BY MIKEY MIGO
A few weeks ago I listened to the five studio albums of Simon and Garfunkel first time. I gave them a fair and full chance for a first impression. I enjoyed a handful of songs and I found that I knew more of their songs than I thought. I'm going to go from the 70's to the early 80's with another band I've never had an impression of. Through randomness, I came to the idea to give a full first impression of The Smiths.
I can honestly say I know shit about The Smiths. It's not one of those situations where I blindly hate them and think something negative or really ANYTHING about them at all. It's just the music of The Smiths has never crossed my path. I know they're respected and a lot of the bands I like cite them as an influence. I know who Morrissey is and could probably pick him out of a line up, but not Johnny Marr. I really couldn't tell you anything about them other than the little I just talked about.
I don't know why, but my assumption about them was that they were gloomy and on the punk side. The shirts that people who know probably even less than I do about the band wear all look to be in the same vein as a Sex Pistol or old punk era shirt.
One thing I noticed when doing some pre-search research is that there seems to be a lot of random and variations on the album releases via international imports, rereleases, and things of the like. I am not sure what versions I'm listening to. The effort and time I'm putting in is more than enough to make a valid first impression of the band. If I miss a random non-album single or random other track so be it. If you can sum up a band by ONE song then they're probably not worth listening to to begin with.
When I think of "The Smiths", I think of John Cusack's 80's movies. I don't know if there's a reason why, but it's just how I associate the band to really anything. So lets blame John for this.
Four studio albums and about three and half hours later I'll be able to tell you exactly how I feel about The Smiths. Should be interesting. Let's jump right in.
The Smiths (1984)
I thought it was going to be more gloomy once I hit play. Instead, I'm treated to a pretty good melody for "Reel Around The Fountain". For the first of these first impressions, I find myself wondering why I'm not more familiar with this music. The second track on the album shocked me even more as it's "You Got Everything Now" is a lot dancier that I'd of expected. The lyrics are a bit more brass with things like "did I ever tell you, by the way, I never did like your face". Towards the middle of "Miserable Lie" is where Morrissey really kicks in with higher vocals. It sorta reminds me of a Muppet (Elmo to be exact), but I do honestly I appreciate the contrast he uses in his vocals. I saw the title for "Pretty Girls Make Graves" and it sounded familiar so I figured it was one of those tracks that I have heard, but didn't know where it came from. I was wrong. I think it's just because it's a Jack Kerouac quote. I listened in a daze of awhile. I snap out of it for "Hand In Glove". It's a big more up tempo and I guess was one of their first bigger hits. The album closes with "Suffer Little Children" as my first impression of The Smith's self titled debut is formed. They use a mixture of rock, reggae-punk, alternative, and a few other genres, but still conventional and pop enough to understand how this album is ranked #22 of all time 80's albums by Rolling Stone. There's a lot going on here. I have no complaints really so far. I am fairly fond of what I've heard and look forward to the next album.
Meat Is Murder (1985)
I am instantly a fan of the opening of "The Headmaster Ritual". It's a really good song that's anti-corporal punishment. "Rusholme Ruffians" kicks in with a surprising rockabilly slap/pluck bass line. After listening for a little while I realize that this album is pretty political based. I didn't think before this that The Smiths were political, but just a niche' 80's band. I didn't mean that negatively and I am pretty impressed by the extra dimension of muse. The layering work of Marr is great for this album. The guitar riffs buried in the madness of "What She Said" are enthralling. I think so far my favorite track of The Smiths is "Nowhere Fast". It's just a very light hearted and fun song of political rebellion. "Barbarianism Starts At Home" starts off with a really good funk base line. It's a very addicting song with a very cool and catchy melody. The end and title track "Meat is Murder" is a pretty haunting track voicing Morrissey's view on killing animals for food. Agreeing with the opinion or not, it's a very interesting and well done take on vegetarian views. I could have done without the animal noises in the background for the song. I think the point would of came off just as strong without "Baaaah" being hidden in the slower melody. This album is diverse from front to back, but I'd say the debut album is still better.
The Queen is Dead (1986)
Many consider this to be the band's best album. The opening title track "The Queen is Dead" is a good start to prove that theory. It's similar to a lot of the other songs I've listened to so far, but it just clicks. I really like the sarcastic tone to "Frankly, Mr. Shankly". The mood and tone of the first half of the album is sort of the "gloomy" side that I had always thought of when thinking of the band. Not like "The Cure" whoa-is-me gloomy, but just down tempo. "Bigmouth Strikes Again" is supposed to be one of the more known tracks. I was hoping it'd of been something I knew, but again it wasn't. I can see why this was a bigger hit. It's a very interesting song and has a catchy hook to it. "There Is a Light That Doesn't Go Out" is one of the most respected tracks. I've seen the name on a lot of lists over the years, but never listened to it until now. Yeah, it's good. It might make my normal rotation of "songs I listen to on the norm". The closing track, "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" is a weird one. The content is pretty odd, but it is well done. I'm still leaning towards the debut album.
Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)
The Smiths broke up before this album was even released. Both Morrissey and Marr consider this the best album. Artist opinion on this one versus the fan reception of "The Queen is Dead" should be an interesting battle. I love the opening track "A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours". Musically and lyrically it meshes well right off the bat. I think the most "rocking" song is easily "I Started Something I Can't Finish". You can't help but tap your foot along with it. "Death of a Disco Dancer" is a pretty electric track. While it's got a darker tempo, the music is layered into something that's still good for a slow head bang. "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" is not only a weird and witty title, but a great song. "I love you only slightly less than I used to" is such a great lyric. "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" is a beautiful track. The surreal comotion of the first few minutes layered over a very distant piano melody is really good. Then bam! It jumps right into Morrissey's vocals and a complete tempo change. This is another one of their big hits. I read that Andre 3000 of hip hop group Outkast one said if he could have written ANY song, THIS would be it. That's a pretty big statement considering Mr. 3000 has put out a great collection of his own. This one now officially takes my official pick as my favorite track of the entire discography of The Smiths. It'll make my playlists for sure. "Unhappy Birthday" is a seriously fucked up song about wishing someone an unhappy birthday. It's pretty entertaining to hear anti-romantic lyrics in a tone like this. "I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday. I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday because you're evil and you lie. And if you should die, I might feel slightly sad but I won't cry". Holy shit. That's pretty harsh, but I'm sure there are people out there that we can relate these words to. I enjoy the lyrics and style of getting this "dis track" out there. The final album of The Smiths ends with "I Won't Share You". It's a nice fade out on four pretty good albums.
Final Verdict
The Smiths were not what I perceived them to be. This is a band that I should have heard before and I probably should have had a "Smiths phase" in my earlier youth. When I did "First Impressions with Simon and Garfunkel" a few weeks ago, I dug a few songs, but ultimately they weren't my cup of tea. The Smiths are more on my wave length. I'm not really a depressed person, but lyrically I am fond of despair, macabre, and borderline psychotic words. I'm weird like that. I love Johnny Marr's musical arrangements. There are many many layers of style in there that he makes work together very complimentary. I'm normally a lyrical fan, but sometimes the music is so interesting that I get lost in and almost block out the vocals. At times, Morrissey sorta comes off as a hybrid of a David Bowie and Bono and then other times completely incomparable to anything that's not directly copying the guy (see most recent and current "indie" bands). I don't necessarily think that The Smiths will ever be a favorite band of mine. It's a very interesting blend with a lot of emotional and social consciousness. I can respect that.
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