ARTIST
A-Z
The Smiths
Formed in Manchester in 1982 around the songwriting duo of Morrissey and Johnny Marr, the shadow of The Smiths loomed large over the independent scene in the 80s. Morrissey's enigmatic persona, with his self-confessed celibacy, militant vegetarianism and obsession with forgotten 1960s movie stars, launched a thousand clones. Johnny Marr's effortless knack for a melody melded perfectly with his partner's grimly witty observations on life and death. Supported by bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce, The Smiths reeled off countless hits like 'This Charming Man', 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now', 'Panic' and 'Ask'. The band flourished with landmark Peel sessions that were, for many, their first introduction to The Smiths and were compiled on the superb 'Hatful Of Hollow' album. The band were about to sign to EMI after four excellent albums, but suddenly split in 1987 amid much acrimony. With Morrissey's current 'superstar' solo career, a reunion currently seems unlikely."When we first got tns, and as a result they pretty much became the definitive versions of the songs we recorded for John.
"What happened to us was that whenever a session came up, we wrote songs, because we needed them, especially for the session. 'This Charming Man', for example, was written because we had a John Peel session and we didn't have enough songs. The session was on a Friday, and on the Tuesday I just got out of bed and wrote this tune because we needed another song for the session."
- Johnny Marr, The Smiths
SESSIONS
- 18/05/1983 (Maida Vale 5)
- 14/09/1983 (Maida Vale 4)
- 01/08/1984 (Maida Vale 5)
- 02/12/1986 (Maida Vale 4)
FESTIVE 50 TRACKS
- Ask (Number 11 in 1986)
- Barbarism Begins At Home (Number 57 in 1985)
- Bigmouth Strikes Again (Number 12 in 1986)
- Cemetery Gates (Number 35 in 1986)
- Death Of A Disco Dancer (Number 25 in 1987)
- Girlfriend In A Coma (Number 15 in 1987)
- Half A Person (Number 24 in 1987)
- Hand In Glove (Number 9 in 1983)
- Handsome Devil (Number 33 in 1983)
- Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now (Number 24 in 1984)
- How Soon Is Now? (Number 1 in 1984)
- How Soon Is Now? (Number 7 in Millennium)
- I Know It's Over (Number 6 in 1986)
- I Started Something I Couldn't Finish (Number 40 in 1987)
- I Won't Share You (Number 29 in 1987)
- Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me (Number 5 in 1987)
- Meat Is Murder (Number 32 in 1985)
- Nowhere Fast (Number 14 in 1984)
- Paint A Vulgar Picture (Number 21 in 1987)
- Panic (Number 5 in 1986)
- Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (Number 28 in 1984)
- Reel Around The Fountain (Number 6 in 1983)
- Reel Around The Fountain (Number 36 in 1984)
- Shakespeare's Sister (Number 61 in 1985)
- Sheila Take A Bow (Number 34 in 1987)
- Shoplifters Of The World Unite (Number 45 in 1987)
- Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before (Number 12 in 1987)
- Sweet & Tender Hooligan (Number 23 in 1987)
- That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore (Number 31 in 1985)
- The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (Number 8 in 1985)
- The Headmaster Ritual (Number 29 in 1985)
- The Queen Is Dead (Number 7 in 1986)
- There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (Number 1 in 1986)
- There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (Number 9 in Millennium)
- This Charming Man (Number 2 in 1983)
- This Charming Man (Number 22 in Millennium)
- Well I Wonder (Number 41 in 1985)
- What Difference Does It Make? (Number 17 in 1984)
- William It Was Really Nothing (Number 23 in 1984)
