Do you like the Smiths?

One of my favorite bands...

I tried to listen to them last night. Decent music, but all of the lyrics sounding like a closeted teenage homosexual being lonely and frustrated in his bedroom on a Friday night is not really what I am into.

I caught this song on the radio once upon a time and I kinda liked it. Does that count?

Yes, even more so after a recent binge. I've come to appreciate the melodrama of the lyrics and I've always liked Marr's subtle guitar work.

They never found their own way to me but I was introduced to them via 'The Queen Is Dead' by a fan of theirs about six months after that album came out. I was impressed. The title track, "I know it's Over", "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" ah what the hell, all of them (save maybe "Frankly Mr Shankly") they were played over and over. I even tried crooning along to "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" for crissakes.

Then I explored their debut album, 'The Smiths'. Not much on there, though. Maybe "Reel Around the Fountain" and "Hand in Glove". I think "This Charming Man" was on it, I can't remember. If it was, then make that three songs I liked. The production was terrible, though, and really muffled the music in places.

I didn't care too much for 'Meat is Murder' - but thankfully the production was so much better than the first album. I like some of Johnny Marr's riffs on this, like on "The Headmaster Ritual" (ba-da-da-da-da  dah-dah-dahh!) and the crisp licks on "Barbarism Begins at Home" but it's "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" that saves the album for me. And I could have done without the slaughterhouse cow noises on the title track. I think the track "How Soon is Now?" was floating about around this time and I think was included on the Canadian and US versions of the album. Inclusion on the UK version would have improved the album by a lot, to my ears. The album's barely 40 minutes in length so it would have fit.

There were a couple of compilation albums like "The World Won't Listen" and "Louder Than Bombs" which conveniently featured non-album singles like "Ask" and "Panic" and other stuff like "Golden Lights" and "You Just Haven't Earned it Yet, Baby". I liked these albums on the whole even if some tracks appeared on both albums. If I remember rightly there was also the godawful live album "Rank" ...and indeed it was.

I'd put "Strangeways, Here We Come" as their second best LP. At barely 34 minutes in length you've got to savour almost every scrap of it. I like how Johnny Marr excels again midway through "Paint a Vulgar Picture" (at the 2'40 mark to be precise) with a marvellous guitar break that sends shivers up the spine if it finds you in the right mood - simply joyous. There are some great tracks on here : the opening track "A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours" (if we knew then what we know now about Morrissey this track may have got us thinking a little deeper about it, although later, solo, he would treat us to less lyrically cryptic songs such as "Bengali in Platforms" and "National Front Disco") "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish", "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" and "Girlfriend in a Coma" are all strong numbers and along with the unfortunately weak ballad "Death of a Disco Dancer" make up a pretty good first side (I'm talking vinyl here) Side Two, save for "Paint a Vulgar Picture" and the two-minute "Shakespeare's Sister"-esque "Death at One's Elbow", is a bit of a let down but overall I'll put this album over the debut and MIM any day.

I enjoyed Admin's posting of "How Soon is Now?" Terrific number. Decisions, decisions... I'll give another listen to Johnny Marr's delicious guitar playing, I believe.

One of the best ever