Johnny Marr - Top Ten Guitarists

[VenturaSkiesOfficial]

"I stuck some beer bottle tops, so it looked like knobs"

[rwnfrd]

Best Guitarist in the Country?What bloody country,remind me not to go there

[myuesrnameisbad]

Is that Sean Lock narrating?

[MelPullThePin]

@myuesrnameisbad It sounds more like Bill Bailey.

[TheGalwayFarmer]

the les paul at 2:33 is the one that he gave to noel?

[Nesgamer1991]

steve cradock of ocean colour scene is a much better guitarist. im not slating johnny he is amazing but he just dont compare.

[TheGalwayFarmer]

@Nesgamer1991 cradock is a cock

[Nesgamer1991]

@TheGalwayFarmer he might b a cock but hes a better guitarist

[DrLeFt2]

im sorry but, 0:05 '80's indie guitar hero'. he's still making incredible music now, bollocks to that.. eternal guitar hero!

[meterripig]

jonny is my mums cousin i wanna meet him

[NinetiesYouth]

@meterripig awesome!

[thucster5]

LOL!!! Priceless face at 3:00

[FretBattles]

The key to The Smiths' brilliance is Morrissey's passionate unrequited lust and love and lust for Johnny. Every song was about Morrissey want to jump on Johnny's behind and suck the life and semen out of Johnny's hetero cock. You can't blame Johnny for leaving with his ass in tact. Morrissey's lyrics or cumless vocals were never the same after inhaling gallons of cum of his rebound, Jake. Johnny's guitar never had the desperation of being stalked and wanted by his frontman.

/watch?v=Gf85d0fxiNw

[rockandroller007]

@FretBattles what a useless comment .... you had a point but it was lost ..... anyway keep writing if you like .....

[FretLegendSmithy]

6:26 Johnny looks astonishingly like John Lennon. Like, exactly like John Lennon.

[Cornelius71176]

The substance of guitar playing without bubbles, slashes, solos, mumbling, chatter... Just pure clever ingenious melody!

Johnny Marr, the (the) most important guitarist and composer of his generation.

[Cornelius71176]

@Cornelius71176 ...and British of course...

[jbdean55]

why are we listening to noel gallagher? not even in the same league as johnny marr as a player. plus he's been ripping off johnny's look for nearly 20 years. where would noel be if he couldn't steal from the smiths and the beatles.

[crammysteve]

@jbdean55 .yeh but thats how it works, jonny marr says he ripped bo didley hey mona on video on here for how soon is now.

[FretBattles]

Who played the better solo, Eddie Van Halen or Jimi Hendrix? Great head-to-head comparison here:

/watch?v=Gf85d0fxiNw

[brajtnerinjo]

what's the name of that pretenders video?

[iloveKianaDexter]

1. Isaac Brock

[coolbritannia1979]

Brits ripping off American music? What nonsense is this?

[hollisbroon]

american music originated from scotch irish immigrants,americans put thier own twist on it though,johnny marrs ancestry is irish.does that mean the marrs probably invented music?i think so!

[wesmatron]

Noel G: "He's doing stuff I still can't do"

Of course he is Noel. He is Johnny Marr, you are only Noel Gallagher.

[TheRoughmen]

@wesmatron It's only your opinion. He is Noel Gallagher. What about you?

[wesmatron]

@TheRoughmen This is going to sound a bit conceited, but Noel Gallagher is not what you would call an accomplished guitarist. He uses very similar harmonic devices in most of his material and if he ever strayed outside a pentatonic scale his head would explode. Opinions are like arseholes bud, everyone has one.

[TheRoughmen]

@wesmatron Exactly. I have thought for a long time that Noel is not an outstanding guitarist.Yes, he said that he still can't do.Do you know why?Because he is not going to.For what?The main idea of Oasis was to show to every person, that rock'n'roll music doesn't have to be complicated, just simple but beautiful guitar chords.That's one of the reasons for the popularity of Oasis - you can take an acoustic and play any of their songs. Noel as a lead guitar composer...Just listen "Live Forever".

[connororrstu]

@wesmatron - be fair though, noel gallagher is a very very good guitarist and songwriter, and he is good friends with marr :-)

[Psykel]

@connororrstu Noel Gallagher is a good guitarist, but he lacks the distinct sound that Johnny Marr got. You can instantly recognise Johnny Marr's playing, but not Noel Gallagher's as much.

[charliegarbs]

@connororrstu Noel isn't a very, very good guitarist. He's average. Even he knows that.

[1279TOL]

0:48 secs

Glamorous Stretford?

[knowvirtuoso]

if richard thompson isnt in the top ten how serious can u take this list?

[INSHREDS85]

JOHNNY MARR AND DAVE FIELDING

[harveybullocks1281]

On a personal level, his guitar playing is what makes The Smiths sound good, because otherwise it would just sound like Morrisey being long winded, which i don't particularly care for. Normally I go for the more chunky punky sound on guitar, but his jangly stuff is really amazing the only guy who really does jangly stuff as good as him in my opinion is Roger McGuinn from The Byrds.

[sillyduffers]

I suppose that's why I said D. Albarn, because of Think Tank, where the guitar was really simple, but the simplicity created the sound. By the way, I'm not on drugs,.

[sillyduffers]

Well, I suppose I was way off the mark with that one. However, I do think that you guys should have a look at Wayne Krammer from the MC5, because his guitar input also crafted a sound. Harrison from Sgt. Peppers matured into a distinctive signature with Abbey Rd, and then continued with his solo material. To me, creating your own sound is what sets guitarists apart. Harrison's stuff before that was pretty awful.

[kingalow1]

Panic = Metal Guru by T. Rex

[NauticalTiger]

@kingalow1

Ha! Never made the connection but you're spot on!

[wendywolfman]

the healers sound like oasis

[rrhynes]

I think his haircut speaks volumes for his playing.lol

[alitmaxwell]

I can't explain why, but the narrator adds so much to this video. Awesome interviews, cheers for this :)

[sillyduffers]

Maybe third best. George Harrison developed a sound that is unique to himself and the world( thanks to the Beatles) and probably Clapton when he was with the Yardbirds.

[sillyduffers]

dean24uk - I appreciate your comment. I suppose what I was saying was that Damon is NOT a guitarist but he has proven himself as talented with Blur, The Good the Bad, and also Gorrilaz. He is a very diverse writer of music. I don't think he ever saw himself as a guitarist. I think Johnny Marr covered that! But he has written many many diamonds of songs.

[dean24uk]

marr is just a man with love for music he dont care if hes on drums vocals or guitar he just wants to do somthing new all the time, i admire that and pound for pound he was britains best creative guitarist

[MrNorman1965]

GOD on the guitar

[sillyduffers]

still doesn't beat Damon Albarn, though he is a very nice bloke.

[dean24uk]

@sillyduffers marr is way better then damon albarn, no disrespect to albarn he is a talent but marr is in a different leauge my own opinion of course

[JohnnyMarr85]

Damon Albarn? Seriously?

[figocooldude]

@sillyduffers Albarn is my favorite musician who's alive, but, why do you have to mention him here?

[FriedGold8942]

Johnny Marr? On the dole? With THAT haircut?

[skint0n0minted]

the smiths were innovators, oasis were just imitators

[captaincomputa]

@skint0n0minted Don't agree mate,they're probably as good as each other

[skint0n0minted]

@captaincomputa just look at liam gallagher - dresses like ian brown, tries to act like johnny rotten, tries to sing like lennon, wheres the originality

[captaincomputa]

@skint0n0minted Totally wrong,Oasis were probably the last great English band,check out their performance at the Brits in 07,blew the rest away!

[stratmanuk]

@skint0n0minted Actually, you're absolutely right, and I'm a 45 year old guy who grew up in Manchester. Liam is a great frontman but the sneer is a carbon copy of Johnny Rotten (I've seen them both live at their peak), same for Ian Brown (although Liam is a better singer, most people are :-))

[punkoid76]

@skint0n0minted Man you are so right, Oasis were a decent band, but next to the Stone Roses, Sex Pistols and The Beatles they are just a run of the mill band, and certainly not innovators.

[BorlandRIP7]

To my opinion he lost his time after his fantastic SMITHS period..playing in "non-bands" without plans..All his talent has been hidden during many years...

[DRNEGOLICIS]

what was the song at 1:43?

[jimzer]

and 2:03 what did noel say? something 'poem'?

thanks guys

[longview1987]

@jimzer

he said "...cuz that's when he had his polo neck and his red Gibson..." talking about his clothes & guitar

[jimzer]

@longview1987 thanks mate. sorry i dont have an ear for noels thick (well thick to me) accent

[jimzer]

1:50

what did he say? 'pretentious moir'?

[JonnyInfinite]

@jimzer moi

[JoshWattsBlues]

What the fuck! It's John Lennon :L 6:27

[TheKontosuburbian]

Rourke looks kinda hippie now...

[TheKontosuburbian]

He looked kinda Emo back in the eighties..

[bonfirejovi]

BULLSHIT hes a top 10 guitarist

[00dragonfly]

@bonfirejovi

Bon Jovi ? Musicians? What a joke.

[bonfirejovi]

@00dragonfly richie sambora (guitarist) was eric clapton's protege, david bryan (keyboardist) was accepted into juilliard school to do the music, tico torres (the drummer) is a trained jazz drummer. enough said.

[theselector]

@bonfirejovi Just coz ur trained doesn't make u good or guarantee ur gonna make good music. BonJovi is overcommercialised , overproduced , flashy fairy floss stadium Cock Rock made for boys that wear spandex , makeup and like teazing their hair.

[JonnyInfinite]

@theselector and yet they are still better than Oasis

[Rockferry2008]

@JonnyInfinite: never compare an indie with a pop hymn band. makes no no no sense

[JonnyInfinite]

@Rockferry2008 pop hymn? Not sure what that means. Bon Jovi have been shite for years, but even so, I would still see them instead of the deadhead twins

[abbielovesoasis]

@JonnyInfinite thers no need for that as its obvious some people will disagree why compare two groups that are equally as good

[JonnyInfinite]

@abbielovesoasis I know you're trying to placate the situation but I hate Oasis and always have done. Sorry : /

[abbielovesoasis]

@JonnyInfinite is fine your entitled to your opinion :P the smiths are awsome :P hopefully morrissey start touring soon with this new album comin out

[JonnyInfinite]

@abbielovesoasis as long as he watches out for bottles :p

[abbielovesoasis]

@JonnyInfinite aha omg not funny mind i was at the swindon gig wot a let down mind was my 16th birthday present aswel :P ther was a bloke takin the piss goin im guna fone the sun and tel them i saw morrissey die on stage. seriously i nearly deked him! i think he was quite shoked at the fact he was scared of a 16 year old girl ahah

[JonnyInfinite]

@abbielovesoasis the trouble is, there are people who would pay 30 quid just to throw something at Morrisey..

[abbielovesoasis]

@JonnyInfinite ther so annoying i reely dont get those people that pay good money and take tikets from someelse who would probably have killed to go just to ruin evry one elses evening its so annoying XI

[Eltroim]

@theselector it does help.

[deftonesfan192]

OMG! the amazing Bill Bailey what a chap!!! :)

[Ramman69dog]

sean lock voice over?

[LedSexton]

hes a decent singer

Who`d a thunk it

[Flip2k]

I met Johnny tonight at the cribs gig in DC. My mind reels at the fact that I shook hands with such an amazing guitar player. I can only hope I gain some of his power through osmosis.

[GunslingerXYZ]

I, too, met him at the 9:30 Club. Chatted with him for a few minutes--mostly about Modest Mouse. lol He was great. A class act both in person and on stage.

[Flip2k]

@GunslingerXYZ yeah great guy, even gave me his guitar pick. Literally a life changing moment.

[sircharliesavior]

marr is the perfect example of why i love british guitarists, the are melodic and the dont need speed to make original beautifu music. marr, george harrison, keith richards, vini reilly all are amazing. in america everybody focuses on speed and flashiness and it just gets stupid and becomes more of a contest of who is fastest then making creative music

[Hapworth1924]

very very well said

[mussman717word]

@sircharliesavior

I'm American and I agree, except for John Frusciante and Jack White. Oh, and how could I forget about Link Ray!? May he rest in peace.

[astleystreetmassive]

@sircharliesavior check out john squire from the stone roses debut album

[dukefiya]

@sircharliesavior JOHNFRUSCIANTEEE

[deweypug]

@sircharliesavior You make many generalizations... Agreed, Marr, Harrison and Richards are all in my top ten of all time guitar players, but there are many great American guitar players who focus on simple, layered guitar lines that are textured perfectly... Examples: Doug Martsch of Built to Spill, Gary Louris of the Jayhawks, Sonic Youth, the Pixies and lets not forget the pioneers of the medium, Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison of the Velvet Underground.

[adebicki]

@sircharliesavior hey dope, the Brits have been ripping off American music for decades and put their own twist on it. but yes, Brit music is great too.

[tomthefunky]

@sircharliesavior: I see your point but it's a deeply flawed argument. " In America everybody focuses on speed". Really? Do you honestly believe that? I think what you are saying is deeply insulting to the multitude of genius level guitarists America has produced for almost a hundred years. The nerve of you to only focus on the shredders.

[sircharliesavior]

@tomthefunky no not really. my favorite guitarist is john frusciante from rhcp. he does not focus on speed at all. if you havnt heard of him he has made amazing solo stuff. flashy guitarists are in every country. i just hate how the flashy guitarists are idolized when amazing guitarists like johnny marr are not well known. but then again that makes them even more special. I also like guitarists like satriani or vai. but u are correct my comment is extremely flawed

[tomthefunky]

@sircharliesavior: It's deeply flawed because in actual fact, it was British, not American guitarists, who were the first to take the melodic qualities you so love out of the instrument and make guitar playing a ridiculous spectacle. Townshend, Beck, Blackmore, Alvin Lee, Page, Iommi, etc. were the heroes of all the shredders you despise.

And it's no accident Christopher Guest made Nigel's character in Spinal Tap an Englishman.

[steenje]

@tomthefunky You don't get it do you? American by any change?

[tomthefunky]

@steenje: "Get" what? You don't explain yourself very well. do you? And I am American. You know, the place where all those British guitarists in the sixties laid in bed dreaming about going to while looking at catalogues with pictures of American guitars they couldn't afford, with pictures of American cars on their walls they dreamed of driving blondes in bikini's beside them like in all those American movies they saw? Yeah, what about it?

[steenje]

@tomthefunky sorry, I have neither the inclination nor patience to explain myself to you.

[00Jackacid]

@tomthefunky havent you heard of the byrds?the velvet underground? jimi hendrix? americans are better musicians by far

[tomthefunky]

@00Jackacid: You didn't understand the point I was making at all. Word of advice: Before you reply to someone's comment, understand the context of their statement first.

[00Jackacid]

@tomthefunky misread what you said

[TheRoughmen]

@sircharliesavior Let's add to your list John Squier, Bernard Buttler, Crispian Mills and Carl Barat.

[WestcountryDude]

@sircharliesavior Agreed about the great guitar gun-slinging competition. That's hardly limited to America though. America has many fabulous tasteful guitarists too. Some of whom influenced Marr.

[yobhsiFehT]

@sircharliesavior

Um, those British guys you refer to WORSHIP American guitar players and wouldn't have the styles they have if it wasn't for American guitar players. Not "everybody" in America has ever done ANYTHING, for starters, but specifically, not every American guitarist focuses on speed - there are plenty of melodic musicians doing their thing from all eras and all areas. Let's try to hold off on the blanket statements just long enough to appreciate good music regardless of origin, k.?.

[Lovewilltearus69]

Bernard Butler summed it up perfectly...'It's all I needed and all I wanted,' and if it wasn't for their music, my life would have been very different. Amen to that. A uniquely beautiful style......I remain in awe of you Johnny.

[Blastbarnacle]

There's an old saying "less is more" but with Johnny it's more like "less is more...melodic". His approach is so simple when it comes to construction. Then I read about how guitarists have a hard time figuring out EXACTLY what he's doing when he plays guitar. I guess that's definition of genius. It's right in front of your eyes and you still can't figure it out.

[MrCeltic76]

..''a style of his own'' Exactly.

[transonicbuoy1]

Indie? Eh? Wot bout saying up with Harrison?

[mancton]

The commentator is a knob, Stretford is far from glamorous!!

[tdwon]

I think you will find that the commentator is using a little of something called irony.

[JonnyInfinite]

irony

[oscillatewildly9]

he gave me his guitar slide when i met him a few weeks ago.

[19911995]

legend

[Pmonty3]

I met Johnny last night!

fuckin best moment of my life

[kingmarr22]

where about did you meet him? i met him on sunday night after The Cribs gig in glasgow. top guy!

[Reint25]

@kingmarr22 How do you meet him after a Cribs gig? I was at a Cribs gig too a month ago, but I had no idea how I could meet them afterwards...

[gretscher]

I met Annabella from Bow Wow Wow and that was the best night ever!

[argoninja2112]

i met Morrissey two years ago.

i know exactly what you mean.

you are on top of the world after a meeting like that.

good for you!

[dunnefan]

Johnny's son nile looks just like johnny in the clip from Granada reports.

[ChrisHopkins1]

i think his name is Nial

[reallynaked]

ahah yeah nile looks well like johnny there thats weird

[mommyimadeapoopy]

"we were like,sort of,post-modern,androgynous monkeys" hahahah that is pure gold.

[xxpeacockdreamsxx]

Is that Bill Bailey doing the voice-over?lol

I  agree that Johnny is the first and greatest indie guitarist EVER!!! Love him :)

[mrroykeane16]

tis indeed! johnny was ace

[lytridic]

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