The Smiths - Yay or Nay?

So, the Smiths, then?

  • Dixie Dean

    Votes: 6 66.7%

  • Bob Latchford

    Votes: 2 22.2%

  • David Johnson

    Votes: 1 11.1%

  • Alan Biley

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    9
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One of the top 5 bands of all time. I've never understood people who don't like them.

Johnny Marr's stuff with the Smiths is sublime. There's never been a better pop/guitar songwriter. Andy Rourke was a massively talented bassist who often providing a parallel melody line with the bass, much like Mike Mills with REM, except Johnny's compositions and melody lines were far more complex than anything REM did in the 80's. So in most of the songs you had two or three separate melody's intertwining (depending on how many guitar tracks Johnny decided to layer in). As for Morrissey, I feel like people that don't like him haven't really gotten the humor in a lot of his songs. Yes, he did write a lot of sad [Poor language removed] songs, but there's nothing wrong with that. Morrissey fashioned himself as a writer of kitchen sink dramas set to music. For me they were the quintessentially "British" band, even though they were all full blooded Irish and 1st generation Englishmen. I also think the fact that they came from the North gave them and earthiness that so many London bands never had, who were essentially more concerned about haircuts and fashion.

They are pure genius and I will literally fight anyone who says differently.

*puts dukes up
 
johnnydawg68 said:
One of the top 5 bands of all time. I've never understood people who don't like them.

Johnny Marr's stuff with the Smiths is sublime. There's never been a better pop/guitar songwriter. Andy Rourke was a massively talented bassist who often providing a parallel melody line with the bass, much like Mike Mills with REM, except Johnny's compositions and melody lines were far more complex than anything REM did in the 80's. So in most of the songs you had two or three separate melody's intertwining (depending on how many guitar tracks Johnny decided to layer in). As for Morrissey, I feel like people that don't like him haven't really gotten the humor in a lot of his songs. Yes, he did write a lot of sad [Poor language removed] songs, but there's nothing wrong with that. Morrissey fashioned himself as a writer of kitchen sink dramas set to music. For me they were the quintessentially "British" band, even though they were all full blooded Irish and 1st generation Englishmen. I also think the fact that they came from the North gave them and earthiness that so many London bands never had, who were essentially more concerned about haircuts and fashion.

They are pure genius and I will literally fight anyone who says differently.

*puts dukes up
Click to expand...

This...but I disagree about them being the quintessentially "british" band, I give that award to the Kinks.
 

I always thought at the time that Johnny Marr would go on and write great classics with 'proper' singers. I adored the Smiths and loved morrissey but I assumed Marr was being creatively limited by Moz. I was wrong- most of those songs sound brilliantly bonkers now. No one sounded like the smiths and they still sound fresh today. Shame there wasn't a few more years in them. Johnny M never did anything half as good afterwards. Still think morrissey's viva hate is brilliant too
 
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