Featured Artist #13 - The Smiths

[morrissey]

The Smiths, behind the music. You think you know, but you have no idea. Pimp my ride. Here we go.

I’m at my computer in my basement a few years ago, and for some inexplicable reason I’ve just
downloaded a few songs from some band I’ve never heard of called the Smiths. “I Am the Sun and the Air” and “I’m So Sorry” and “Take Me Out Tonight” … three classic Smiths songs that live on to this day. Well not quite. God bless Kazaa. To anyone familiar with the Smiths these are recognisable as “How Soon is Now?”, the Morrissey solo tune “Suedehead” and “There is A Light That Never Goes Out”, respectively. So I listen to “How Soon is Now?”, yeah it’s a fair track. He’s singing about the air, but whatever (thanks Kazaa/lack of lyric booklet), guitar is cool, fair play. “Suedehead” is easily recognisable as sounding “80s”, another fair track. Then I put on “There is a Light That Never Goes Out”. And when they launched into that chorus, my entire musical path was diverted. I had found the Smiths.

The Beginning of the Beginning

Manchester. 1982. Steven Patrick Morrissey hears a knock at the door. Or a ring. Either way, he’s angered to have been interrupted during Coronation Street, so he huffily exits his Wildean bedroom (and self-imposed confine) to cheerfully greet the stranger at the door; he even stops to put a kettle of tea on in case the guest wishes to I’m making this shit up.

I can attempt to overdramatise the entire situation, but at the end of the day it was a classic case of boy-guitar-wonder-meets-weird-loner-with-an-affinity-for-poetry-gladiolas-
James-Dean-and-New-York-Dolls-and-they-start-a-band.

So there’s this odd kid (who, at 23 isn’t exactly a kid anymore, but he certainly hasn’t grown up), who professes to have been a track star, to have lost his virginity at 13, to have gone through a Valium “phase” as a teenager, who loves British soaps and Oscar Wilde. He admitted to enclosing himself for days at a time in his room with nothing but piles of paper, a typewriter and some pictures of James Dean to stare at, yet he also left his room at some point, long enough to make a miniscule mark on the Manchester music scene as a singer for some insignificant bands such as Johnny and the Nosebleeds. Then Johnny Marr (né John Maher) arrives on the Morrisseys’ doorstep, just a 19-year old teenager trying to clean up his act (just a petty criminal history, nothing much worth mentioning besides a diamond robbery holy fuck), with ambitious dreams of success. He had heard of Morrissey around the area, long story short the two hookup and the saying opposites attract proves true. Morrissey may not have been very sociable, but he certainly had a lot to say. And Marr could play and compose music with the best of them – along with Vini Reilly of the Durutti Column he was considered one of Britain’s top guitarists of the time. So there together were, Morrissey writing the lyrics and singing, and Marr writing the music and playing guitar. For all intents and purposes, they were the heart and soul of the band.

Morrissey was their chief image-maker of the band. He decided its direction, its style, its name. He had offered a few bland names to Marr, and The Smiths stuck.

With a few songs in hand, they recruited Mike Joyce and sound engineer Dale Hibbert but swapped him almost immediately with Marr’s schoolmate Andy Rourke. Andy had had some drug issues as a teenager, but he had cleaned up, for now (hey guess which rhetoric device I’m using here?) but the Smiths as they are commonly recognized were born. Though Rourke and Joyce were referred to by Morrissey as “lawnmower parts – easily replaceable” [not an exact quote] and while many fans treat them the same way, their role in the shaping of the Smiths music is crucial. Joyce’s lyrics eclipsed Morrissey’s, their stage presence bested any band out at the time, and Rourke’s singing on “I Am Also Making This Shit Up” was classy at worst. Ok they weren’t the most contributory rhythm section of all time, but as Morrissey himself stated, if they had offered up lyrics or music he would have been none too pleased.

So by 1983, after about a year of collaboration, they were becoming regulars in the Manchester scene. By early 1983, they had made enough of an impact to sign with Rough Trade Records, the beginning of what would prove to be a tense relationship. In May 1983 they released their first single, “Hand in Glove”. It’s about holding hands with Michael Jackson. Or about homosexuality. Hmm. Either way, the song failed to chart. As has often been told, Morrissey was so infuriated by his song’s lack of success that he issued in on every album, single and compilation he could manage. You could never accuse him of lack of pride. I don’t want to shrug this song off, but lyrically it was in some cases a landmark track, even though it was fairly veiled. Morrissey was heavily influenced by David Bowie, Marc Bolan of T. Rex (who along with himself made up the “Famous International Playboys”), Roxy Music, the New York Dolls and other glam rock acts of the 70s. He was deeply persuaded by the “gender-bending” and blurred sexuality lines that the era produced. “Hand in Glove” is unique though, in that while it is a “gay” song it: a) can reach out to anyone. You don’t have to be homosexual to relate to feeling out of place yet feeling on top of the world when you’re in love. They’re natural mixed human emotions. And b) it’s a good pop song. Take away the controversial lyrics, even take away the vocal melody – Marr always had a penchant for great pop tunes, from the get go.

The following singles “This Charming Man” and “What Difference Does it Make?” fared better, and the Smiths began making a name for themselves. Once again these songs veered toward homosexual topics, probably why the Smiths were slagged off as a “gay band” by some. Of course the interpretation is all up to the listener, and you can find gay references in anything from an Iron Maiden to a Kylie Minogue song if you want to find them. Despite the controversial subject matter (come to think of it, because of the subject matter – oh and a little thing called decent songs), the Smiths were blossoming in the indie world. Of course, the indie world in 1983 is not the mainstream world. But still.

[morrissey]

The Smiths

Morrissey in February 1984: "We have an album released on 20th February and I really do expect the highest critical praise for it. It's a very, very good album. It is a signal post in music."

And on February 20, 1984 they dropped the bomb. The Smiths was released to massive accolades and 6 Grammys including best rap album and best performance by a female pop artist. Well, it did debut at #2 on the UK charts. Which is actually quite a feat for our little family band from Albuquerque. Though it is no secret that The Smiths suffered from dreadful production (where is John Peel when you need him?) and the compositions fall in that awkward area between being too similar yet not quite similar enough to call them a one-sound band. In retrospect, despite its flaws it was still one of the best albums of the 80s. Maybe that means the Eighties were a weak decade, maybe it means these guys were on to something. I guess we’ll never know.

Either way, Marr’s compositional merits or flaws weren’t the talk of the town (or country) at the time, but instead Morrissey’s controversial lyrical topics and his penchant for shouting his mouth off. Interviews were hilarious, no one knew what to expect. This is probably about the time the “great divide occurred”.

The Great Divide

“Morrissey is a genius and omg I love him and omg”
“Morrissey is a twat”
And maybe there would be a brief mention of the Smiths music thrown in for good measure, but likely not. Anyway, these comments probably sound familiar. Morrissey (and by relation the Smiths) is a love/hate kind of guy. No middle ground. Just pure unadorned love or all-consuming hatred, unless you fall somewhere in between. And it was usually your reaction to Morrissey’s comments in interviews which was the final nail in the coffin. At times he was disengaged and disinterested, at others he would offer a sharp point of view on anything and everything. Margaret Thatcher, the Queen, Brighton bombings, Live Aid (a year later, of course), vegetarianism - anything and everything. A notable mention would be the song “Suffer Little Children”, the closer to their debut album. The Smiths received a lot of flack for their tale of the “Moors Murders”, committed by child murders Myra Hindley and Ian Brady in 60s Manchester. But Morrissey wasn’t afraid of approaching controversial subject matter (yes this stuff was controversial at the time). Still, he felt a lot of his lyrics were misunderstood, such as the tracks “Reel Around the Fountain” and “Hand That Rocks the Cradle”, which were rumoured to be about paedophelia and child abuse, respectively. Whether the rumoured subject matter was accurate or not, the Smiths’ proclivity for catchy little pop ditties, coupled with their frontman’s opinions, brought the Smiths into the limelight.

Hatful of Hollow

Morrissey, October 1984: "A good portion of our mail contains imploring demands that we release versions of our songs that we recorded for Radio One sessions, and the band and I suddenly realised that we hadn't even proper-sounding tapes of them ourselves, except for a few dire bootlegs that we bought at our concerts. As far as we're concerned, those were the sessions that got us excited in the first place, and apparently it was how a lot of other people discovered us also. We decided to include the extra tracks ffrom our 12" singles for people who didn't have all of those, and to make it completely affordable."

Nearing the end of 1984, they were becoming unexpectedly popular. Popular music at the time was synth-based, and though guitar was evidently present it wasn’t the focus. Along with bands like REM in America though, the Smiths symbolised a return to guitar-based music of the past – it was different than anything else playing at the time. Their following was becoming so impressive that the group released a compilation of B-sides, alternate tracks from their debut and single cuts, just to tide them over until the release of their sophomore studio album. Hatful of Hollow was released in December 1984. Though compilation albums don’t usually merit much mention, this album is of rare quality. Only one song is lacking (Accept Yourself), and everything else is pure gold.

I should note that when I say they were gathering an impressive following, it is all relative. They weren’t superstars like Michael Jackson or Madonna, but within the right circles they were becoming a large group.

Meat is Murder

Morrissey, March 1985: "The whole idea with 'Meat Is Murder' was to control it totally, and without a producer things were better. We saw things clearer."
Morrissey, March 1985: "I didn't really have any intention of being misunderstood with the words on this LP. A lot of people wrote about the first LP and they said things that were very poetic and interesting and absolutely inaccurate. So I just felt that on this LP people should really know which hammer I'm trying to nail, as it were."

As time passed and their sophomore album’s due date approached, the Smiths slowly started to become comfortable with forming their own image. Morrissey evidently enjoyed the attention that his controversial lyrics brought – so he attempted to go even further with the follow-up record. Additionally he stated that he disliked the reaction to the ambiguity of his lyrics on the last record – this time around he was going to be straight up so there would be no argument as to what he was getting at. He furthered on his base themes of homosexuality, child abuse and unease, but also expanded his subject matter to include political tirades against the Manchester school system, the British government and Queen, and a dogged campaign for vegetarianism. The resulting record, Meat Is Murder, released February 11, 1985, was decidedly hit and miss. Opener “The Headmaster Ritual”, “How Soon is Now?”, “I Want the One I Can’t Have” and others were surefire pop songs. It was evident that Marr’s compositional skills were expanding, and Morrissey was improving as a singer and lyricist. Moreover, the Smiths had been dissatisfied with the production on their debut, so they took it into their own hands, along with the assistance of engineer Stephen Street (whose name might be familiar to you if you’ve ever heard Viva Hate or “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish”). Still, the album’s swan song and title track “Meat is Murder” was as lacking as any track the group had ever put together. While it attempted to expand their musical arrangements and themes, it instead came off as unforgivably pretentious and forceful. When the Smiths forsook a good song for a “message”, something went wrong. Still, while Meat is Murder was not the perfect follow-up one might have hoped for after their self-titled, it was still a decent record which showed that the group was willing to take risks to improve their palette and sound. Additionally this record was the only Smiths album to make it to #1 in the UK.

[morrissey]

The Queen is Dead

Morrissey: "It doesn't necessarily mean Queen Elizabeth. There's a safety net in the song... that the old queen in the lyrics is actually me. So when they lynch me or nail me to the cross, I have that trapdoor to slide through. But, having said that, the song is certainly a kind of general observation on the state of the nation."
Morrissey in Oor magazine, February 1987: "It didn't really occur to me ever that people would consider the title offensive. The song existed, and I thought it was so strong it deserved special attention, which it was given by being the title track. (...) Another aspect was that no Top 10 groups, or any English group with a high status, were trying to compile a thoughtful language. And I thought The Queen Is Dead, as a title between Invisible Touch and A Kind Of Magic and Picture Book, was something one would pause over.
Morrissey in Q Magazine April 1994: "Some things we did are not as good as they're remembered. "The Queen Is Dead" is not our masterpiece. I should know. I was there. I supplied the sandwiches."

1986 was arguably the Smiths most successful year. Singles “Panic”, “Ask”, and “Bigmouth Strikes Again” ranked among their best output, and they also recorded what is almost universally considered to be their best album, The Queen is Dead, released in June of that year and which peaked at number two on the UK charts. Featuring songs which are not only classic Smiths tracks, but classic songs period, The Queen is Dead was a monumental record that has stood the test of time. While it wasn’t as “controversial” as the previous two records, TQID tackled unique but interesting subject matter: royalty (of course), the Church, their record company Rough Trade – along with the requisite tales of loneliness and heartache. In many ways, this record was also a concept album. In no one song was Morrissey not poking fun at himself or his flaws. If being tongue-in-cheek was a theme…

Marr’s compositional skills continued to improve – despite Morrissey contestations, he began to incorporate further “synth” sounds into their music, though he did it in a fashion that did not dominate the music – check out “There is a Light That Never Goes Out” for proof. It’s almost hard to believe that they managed to make a record this good with all of the problems that were going on. While the friction between Morrissey and Marr may have proved a significant catalyst for the creation of this record, it is likely that TQID was such a triumph in spite of the friction, not thanks to it. While in the past Marr stated that he admired Morrissey’s work and mind, it was evident that he was becoming increasingly frustrated with his partner’s eccentricities. Marr was a musician, not an activist or talking head. He wanted to expand his musical palette, and Morrissey’s insistence on staying away from dance music, synthesizers and such because he found it “vile” was maddening to Marr. He was becoming growingly wearisome of Morrissey’s tirades in the press, and he was – most disconcertingly – sick of performing concerts. From the beginning he had hated performing, but accepted it as part of the business. By 1986, after 4 years of touring (which is really quite nothing when you think of it), he had grown sick of it all. Even the addition of Craig Gannon, which could help spice up stage shows and make them more interesting and improvisational for Marr didn’t help boost his morale.

Speaking of Craig Gannon, we come to the third major issue in the group at the time. Throughout 1985, bassist Rourke had been suffering from a heroin addiction – he hid it rather well, and even after Marr found out they managed to keep it from Morrissey. Marr advised Rourke that he had to quit, as, if Morrissey found out, he would likely be kicked out the band immediately. In early 1986, Morrissey found out, and Rourke was kicked out the band immediately. Gannon was brought in as a bassist, but Rourke was soon reinstated and things were back to “normal”. Remarkably the whole affair was relatively hush hush and is still never much talked about.

Other issues… Marr was reportedly angry with Morrissey for turning one of his preferred compositions into “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”. Marr felt the song had potential to be a classic, but Morrissey instead turned it into a joke song. On the flip side, Morrissey hated one of Marr’s compositions (eventually titled “Money Changes Everything” and released on the World Won’t Listen), and refused to write lyrics for it. Relations with their label became increasingly strained. Morrissey felt Rough Trade (and their American distributor Sire) were not marketing them outside of the UK. Morrissey was extremely angered by this, and to this day regrets the Smiths’ relative lack of success in America. Of course this might have had something to do with Morrissey’s staunch refusal to create music videos, even though it could have quite helped their success in America. Rourke and Joyce were discouraged at their continuing lack of creative input. Gannon was as well, but seeing as he was fired in late 1986 that wasn’t much bother. Morrissey’s strained relationship with Marr also transferred to the other members of the band. It was almost as if it was Morrissey and the Smiths – not a cohesive whole but instead a backing band with one star in the front. This infighting marred (pun lmao) the whole of 1986, so despite their triumphs on record and with fans, it remained a tense and difficult year for the group.

The World Won’t Listen/Louder Than Bombs

Much like in late 1984, the Smiths needed a little more time to prepare for their next album. The label slapped together two separate compilations albums which are, more or less, the same album. The World Won’t Listen, paired with its American/Canadian counterpart Louder Than Bombs were released in early 1987. The two albums are more or less a combination of singles, alternate tracks, b-sides, and a few cuts off of Hatful of Hollow. Because of the shear quantity of tracks (24 on Louder), and the relatively low price that the albums sell for, these are relatively popular Smiths collections.

Strangeways, Here We Come

Morrissey, September 1987: "I expect when the dust has settled after 'Strangeways' there will have to be some degree of rethinking, because we can't go on forever in our present form. Inevitably certain aspects of the band would become tarnished, so a slight readjustment will have to be made. I think now is absolutely the right time to do it. When something becomes too easy and it's all laid out for you, one is robbed of the joy of achievement. When there's no need to fight any more, it'll be time to pull up the shutters on the Smiths."
Morrissey in 1994, commenting about Johnny Marr's opinion that "Strangeways Here We Come" is the Smiths best album: "Well it is. We're in absolute accordance on that. We say it quite often. At the same time. In our sleep. But in different beds."
Johnny Marr: […] there are some fantastic moments on "Strangeways, Here We Come". That might be a personal thing, but I'm quite qualified to comment on it. "Unhappy Birthday" is fantastic. Only Morrissey could do that to my music and only I could give him that music to sing. "Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me" is the same, and "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before", only I didn't realize it at the time. I knew it was coming together as a great pop song, but it really was great.

By April 1987, the Smiths had finished recording their fourth LP proper, Strangeways, Here We Come. All was well and good until May 1987. When Johnny Marr left the band. Or perhaps things weren’t so well and good after all.

Universally considered [by the band and the band alone] to be their best album, Strangeways was also their final album. Though the highlights on the album are indeed high (“Girlfriend in a Coma”, “A Rush and A Push and the Land is Ours”, “Stop Me if You Think You’ve Heard this One Before”, “These Titles Take Far Too Long To Type”), the lows are indeed low (“Death At One’s Elbow”). If one ever needed to substantiate that the Smiths had lost it, that latter song is all they would need as proof. But Marr’s compositions were great for the limits control-freak Morrissey had imposed on him – we can only wonder what he may have done with complete freedom over his music. The Smiths were going somewhere, even when they were broken up. Their final album had been a triumph – even in the most adverse of times they had managed to create a near pitch-perfect album.
Over the summer of 1987, Morrissey, Rourke and Joyce contemplated their future as a group. Though they considered continuing on without Marr, their main (only, actually) musical contributor was gone. By September 1987, with the release of Strangeways, it was all over.

Johnny Marr: "the major reason for me going was simply that there are things I want to do, musically, that there is just not scope for in The Smiths.[…] The stuff we've just done for the new album is great, the best we've ever done. I'm really proud of it. But there are things that I want to do that can only happen outside of The Smiths."
Morrissey: "The Smiths were like a painting. Every month you'd add a little bit here and a little bit there. But it wasn't quite complete, and it was whipped away. I find it hard to adapt to that. Even people who enjoyed the music thought the split was very timely. It's very popular attitude that the split occurred at the right time. I get quite violent when people say that to me."

[morrissey]

After the implosion in 1987, Rourke and Joyce stayed remarkably friendly with Morrissey. They supported him throughout the early days of his solo career, begun in 1988, as evidenced in the “Last of the Famous International Playboys” video). Marr began work as a popular session musician, working with everyone from The The, New Order’s Bernard Sumner, Oasis, The Pretenders, and on.
Morrissey was the most successful of the group, though the successful is evidently relative. He has had a hit and miss solo career whose troughs and peaks are of equal extremes.
The Smiths’ legacy stated relatively calm in the years after their demise. A posthumous live recording, Rank was released in 1988, and though it was shadily produced, it was controlled by Morrissey and did satisfy old fans temporarily.
By the mid-90s, old arguments began heating up. Even though the group had kicked the bucket almost ten years earlier, Joyce was making noise about the lower pay that both he and Rourke receive compared to Morrissey and Marr. Instead of a 25% split, the rhythm section earned 10% of the royalties each, whereas composers Morrissey and Marr earned 40% each. Marr agreed to pay up the 15% difference to each member out of court, but Morrissey forced it to trial. He was forced to pay over a million pounds to Joyce, and still holds an intense grudge to this day.
While, like any other moderately successful band, reunion rumours continue to swirl, it is unlikely to ever happen, and certainly not with all four members. Even if a Morrissey/Marr reunion did occur, neither of them have been overly creative since the split. Perhaps they’ve both lost their touch completely, or maybe the two together becomes a catalyst for creating some of pop’s best music? We’ll have to wait and see.
Still criminally overlooked outside of the UK, the Smiths remain one of Britain’s most groundbreaking bands; they also remain a seminal contributor to the indie music scene. As newer bands (such as Franz Ferdinand, Brand New and the Killers) cite the Smiths as a massive influence, younger fans are discovering the band. Their fanbase is likely the largest it has been since their heyday. The Queen is Dead is being lauded as one of the best albums of all-time by critics (check out Rolling Stone, Q, Spin lists) and fans alike. The Smiths themes are timeless teenager songs – fortunately Marr’s compositions are also timeless pop songs. Morrissey’s recent success with You Are the Quarry has also helped return attention to his former group. as this cycle continues to repeat, the Smiths will remain one of the most creative and influential bands of all time, despite only four proper albums to their credit and 5 years of output.

[morrissey]

Band Members
Morrissey – vocals/lyrics
Born May 22, 1959 in Manchester
Johnny Marr – guitar/music
Born October 31, 1963 in Wythenshawe
Andy Rourke – bass
Born January 17, 1964 in Manchester
Mike Joyce - drums
Born June 1, 1963 in Manchester

Albums
[url=http://www.musicianforums.com/sputnik/album.php?albumid=893]The Smiths[/url]
[url=http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review_5295]Hatful of Hollow[/url]

[url=http://www.musicianforums.com/sputnik/album.php?albumid=1187]Meat is Murder[/url]
[url=http://www.musicianforums.com/sputnik/album.php?albumid=829]The Queen is Dead[/url]
The World Won’t Listen
[url=http://www.musicianforums.com/sputnik/album.php?albumid=780]Louder Than Bombs[/url]
[url=http://www.musicianforums.com/sputnik/album.php?albumid=1199]Strangeways Here We Come[/url]
[url=http://www.musicianforums.com/sputnik/album.php?albumid=1318]Rank[/url]
Best of (Parts 1 and 2)
[url=http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=3241]Singles[/url]
[url=http://www.musicianforums.com/sputnik/album.php?albumid=1320]The Very Best Of The Smiths[/url]

Recommended Downloads
Hand in Glove
This Charming Man
How Soon is Now?
Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now
The Boy With the Thorn in His Side
There is a Light that Never Goes Out
Bigmouth Strikes Again
Panic
Ask
Shoplifters of the World
Girlfriend in a Coma
A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours

[JohnXDoe]

I can't believe I read the whole thing! That's a very nice FA, Morrisey. I liked the Morrisey/Marr quotes you included. They gave it a real time and place feel. Your knowledge of The Smiths is vast indeed! I enjoyed every word of it. Great work. Thanks.



EDIT: Goodnite. I'm exhausted.

[The_Passenger]

Very nice. It was very informative, and told me a bunch of stuff (the things about all the arguements and the disagreements about royalties several years after the band split up) that I hadn't known before.

How long did this take you?

[Tomahawk]

This was very awesome. I laughed, I learned. Fantastic job.

I've loved their music for ages, but now I've gotta track me down some Morrissey interviews. He sounds hilarious.

[Aeaon]

I enjoyed every second of it. It was great.

[FreaksRefuge_numero2]

Pfft tl;dr.

Only I did. And it was great. One of the best FA's so far.

[morrissey]

Haha thanks a lot to everybody, it's good to see my efforts didn't go to waste and that you guys learnt something from it. I really appreciate the comments as well.

Originally Posted by stairway2nothing

Very nice. It was very informative, and told me a bunch of stuff (the things about all the arguements and the disagreements about royalties several years after the band split up) that I hadn't known before.

How long did this take you?

Three nights.

[Gnarmageddon]

Whooooa. That was an awesome read. Very nice job, Moz.

[EightMilesHigh]

Amanda delivers again!

Good job, I liked the humor put into it.

[morrissey]

Originally Posted by Tomahawk

This was very awesome. I laughed, I learned. Fantastic job.

I've loved their music for ages, but now I've gotta track me down some Morrissey interviews. He sounds hilarious.

This site has almost all of them, I think.

http://foreverill.com/interviews/

What's preventing you from being happy?
"I don't know. I think it's something to do with the hormones. I haven't a clue."
Your neuroses, perhaps?
"Give me a chance to answer the question!! Good heavens, that's the first time I've shouted since 1976. Now I've forgotten the question."
What's stopping you from being happy?
"I've been in every conceivable situation in human existence -"
Every conceivable situation in human existence? You've had group sex on a rubber mat with a bowl of custard??
"Daily. It's a terrible yawn... "
You have swung from chandeliers with black grapes in your teeth?
"I do it every February, every February..."
You have starved in a ghetto?
"I have been in almost every conceivable human situation - "
You have ridden an elephant -
"Backwards? Wearing a party hat? I've been in almost no conceivable human situation, come to think of it."

haha

[JohnXDoe]

Reading the quotes you included from Morrissey make his lyrics all the more interesting. He seems to be a funny, witty guy all around. A bit eccentric, perhaps. Which of course is well known of him. But if you consider how seriously people took The Smiths at the time and perhaps even still, and how flippant he could be, it's just kind of halarious. I like this one especially:

"Morrissey in February 1984: "We have an album released on 20th February and I really do expect the highest critical praise for it. It's a very, very good album. It is a signal post in music."

Talk about confident!

[morrissey]

Originally Posted by JohnXDoe

Reading the quotes you included from Morrissey make his lyrics all the more interesting. He seems to be a funny, witty guy all around. A bit eccentric, perhaps. Which of course is well known of him. But if you consider how seriously people took The Smiths at the time and perhaps even still, and how flippant he could be, it's just kind of halarious. I like this one especially:

"Morrissey in February 1984: "We have an album released on 20th February and I really do expect the highest critical praise for it. It's a very, very good album. It is a signal post in music."

Talk about confident!

Haha yeah he's really full of himself, but also completely unserious, so it makes for good reading. This is sort of what I was getting at in parts of the FA, his personality in the interviews brought tons of attention to the band.

[JohnXDoe]

Originally Posted by morrissey

Haha yeah he's really full of himself, but also completely unserious, so it makes for good reading. This is sort of what I was getting at in parts of the FA, his personality in the interviews brought tons of attention to the band.

Yes, and while his overstatments and cocky ramblings may of caused some to raise their eyebrows, no doubt that when they heard a Smiths record they could match that voice to his persona and come away with a better understanding to what The Smiths were all about. I've always found Morrissey's lyrics to be somewhat exactly as he is. There is no disconnect. At least to my mind. And that connection helps me to embrace the band on a higher level than some others.

[morrissey]

Originally Posted by JohnXDoe

Yes, and while his overstatments and cocky ramblings may of caused some to raise their eyebrows, no doubt that when they heard a Smiths record they could match that voice to his persona and come away with a better understanding to what The Smiths were all about. I've always found Morriseys lyrics to be somewhat exactly as he is. There is no disconnect. At least to my mind. And that connection helps me to embrace the band on a higher level than some others.

Oh I agree completely. If you're willing to listen, the lyrics were probably the best part of the band - and they had a lot of good parts.

Unfortunately in his solo career he seems unable to differentiate between good and bad lyrics, or maybe he just didn't care. But back then, you could tell his lyrics actually meant something.

[Dave de Sylvia]

I won't pretend that I read past the introduction, but I guarantee that I will later today. I look forward to it.

[JohnXDoe]

Originally Posted by morrissey

Oh I agree completely. If you're willing to listen, the lyrics were probably the best part of the band - and they had a lot of good parts.

Unfortunately in his solo career he seems unable to differentiate between good and bad lyrics, or maybe he just didn't care. But back then, you could tell his lyrics actually meant something.

Perhaps their really is something to be said of chemistry in a band and that is where he has fallen off his game a bit. Or perhaps without The Smiths he simply lost the vehicle that allowed him to be more forthcoming. When I used to play in bands I could just sink into the background and play bass. I don't think I would enjoy it out front as the singer. I think I would close up a bit. And although Morrissey was the singer in The Smiths, he was still a smaller part of a bigger something. Now it's just him. And perhaps that inhibits him. Especially if he's as shy as claimed to be. Despite his big mouth.