While it may not exactly have broken a lot of new ground, BBC One’s series “The Story Of The Guitar” has its moments, and here’s one: Johnny Marr lifts the hood on the riff from the Smiths’ “How Soon Is Now” and shows what led to what – electrically and culturally.
Watch also for the joyous clip of Buzzcocks where Steve Diggle is found ah-ah-ing in the vicinty of a Shure SM-81, an odd, if great-looking choice of microphone for vocals.
The guitar is amazing, yes, but without the rhythm section back there, it doesn’t chug. It’s one of those ideal songs where all the pieces just fit.
Please also enjoy this guy doing the tremolo through his Mac and click track wankery.
This is awesome. Andy is right, The Smiths are one of those bands where the total far surpasses the sum of its parts. After snorting at them with disdain for a long time because of Morrissey’s fey ramblings, I’ve really grown to appreciate them in the last couple years. All their stuff through The Queen Is Dead is completely solid, and “How Soon Is Now?” is a stone-cold masterpiece.