1.3 Mr. Smith(s)

Today is a day I've been waiting for for some time now. My "Smiths: Complete" box set has arrived. And it is glorious.

8 Albums on 180-gram vinyl, 25 singles on 180 gram-vinyl, a DVD of all their videos, all their studio albums on CD, and additional artwork and poster and what not! My copy is 2428/4000, and it's my current pride and joy. To have a band's whole discography on vinyl is a feat, and for it to all be such high quality? Fantastic.

The Smiths weren't always one of my favorite bands. It wasn't until a few years ago that it all really started to make sense to me. They're considered a cultural milestone, but to so many, their achievements go unnoticed. I`m going to talk about my feelings about their legacy, what the band means to me, and what they still mean globally today.

The Smiths are honest. Their music doesn't pull any punches, it gets to the point, and that is a huge part of their beauty. The upbeat music with the lyrical cynicism make for a coupling that very few can properly achieve, and it really paints a picture of what a soulful, emotive human mind is like. A very dear friend once tried to explain Morrissey's lyrics to me in the most simplified terms possible, it went something like this: "Sometimes, you're just shitty. Your life is shitty, you feel like the biggest loser in the world, and you know what? Morrissey's felt like that too, and it's nice to hear somebody sing about it.". It's all there: honesty.

The climate that The Smiths existed in and were born from must have been a dreadful one to be in, even more so now than the current Top 40 domination. Why? Well by 1982, when they formed, synthpop was getting big. Like, BIG (think how many vampire movies and tv shows there are right now, but replace it with generic euro-influenced synth pop. Gross, I know.). It's not to say there wasn't stand out talent in that field, but it was everywhere. Bands like Zeppelin were yesterdays news, partially because they too had spawned hundreds of shittier, washed out imitators, and popular rock music was basically dead in the water. Even Bowie had gone experimental, and punk was already reviving and reshaping itself for the umpteenth time. There really wasn't a band for the people, one that snobs could find content in, but the average everyman could connect with.

Enter The Smiths.

They dabble in so much, touch on so many different styles and tempos and genres, it's something that only The Beatles ever REALLY pulled off, but I firmly believe that The Smiths did too. They are music for everyone, whether you know it yet or not. Only really stupid difficult people pretend to reject the spectacle and cultural landmark that is The Beatles, and if more people gave themselves the chance to have that "aha!" moment with Morrissey, Marr and Co., they'd probably find similar solace in The Smiths.

Fact: Every single quality band to come out of the UK since The Smiths isn't afraid to cite them as an influence. Most of them have even covered a Smiths song at some point. Their legacy can't be ignored. The Stone Roses, Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, EVERYONE owes something to The Smiths. Explore the Smiths deep but limited catalogue, and next time you listen to Alex Turner's wordplay, you'll know the guy loves him some Morrissey.

Morrissey: A geek who just wants to share his feelings with a pretty girl. Or guy. WE'LL NEVER KNOW!

The Smiths clicked with me about two months before I saw Morrissey live, a priveledge very few people I know have had. Thank God I finally "got it", otherwise the spectacle of Morrissey and everything he TRULY stands for would have been lost on me. It remains one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Morrissey truly is who he is, he lives and breathes what could be deemed his "public persona" because that's who he really is. He doesn't hide, he certainly speaks his mind, and even when I've had my issues with him, it's probably because I'm too much of a little bitch to stand for my opinion or convictions even in the face of blinding backlash. (He's suing NME for libel, imagine that. Hope he wins BIG)


The Smiths made beautiful music. The first time I heard "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" was the first time I realized the sensation of wanting someone there in your last moment, and finding that person. It was a revalation, in music, songwriting, poetry, in language and life. I still don't believe there's a better song in their library, but I'm determined to beat the contents of this box to death attempting to find one...

If you don't listen to The Smiths, tell me why. And consider that maybe it just hasn't hit you yet. One day, the awkward delivery, the startlingly upbeat music, all of it will make sense. It's beautiful, it's definitive, and at the end of the day, fans simply say "It's The Smiths. They're in a category of their own."

Today's Tunes: Florence + The Machine "Ceremonials" (album), The Stone Roses (album), The Smiths (catalogue!)