SMITHS, THE - LOUDER THAN BOMBS

The Smiths were an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. The band was comprised of the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerge from the 1980s British independent music scene. When asked about the group's name, Morrissey explained: "It was the most ordinary name and I thought it was time the ordinary folk of the world showed their faces." "Smith" happens to be the most common surname in England. The Smiths were unique in that they never used artwork for their album covers, instead electing for photos of people Morrissey admired like James Dean, Truman Capote, and Pat Phoenix. The Smiths signed to the independent label Rough Trade Records in 1983 and released their first album, The Smiths, in 1984. They based their songs on the songwriting partnership of Morrissey and Marr. Their focus on a guitar, bass, and drum sound and a fusion of 1960s rock and post-punk was a rejection of the synth-pop sound that was predominant at the time. Several Smiths singles reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart, and all their studio albums reached the top five of the UK Albums Chart, including the number-one album Meat Is Murder (1985). They achieved mainstream success in Europe with The Queen Is Dead (1986) and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987), both of which entered the top 20 of the European Albums Chart. Internal tensions led to the Smiths' breakup in 1987, followed by public lawsuits over royalties. Their live album Rank (1988) reached the top 10 in Europe. Since the band's dissolution, the members have refused offers to reunite and have all separately stated that the band is finished and will never reunite. Studio albums The Smiths (1984) Meat Is Murder (1985) The Queen Is Dead (1986) Strangeways, Here We Come (1987) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.