Truckstop Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 Never sat down and listened to them/him. A lot of my friends like them/him and think that I too would enjoy given that I like a lot of northern bands. Where should I start? Quote
BigRedX Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 Not really a fan myself - apart from "How Soon Is Now" which is a fantastic song IMO. What I do with a band that has a back catalogue like The Smiths is to start with their Singles/Best of Compilation and work from there. Quote
YouMa Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 The standard of playing in fantastic.Bearing in mind Andy Rourke was on Heroin at the time,dont know how he did it. Quote
Kirky Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 Singles first. Rank (the live album) is pretty impressive. Quote
Clarebear68 Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1466504784' post='3076259'] What I do with a band that has a back catalogue like The Smiths is to start with their Singles/Best of Compilation and work from there. [/quote] +1... Then maybe try The Queen is Dead album ... it's probably the most accessible apart from the the 2nd half of the debut album. The same if you're want to get into Morrissey's solo stuff as well ... Go for the greatest hits then either the Vauxhall and I or Viva Hate albums. Quote
toneknob Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 There are quite a few Smiths singles that don't appear on their regular albums, so you may miss out on some top tracks by sticking to Best Ofs or Greatest Hits etc. Having said that I can't think of any decent examples right now so I'm hoping someone who knows what they're talking about will be along soon to help me out here. Quote
EliasMooseblaster Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 [quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1466506212' post='3076276'] The Queen Is Dead is a smashing album. [/quote] Probably their most consistent album - at least from the ones I've heard - and very accessible. Wasn't it [i]Strangeways [/i]that the band themselves thought was their best? Quote
toneknob Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 (edited) [quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1466509966' post='3076320'] Probably their most consistent album - at least from the ones I've heard - and very accessible. Wasn't it [i]Strangeways [/i]that the band themselves thought was their best? [/quote] Wikipedia says 'Morrissey and Marr feel the album is the band's best, with Morrissey asserting that, "We say it quite often. At the same time. In our sleep. But in different beds"' I can't remember which is my favourite, but thanks to this thread I'll give them a listen again with fresh ears after a few years away. Edited June 21, 2016 by toneknob Quote
wateroftyne Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 I can forgive The Smiths for everything because of How Soon Is Now? Fantastic tune. Quote
Musicman20 Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 Marr is still one of my favourite guitar players. No fuss, no mad solos, just very unique and melodic. Quote
dlloyd Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 For me, a self-confessed fanboy, I would recommend Hatful of Hollow. It's technically a compilation of singles and Peel sessions, but I think it captures them at their absolute best. Couple it with The World won't listen and you've got an excellent representation of their best material right up to Strangeways. They were incredibly consistent live. I have more than 40 live bootleg recordings of them and they were spot on every night. Rank, their official live album was pretty good. Quote
BrunoBass Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 +1 for Hatful of Hollow, as per above. Andy Rourke was a great bass player too. I was never really a fan of his sound but his lines are consistently inventive and melodic. Quote
HowieBass Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 I've always put 'Shoplifters of the World Unite' up there with 'How Soon is Now?' - both having a similar vibe for me (and I've great memories of listening to my personal Smiths mixtape on headphones whilst crossing the Oakland Bay Bridge on holiday back in the 80s). Quote
RickyV Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 Another +1 for Hatful of Hollow as a great starting point. Much closer to the raw live sound of The Smiths than the sanitised overproduced debut album. The Queen is Dead and Meat is Murder are both great too. Enjoy. Quote
Zenitram Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 They always annoyed me for some reason, due no doubt to a stupid sneering teenage disdain on my part for things that other people liked, but I taped this off John Peel and always thought it was flippin' ace, the lyrics and energy and everything. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIaHNUfajcQ Quote
PaulWarning Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 [quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1466520608' post='3076459'] They always annoyed me for some reason, due no doubt to a stupid sneering teenage disdain on my part for things that other people liked, but I taped this off John Peel and always thought it was flippin' ace, the lyrics and energy and everything. [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIaHNUfajcQ"]https://www.youtube....h?v=kIaHNUfajcQ[/url] [/quote]I could never get into the Smiths, not heard that track before, you're right it's very good, maybe I should give them another go, I do like some of Morrisey's solo stuff, always thought was singing more on that and not just wailing Quote
lojo Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 There is a light, wonderful bass line and fairly uplifting music (not the lyrics) Quote
SpondonBassed Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 "Some girls are bigger than others" and "Girlfriend in a coma, oh no". They made me smile but generally I enjoy the band more than Morrissey himself so I never collected Smiths stuff. Quote
Dazed Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 The one with a bicycle in the lyrics.... Never a fan at the time, far from it but they have grown on me over the years. Quote
GarethFlatlands Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 Spent years not listening to them because I couldn't stand Moz but got a best of in recent years and really enjoy it. Not enough to become an obsessive collector but they had some great tunes. I got The Sound of the Smiths off Amazon, 23 songs which I guess is as good a place as any to start, should give you a good flavour of them and they're something you'd be interested in. Quote
Rich Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 Morrissey always has and always will get right on my tits, can't stand the bloke. I used to let this colour my opinion of the whole band and their songs, but thankfully I've outgrown that and can really appreciate their stuff now. Although I still listen to it despite Moz rather than because of him Quote
The-Ox Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 they're fantastic, its a shame these bloody hipsters have tarred their rep somewhat by claiming to be fans - although I guess most of basschat wouldn't have noticed that Quote
Wonky2 Posted June 21, 2016 Posted June 21, 2016 I can't help it, I've always had a love for the smiths... Am I still ill ? Is s great track. Morrisey and Marr were absolute vile to the rhythm section boys, really, quite vile. Still, based on their music, not their ethics, fantastic. Quote
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