The Smiths....are good?
 

I've always been repulsed by anything related to Morissey because of his infamous prissy diva actions that made him out to be a whiny person but then I heard their song "please please please let me get what i want" in that 500 days of summer movie and was really moved by it. It's completely made me rethink the band and now I'm on the lookout for a great album by them. Which one has the sound most like that song?

Anyone else get into them by accident when you realized morissey isnt an annoyingly anal prick all the time?

i'd go with the "louder than bombs" comp. it seems to be the smiths album for people who hate the smiths.

Yeah... The Smiths.. I LOVED them a lot 10 years ago. Louder than Bombs is still great though. AMAZING guitarist, but eh...

But he basically is!

I've learned to appreciate the music and even the song writing, which is at times brilliant. But that doesn't make him any less whiny, self-righteous, and generally full of it.

He definitely was the worst part of that band..

why's that, aren't a lot of those tracks from their albums anyway?

i would go with the self titled or queen is dead, both are solid records.

Louder than Bombs is a comp of singles and shit. None of the songs are from other albums except Hand in Glove, which is on a few of their albums.

I'd say Queen is Dead is their worst. Strangeways is unfairly neglected -- it has their best song ("stop Me if you Think You've Heard THis One Before").

Actually, their best, by far, is probably Hatful of Hollow -- it has better versions of previously-released songs like THESE THINGS TAKE TIME, a lot of the songs are way different, it's like a best of with better recorded versions.

But yeah, Louder has like 16 or 17 truely great songs on it, so go there.

morrissey isnt even in my favourite smiths track http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9S9AR9S3p0

i liked the smiths a few years ago, and then i resolved to hate them... but that's over, i guess, as i've been listening to hatful of hollow a lot lately.

morrissey's a dick but so's most everyone else i listen to. eh.

I fucking hate Morrissey.
I fucking love The Smiths.

no shit, sherlock


jk

Yeah, I almost added "Just like every fucking Smiths fan ever" but I forgot to.

i'm not sure why that album. i'm just basing it off the few people i know that hate the smiths. i guess it "rocks" harder without too much of the soft stuff.

the smiths... the guy from modest mouse's old band, right? johnny marr, i thought... who the fuck is morrissey?

You pretty much nailed it right there.

I find it impossible to trust anyone who doesn't like The Smiths at least a little.

Why is that?

I've never liked The Smiths. I gave the local library's copy of the band's reputed best album "The Queen is Dead" a listen and was appalled by it's insipidness. One of the most overrated bands ever.

morrissey's favorite fall song is "lie dream of a casino soul." he should get some mad rep for that. he plays it before each of his shows too.

shitty and way overrated!

The Smiths meant a lot to me at the time. I can still enjoy them but they really were one of those bands that related directly to their moment and, now that moment has gone, don't really offer much.

I'd still say The Queen is Dead is a great album though.

I dont understand people disliking Morrissey just because he can be a bit flouncey-mouncey-look-at-megladioli-y. The repetitive nature of his subject matter is a good enough reason, as well as the shocking spawn of underachieving indie lyricists he spawned. But when the Smiths do it right, like on Headmaster Ritual or Handsome Devil, they do it the best.

Well he has just this high self image and playing while wearin the union jack wasn't that fine also.

To me the smiths are one of my favorite bands, I slowly grown to them. I might not be that hip or cool to like them(so many people do) but yeah, I can write 3 pages peices about their debut alone.

I fucking love the Smiths. I fucking love Morrisssey as well.
Probably the single greatest lyricist of the last 20 years.

I love all the smiths albums.

Louder than bombs is rather long (double album) for a smiths newbie. I would go with Queen Is Dead or Strangeways Here We Come.

They all rule. Smiths rule. The Moz rules.

(in most every song he is either making fun of someone or making fun of himself. too many people read just the surface of his lyrics and think he is just a whiney bitch)

Oh yes rob, it is. Well louder then bombs is really the best smiths album, I mean it has all those singles which I will forever cherish

The Smiths were a "singles" band, which is ratrher meaningless these days.

Well it makes louder then bombs my most turned album ever.

Count me in on loving the Smiths too! Just really musical I think, the melodies are great, the musicians are fantastic.

I think the union jack thing was meant to be a bit of satire, seeing as he is the embodiment of non-assertiveness and pessimism and nationalist groups always adopt a masculine front to hide their insecurities, but i understand why it didnt come off for some people.

The self image thing applies to every musician ever, seeing as its just an outlet for the artists ego anyway

There are entire continents between that and the correct answer

who would you suggest?

I would think he's one of the best anyways. Great lyrics are extremely hard to find. When you think about it 95% of bands have crap lyrics, not enough lyrics, or write extremely vague lyrics that don't mean a damn thing. Not wth Morrissey. They might all be depressing, but as i have said, he has a million ways to say something.

Not that i think Morrissey is bad, i just think he only nails it occasionally. People who are consistently interesting impress me more.
Mark E Smith is obviously the man when it comes to lyrics
Lee Ranaldo, underrated by all outside our little clique
Graham Lambkin/whoever writes lyrics for The Shadow Ring.
Richey Edwards

(very anglocentric i know, but excellent nonetheless)

the smits were an incredible band. the debut, meat is murder, queen is dead and to a lesser extent strangeways are excellent. morrissey solo is poor fare for certain.
im amazed at the anti smithsness here.....actually yknow, im not!

I met Johnny Marr last week at a Cribs gig. Forgot to ask him if any Smiths remasters are coming out. I would start with Hatful of Hollow.

That is my favorite...

definitely the best one i own

Im from LA, the Morissey crowd is literaly the most god-awful, guady, lame crowd in town! Plus, there are thousands of mexican grandmas crying over rosary prayers for their little Mijos for wearing eye-liner and all black from the feet up..

personally, there is some edgy guitar riffs I have heard some smiths tunes but I was turned off so much by the other musical aspects that I could not even enjoy it, despite how good I will admit those guitar licks actually are.

My god yes I hate those fuckers.

exactly!!! I also have to accept that my favorite lyricist (Chino from deftones) took much of his style from Morissey.. I like Chino's version better, plus if Smiths were as heavy as deftones i might be able to get into them but I abhor 80s sound unless its roots reggae ;)

i love the smiths again. i went for a phase when i wasnt into the smiths but that was my "I only wear cut off denim jackets and leather and refuse to listen to anything that isnt black flag, royal trux, or noise" phase.