“A NEW KIND OF GUITAR HERO”
Total Guitar|April 2022
How Johnny Marr re-articulated the guitar for a whole generation, by the Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield.
Grant Moon
“A NEW KIND OF GUITAR HERO”

The Smiths really kicked in with me in 1984 with Hatful Of Hollow, which is still a lot of people’s favourite Smiths album. They hadn’t become a massive band at that point, hadn’t had millions of hits, so they put this sort of strange compilation out full of sessions and one-off singles, and it’s brilliant.

This Charming Man is what really switched me on to them. It was so offensive, but so erudite and articulate – I absolutely loved it as soon as I heard the intro. Morrissey was choosing different notes, words and phrases to everybody else. Mike Joyce’s drums were sensitive and beautiful, and I hadn’t heard bass playing like Andy Rourke’s since [The Jam’s] Bruce Foxton. And Johnny Marr was right in the centre of it. They were a so-called ‘indie band’, but if you listen to them The Smiths were – in the best possible way – a muso band. Everybody in that band was at the top of their game.

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Denne historien er fra April 2022-utgaven av Total Guitar.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

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Total Guitar

"You Can Imagine a Song in a Completely Different Genre" - The mysterious Lord Phobos, guitarist for TWRP, has covered everything from disco to Def Leppard in his collaborations with tongue-in-cheek duo Ninja Sex Party.

The mysterious Lord Phobos, guitarist for TWRP, has covered everything from disco to Def Leppard in his collaborations with tongue-in-cheek duo Ninja Sex Party. He explains what makes a great cover version - and reveals the one guitar and the one pedal he couldn't live without...

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Some Things You Want to Tweak and Make Your Own- How the Foos' Chris Shiflett reworked two rock classics on his recent solo EP
Total Guitar

Some Things You Want to Tweak and Make Your Own- How the Foos' Chris Shiflett reworked two rock classics on his recent solo EP

Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett is also a solo artist in his own right, and his latest EP Starry Nights & Campfire includes Lights covers of two great old rock tracks - Thin Lizzy's Cowboy Song and the ballad Don't You Ever Leave Me by Hanoi Rocks, the Finnish band that did so much to inspire Guns N' Roses.

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5 mins  |
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"It Gives Me Physical Satisfaction To Play Funk Riffs!" - Into the groove with Giacomo Turra, the Italian guitarist who made his name covering classics by Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars and more...
Total Guitar

"It Gives Me Physical Satisfaction To Play Funk Riffs!" - Into the groove with Giacomo Turra, the Italian guitarist who made his name covering classics by Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars and more...

Into the groove with Giacomo Turra, the Italian guitarist who made his name covering classics by Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars and more... Born in Milan, his funk guitar sensibility can be traced back to the dance studio where his mother taught, and the tunes he heard blasting out of her boombox. "I like to experiment with a lot of genres, but the really interesting thing for me is I really grew up on funk, and a little bit of jazz and fusion music," he says.

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6 mins  |
August 2024
- Try out these creative tips and make your cover versions stand out
Total Guitar

- Try out these creative tips and make your cover versions stand out

Try out these creative tips and make your cover versions stand out

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2 mins  |
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Total Guitar

BEAUX GRIS GRIS & THE APOCALYPSE

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Total Guitar

BOSS KATANA-50 GEN 3

The Japanese giant cuts through the noise with its new practice amp

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Total Guitar

SOLOKING MS-1 CUSTOM 22 HH

A great value guitar looking to clash headstocks with the big boys

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IK MULTIMEDIA TONEX ONE
Total Guitar

IK MULTIMEDIA TONEX ONE

The most powerful amp modeller for its size, bar none

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YAMAHA PACIFICA STANDARD PLUS PACS+12M
Total Guitar

YAMAHA PACIFICA STANDARD PLUS PACS+12M

Yamaha's long-running doublecut finally gets a makeover

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NO MORE MR.BRIGHTSIDE!
Total Guitar

NO MORE MR.BRIGHTSIDE!

The 10 songs you should never cover. Or at least think twice before trying...

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