Although often misunderstood or seen only "name" (in other words not at all), Smiths Group is an extremely interesting as it is, musically and in terms of strictly chronological hinge between two periods two basic branches of rock, namely the 70s punk (the Clash among others) and the Britpop of the 90s (Oasis, Supergrass ...).
Founded in 1982 by the pair Steven Patrick Morrissey / Johnny Marr and separated in 1987, Smiths will still be able to come out four albums have all met with complete success undeniable (the first album simply titled Smiths is ranked second among the British charts with 300,000 copies sold) and become in just five short years a group reference for many British artists who were hatched in the next two decades.
The Smiths have always been keen to retain some form of authenticity and to radically break away from current musical styles and in poor taste, who saw the day and quickly became popular in the 80's (dance, disco) synthesizers taking away their music and choose a simple name, even though most groups of the same period were adopting names interminable ridiculous, pompous and clumsy (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Electric Light Orchestra ...). It is indeed paradoxical that reason (this will remain true to their roots) that the group split up in 1987, the duo Morrissey & Marr feeling as trapped in the musical style of The Smiths, too impervious to outside influences. It is not wrong after four successful albums in his relatively unchanged, there was a little goes around the issue, and a fifth might seem superfluous to disappoint, even repetitive. So skilfully that the Smiths were separated before the decline and fatal dung.
Morrissey's singing, because otherwise remarkable self-taught, is characterized by an elegant voice (certainly more than the hair of the person) and plaintive, almost melancholy monotony of a deliberate and measured, and personifies alone the band's sound, but definitely rock angry aggression characteristic of the punk era that preceded and accompanied. The instrumental has surprisingly for his melodies very seventies or late sixties (with a game and a guitar sound very Byrds the use of Rickenbacker guitars), but played with new arrangements, more typical of the 80s, 90s or even warning, varying inputs and thus combining the influences of three or four decades.
The band's first single in chronological order, before the first album, was Hand In Glove a strong headline, compelling and representative of the overall work of the group, with a harmonious balance between low marked without excess (more would not have agreed to such a sound, less would have seemed bland), catchy guitars and vocals and dark beat rudimentary and effective all complemented by a slight echo and a subtle reverb. Of the four albums, The Smiths , Meat is Murder , The Queen is Dead and Strangeways, Here We Come , none are particularly distinguished . On each of the founding duo and group creative Morrissey / Marr offers the same performance and steady operating the same ingredients at most e Does not without a certain panache. If the knife to her throat and up against the wall, I was nevertheless highlight some discs than others, my preference, although slight, would probably for first and last album, The Smiths (with perfect Hand in Glove cited above, This Charming Man and What Difference Does It Makes ) and Strangeways Here We Come (listen in particular securities Girlfriend in a Coma and Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before ) because they measure the consistency of group's quality of their inception to their separation and his fidelity to his original style.
If we listen more detail the four albums mentioned above, one can not really be surprised to learn that, although this did nothing obvious on first listen, the Smiths were strongly inspired and paved the way for bands like Blur, Oasis, Pulp and Supergrass yet (which also participate in the recording of the album The Smiths Is Dead, tribute to the Smiths and trained for these occasions by several groups 90), and even a little further to the beginnings of the Indie Rock Pete Doherty since some consider the Smiths and Morrissey in particular as one of his major musical references, whether in the Libertines or Babyshambles.
Lucas
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