Thanks, downloading that one now. In case anyone is interested, I just googled a little and am trying: 07 December 1983, Assembly Rooms, Derby 19 December 1983 Electric Ballroom, Camden 28 August 1986 Laguna Hills, CA
I was in my last years of high school when they hit CFNY in Southern Ontario, I liked the singles, the early albums were not great to me. The release of Louder Than Bombs with EP and b-sides and oddities won me over, the first two album sides, tracks 1-12 are among the best pop/rock collections ever for me. (My White Album of the 80s...) The Queen is Dead was a great album and enjoyed upon release, and then they released Strangeways and that was it. To start, go with Louder Than Bombs...
It does slightly annoy me when people describe them as just jangly. I really don't think they get the credit they deserve from a music perspective. Marr gets credit as a guitarist, but he said himself he was not a show off like those awful metal guitarists, the song always came first. And I suppose because Morrissey was such a focal point both visually and lyrically the focus wasn't on the music. Sure that started jangly but their evolution in such a short time was stunning and within a short time they became something unique. They could rock harder than many pure rock bands and at the same time create songs of frightening beauty, I don't think many bands come close. So powerful as well as they went on. A totally brilliant unique singer with wonderful lyrics but also an unstoppable musical force with such range and scope. The combination of both is why they are up there with the best British bands ever
There is a BBC tv gig from around that time as well which is good, also a full gig broadcast on a Spanish tv show, not as good but has its moments.
And one final thing - people that say Morrissey's lyrics are depressing have zero sense of humour. As John Peel said, his lyrics are hilarious and many people completely miss the point.
Agreed! Of course, those of us who are old enough first heard The Smiths on John Peel's show. They were, along with Joy Division, the most important and influential British band of the post-punk and new wave period.
I can still remember when I first heard this record. I wasn’t a million miles from Manc at the time. Cold. Drab. Red brick university straining over its lack of history and it was always always raining. The Smiths were without compare. I played it enough to wear it out. The words confounded and the music was even more thrilling. It defined a generation.
Some cracking songwriting - tunes! - and don't forget the humour. Morrissey's lyrics are not doom and gloom, he is not the 'Pope of Mope', he's bloody hilarious. And IMO "How Soon is Now" is the least Smiths sounding song there is. So much joy to be had ... enjoy the ride!
Like I said in my original post , ' How Soon Is Now ' was the only Smiths song I was familiar with. But , listening now to the compilations, I recognize a few of these tunes from hearing them in clubs years ago.I see what you both mean about 'How Soon Is Now ' though. Doesn't really sound like the same group at all. Nevertheless I am liking what I'm hearing and that's all that matters to me. Once again, thanks to all for your enthusiastic posts.
I agree with most of the comments, life affirming music and the amount of bad songs that they did you could count on one hand.
Agree that they could rock hard. Saw them in '86 on their Queen is Dead tour (only $17.50!) and they really surprised me as I was expecting something closer to what I heard on the records. Loved it though.
Screw it! Might as well get Meat is Murder while the sale is still going. Can't beat $5 for that, it's a steal.
Throw the compilations away. If somebody had told you they wanted to find out about the Beatles, you wouldn't suggest they listen to Reel Music or the Beatles Ballads. Get the four studio albums first. Then Hatful of Hollow - it shares some songs with the self-titled debut, but is better produced and has some great extra singles on it. Finish off with the World won't Listen. Don't expect anything. Don't let anybody put ideas in your head. Just listen. Lots. If you want anything contextualised or translated, refer to this: Then sit quietly in a corner and sob to yourself, despairing at the malevolent racist that Morrissey appears to have become.
The Smiths pop up in Seymour Stein's autobiography, "Siren Song: My Life in Music," which I really enjoyed reading. I picked up the book to see what he'd say about Madonna (Stein is the guy who signed her), but found his insight about the Smiths far more intriguing. Writing as a gay man, Stein said that when he met the band in person, he sensed sexual tension between Morrissey and Marr -- and felt that Morrissey had a thing for Marr that could never be reciprocated. This is a theme in some of Morrissey's lyrics, notably "I Want The One I Can't Have," so it sort of made sense. Anyway, it's an outsider's point of view, but one that might be worth considering when looking at how acrimonious the Morrissey-Marr split was.
I came into this late in the game. I was aware of the Smiths and HSIN way out on the periphery, but was not into that type of music or genre. Then I first listened to and liked You Are The Quarry when it came out which I really liked and still find to be a fantastic collection of songs. I have gone back and listened to some Smiths albums and with the exception of the live Rank haven't yet found anything to latch onto...yet. Sometimes, things just need to evolve with me for music to hit me at just the right moment and mood, and then Eureka!
Such an iconic band. It's unfortunate that the dynamic between the band members devolved the way it did. Fortunately, The Smiths' discography is brilliant, so I don't think one can go wrong exploring any of their work.
I'm glad you brought up the Morrissey - Marr dynamic of desperate, unrequited love. This is another lens to view Morrissey's lyrics - adds a very personal, poignant touch to many of the songs.
Umfortunately he has been unable to write as he did in The Smiths for some decades. He insisted on his memoir being released not as a plain Penguin but as a Penguin Classic.
