Boomslang (album)

Boomslang is the first, and to date only album by Johnny Marr + the Healers. It was released in 2003 through Artistdirect and iMusic. The band consisted of drummer Zak Starkey and former Kula Shaker bassist Alonza Bevan with Marr handling guitars and lead vocals. The literal definition of the word "boomslang" is "a venomous, tree-dwelling snake... of tropical and southern Africa".[4] The expression "I got boomslang..." in South Africa means to get caught up in something (like a boomslang snake hanging from a tree.) For example, "I was about to leave work when I got boomslang by a customer who needed something, and had to stay late."

Boomslang
Studio album by
Johnny Marr + the Healers
Released4 February 2003 (2003-02-04)
Recorded2000 at Clear, Manchester
GenreAlternative rock, Indie rock
Length50:40
LabelArtistdirect/iMusic
ProducerJohnny Marr
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Pitchfork Media(3.7/10)[2]
Rolling Stone[3]

The 2001 single "The Last Ride" – and its B-sides "Need It" and "Long Gone" – were included in the track listing. "Down On the Corner" was also released as a single, promoted by an appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn in February 2003.[5] "Bangin' On" was released as a single in 2003 and got to #78 in UK. Its B-sides were non-album tracks "Here It Comes" and "Get Me Wrong".

Reaction

Boomslang received a mixed critical reaction. Uncut, Billboard and PopMatters gave the album positive reviews, while Q and Mojo published more lukewarm reactions.[6]

In Rolling Stone, Pat Blashill wrote that the album "shimmers with elements of T. Rex and traces of the Stone Roses – it's got all the atmosphere of a great rock record, but not the guts of one".[7] In the Guardian, reviewer Alex Petridis compared the album negatively to Marr's earlier work in the Smiths. Petridis said that the vocals were in tune but they were "devoid of character". The album's lyrics were said to be "from the Gallagher School of Meaningless Twaddle." The review conceded that the album had its moments but was overall "an opportunity missed..not bad, exactly but nothing to suggest that history should be rewritten".[8]

Tracks "Bangin' On" and "The Last Ride" comprised the primary soundtrack for the runway show of American fashion designer Michael Kors for his Fall-Winter 2003-04 collection. Track "Caught Up" was featured during the show's finale. The collection, Kors's first outing under Sportswear Holdings Limited, was shown on February 12, 2003 during New York fashion week and met critical acclaim by the fashion press.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Johnny Marr; except where indicated

  1. "The Last Ride" – 4:28
  2. "Caught Up" – 4:27
  3. "Down On the Corner" – 4:25
  4. "Need It" – 5:47
  5. "You Are the Magic" – 7:09
  6. "InBetweens" (Zak Starkey) – 3:39
  7. "Another Day" – 4:58
  8. "Headland" – 1:34
  9. "Long Gone" – 4:39
  10. "Something to Shout About" – 4:22
  11. "Bangin' On" – 5:06

Personnel
Johnny Marr + The Healers
  • Johnny Marr - vocals, guitar (tracks 1–7, 9-11), synthesizer (tracks 1, 10, 11), organ (track 6), melodica (track 10)
  • Alonza Bevan - bass guitar (tracks 1–7, 9, 11), electric piano, recorder, backing vocals (track 7)
  • Zak Starkey - drums (tracks 1–7, 9, 11), percussion (tracks 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11)

with:

  • Lee Spencer - synthesizer (tracks 1, 4, 5, 11), effects (track 11)
  • Liz Bonney - percussion (tracks 4, 5, 11)
  • Jonni Musgrave - piano (track 3)
  • Dave Tolan - percussion (track 7)
  • Damien Foster, Denise Johnson - backing vocals (track 5)

References
  1. Allmusic review
  2. Pitchfork Media review Archived February 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Rolling Stone review
  4. Dictionary.com
  5. jmarr.com
  6. metacritic.com
  7. Rolling Stone
  8. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/jan/31/popandrock.artsfeatures
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