The Smiths

[WAB]

Were the greatest band ever. Or perhaps, since the Kinks, like that guy in Oasis said.

The older this music gets, the better it sounds.

Anyone who disagrees with me will be shot.

I wanted to link to my fave Smith's song, "Hand in Glove", but I saw this and now this is my fave Smiths song. This is actually the first Smith's song I ever heard. I bought Strangeways, Here We Come on cassette, in a mark-down bin, in the early ninetees. I was expecting to be bored with it, but I was stunned by how good it was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SckD99B51IA

I used to know how to put the video in the actual thread, but I can't do it now.

Johnny Marr is one of the best guitar player/composers ever to pick the thing up. Anyone who disagrees with me will be shot, but first tied down naked on a bed of putrefied bacon grease and forced to watch an entire Miley Cyrus video.

Morrissey was one of England's best poets. Anyone who disagrees with me will be given a copy of Bob Dylan's book of poems, Tarantula, which I own, and which is one of the few books of poetry I found totally unreadable, though I love Dylan's lyrics, where he really shines as a poet. After you are forced to read the whole book, you'll be shot.

The bass player & drummer were one of the best rhythm units going.

This interview is great (Noel Gallagher on the Smiths):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1MsuoNJQ3U

Anyone disagreeing with Noel will be shot.

 

[Ford]

At the risk of being shot...

The Smiths were great because of their unique combination...happy music with depressing lyrics.

My favorite song of theirs is "Panic." As a former radio DJ, I love the lyric "hang the DJ."

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

No way. The band Yes really helped to stabilize and propel an entire genre of music that has steadily pissed off music critics for decades. And if music critics are pissed off, the music probably has some value to it.

 

[TSwizzle]

Keep your powder dry fella, The Smiths were a fantastic band at the time and Morrisey is brilliant. Their music has stood the test of time and is every bit as good now as it was then. The early 80s produced some phenomenal sounds, probably the last time anything innovative happened in music.

There are so many good Smiths songs it's hard to pick out a favorite but I hear this one on the radio a lot;

 

[WAB]

No way. The band Yes really helped to stabilize and propel an entire genre of music that has steadily pissed off music critics for decades. And if music critics are pissed off, the music probably has some value to it.

At the risk of getting into a long argument: I absolutely love Yes, and I'm a huge fan of prog rock in general, from Genesis and Tull through some of the modern bands, though they can be awfully derivative, like Marillion - who to me sound too much like Genesis.

However, I don't think of Yes as a rock band so much as a rock-based band that made what I'd call something akin to classical music on rock instruments.

The Smiths were not the kind of virtuosos you find in many progressive bands, but what they did, they did better than anyone else, IMO.

I don't listen to the Smiths very often, but when I do, nothing else compares to them. I get the same way when I listen to some of the old Clash albums.

***

It's okay, TSwizzle, I don't own a gun, and in fact despise guns. I was planning on shooting with a water pistol.

 

[another1]

"First of the Gang to Die" from his album You are the Quarry. That one gets my vote. Such cool. How Soon is Now (long version) is one of the best songs of all time. Hey why do people think Morrissey is sad music? I never picked up any sad vibes from the Smiths or Morrissey.

 

[WAB]

"First of the Gang to Die" from his album You are the Quarry. That one gets my vote. Such cool. How Soon is Now (long version) is one of the best songs of all time. Hey why do people think Morrissey is sad music? I never picked up any sad vibes from the Smiths or Morrissey.

Ford said it real well:

The Smiths were great because of their unique combination...happy music with depressing lyrics." - Ford

The music of the Smiths is extremely uplifting and happy, for the most part, though there are dark spots. I found the music to be so energetic and stridently joyous that I sometimes ignored the lyrics. Once I tuned into Morrissey, I began to appreciate the band even more.

I don't want to write a huge essay, but I could, since I'm so passionate about this band. But just as some examples of what Ford is talking about, how about "Unhappy Birthday", on the Strangeways, Here We Come album. The music is upbeat, but the lyrics are dreadfully dark:


Unhappy Birthday

I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday
I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday
'Cause you're evil
And you lie
And if you should die
I may feel slightly sad
(But I won't cry)

Loved and lost
And some may say
When usually it's Nothing
Surely you're happy
It should be this way ?
I say "No, I'm gonna kill my dog"
And : "May the lines sag, may the lines sag heavy and deep tonight"

I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday
I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday
'Cause you're evil
And you lie
And if you should die
I may feel slightly sad
(But I won't cry)

Loved and lost
And some may say
When usually it's Nothing
Surely you're happy
It should be this way ?
I said "No"
And then I shot myself
So, drink, drink, drink
And be ill tonight

From the one you left behind
From the one you left behind
From the one you left behind
From the one you left behind...

etc...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I28iqDx1b3A

***

Another in the same vein, from the same album, "Girlfriend in a Coma" - the guitar line is remarkably happy for such lyrics - which to my mind is black humor at its finest.

Girlfriend in a Coma

Girlfriend in a coma, I know
I know, it's serious
Girlfriend in a coma, I know
I know, it's really serious

There were times when I could
Have murdered her
But you know, I would hate
Anything to happen to her

No, I don't want to see her

Do you really think
She'll pull through
Do you really think
She'll pull through
Do

Girlfriend in a coma, I know
I know, it's serious
My, my, my, my, my, my baby, goodbye

There were times when I could
Have strangled her
But you know, I would hate
Anything to happen to her
Would you please
Let me see her

Do you really think
She'll pull through
Do you really think
She'll pull through
Do
Let me whisper my last goodbyes

I know, it's serious

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy8mEOhSk0s

***

"Still Ill", from their debut album, has some of Johnny Marr's best playing. It's wonderfully melodic and beautifully uplifting (I will be mystified if anyone can listen to it and not feel its joyousness!) - but Morrissey's lyrics aren't exactly joyous. They are, but they aren't. What do you think?:

Still Ill

I decree today that life
Is simply taking and not giving
England is mine - it owes me a living
But ask me why, and I'll spit in your eye
Oh, ask me why, and I'll spit in your eye
But we cannot cling to the old dreams anymore
No, we cannot cling to those dreams

Does the body rule the mind
Or does the mind rule the body?
I dunno

Under the iron bridge we kissed
And although I ended up with sore lips
It just wasn't like the old days anymore
No, it wasn't like those days
Am I still ill?
Oh
Am I still ill?
Oh

Does the body rule the mind
Or does the mind rule the body?
I dunno

Ask me why, and I'll die
Oh, ask me why, and I'll die
And if you must, go to work - tomorrow
Well, if I were you I wouldn't bother
For there are brighter sides to life
And I should know, because I've seen them
But not very often
Under the iron bridge we kissed
And although I ended up with sore lips
It just wasn't like the old days anymore
No, it wasn't like those days
Am I still ill?
Oh
Oh, am I still ill?
Oh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWvG-QZNsJk

***

How about "The Headmaster Ritual" from their 2nd album, Meat is Murder. Another brilliantly upbeat guitar melody, matched with lyrics about bullies and brutality:

The Headmaster Ritual

Belligerent ghouls
Run Manchester schools

Spineless swines
Cemented minds

Sir leads the troops
Jealous of youth
Same old suit since nineteen sixty two

He does the military two-step down
The nape of my neck

I want to go home
I don't want to stay
Give up education
As a bad mistake

Mid-week on the playing fields
Sir thwacks you on the knees

Knees you in the groin
Elbow in the face
Bruises bigger than dinner plates

I want to go home
I don't want to stay

Da-da-da...etc

Belligerent ghouls
Run Manchester schools

Spineless bastards all

Sir leads the troops
Jealous of youth
Same old jokes since nineteen- oh- two

He does the military two-step down
The nape of my neck

I want to go home
I don't want to stay
Give up life
As a bad mistake

Please excuse me from gym
I've got this terrible cold coming on
He grabs and devours
He kicks me in the showers
Kicks me in the showers
And he grabs and devours

I want to go home
I don't want to stay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDdbGQp7dwg

**


There are many more examples, of course.

But the more I look over their catalog, and the more I remember the albums, there were quite a few slower, minor-key songs where the tone of the music complemented, rather than contradicted, the words. Like "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore", "I Don't Owe You Anything", and one of their most heart-wrenching songs, "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WCnl1VTEeg

Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me

Last night I dreamt
That somebody loved me
No hope, no harm
Just another false alarm

Last night I felt
Real arms around me
No hope, no harm
Just another false alarm

So, tell me how long
Before the last one?
And tell me how long
Before the right one?

The story is old - I know
But it goes on
The story is old - I know
But it goes on

Oh, goes on
And on
Oh, goes on
And on

 

[another1]

I've heard all of his work. I think those lyrics are funny. Especially the birthday song and the girlfriend song.

Do you think his version of Moon River sounds happy, sad, relaxed, or what? I think it is pretty mellow but My ex cried when it played. Go figure.

I always thought he was just kinda catchy and comical, like Frank Black. Same deal there. Same kind of artist, huh. Frank is phenomenally good at writing songs. Better than Morrissey in my opinion. Frank's net is 5mill and Morrissey is worth 50mill. Whaaaat?

 

[WAB]

I've heard all of his work. I think those lyrics are funny. Especially the birthday song and the girlfriend song.

Do you think his version of Moon River sounds happy, sad, relaxed, or what? I think it is pretty mellow but My ex cried when it played. Go figure.

I always thought he was just kinda catchy and comical, like Frank Black. Same deal there. Same kind of artist, huh. Frank is phenomenally good at writing songs. Better than Morrissey in my opinion. Frank's net is 5mill and Morrissey is worth 50mill. Whaaaat?

Yes, the lyrics are funny, but it's black humor. It's not funny the way Weird Al's parodies are funny, if that makes any sense? There's intentional darkness there.

I had one album by the Pixies, also bought cheap, on cassette, but I didn't warm up to it. Not my cuppa.

I think Morrissey's worth his 50mil. He's reached so many people - like me - who've had it rough in the romance department. Some people just don't know how to go about it. And it causes a great deal of pain.

I should listen to more Frank Black, to get a better grip on his work. What do you recommend I start with?


**Oops: I haven't heard Morrissey's Moon River. I'll check it out after a sh and sh.

...[time passes....

 

[another1]

Morrissey is pure quality. You know you're dealing with quality when you put Morrissey on. Frank has had a few very bad albums. Can't say I know of any bad Smiths/Morrissey SONGS, much less albums.

You have never been in love,
Until you've seen sunlight thrown
Over smashed human bones

Quality. Can't get that from these posers making music today. And that is just a shower murmur to Morrissey. Those aren't even good lyrics. Just sayin, he's funny in a way. Loose enough themes to apply to anything ya know. Those aren't love lyrics. Not sad either. He's a genius Morrissey is. I thought he'd died for a sec and we were remembering him lol. That would suck.

As for Frank, Teenager of the Year is a very good one but it has to be taken as a whole. There are a lot of short songs and the album is a ride. The orange album is better for stand-alone songs. "Calistan" would be my fav song of his, but like Smiths, it is hard to have one favorite. Same kind of black humor with Frank actually. I wonder if they ever collaborated. We'd probably know it if they had. Probably not.

 

[WAB]

19 seconds in to a live version of Morrissey's Moon River I clicked first, I was already swooning in my noggin. I clicked the studio version and about 19 seconds in I'm swooning again.

What a talent. Who's Tom Jones? lol.

(I like Tom Jones).

Will listen to some Frank Black you suggest later on. Maybe with some Rumple Minze. In which case I might have to respond in the "don't post unless you're drunk" thread!

 

[ideologyhunter]

I was in a record store last fall (yes, Ohio still has a few) and heard Morrissey on their sound system. I had no idea who I was listening to, but as I went aisle for aisle through the store, I was drawn into these dense, word-heavy songs with a sort of minimalist rock backing. And what I could make out of the lyrics was a Lou Reed sort of detached irony -- catchy and droll. I went up to the counter and said, 'Who is this you're playing?' and the clerk held up a copy of Louder Than Bombs, which I bought. I'm still a newbie, and in fact, I haven't yet heard the whole CD, because I get caught up in the opening tracks and don't want to absorb it all at once. Track 1, Is It Really So Strange, is a good example of their effortless cool. BTW, anyone who loves Morrissey's approach should check out Chris Smither, although this will point you farther toward the folk end of music. Another essential writer and singer. I recommend his live CD and Leave the Light On.