The Smiths

Had the Smiths been interested in small-scale glory as members of the Manchester post-punk scene, they would have signed to Factory Records. Inking a deal with London-based label Rough Trade not only distanced the Smiths from their Northern contemporaries (New Order, the Fall), it also gave a small boost to Morrissey's goal of becoming a massive pop star. And this is where The Smiths becomes all the more astonishing and strange; it aimed for the same 1984 chart popularity enjoyed by Wham!, Cyndi Lauper and Frankie Goes To Hollywood, yet it seems to orbit a different planet altogether. Devoid of drum machines and synths, the guitar-bass-drums sound of The Smiths is hopelessly "trad" — unsurprisingly, the lack of sonic gimmickry is also the reason why the Smiths' catalog has aged so well. Marr's relentlessly busy Rickenbacker melodies provide the spring for Morrissey to fire off plenty of wry, self-exposing lyrics about depression ("Still Ill"), murder ("Suffer Little Children") and loss of innocence. It's the last theme that dominates this debut, from the "Reel Around The Fountain" line "You can pin and mount me like a butterfly" to the sexual corruption in "Miserable Lie." Morrissey seems less like the 24-year-old he… read more »