A pivotal time in the guitarist's career...
"Article published in Clash Magazine. Author: Emma Harrison."
21 years can feel like a moment in time or light years ago, but great music stands the test of time and when it comes to ‘Boomslang’ this certainly rings true. Twenty one years ago, Johnny Marr along with his band The Healers released ‘Boomslang’ and this 2003 album has been released as a special edition complete with a brand new track ‘The Way That It Was’.
The deluxe version of the album offers fans seven additional new and unheard tracks from this exciting period of Johnny Marr’s songwriting. The unreleased recordings include ‘All Out Attack’, ‘Get Me Wrong’ and ‘A Woman Like You’. The early noughties was a period when Johnny was incorporating innovative practices into his music and creating a definitive rock sound ‘to space out to’.
It was no surprise that Johnny went down this route – definitively, he was one of the most inventive guitarists of his generation, maintaining a distinctive sound throughout his four decade career-spanning career.
Fast forward to 2024 and Johnny says:
“Twenty years on, I’m pleased we created the music and this new release of Boomslang has given me the opportunity to revisit it and present some songs that we weren’t able to include the first time around. The Healers was something special that happened to me and I’m grateful that it did. A special group of people in a special moment in time.”
And it really was! Deriving the name from a book called The Secret Doctrine by Madame Helena Blavatsky. The band were a glorious who’s who of rock ‘n’ roll and was Johnny’s first endeavour as a frontman, taking its influences from the world of electronic music and psychedelia.
Opening track ‘The Last Ride’ still feels as intoxicating and vital as ever with its slinky blues riff and previously unreleased track ‘All Out Attack’ is full of well, attack! With almost a menacing intent and with Marr’s shimmering guitars coupled with hypnotic bass lines from Alonza Bevan and thundering percussion from Zak Starkey, this remastered track is a force to be reckoned with.
‘Caught Up’ with its layers upon layers of backwards guitar and ‘You Are The Magic’ are timely reminders of how expansive ‘Boomslang’ really is.
Brand new track ‘The Way That It Was’ is a gorgeous track and possibly should have been included in the original release. It’s more understated than the other songs it sits alongside with, but has an almost otherworldly, soothing feel. Johnny’s vocals on it are tender and reflective as is his delivery of the band’s enthralling cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright’.
Johnny plays the harmonica on this track, and the piano-led arrangement is one of my favourite ever renditions of the song. Johnny’s gentle phrasing is emotive and his harmonica playing really adds a beautifully woven texture to the track.
Experimental at its core, ‘Boomslang’ is a delicious fusion of Eastern-sounding riffs, heavy psychedelic rhythms and hypnotic beats are still there in abundance both on their existing and the new tracks. ‘Boomslang’ manages both to be anthemic and chilled out in equal measure which is no mean feat!
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