How did @Wildest cat from montana get on, in the end? Did you like what you heard? I go through phases of wanting to play tons of Smiths stuff, and then I sort of forget about them. The whole catalogue is great though. EG.
Well, thanks for asking. I played the two best-of I got and enjoyed them well enough. However, The Smith's will be one of those groups that I visit infrequently.
I can't imagine approaching them retrospectively, as they were just already there at the end of 1983, on the UK charts and they became assimilated into my tastes along with everything else around...and then I developed my favourite bands from there. The Smiths became one of them, probably peaking for me in late 86. EG.
Clue Me In To The Smiths... I am not really knowledgeable nor a big fan of The Smiths but I bought this album because I liked the cover in 1984 and it has remained a favorite of mine... The Smiths – Hatful Of Hollow Label: Rough Trade – Rough CD76, Rough Trade – Rough CD 76 Format: CD, Compilation Country: UK Released: Dec 1985 Genre: Rock, Pop Style: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock At the time I bought it I did not know it was a compilation...
Morrissey like Clapton seems to be doing more harm then good at moment in terms of what they say do and say But The Smiths were brilliant, not a dud in the bunch and had the consistency and tightness as those 4 lads from Liverpool. Morrissey's solo stuff isn't bad either, Bona Drag, Viva Hate, Vauxhall, Your Arsenal are like an extension of The Smiths whilst You Are the Quarry, Ringleaders and his latest album are good late period albums
I wouldn’t recommend them if you’re about to go on an interview. Their best is Hatful of Hollow - although it’s a depressing, self-loathing affair. The rest is overrated.
The Smiths are a band that either speak to you or they don't. I was aware of them in the 80's through Smash Hits but didn't get into them until '88 when I listened to my girlfriends cassettes of Hatful Of Hollow and Strangeways. But when I did it was a full blown obsession and for a year or so pushed the Beatles aside as my favorite band. These days the Fabs are back at #1 but the Smiths are top 2/3
Yeah, The Smiths are one of those bands you either get or you don't. I can see plenty of reasons why people might not like them. I grew up listening to them so they were already ingrained in my consciousness, so I have a natural bias but I still think they're absolutely amazing. While I'm at it, are there any vinyl reissues that are worth bothering with? I had an original copy of the debut and Hatful years ago that I sold for some reason.
My girlfriend in the 90s was big into the Smiths and Morrissey. So I considered them to be a 'girls' band. Also wasn't very much into Morrissey's stage antics. Nowadays their music is okayish to me.
"Asleep" is Morrissey's version of Billie Holiday: Don't listen if you don't need to. But if you do...it fits perfectly. Perfectly gut-wrenching.
Yes. Perhaps the saddest song in modern rock music. The lyrics are profound and, of course, extracted from some place of universal pain within the author...to an astounding and noteworthy degree.
I don't know what Marr's actual comments were, so I'm only speculating in this post. My theory is that Marr has always felt this way, at least by the time the band split up, but he's just too much of a positive personality to have said it publicly until now. I gather this much by having read his autobiography, where he practically didn't have a bad word to say about anybody. In fact, I got a strong feeling while reading it that he was holding things back on purpose. I was actually disappointed by the book for this reason, much like with Nick Mason's autobiography, where it felt like he wasn't being fully honest because he didn't want to make waves. Morrissey being difficult to work with is definitely a big reason why Marr left in the first place. I would guess that, maybe provoked by something, or maybe just fed up about holding his tongue all these years, he finally decided to come clean. Even agreeing to work with Morrissey again 15 years ago doesn't say much IMO. People tend to overlook the bad in old relationships, and focus more on the good. But that doesn't mean the bad never existed. Furthermore, a lot of the problems Morrissey caused were with other people around the band; that much isn't news. So Marr could just be corroborating what others have said about their experiences working with Morrissey. Again, I don't know what Marr said, so this is only speculation on my part.
I don't know that it's any single thing Marr said. I think what happens is, everytime Marr has something new out, they ask him about The Smiths, and some ask about something dumb Moz said recently. Hey Johnny, defend Moz's stupid statement he made yesterday! "Well, I barely know him, but that was stupid if he said that". Headline: MARR SLAGS MOZ. I don't think Marr seeks out reasons to say these things and would prefer to talk about his past work, which he's rightly proud of, or his current stuff. Marr could very easily say, I'm open to talk about just about anything, other than Morrissey post-Smiths, Morrissey comments, Morrissey outside of the context of the Smiths.
I've owned and loved Strangeways for a couple of years but have been on a Smiths kick over the past few weeks and appear to have bought all the other albums on CD, including the now out of print 2017 reissue of The Queen Is Dead.
Johnny Marr once said he wanted The Smiths' music to be like Dusty Springfield, classic British mid-1960s pop. This is key. Think early REM jangle with a Motown beat. How Soon Is Now is a fantastic track but a bit of an anomaly in their catalog, sonically. One thing that helped me appreciate The Smiths is this: Morrissey's lyrics are tongue in cheek. They're designed to be flip and sarcastic, not depressing or serious. Think Elvis Costello. Try to ignore the slug that is Morrissey today. He was a different person in The Smiths. And if a double-decker bus Crashes into us To die by your side Is such a heavenly way to die And if a ten ton truck Kills the both of us To die by your side Well the pleasure, the privilege is mine That's hilarious and beautiful at the same time. It's a sharp parody of goth lyrics yet heartbreakingly honest. All those mopers in the 1980s who took Morrissey's words as literal missed the point. He's poking fun at himself and the scene. Sixteen clumsy and shy I went to London and I I booked myself in at the Y. W.C.A. I said I like it here can I stay I like it here can I stay And do you have a vacancy For a back scrubber The image of a teenage gender-confused Morrissey glumly scrubbing a naked woman's back with soap and a brush (Is he crying? Is he also naked?) is too absurd to possibly be taken seriously. Believe it or not, the man once had a sense of humor. That's how I see it anyway.
@Wildest cat from montana You know I love and respect ya, man. To avoid preconceived notions, as a 66 year-old dude according to your profile, just what other indie/alternative/post-punk music (or however else you wish to classify The Smiths) do you normally listen to or like? I am not surprised that your ears perked up to How Soon Is Now? but weren't terribly keen on the rest of it. Count me in as one in the Strangeways camp. It's a small discography and they are all good in their own way but Strangeways is fantastic, even with the silly putty stretching of a couple tracks to push this album comfortably over 30 minutes. "Girlfriend In A Coma"
THIS. I found my way into the Smiths through Johnny Marr and those beautifully constructed songs, but then I picked up on Moz’s sense of humor and it all clicked… now it amuses me that anyone could take “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” seriously. Morrissey’s interviews from the 80’s and 90’s are funny, too. I used to think his persona was a brilliant invention, but now I know it’s actually him… that realization made me shudder. Even his own company must be exhausting.
