The Smiths
The Smiths - the greatest band ever? Well, opinion, as ever on such matters, is very much divided. Some can't get over Morrissey's unquestionably colossal ego, some see them as a miserable bunch of melancholics, unable just to bloody cheer up, and others realise the truth: if not the greatest band ever, then The Smiths are certainly pretty damned close.
Formed in Manchester in 1982, The Smiths consisted of the controversial Stephen Patrick Morrissey as lyricist and vocalist, Johnny Marr as songwriter and lead-guitar, Andy Rourke on bass (and smack) and Mike Joyce on drums.
The Smiths released four studio albums, an EP, a live album and seven compilations. Debut album The Smiths is indeed a bit miserable, but still included the fantastic 'Hand in Glove' and life-changing 'This Charming Man'. Follow up Meat is Murder is probably their most musically diverse album, with Johnny Marr even pinching the riff from Elvis' 'Marie's the Name of His Latest Flame' for 'Rusholme Ruffians'.
Morrissey's sense of humour eventually comes through on third and most famous album The Queen is Dead: songs like 'Some Girls...', 'Vicar in a Tutu' and 'Frankly, Mr Shankly' provide some relief from the dreary brilliance of 'I Know It's Over' and 'Never Had No One Ever'. This new 'fun' Morrissey continues on Strangeways Here We Come in songs like 'Girlfriend in a Coma', 'Paint a Vulgar Picture' and 'I Started Something...'
The tension between Morrissey's playful lyrics and self-consciously downbeat subject matter on the one hand and Marr's often funky multi-layered guitar on the other is what lies at the heart of The Smiths' enduring appeal. This is encapsulated in a song like 'Sweet and Tender Hooligan', where just as Marr reaches his hard-rocking apex, Morrissey simply drawls 'etc etc etc' over the top.
Of course, it all ended in drugs, acrimony and lawsuits. But however successful and sporadically brilliant both Marr and Morrissey have been since, nothing will touch their work with The Smiths.
Formed in Manchester in 1982, The Smiths consisted of the controversial Stephen Patrick Morrissey as lyricist and vocalist, Johnny Marr as songwriter and lead-guitar, Andy Rourke on bass (and smack) and Mike Joyce on drums.
The Smiths released four studio albums, an EP, a live album and seven compilations. Debut album The Smiths is indeed a bit miserable, but still included the fantastic 'Hand in Glove' and life-changing 'This Charming Man'. Follow up Meat is Murder is probably their most musically diverse album, with Johnny Marr even pinching the riff from Elvis' 'Marie's the Name of His Latest Flame' for 'Rusholme Ruffians'.
Morrissey's sense of humour eventually comes through on third and most famous album The Queen is Dead: songs like 'Some Girls...', 'Vicar in a Tutu' and 'Frankly, Mr Shankly' provide some relief from the dreary brilliance of 'I Know It's Over' and 'Never Had No One Ever'. This new 'fun' Morrissey continues on Strangeways Here We Come in songs like 'Girlfriend in a Coma', 'Paint a Vulgar Picture' and 'I Started Something...'
The tension between Morrissey's playful lyrics and self-consciously downbeat subject matter on the one hand and Marr's often funky multi-layered guitar on the other is what lies at the heart of The Smiths' enduring appeal. This is encapsulated in a song like 'Sweet and Tender Hooligan', where just as Marr reaches his hard-rocking apex, Morrissey simply drawls 'etc etc etc' over the top.
Of course, it all ended in drugs, acrimony and lawsuits. But however successful and sporadically brilliant both Marr and Morrissey have been since, nothing will touch their work with The Smiths.
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