The Smiths

The Guardian has a new article by Michael Hann, celebrating the power of the first Smiths radio sessions.

Not everyone finds it easy to listen to the Smiths now, but those early transmissions were utterly formative for this vital new band and their enraptured fans

Full text below:

It’s 40 years this month since anyone bar the attenders at their handful of gigs heard the Smiths. On 13 May 1983, they released their first single, Hand in Glove, on Rough Trade. Then, on 31 May, John Peel broadcast their first session for his BBC Radio 1 show. Before the year was out, they would have recorded one more for him, as well as two for David Jensen. A total of 14 songs were broadcast, all being heard for the first time, apart from a new version of Handsome Devil, the B-side to Hand in Glove.

The Smiths’ radio sessions were as astounding a rush of...

SOUND OF THE SMITHS
re-enters at number 30

HATFUL OF HOLLOW
re-enters at number 49

Oh man, this hurts. Tweet from Johnny:

---

Related items:

• Morrissey-solo: [Morrissey Central] "BEAM OF LIGHT." - May 19, 2023
• Morrissey-solo: Mike Joyce pays tribute to Andy Rourke on BBC Breakfast (May 20, 2023) - May 21, 2023

Media items:

• BBC: "Andy Rourke: The Smiths bassist dies aged 59" - May 19, 2023
• The Guardian: "Andy Rourke, bassist for the Smiths, dies aged 59" - May 19, 2023...

---

The Smiths official FB as per 'On This Day' thread on the actual day of release:



Regards,
FWD.

A look into the gear behind The Smiths, Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce - the original jangle rocking sad boys who won hearts the world over.
With an unmistakably honest sound and provocative lyricism, The Smiths are arguably the most iconic indie-rock band of all time, with their legacy still having an impact on the music of today.

Despite intentionally giving themselves “the most ordinary name”, The Smiths produced a brand of genre and era-defining music, bridging the genre gap between the New-Wave and Britpop that flooded the British Isles in the ’70s and ‘90s, respectively. While playing a major role in the popularity of Indie music in the Western world, The Smiths themselves also evolved their sound throughout their discography. From the band that graced the stages of student music shows, to the sensations that took the world by storm – these are the musical tools that The Smiths called their own.

[URL...

From 80s indie misfits to viral golden boys, The Smiths are reaching a new generation and inspiring an army of fans in the TikTok era.

The Smiths’ 50 Greatest Songs

WHEN JOHNNY MARR FIRST KNOCKED ON MORRISSEY’S DOOR IN 1982, the pair’s initial plan was to become a songwriting powerhouse akin to Brill Building titans Leiber and Stoller.

Though The Smiths’ recording career was as brief as it was brilliant – just four studio albums alongside some of the greatest 45s of the era – the songs Morrissey and Marr penned cemented their reputation as one of the greatest musical partnerships since Lennon and McCartney, and made The Smiths the most important British band of the decade.




(Above playlist appears backwards).
Regards,
FWD.

This guy knows his Smiths music - https://www.theneedledrop.com/articles/2023/1/the-smiths-the-queen-is-dead