The The / Matt Johnson Discography Tube Map Art Print

A gift for The The fans who have spent forty years explaining that it is one man and not a band, because this maps fourteen releases and only one line runs the whole way across. They own the records already. Everyone else on the print is a visitor.

Giclée on 230gsm premium fine art paper, textured matte, archival and acid-free. Produced unframed or framed. Deeply researched and designed by me in East Sussex.

I plot these in CAD software. Every credited musician becomes a transit line, every album becomes a station, and anyone who appears only once gets a branch line of their own.

The stations run chronologically from See Without Being Seen in 1979 to Ensoulment in 2024, including the soundtracks, the Radio Cinéola project, and the albums.

Why this The The discography tube map art makes a gift fans keep

Matt Johnson is the only continuous line on the print. Around him, the map keeps emptying and refilling with entirely different people, which is what happens when a band is really a name.

The guest list crosses from Wire to the New York Dolls to The Smiths. It rewards every closer look.

Contributing musicians on the map

Matt Johnson is credited on all fourteen. Burning Blue Soul brings in Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis of Wire, and then they are gone.

Soul Mining is the record where the map first opens up. Jools Holland plays the piano on Uncertain Smile, David Johansen of the New York Dolls plays harmonica on Perfect, Zeke Manyika of Orange Juice plays drums, and one credit reads simply sticks on Giant.

Infected in 1986 is the densest station, with Neneh Cherry, Anne Dudley, Guy Barker, Steve Hogarth, Bob Mintzer and a full string orchestra all arriving at once.

Johnny Marr joins for three consecutive stations, Mind Bomb, Dusk and Solitude, the longest anyone other than Johnson has stayed. Mind Bomb also brings in Sinéad O'Connor and Danny Thompson.

Dusk adds Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and Paul Webb of Talk Talk. Hanky Panky brings in Gail Ann Dorsey, and Naked Self carries Lloyd Cole and Earl Harvin.

The Radio Cinéola Trilogy is a station of guest voices rather than a band, and Ensoulment closes the map in 2024 with Barry Cadogan, Terry Edwards and James Eller, whose line first appeared thirty-five years earlier.

How do I make each print?

Each one is a Giclée on 230gsm premium fine art paper with a textured matte finish, archival and acid-free, so the colours hold for years. Choose A2 or A1, unframed or framed, ready to hang in a hallway, living room or studio.

FAQ

Is The The a band or one person?
One person. Matt Johnson is the only line that reaches both ends of the map, which is the clearest way to see it.

How long is Johnny Marr in the band?
Three consecutive releases, Mind Bomb, Dusk and Solitude, between 1989 and 1993.

Which release has the most credited musicians?
Infected in 1986, which brings in a horn section, a string orchestra and a long list of guests.

Are the soundtracks included?
Yes. The Cinéola soundtracks and the Radio Cinéola Trilogy all appear as stations.

Who is on the 2024 album?
Ensoulment brings in Barry Cadogan and Terry Edwards, alongside James Eller and Earl Harvin from earlier in the catalogue.

What are the framing options?
Unframed, or supplied framed and ready to hang.

Related Music Maps

Browse the full range of gifts for music fans at the Gifts for Music Fans collection and the Music Icons collection at mikebellmaps.com.

Johnny Marr plays on three of these records, so the Johnny Marr Discography Map Art Print is a direct companion piece, and Lloyd Cole's appearance on Naked Self connects it to the Lloyd Cole Discography Map Art Print.