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Renowned as the guitarist and co-songwriter of The Smiths, Johnny Marr played a pivotal role in shaping the musical landscape of indie and guitar bands not only in the 1980s but far beyond. With a distinct style that eschewed clich茅s yet remained firmly entrenched in the realm of British guitar pop, Marr's influence reverberated through generations. His musical journey extended beyond The Smiths as he became an indispensable member of several other iconic British bands, including the Pretenders, The The, Electronic, Kirsty MacColl, and The Cribs, while also carving a successful path as a solo artist.

Marr's fascination with the guitar began at the tender age of five, sparked by a toy in a Manchester shop window, and blossomed into a lifelong obsession. While he ardently followed guitar culture and bands, Marr was selective in his admiration, dismissing the notion of mere virtuosic displays as outdated within the realm of pop music. Instead, he gravitated towards bands that embraced creativity and artistic innovation, particularly those of British origin.

In his beautifully curated four-part playlist series, Marr takes audiences on a captivating journey through the realm of Great British Guitar Bands, spanning from the 1960s to the contemporary era.

In the first of the series, Johnny digs into key bands that could only come from the UK, citing how culture, taste, art, geography, environment and social standing all play their part. Johnny takes in amazing album tracks from the Arctic Monkeys, Pet Shop Boys, Stereo MCs, Gorillaz, Pretenders and Bowie along the way. He also looks at UK bands who are associated with being 'art rock', even including Pink Floyd. It's a fascinating insight into Johnny's love of British albums and especially those tracks which were never singles but came to mean to much to the fans. Johnny also describes what it's like to perform onstage with big personalities such as Alex Turner and why he disagrees with Noel Gallagher!

Radio 2 is celebrating Great British Groups as part of National Album Day, an annual celebration of the album format, which takes place on Saturday 19 October 2024. You can listen to a collection of special programmes by searching 'British Groups' on 大象传媒 Sounds, including Your Ultimate British Group Top 30, Johnny Marr's Great British Groups, The Great British Groups That Broke America, and themed editions of shows such as Pop Top 10s and Sophie Ellis-Bextor's Kitchen Disco.