So
this time twenty years ago you'd have found me with my headphones in
– plugged into a walkman cassette player – lost in the world of
kitchen sink melodramas conjured up by one Steven Patrick Morrissey
with accompaniment exquisitely crafted by the guitar genius of Johnny
Marr and the often overlooked but equally talented rhythm section duo
of Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce. Yes, I was a huge, huge Smiths fan.
And
you know what – looking back on it, it did me a world of good. By
the time I went to music college, I was still a novice – barely
advanced from Oasis and Nirvana and struggling to make the leap to
Guns 'n' Roses, Led Zeppelin and Hendrix. Not only did Morrissey's
tragicomic genius lyrics strike a chord with the skinny teenage me,
but Johnny Marr's guitar work and arrangements were a masterclass in
ensemble playing. I learned so much about rhythm playing and
accompaniment from replicating his guitar parts, and I thoroughly
recommend any serious student of the guitar at least delve into some
of his classics.
Lately
I've been running through a couple of Smiths tunes with a student of
mine and it's caused me to to revisit some of the music that hooked
me all those years ago.
“Heaven
Knows I'm Miserable Now” - glorious shimmering major 7ths and chord
fragments creating a beatiful dynamic, agile rhythm part and almost
pianistic melodic solo. Check out the bassline for a smorgasbord of
goodies, syncopation, walking bass and tenths.
“Girlfriend
In A Coma” - simple enough chordally, but great for honing your
ska/ reggae rhythm chops
“Ask”
- Driving arpeggios with surprisingly tricky leaps in register
“What
Difference Does It Make” - Outlining chords with arpeggios with
string elements of melody and voice leading.
“How
Soon Is Now” - incredible textures, synchronised tremolo effects
and haunting slide guitar.. Incredibly difficult to reproduce even
now – and this was recorded in 1985! Check out this link for some
fascinating insights into the recording process:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Soon_Is_Now%3F#Origin_and_recording
“This
Charming Man” - THAT hook, almost African style, thirds bouncing
across the fretboard with reckless abandon and some unusual chords in
the bridge.
“Back
To The Old House” - a great fingerstyle party piece with a lovely
descending sequence in the bridge.
“That
Joke Isn't Funny Anymore” - a masterpiece of melodic chord playing,
using extensions to create melodic movement throughout the chord
sequence and Johnny Marr somehow making an augmented chord work as
part of an utterly anthemic chorus.
“Bigmouth
Strikes Again” - pounding 16th note gallop, great for
building that right hand stamina!
“There
Is A Light That Never Goes Out” - an unutterably gorgeous tune, it
will be played at my funeral.
We've
only scratched the surface of the Smith's back catalogue, and I
recommend the compilation “Louder Than Bombs” as a good start
point along with the “Singles” collection. Although they only
lasted from 1982 to 1987, the influence the Smiths have had on
subsequent generations of artists is out of all proportion, and they
should be on any guitar player's “must hear” list – so what are
you waiting for? To Spotify with you!
