17 replies to this topic

[Mister Pink]

I used to dislike The Smiths mainly because they were the soundtrack of a time and place and someone I didn't like. Then during that bad time my old boss used to play Morrissey and The Smiths when were were on our way to shoot some weddings. It made me dislike them a lot even though I knew they were good.

Ever since I was young, I loved How Soon Is Now. That songs is just beautiful. I love the production on it. The kind of synth bit that is reminiscent of Depeche Mode's Black Celebration work. It sort of set a sound for many British rock bands that came out in the 90's.

The lyrics...

"I am the son, and the heir, of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir, of nothing in particular"

Are just amazing. So clever.



Been listening to Suedehead as well...



And the hilarious...



So I just go my first album..The Queen Is Dead. What album do you guys recommend from The Smiths or Morrissey? I remember a track Irish Blood, English Heart by Morrissey. It was in FIFA 2003 or something. Brilliant.

[King Mystery]

I've been big into The Smiths lately too. Originally the length of How Soon is Now? was off-putting, so I never really listened to any of their other songs. But I listened to it for the first time in a while recently, and completely forgot how good it was. It probably has to be one of my favorites, but they have loads of other great songs. Morrissey's vocals are mesmerizing.

[TheGreatGig23]

I disliked The Smiths for a long, long time. My friend would always try and push them on me and this would only make me dislike them more. In the interest of being fair and actually having something to discuss, I gave the above songs a listen.

I'm pleasantly surprised at what I heard. Nowhere near what I assumed they'd sound like. Forgive me if this causes Smiths fans any discomfort, it's not a bad thing, but they remind me of The Cure. They have that very distinct 80's alternative/indie pop sound going on and, in all honesty, I'm a right sucker for that.

"How Soon Is Now?" is a heavier than I expected. A very gorgeous and momentum driven song with, dare I say it, even a little British feel on the whole thing. I think the length is perfect (I listen to a lot of Pink Floyd and Tool so 6+ minutes is nothing) and ends right at the point it needs to. I really, really enjoyed that one.

Apparently "I'm So Sorry" is actually a song by Morrisey called "Suadehead". As you mentioned, "Irish Blood, English Heart" is an excellent song (so is "First In The Gang To Die", if you haven't heard it) and it seems that Morrisey is just as capable on his own. Nevertheless, I loved it. As was previously said, his vocals are mesmerizing and just outstanding. I love the fast-pace feel to the song clashing against his slow, dramatic vocals. Sounds lovely.

Unfortunately, "Girlfriend In A Coma" didn't really do much for me. It's not bad, but it's not as good as the other two examples. The lyrics were rather amusing though.

I'll listen to more of their stuff tonight and some more tomorrow and come back and share my findings.

[JOSEPH X]

Honestly I haven't got the words to describe this band. I spent many a teenage night listening to songs that just described the world around me and my place in it so perfectly. Some say it's doom and gloom but they could take you down a path lyrically and musically, then surprise you and make you laugh.

[Vanilla Shake]

QUOTE (TheGreatGig23 @ Tuesday, Feb 19 2013, 19:19)

"How Soon Is Now?" is a heavier than I expected. A very gorgeous and momentum driven song with, dare I say it, even a little British feel on the whole thing. I think the length is perfect (I listen to a lot of Pink Floyd and Tool so 6+ minutes is nothing) and ends right at the point it needs to. I really, really enjoyed that one.

Precisely. Listening to Pink Floyd so much has basically desensitized me to lengthy track times.

Anyway, How Soon Is Now? was the first song I ever heard by The Smiths. If I remember correctly I first heard it in The Wedding Singer when I was a young lad. Some years later I heard it again so I downloaded it but never gave any second thought into looking into their catalog. Then I saw 500 Days of Summer which exposed me to a couple more songs by them and I decided to check them out. While I'm not a huge fan or anything like that, I do enjoy a bunch of their tunes.

My other favorite Smiths song:

[Mister Pink]

QUOTE (TheGreatGig23 @ Wednesday, Feb 20 2013, 01:19)

I disliked The Smiths for a long, long time. My friend would always try and push them on me and this would only make me dislike them more. In the interest of being fair and actually having something to discuss, I gave the above songs a listen. I'm pleasantly surprised at what I heard. Nowhere near what I assumed they'd sound like. Forgive me if this causes Smiths fans any discomfort, it's not a bad thing, but they remind me of The Cure. They have that very distinct 80's alternative/indie pop sound going on and, in all honesty, I'm a right sucker for that. "How Soon Is Now?" is a heavier than I expected. A very gorgeous and momentum driven song with, dare I say it, even a little British feel on the whole thing. I think the length is perfect (I listen to a lot of Pink Floyd and Tool so 6+ minutes is nothing) and ends right at the point it needs to. I really, really enjoyed that one. Apparently "I'm So Sorry" is actually a song by Morrisey called "Suadehead". As you mentioned, "Irish Blood, English Heart" is an excellent song (so is "First In The Gang To Die", if you haven't heard it) and it seems that Morrisey is just as capable on his own. Nevertheless, I loved it. As was previously said, his vocals are mesmerizing and just outstanding. I love the fast-pace feel to the song clashing against his slow, dramatic vocals. Sounds lovely. Unfortunately, "Girlfriend In A Coma" didn't really do much for me. It's not bad, but it's not as good as the other two examples. The lyrics were rather amusing though. I'll listen to more of their stuff tonight and some more tomorrow and come back and share my findings.

Hey man, thanks for correcting the misleading vid. Yep it's Suedehead by Morrissey.

Girlfriend in a Coma is totally for the lulz. It's like a novelty song but it's hilarious and catchy.

@JOESEPH: Nice

@Shake: Yeah man, I knew How Soon Is Now for years but never bothered to get any of their stuff even though I loved the track. Yeah I think I thought that song was long but I never think songs are long now. They just end when they end.

Been hooked on this track....

[King Kapone]

QUOTE (Vanilla Shake @ Wednesday, Feb 20 2013, 10:19)

QUOTE (TheGreatGig23 @ Tuesday, Feb 19 2013, 19:19) "How Soon Is Now?" is a heavier than I expected. A very gorgeous and momentum driven song with, dare I say it, even a little British feel on the whole thing. I think the length is perfect (I listen to a lot of Pink Floyd and Tool so 6+ minutes is nothing) and ends right at the point it needs to. I really, really enjoyed that one. Precisely. Listening to Pink Floyd so much has basically desensitized me to lengthy track times. Anyway, How Soon Is Now? was the first song I ever heard by The Smiths. If I remember correctly I first heard it in The Wedding Singer when I was a young lad. Some years later I heard it again so I downloaded it but never gave any second thought into looking into their catalog. Then I saw 500 Days of Summer which exposed me to a couple more songs by them and I decided to check them out. While I'm not a huge fan or anything like that, I do enjoy a bunch of their tunes. My other favorite Smiths song:

Gotta admit, Ask Me is good stuff.

But..

[Mister Pink]

That's nice man. Cheers for posting.

[King Kapone]

QUOTE (ThePinkFloydSound @ Thursday, Mar 7 2013, 13:24)

That's nice man. Cheers for posting.

From this thread and others like it, I'm fairly certain you are my musical twin.

[Mister Pink]

QUOTE (King Kapone @ Thursday, Mar 7 2013, 19:26)

QUOTE (ThePinkFloydSound @ Thursday, Mar 7 2013, 13:24) That's nice man. Cheers for posting.  From this thread and others like it, I'm fairly certain you are my musical twin.

Haha, brilliant. We must chat some time. You can recommend me some music.

[Crokey]

Seriously good song, with some great lyrics in this track, back when Morrisey wasn't as nutty as Squirrel sh*tl, however Everyday Is Like Sunday is a great song



Was annoyed once as I was sat... well stood a few rows down from Johnny Marr at a City match, if it wasn't for that I would have loved him to sign me guitar, plus I would have had to have it with me, but you know.

[Framptonstein]

Have you heard Johnny Marr's new solo stuff?

[Mister Pink]

Nice^^

Love this one...

[Melchior]

They're more than just great musicians with clever lyrics about sitting in your room watching moaning-manc films on a Saturday night, they're an ideological paragon of alternative values that permanently changed the fabric of our society.

[Mister Pink]

Been steadily listening to more of The Smiths since I made the OP and so are some more friends. I might have to go see These Charming Men soon. They're supposed to be a great Smiths cover band from my country (Ireland).

[Lethal Nizzle]

My taste in music is heavily influenced by my dad who used to be a punk and once or twice he would play The Smiths but I didn't take much notice. During my early teenage years I came upon them on my own and haven't looked back since. I've always been fascinated by Morrissey's stage presence, the waving of gladioli and being pelted with flowers, and also Marr's guitar-playing is fantastic. I used to listen to them religiously but in recent times they've sort of faded into the background, although when I do decide to have a listen it usually stretches to a few songs to a whole album. "Still Ill" is my favourite song of theirs:

[D4 Damager]

Saw Johnny Marr at T in the Park a few weeks ago and his setlist was good, played I think 4 Smiths songs including How Soon Is Now and there was a moment during a song where everyone in the crowd was basically chanting the words with him. 'Twas awesome.

As for Morrissey, he possesses a voice which is sort of haunting yet soulful at the same time. It always reminded me a little bit of Ian Curtis, which I suppose is because they were around at roughly the same time. Their songs always seemed to have an extra dimension if you could just be bothered to look for it -- This Charming Man being a response to the revolution in the UK's gay scene following the release of Relax the year before, for example. Morrissey's voice is both vulnerable and yet assertive in that song, which probably explains why it's my favourite Smiths tune.



Link if it won't embed

[Mockage]

I've heard of The Smiths and gave them a small chance after I was introduced to Hand and glove. They're decent to say the least, but they don't really fit in with me. I'm actually more of a Pixies and Radiohead guy.