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The wife has a playlist of The Smiths going in the other room, and it got me wondering - what's STW's favourite Smiths song?
Is it 'There Is a Light', perhaps 'Hand in Glove', or maybe something leftfield like 'Vicar in a Tutu'?
How Soon is Now for me.
The one that ends the quickest.
I should add that I struggle a bit with them now, because, as monumental racist bellends go, well, Morrissey.
How Soon is Now.
Stop Me If You Think That You’ve Heard This One Before.
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.
Played in that order. Find versions with Marr singing if you can’t stomach hearing Morrissey ever again (I can’t blame you at all if that’s the case).
Stop Me If You Think That You’ve Heard This One Before.
+1
There is a light...
Half a person
Still Ill
Reel around the fountain
May as well ask what's your favourite Garry Glitter song.
Whilst I may have liked the smiths in the past, wouldn't listen to any of their music now, less it put more money into the pocket of a utterly reprehensible human being.
or the B-side to This Charming Man; 'Jeane'
Edit: ha! Beaten by Kelvin and theotherjonv. Maar sings it really well, perhaps not a distinctive enough voice to have made it a hit in the first place but when you know the song his version works very well.
How soon is now for me I'd say.
Whilst I may have liked the smiths in the past, wouldn’t listen to any of their music now, less it put more money into the pocket of a utterly reprehensible human being.
I should add that I struggle a bit with them now, because, as monumental racist bellends go, well, Morrissey.
OK, so I might need some education here. I'm well aware of his very leftist views (even by STW standards) but what have I missed that takes him from slightly further left than average to utterly reprehensible?
As an aside, Girlfriend in a Coma is a highlight for me and I'd also go obvious and say Bigmouth Strikes Again.
What Difference does it Make
Largely due to Johnny Marr's playing. The best word I can think of to describe it on that track is threatening.
OK, so I might need some education here. I’m well aware of his very leftist views (even by STW standards) but what have I missed that takes him from slightly further left than average to utterly reprehensible?
He's a bit of a prick but that doesn't mean you can't still enjoy the music.
Leftist? Sorry to break it to you, but it's quite the other way he's gone.
Open support for some far right groups - never quite sure if its trolling gone too far but there's been too many incidents for it to be coincidence.
From a bloke that was once so anti-thatcher, all a bit strange.
May as well ask what’s your favourite Garry Glitter song.
Get a grip.
‘There is a Light’ for me. Perhaps followed by ‘This Charming Man’, ‘Please, please, please’ and ‘The boy with a thorn’.
Is this a trick question?
None of them really
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out is the stand out but love most of them since I saw them when I was a teen.
The Smiths were more than that right wing melt Morrissey.
@theotherjonv that was an interesting read, but I'm trying to reconcile what is accepted as his deep-seated commitment to free-speech against the opinion pieces touting him as a racist etc.
I don't think I've read anything yet where he's actually 'saying' something racist? His support of Tommy Robinson et al (while definitely NOT something I share) seemed to be from a free-speech perspective as opposed to an endorsement of his views?
What Difference or Suffer Little Children.
Best to play on bass - Barbarism Begins (standard tuning for me though, unlike AR)
Oscilate Wildly
because of no vocals?
The Headmaster Ritual or Ask.
It's difficult to know, there's always been ambiguity, in his sexuality/celibacy for example, and I can see an argument could be made that he's making a case for free speech - but if you were to choose a hill to die on making a point, I wouldn't choose wearing the insignia of an organisation that Farage thinks is Nazi friendly to be that rallying point.
OTOH; to reject the Smiths is to reject the genius of the other three, and not something I can do any more than I can not be stirred by Ride of the Valkyries, or stand open mouthed looking at Guernica.
Not necessarily my fave song but i think the lyric from I know it’s over;
‘It’s so easy to laugh, it’s so easy to hate, it takes guts to be gentle and kind..’
Is profoundly beautiful, seems deeply incongruent with some of his rhetoric subsequently unfortunately!!
What about Hand in Glove with Sandie Shaw singing? That should solve the Morrissey issue!
From a bloke that was once so anti-thatcher, all a bit strange.
Is it really so?
Or Jeane with Sandie on vocals (although Morrissey does do backing)
because of no vocals?
Oscillate Wildly has always been my favourite Smiths track. Delicate hopelessness gives way to exuberance, then some melancholic wistfulness, then slightly more triumphant, then a breakdown that feels like it’s going nowhere… and it doesn’t… and you’re left wanting more. All that without words. But it’s not a song, otherwise I’d have also gone straight for it.
Anyway, that reminds me of another song. I might be changing my plea to You Just Haven’t Heard it Yet Baby… overly simple, but so so catchy.
If you can still cope with Morrissey’s voice… get The World Won’t Listen… a reminder that compilations can be real albums.
I think Strangeways is very underated too....
Last night I dreamt.......
and I won't share you are both favourites as well.
and in later years, Paint a Vulgar Picture but at the time I was that kid justifying the record company's decision to reissue the Double-pack with a photograph, Extra track (and a tacky badge)
I Know it’s Over.
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me.
Reel Around the Fountain.
How soon is now is probably my favourite, and I rather like the cover of it by t.A.t.U.
Yes, Moz has expressed views that I thoroughly dislike, but he’s NOT a convicted paedofile.
Last Night I Dreamt… is right up there. The music on that final album is beautiful. I’d take an instrumental version of that to my desert island.
We’ve got this big Raid71 silk screen print up in the front room which is by far the best Smiths track
I went to the Jonny Marr gig at the deaf institute where he was trying out material for his first solo album and he played it for apparently the first time since the Smiths split up. It was emotional 😢
I do also love the daft stuff like Frankly Mr Shankley and You Just Haven’t Earned it Yet, Baby
I went to the Jonny Marr gig at the deaf institute where he was trying out material for his first solo album and he played it for apparently the first time since the Smiths split up. It was emotional
convoluted tale but wife's friend (singer in a covers band) married a recording studio producer / engineer, and among the evening invites were some of his musician friends, including Boz of The Polecats and also for sometime Morrissey guitarist.
For years they wouldn't play Smiths songs, but they frequently would propose to include them in the set including HSIN to which Morrissey's stock answer was always 'How Soon is Never?'
And then one day instead of saying no, he queried if they really wanted to, to which the answer was of course yes. 'OK, we'll open with it....'
....to walk on stage at the start of the show and play that opening riff must be equally amazing
Best guitar riff ever written
All of 'em?
Personal favourites not mentioned, That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore, The Queen Is Dead (hence the user name) and Headmaster Ritual.
But, come on, there aren't any real duffers.
Cemetery Gates
Still ill or Sheila take a Bow for me
Best guitar riff ever written
We may agree about hair clippers and toastie machines but that's clearly horseshit 😂
Off the top of my head... Waterfall.
Personally I don't like the smiths because of Morrissey, I hate his singing. On top of that he's a raging bellend. It's a shame because there good music behind his crappy fronting.
It's not really my era though, to young. I can see how they could have a cut a place in history being a bit more emotional and thoughtful than their contemporaries.
It was very much my era, I was 15 when they started, had Meat is Murder and The Queen is Dead posters in my bedroom, bought all their music and played it all the time. While Morrissey was very polarising at the time he was someone I could understand and liked. Sadly can't say that today.
My second favourite group after The Fall
How soon is now.
If you want to enjoy the good bit without morrisey ,you can have this..