The Smiths Band • Page 8

Is Lana Del Rey the American Morrissey? | Pitchfork

 

I read the headline and my head exploded and then I tried to read the article but hard with an exploded head

 

I'm afraid to even click the link to read the story..... Can <anyone> be another Morrissey.... Does someone actually <WANT> to be one...?

 

as much as I love Lana yeah thats quite the stretch and a very odd comparison

 

American Morrissey is def Kanye and I mean this lovingly and tenderly

 

King

 

I've liked How Soon Is Now? and Stop Me.. for quite some time but I've never really dove into their discography. Was looking at some greatest albums lists and decided to give The Queen Is Dead a try and it's fantastic! Love the title track and of course Bigmouth Strikes Again. Continuing to get into their other stuff and will report back with a top 10.

 

The Queen is fantastic. LOVE Strangeways, their swan song. Later period is my fave.

 

This actually works in this thread very well if you imagine it in Morrissey’s singing voice.

 

He would complain about it much more douchey probably

 

lastnightidreamtthatsomebodylovedme

 

The Smiths were obviously brilliant, but I'd always said there's not a Smiths album I love all the way through - I think lots of people find there's a few duff tracks on each one, probably one of the reasons the compilation albums are held in such high regard. But The Queen Is Dead is the closest for me, and I just found out what the b-sides were from that era via the Spotify 2017 deluxe edition/remaster - man, what could've been! Imagine a tracklist like this:

The Queen Is Dead
Cemetry Gates
Frankly, Mr. Shankly
Bigmouth Strikes Again
I Know It's Over
Some Girls are Bigger Than Others
The Both With a Thorn in His Side
There is a Light That Never Goes Out
Rubber Ring
Asleep

Just perfect front to back (other opinions are valid obvs)

 

Ditched Never Had No One Ever and Vicar in a Tutu, two incredible songs and added Rubber Ring? Nah.

It's funny The Smiths are one of the few bands where they don't have a single song on any of their studio albums that I don't love whereas I find the compilation albums and a lot of b-sides shaky in comparison. Of course they have some incredible b-sides too like Asleep but I find all of those work better separately than they would on any of their albums.

 

Got a top 10 yet? Mine's pretty normie but I've got a playlist of about 30 songs where I could swap any out and the quality wouldn't dip. If I had to give it a go right now:

1. There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
2. I Know It's Over
3. Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want
4. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
5. Ask
6. The Queen Is Dead
7. Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me
8. How Soon Is Now?
9. Half A Person
10. Asleep

 

That's good to hear - I knew not everyone would feel the same way! When I think about it, Meat Is Murder is probably the album where the songs are elevated by listening to them as a collective, rather than just playing the individual songs.

Tbh I can't help but group Rubber Ring and Asleep together, just heard them like that too often. It even makes sense to me thematically, as the narrator in Rubber Ring is almost saying goodbye while contemplating the arrested development that artists are prey to in comparison to their fans, no matter how much they loved the songs (Asleep's also a farewell, if in a more final, morbid way).

I kind of like Never Had No One Ever, but it feels to me like I've heard the whole song before the halfway point, then it really drags coming after I Know It's Over, And I've never really got Vicar in a Tutu, or rockabilly Smiths/Morrissey in general - maybe Rusholme Ruffians at a push?

 

1. Asleep
2. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
3. I Know It's Over
4. Miserable Lie
5. There is a Light That Never Goes Out
6. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
7. Hand in Glove
8. Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want
9. Cemetery Gates
10. Still Ill

I feel like this is one of the few bands I really love where I don't have a super clear top 10. The top 4 is probably the most stable.

 

I came to the conclusion recently that Strangeways is mad underrated

 

Oh yeah! I made a playlist of my favorites and this is a rough top 10 from those that I still listen to often.

1. How Soon Is Now?
2. Bigmouth Strikes Again
3. The Queen Is Dead
4. Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before
5. The Headmaster Ritual
6. London
7. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
8. Rubber Ring
9. This Charming Man
10. Barbarism Begins At Home

 

There’s some great songs but I feel it loses steam after Last Night I Dreamt.

Although I Won’t Share You is quite pretty.

 

1. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
2. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
3. Still Ill
4. Frankly Mr. Shankly
5. You've Got Everything Now
6. Reel Around The Fountain
7. What She Said
8. Nowhere Fast
9. Shoplifters Of The World Unite
10. Panic

 

Strangeways is incredible but I find it's the one album that I have to be in the mood for. The other 3 I can just put on whenever.

 

I haven't really been able to listen to this band for a while but Strangeways was always my favorite

 

What