The Times: "20 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" - Johnny Marr #6 (January 13, 2023)

6. Johnny Marr

The jangly counterpoint to Morrissey’s miserabilism, Marr’s chiming chords helped to define the indie sound. Since the demise of the Smiths those clamouring for his fretboard fairy dust have included Bryan Ferry, the Pretenders, the The, Pet Shop Boys, Talking Heads and Hans Zimmer.

 
They said their choice was an ‘emphasis on rock’ so I’m surprised Joni was on the list, which is nice. Should St Vincent really be on there? And I wouldn’t put Taylor over Keith, even though they gave reasons for doing so. But the biggest surprise, and made me happiest was to see Vini Reilly on there! that man needs to be on these lists.


 
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An *interesting* list. Robert Smith? I like him, but I've never met anyone who would rate him as all-time great guitarist.

Mick Ronson is the major omission, but he's probably used to it.
 
An *interesting* list. Robert Smith? I like him, but I've never met anyone who would rate him as all-time great guitarist.

Mick Ronson is the major omission, but he's probably used to it.

or was use to it.
 
About Robert Smith who is in at N°17, "Many a novice has tried to emulate his extended outro solo on A Forest".

Well, RS also took some of his cues to John McGeoch, like the little circular motif on Fascination Street which is a variant of the McGeoch's guitar motif on Israel. Smith played live that Siouxsie classic track, nearly 100 times when he was the guitarist for the Banshees between 1982 and 1984. There is a bridge between those two songs for the guitar tune.

Mick Ronson should have arguably been in and also Marc Bolan. Johnny is in, as the brilliant natural guitar maestro he is.
 
Robert Smith at 17? Come on. He shouldn’t be anywhere near this list. He probably isn’t in the top 10 guitarists in his county.
 
'The jangly counterpoint to Morrissey’s miserabilism....' I stopped reading after that. Low-life cheap shots at Moz are so mind-numbingly boring.
 
Robert Smith at 17? Come on. He shouldn’t be anywhere near this list. He probably isn’t in the top 10 guitarists in his county.
Great songwriter and singer though and I loved his guitar work on Faith, Seventeen Seconds, Pornography, Head On The Door, Kiss Me, and Disintegration. His use of repetition is mesmerising.
 
Nah
 
Bunch of crap , expect better of Times .ever heard of bb king. ?
 
Johnny Marr is a ludicrously overrated guitarist. He’s a fantastic songwriter, but the jingly jangly guitar sound was nothing new and he borrowed heavily from others.
 
6. Johnny Marr

The jangly counterpoint to Morrissey’s miserabilism, Marr’s chiming chords helped to define the indie sound. Since the demise of the Smiths those clamouring for his fretboard fairy dust have included Bryan Ferry, the Pretenders, the The, Pet Shop Boys, Talking Heads and Hans Zimmer.

John McGeoch. No further comment necessary.
 
This is almost only British/American guitarists so it’s a bit hard to take it seriously. Eric Clapton once said that Ronnie Le Tekrø is the best guitarist ever
 
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Johnny Marr is a ludicrously overrated guitarist. He’s a fantastic songwriter, but the jingly jangly guitar sound was nothing new and he borrowed heavily from others.

I couldn't disagree more. Everyone takes from others but that means nothing. JM is one of the most clever and original guitar players of all time. His sound was distinct, personal and different from everyone else at the time.
Did he borrow from Chic's Nile Rodgers and others? yes. Every musician borrows from others but when you create your own personal sound that makes you special and he truly is something special when it comes to guitar playing, let alone as a writer of incredible melodies.
 
'The jangly counterpoint to Morrissey’s miserabilism....' I stopped reading after that. Low-life cheap shots at Moz are so mind-numbingly boring.
Yes, and not mentioning Moz in the Vini Reilly-entry

20. Vini Reilly​

Vini who? Shame on you. A founding member of the Durutti Column, Reilly forged a unique, shimmering guitar style for the Manchester post-punk outfit that absorbed elements of folk, jazz and classical. A stroke in 2010 left him tragically unable to play as he had before.
 

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