Manchester bands such as The Stone Roses and Oasis.
Marr’s guitar playing has been highly revered, and in 2010 he was voted the fourth-best guitarist of the last 30 years by the BBC. Noel Gallagher once referred to Marr as “a fucking wizard,” stating, “He’s unique; you can’t play what he plays.” After the dissolution of The Smiths, due to personal and creative differences between Morrissey and Marr, the latter became a prosperous session musician and writing collaborator for artists such as Talking Heads, Jane Birkin, Bryan Ferry and Pet Shop Boys. He has also been a member of other bands such as Modest Mouse, The Cribs, and The The.
In 2013, Marr released his debut solo album, The Messenger, which has since been followed by three more, most recently Fever Dreams Pts. 1-4. The guitarist’s fruitful career – one that has triumphed his outspoken bandmate Morrissey – has led him to be recognised as an indomitable force and a musical genius. Speaking to Fred Perry, Marr revealed some of his favourite songs that continue to inspire him. When asked to share the first song he played on repeat, he chose the T.Rex tune ‘Jeepster’ from their seminal album Electric Warrior. Despite being the band’s sixth album, it marked a change in direction towards a poppier, glam-rock style which they became known for.
He declared his favourite album of all time as Raw Power by Iggy Pop and the Stooges. The pioneering proto-punk album catalysed Marr’s journey to becoming a musician. He said, “It gave me a path to follow as a guitar player. It was an opening into a world of rock and roll, sleaze, sexuality, drugs, violence and danger. That’s a hard combination to beat.” He also praised James Williamson’s guitar playing, stating, “I’m his biggest fan. He has the technical ability of Jimmy Page without being as studious and the swagger of Keith Richards without being sloppy. He’s both demonic and intellectual, almost how you would imagine Darth Vader to sound if he was in a band.” His favourite song from the album is ‘Shake Appeal’.
A song that Marr wishes he had written is ‘All Day and All Of the Night’ by The Kinks. The power-chord-driven hit helped Dave Davies to “find his voice.” The Kinks’ guitarist declared that he “liked the guitar sound”, which was achieved by him “us[ing] two Peavey Maces together.” In similar keeping, he selected The Kinks as one of the ‘music icons that inspire his sound today’. Marr also picked other English rockers Magazine, Buzzcocks and The Animals.
Discussing his love of the Buzzcocks, Marr once shared with The Quietus, “Buzzcocks made modern guitar music that was appropriately punky but sounded razor-sharp on the radio in the middle of such a load of mainstream nonsense. Buzzcocks influenced The Smiths massively in the way we approached our record sleeves and our choice of independent record company – because of the Buzzcocks, we took on a Mancunian DIY ethic whilst being in the charts.”
When asked to pick five songs from modern bands he loves, he chose ‘Flood’s New Light’ by Californian experimental rockers Thee Oh Sees, ‘The Answer’ by Mercury Prize-nominated Savages, ‘Xed Eyes’ by Canadian electronica outfit Holy Fuck, ‘Raining in my Head’ by Manchester band Man Made, and ‘You Said You Saw Us’ by psych-rockers Telegram.
Johnny Marr’s favourite songs:
- T. Rex – ‘Jeepster’
- The Stooges – ‘Raw Power’ (Iggy Pop Mix)
- The Kinks – ‘All Day and All of the Night’
- Savages – ‘The Answer’
- Telegram – ‘You Said You Saw Us’
- Man Made – ‘Raining in My Head’
- Thee Oh Sees – ‘Flood’s New Light’
- Holy Fuck – ‘Xed Eyes’
- Buzzcocks – ‘What Do I Get?’
- Magazine – ‘Shot By Both Sides’
- The Animals – ‘It’s My Life’
