The Smiths

The problem I'm having here is that when The Smiths came out I was around 25 years of age.
I was working with about 2,500 people and I can only remember 1 bloke who was into them and we called him Morrisey.
The Smiths just didn't feature at all in our lives but I could have taken you to 100 Stone Roses fans (I couldn't do with them either).
I can't remember anybody who went to see them live and that includes our workmate Morrisey.
This thread really is going over my head.
 
Gilly said:
banja jumped in feet first saying how The Smiths influenced things far more than anyone else in the region. I disagreed.

He didn't give his reasoning so neither did I, and I still stand by what I said. I don't believe New Order nor Joy Division for that matter were particularly musically influential. NO were far more influential than The Smiths though purely for what they did away from music making.
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I have to admit I haven't read half of this thread, if I did it would take me all night replying to each comment as some of them are that zany.

csm's post referred to the 'greatest band', so I took that to be musically, lyrically etc, and for me they are the greatest band in the last...I don't know, you could put an arbitrary figure in years...25 years?...30 years?...40 years?...does it really matter? All that matters is they are standing shoulder to shoulder with the considered 'best bands' ever, and for me, considering they only lasted four years, and what they produced in those short four years is total quality, so for me they are the best band ever. Thats just my personnel opinion :)
 
My god, I saw this thread and was hoping for an intelligent discussion on The Smiths (as I like them) not some thread worthy of a PC vs Mac forum. :rolleyes:
 
The Smiths are (where?) fantastic, as was Morrisey's first two albums. Johhny Marr should be required rythm playing for ever guitarist, as like Prince, he has a criminally underated left hand.

People who dont know of the Smiths music say 'oooooohhh its all depressing' but its not, Marr's fretwork is very upbeat and Jaunty and has a wicked irony to the lyrics

ignore them at your peril

what difference does it mate?

;)
 
Had to endure The Smiths & The Stone Roses in my 6th form common room for 2 years.

Absolutely hate the stuff. The Smiths I could sort of understand the appeal, but Stones Roses I found so dull I rather stick blunt rusty pins in my eyes.

So my answer is no :D
 
I don't think this thread has been silly, it's quite fun. If you can see that such preferences are completely subjective, then you can join in with the opinionated statements.

I assume those, like me, who don't such things too seriously (that is getting offended by those with a different opinion) also find it funny to have these kind of polarised musical debates.

It's nothing like PC Vs Mac fanboy stuff. The Smiths have always divided opinion.
 
dmpoole said:
You're all wrong and my opinion is FACT because I'm the oldest regular contributor so I am RIGHT
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If thats the case then my mum is older than me and that makes Whitesnake the best band ever.

This thought makes suicide a viable option:p

As for The Smiths, I'd agree that they are quite influencial and do infact crap all over the Stone Roses. Also Johnny Marr ranks in my top five guitarists so I have to like them but only when I'm in the mood to listen to 'em.
 
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I just thought I would bump this thread, because although probably not the best band ever, Ive been listening to smiths albums back to back today, and the consistency is almost unrivaled.

Marr created some of the best music ive ever heard. And morriseys singing is brilliant.

Woulda loved to see them live
 
Smiths were very good, Queen vastly overated

One of, if not the best british bands of the last 3 decades Depeche Mode, but I would say that :D Their consistency, albums, quality tours, Gores songwriting, influences, pioneering and unique sound all done in an almost 'underground' indy none commercialised way speaks for itself, good loyal fanbase too
 
To be honest I was never into the smiths when they came out, mind you I was 6 and did think that Shakin Stevens and Elvis were the same bloke. And when I got to 13-17 (Probably the biggest Smiths 'catchment' years) I was into the Manics, who by the way are much better than the Smiths.

The problem that the Smiths have are that they had a great guitarist in Marr and a good lyricist in Morrissey, but the other two were so anonymous their names escape me. That's why Zeppelin are the best band ever. Each member was brilliant and the whole was greater than the sum of it's parts
 
elroberto said:
The problem that the Smiths have are that they had a great guitarist in Marr and a good lyricist in Morrissey, but the other two were so anonymous their names escape me. That's why Zeppelin are the best band ever. Each member was brilliant and the whole was greater than the sum of it's parts
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I couldn't name a single member of Led Zeppelin tbh. Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce btw.
 
warren_1979 said:
Get real mate. The Smiths were the biggest mistake Tony Wilson ever made i.e he never signed them, and lived to regret it for ever more. You could argue Joy Division put Manchester on the map, not New Order, who, were, compared to JD or The Smiths pretty garbage. Got all NO albums and they have nothing on Joy Division or The Smiths. Power Corruption and Lies is interesting and quite pioneering, but the rest of there output is very average.
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I have to disagree, I'd say New Order at their best and The Smiths at their best are pretty hard to separate. IMHO LowLife and The Queen Is Dead are the two best albums of the eighties.
New Order had some patchy albums, so did The Smiths - their first self titled one, Strangeways Here We Come.

Oh, and The Stone Roses were the most overrated band ever. Fact.
 
elroberto said:
You've not heard of Jimmy Page?:confused:
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On reflection I have heard of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant but I had to jog my memory to link them to Led Zeppelin. But I could couldn't even give you the initials of anyone else in the band. Basically I'm using your argument that having anonymous members in a band precludes them from being great, since I could say the same thing about Led Zep. Clearly you're into Led Zep and I'm into The Smiths but it doesn't mean band is any more significant than the other cos their drummer is a nobody.
 
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