Throwback Thursday: The Smiths

For this week's Throwback, we would like to revisit a band that has spent the past decade in a court, rather than on a stage. In the early 80's, a band called The Smiths formed in Manchester, England. Led by the witty persona known as Morrissey and the stellar guitar playing of Johnny Marr, they took the world by storm. It was a volatile partnership that lasted a mere five years, ending in 1987. While they had a short career, their legacy is unbelievable. The number of current bands that are influenced by bands that were influenced by The Smiths, is amazing.

They have been out of circulation for years and have no chance of reforming, yet several band members have carried on. Morrissey started a solo career shortly after the break up. While it may have cooled in the late 90's, he has been back with a lot of success in the past few years. Johnny Marr seems to have collaborated with everyone over the last twenty years and recently became a member of Modest Mouse. Bass player Andy Rourke is having a successful career as a DJ.

My personal relationship with their music began in the early 90's. Mike's older brother passed down some tapes and after Mike wore them out, he passed some copies on to me. Based on our long love for this group, picking the songs for this proved quite difficult. We both said that we could easily revisit them in the future and include an entirely different set of songs. In some cases, we pulled song titles out of a hat. It is astonishing how many good songs they wrote in such a short time. We will leave you with a few of them.

The Smiths (1984)
Miserable Lie
This Charming Man

Meat Is Murder (1985)
That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
Nowhere Fast

The Queen Is Dead (1986)
I Know It's Over
Cemetry Gates

Louder Than Bombs (1987)
Shoplifters of the World Unite
Half a Person
Ask
Unlovable

Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)
A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours
Paint a Vulgar Picture

A friend asked me to post this song for her:
Bigmouth Strikes Again

While I was working on this, I found a great site that has a lot of free bootlegs of The Smiths. Here is one from Irvine Meadows Amphitheater in Laguna Hills, CA that was recorded on August 28, 1986. Based on a quick browse, I thought that it was the best quality.

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
Still Ill
I Want The One I Can´t Have
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
How Soon Is Now?
Frankly Mr. Shankly
Panic
Stretch Out And Wait
The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
Is It Really So Strange?
Cemetry Gates
Never Had No One Ever
Rubber Ring/What She Said
That Joke Isn´t Funny Anymore
Heaven Knows I´m Miserable Now
The Queen Is Dead
Money Changes Everything
I Know It´s Over


Past Throwbacks:
09/21/06: A Tribe Called Quest
09/14/06: R.E.M.
09/07/06: The Cure
08/31/06: Morphine
08/24/06: The Lemonheads
08/17/06: Depeche Mode
08/10/06: New Order

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