The Smiths is the name of a British rock group, created in 1982 and separated in 1987. It was a musical quartet of founded Manchester around Johnny Marr (born the October 31st 1963) and of Steven Patrick Morrissey (born the May 22nd 1959), singer and lyric writer.

“the image of Smiths is so strong that it starts the total worship like the wildest hatred” Morrissey (1984)

Morrissey and Marr (of its true name Johnny Maher, but it changed name not to be confused with the beater of the Buzzcocks) met on May 20th 1982 in the residence of Morrissey, in Stretford (384, Kings Road). Marr then seeks a lyric writer, even a singer, for the group which he wants to assemble. Morrissey presents some texts to him which he wrote, of which Suffer Little Children (a turbid text inspired of a sordid fact various of murder of children whose evocation was at the time taboo in Manchester).

The duet packs soon bass player, Andy Rourke, a buddy of school of Johnny Marr, and a beater, Mick Joyce, resulting from the scene Punk (Victim, The Hoax). The new group will be called The Smiths. “All the groups of the time had names of fifteen syllables. We, one wanted to only be normal” (Johnny Marr).

Morrissey improvising singer, the quartet occurs for the first time in public in Manchester Ritz the October 4th 1982. Their first individual, Hand in Glove (in complicity) published in May 1983 on the independent label Rough Trade, fascine public. It is followed of another great success, This Charming Man , in November 1983. In February 1984, their first album, simply baptized The Smiths , is sold with 300  000 specimens, taking the second place of the British charts.

The Smiths clearly incarnates the new spirit of the years 1980, scorning the video clips, the Synthétiseur S and the the United States. Better elected official groups year 1984 with the the United Kingdom, and better Morrissey interprets (a roof for an autodidact), the group turns much to the United Kingdom but seldom in Europe (the concerts with Paris in May 1984, in Eldorado (photographs) then in Versailles, in December of the same year will be the only French dates in the history of Smiths).

In 1985, the group publishes new a opus, Meat is Murder . The title " How Soon Is Now?" , which is extracted from it, will be taken again later like credits of the series TV Charmed. A third album is born in 1986, The Queen Is Dead, true masterpiece which will be the subject of a album-homage later ten years ( The Smiths is dead , an initiative of Inrockuptibles).

End 1986, the group changes label and joined EMI. But for EMI, the beginning of the year 1987 announces strong evil. Smiths leave two new individual well ( Shoplifters off the World, Unite in January, Sheila Take has Bow in April), occur with the Festival of San Remo in May, but it seems that Johnny Marr is already elsewhere. The guitarist feels choked in a group from now on focused around the personality of Morrissey. Its enthusiasm for the Dance music, the electro does not find a ground of expression: “Smiths had become a kind of club where all new influences were discredited, even taboo” will write Johnny Rogan in its book Morrissey and Marr, the Severed Alliance . The August 8th 1987, Johnny Marr announces that it leaves the group by addressing a message to the NME: “What in the past returned to me happy returned to me unhappy, I had me to go from there”. It is thus on a purely “posthumous” basis that the September 12th 1987 leaves, Strangeways, young stag we like . Ironically, this album was darkest that Smiths never recorded (even the best, according to Morrissey).

Johnny Marr

See also: Johnny Marr

The group separates the following year after the departure from Johnny Marr, which will accompany various formations during the two following years (Midge RUE, Kirsty McColl, The Pretenders, Talking Heads, Pet Shop Boys) before joining The (album Mind Bomb in 1989, Dusk in 1993) then to found the group Electronic with Bernard Sumner (Joy Division, New Order) and Neil Holding (Pet Shop Boys). Individual the Getting away with it will be a success. First attempt as a singer under the name of Johnny and the Healers with the album Boomslang in February 2004 (Parisian concert with the Trabendo the March 28th 2004). Johnny Marr illustrated at the beginning of 2006 while taking charges sound arrangements with them with the album Frictions of Jane Birkin. It then joined the group Modest Mouse of which it has compound certain pieces of the album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank .

Morrissey in solo

Morrissey shows the blow with difficulty but starts a career solo as of spring 1988 ( Viva Hate ) which sounds “Smiths very” (and from where individual the Suedehead is drawn). The following album, in 1991, Kill Uncle (plea anti-American) is badly accommodated and it seems well that the career of Morrissey is behind him. At the same time, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce attack Morrissey and asserting Marr which they touched only 10% of the profits each one, against 40% with each type-setter (they will have finally win). But with Your Arsenal , to the tonalities very rockabilly (thank you Alan Whyte, guitarist and joint author), Morrissey returns in the foreground ( I know it' S gonna happen someday will be even taken again by David Bowie). In 1994, success is again with go with Vauxhall and I and individual the " Interlude" recorded in duet with the Siouxsie singer of Siouxsie and the Banshees. The two following albums, wrongfully badly liked, Southpaw Grammar (on DECAF) and Maladjusted (on Island) are commercial failures, the creative vein of Morrissey seeming dried up. 2004: the such reappearing Phoenix of its ashes, Morrissey, from now on installed with Los Angeles, makes a success of a brilliance come-back with the album You are the Quarry on the label Sanctuary Records. Live a Morrissey Live At Earls Court is appeared beginning 2005, taking again titles of Smiths and its career solo. Lastly, a new album, Ringleader Off The Tormentors , left on April 4th, 2006. Recurring rumors made run the noise that it could contribute to the contest of the Eurovision 2007 for " to raise the niveau" from England following the various failures of the country to this contest. It of it will be finally nothing for reasons which remain unknown. At the beginning of October 2007, the singer announced that it was going to return in studio to record a new album whose exit is envisaged during the year 2008 (nme.com)

Discography (albums)

External bonds

  • detailed French Biography of Smiths

Simple: The Smiths

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