Johnny Marr new material - "European Me" recording session clip.

[mcrickson]

This... this is just excellent. This album is shaping up to be wonderful.

...actually, on second thought. I'll wait until I hear the vocals on the tracks...

I always thought Johnny had a pretty decent voice; it was his lyrics on "Boomslang" that were cringeworthy to me. But it's not like he should be held up to the same bar lyrically as Morrissey, right?

[Amy]

Hmm...it's nice but it's a far cry from his Smiths melodies.

If you think that is a far cry, you clearly didn't hear Boomslang when it came out...

[Amy]

I always thought Johnny had a pretty decent voice; it was his lyrics on "Boomslang" that were cringeworthy to me. But it's not like he should be held up to the same bar lyrically as Morrissey, right?

Well, the music was pretty awful too. I always thought Johnny's voice was pretty nondescript. He smothered it with effects and distortion on the the first Healers album so it came out sounding monotonous, but maybe that was his intention. I think there's a little more "character" to his voice these days, but he's still not really a singer. There's quite a lot of space between lyrics as poor as "You Are The Magic" and as good as "Speedway" - the middle ground would be good enough, I think.

[GAmCD]

Well, the music was pretty awful too. I always thought Johnny's voice was pretty nondescript. He smothered it with effects and distortion on the the first Healers album so it came out sounding monotonous, but maybe that was his intention. I think there's a little more "character" to his voice these days, but he's still not really a singer. There's quite a lot of space between lyrics as poor as "You Are The Magic" and as good as "Speedway" - the middle ground would be good enough, I think.

Yeah that's the thing. He just isn't a singer and it comes out forced. The lyrics on boomslang were pretty bad, I never listen to that album. There is potential on this album making up for it though.

[Anonymous]

Why do I feel like Marr is the new McCartney who makes music no serious person out there can get excited about?

Urban

[Anonymous]

You're about 25 years out of date with the McCartney dismissal. Everyone who's anyone nowadays knows he's great.

[stephsteph]

Very pretty melodies...he is great.

[DAVIE]

Is there a date when the EP or album is coming out??
And yes Amy, we all know Boomslang is absolute crap and belongs in the bin. Dunno what Johnny Marr was thinking about then. He was probably in one of his "keep away from The Smiths" moods.

[Amy]

Is there a date when the EP or album is coming out??
And yes Amy, we all know Boomslang is absolute crap and belongs in the bin. Dunno what Johnny Marr was thinking about then. He was probably in one of his "keep away from The Smiths" moods.

The album is supposed to be coming out at the end of the year... not sure who's releasing it though. Anyone have any idea about Johnny's record label?

[DAVIE]

The album is supposed to be coming out at the end of the year... not sure who's releasing it though. Anyone have any idea about Johnny's record label?

So I'm guessing Johnny is writing the lyrics and doing the vocals also?

[Amy]

So I'm guessing Johnny is writing the lyrics and doing the vocals also?

Of course... he's the Healers' frontman after all.

[Amy]

Johnny has put another studio clip up on Facebook, can't really make out the lyrics though. Says he's finishing mixing the album next week.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=458748614165008

[Orson Swells]

Johnny has put another studio clip up on Facebook, can't really make out the lyrics though.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=458748614165008

That may be just as well.

[Amy]

Agreed, er..."tick tock, full stop, she's lost"...?

[still ill life]

Johnny has put another studio clip up on Facebook, can't really make out the lyrics though. Says he's finishing mixing the album next week.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=458748614165008

Kinda sounded like a mix between experimental Beatles and Berlin era Bowie to me, which is good.

[BrummieBoy]

Amy,

thank you for sharing this with the community. i really enjoyed this. hope i'm not on your 'ignore list'! nearly everyone's on mine so you're one of the few people left here i can talk to.

i don't use Facebook due to security / privacy concerns so I hope Johnny reads all the delightfully supportive and encouraging comments here....

We can turn this ship around! We can help Morrissey 'let go' of all his 'issues' around working with the other Beatles and stop his Paul McCartney-esque antics. Johnny's had vocal training by the soundz of it. Maybe they could duet? Wow....what a concept.

I hope Mike Joyce doesn't die before Morrissey and Marr wake up and realise they found another Ringo. It will be so fun and fab when 'Hell Freezes Over' and Moz and Mike make up. It's will be like the Sabbath reunion until Bill Ward got all pissy. Hang on, he's a drummer too.....how many drummers have ruined dream reunions, I wonder? I must do some research and put it on my blog, not waste time reading 'Palimpsest' and thinking about how Moz rifled Gore's sexual deconstructions lock, stock'n' barrel. Mustn't mention Gore Vidal here today. It's #OFFTOPIC!!! The Mods know best, I'm sure.

Anyway, must get back to that amazing thread about Brian Fallon's upstart comment telling Moz to 'get over it'. Like, wtf! WTF!!!! Don't they realise just how painful the break up of The Smiths was when Moz and Marr's egos got checkmated by the dastardly NME. I was there! I was ACTUALLY WORKING AT THE NME AT THE TIME!!!!! no bullshit, folks. I was a subbie, they let me write shit and plan 'events' and, I'm afraid to admit, ambushing Moz and Marr was one of my 'specials'. You see, Moz and me go, like, WAAAAAAY back. He used to come down to Brum and hang with the possee now and then. He was on the fringe, but tryin to fit in. He was at Barbarellas and Bogarts when the Sexy Pissers played. So was I, but I misssed Rotten at the Bogarts cuz i was shagging the barmaid downstairs in the Bier Kellar. Rotten tried to snarl at me when they were loading out but soon fookin cast his eyes down when I gave him the stare and sang Alice Coopers-ville as in "If you see me with a smile on my face, then you know I'm a MENTAL CASE!!!" lols! he was another sweet little kid, just like Moz.

s'funny no-one took up the punk challenge in Brum. The Prefects, I suppose but they were art/intellectuals like what I pretend to be. I guess the Sabbath thing just blew punk to smithereens and Brum had to wait till Kurt and Nirvana to be vindicated. I liked 'Southpaw'. Moz tryin to do metal and grunge with a poncy art classical sample. anyway, i'm so off-topic i'm in another dimension, another dimension, intergalactic! do you like the Beastie Boys? I love the Beastie Boys, but one of them died which is a shame cuz he was a non-shy, non-bald Buddhist.

the rowing's on at the moment, bit boring to be honest. but lots of fit blokes with great arms. not as good as swimmers, but great physiques. Moz is into the male physique. So fun when he does Iggy takes off shirt, " I dont' care aabout my sagging man-boobs!" bit. Did he do that in Manchester or E'bro? Did he milk his mammaries like he did last time I saw him. Hope I see him again as that's a bit of an odd 'final image' to have on the old 'internal memory camera'.

regards.....

[Oso Blanco]

That sounds great! I cant't stop thinking how much better it would be with Mike and Andy playing drums and bass. If the three of them got back together to record an instrumental album, I'd buy it in a second!

[Amy]

Another studio clip - Johnny is mixing the album in New York now.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=462616507111552