The Story Behind England’s biggest Indie Rock Band
The Smiths will always be considered as the personification of what British Indie Rock is about. Despite being active for only 5 years there impact on the music industry is substantial and not common for an Indie Rock band. This prestige includes accolades like single-handedly re-wrote the rules to what the audience could expect from a ‘Rock’ band, and bringing back guitar-driven Pop music to the masses, which set the tone for guitar-driven rock that dominated the US & UK in the 90’s. Lastly, they can also be credited for ending the electronic music movement that was prominent in the early 1980’s.
Background
To anyone who isn’t familiar with the genuineness of The Smiths should start by listening to any Greatest Hits album compiled on the band. When you ponder upon songs like “The Headmaster’s Ritual”, “How Soon Is Now?” & “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”, you’ll find a band that’s musically indebted to the British Invasion but have managed to showcase musical taste that was far broader than that of a revivalist band. At it’s core the success of The Smiths is attributed to the songwriting partnership formed between frontman Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr. Being a true student of the guitar and a traditionalist, Johnny Marr has traveled a path less-known for guitarists by taking inspiration from Blues legend Bo Diddley, which has inspired him to write guitar parts , where he purposely prevented himself from using Power Chords, Distortion or lengthy solo’s in his guitar parts. Instead he employed mature arpeggios to create his iconic guitar sound that more or less revitalised pop-music as we know it.
Morrissey on the other hand broke from rock tradition by singing as a controversial, self-absorbed individual that took cues from the romantic poetry of Oscar Wilde. He also had a fondness for girl groups, pop, and rockabilly acts.
Joining them in their crusade was the rhythm section, which consisted of bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce. What’s iconic about bassist Andy Rourke is his use of Fender Jazz bass guitars, which produced influential bass notes that transformed the sound of The Smiths into something different altogether. Even Johnny Marr has commented saying the bass notes heard on The Queen Is Dead is “something no other bass player could match”.
Rise of the band
The band made their live debut in late 1982. However, by Spring 1983 the band had gained a small but loyal following in their hometown of Manchester, and began to make their way to London. Their small yet limited fame led them to sign with Rough Trade for a one-off single, “Hand in Glove”. Focusing on lyrics of homosexuality and it’s ringing riffs, “Hand In Glove” became an instant sensation in the UK, topping the independent charts. Immediately after, Morrissey began to showcase his artistry by being his controversial self. By the time the group’s second single “This Charming Man” came around in late 1983, the Smiths tasted controversy for the first time over their song “Reel Around the Fountain”, which had aired on a BBC radio. Apparently, they misinterpreted Morrissey’s detached, literary and ironic lyrics to be about child abuse. It wouldn’t be the last time this happened.
As the band continued to put out one successful single after the other, they quickly rose to the top of the British charts, which significantly increased their fan base and got the attention of all the music press. As the momentum continued sway in the band’s direction, it lead to the inevitable release of their debut album “The Smiths”. The record represented everything Indie Rock is about and it’s probably responsible for ending the synth-dominated pop music that had a stronghold on the UK Market in the 1980’s.
Mid-Career
Just like that the bands second studio album “Meat is Murder”, shot straight to the top of the charts. As time progressed front man Morrissey’s interviews got more and more political as the thrashed the Thatcher administration and campaigned for vegetarianism; he even claimed that the Smiths were all vegetarians, and he forbade the remaining members to be photographed eating meat, even though they were still carnivores. Johnny Marr on the other hand was treating his fame as a cross between Keith Richards and Brian Jones.
Despite shortcomings with the non-LP single “Shakespeare’s Sister”, the band continued their momentum with the “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side”, which led to their third studio album “The Queen Is Dead”. This record finally allowed the band to cash-in on their cult-following in the US when they cracked the Top 100. Around this time the band hired guitarist Craig Gannon to be their rhythm guitarist, as he survived their botched US tour.
Height of Popularity and demise
The Smiths reached the height of their popularity in early 1987 when the non-LP singles “Shoplifters of the World” and “Sheila Take a Bow” reached number 11 and ten respectively with the B-sides compilation “The World Won’t Listen” debuted at number two. Nonetheless, by this time the band’s primary songwriters Marr and Morrissey were becoming increasingly irritated with each other.
The main cause for all the chaos that surrounded the bands messy breakup came when Morrissey wished that Marr stop playing artists like Bryan Ferry and Billy Bragg, while the guitarist was frustrated with Morrissey’s devotion to 60’s pop and his reluctancy to explore new musical directions. Their final release “Strangeways, Here We Come” was released around the time Marr announced he was leaving the band. Soon after Morrissey disbanded the group and began a solo career by signing with Parlophone in the UK and staying with The Smiths label in the US, Reprise.
