SMITHS, THE - THE QUEEN IS DEAD

The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass), and Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwriting partnership. The Smiths are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerge from 1980s British independent music. The Smiths signed to the independent label Rough Trade Records in 1983 and released their debut album, The Smiths, in 1984. Their focus on a guitar, bass, and drum sound, fusing 1960s rock and post-punk, was a rejection of the synth-pop sound predominant at the time. Several of the band's 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). The band achieved mainstream success in Europe with The Queen Is Dead (1986) and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987), which both entered the top 20 of the European Albums Chart. In 1986, the Smiths briefly expanded to a five-piece with the addition of guitarist Craig Gannon, but internal tensions eventually led to their breakup the following year. The split was followed by heavily publicized lawsuits over royalties, and the band members have consistently rejected numerous offers to reunite in the years since. Bassist Andy Rourke died in 2023. History. 1982: Formation and early performances. In May 1982, Johnny Marr and his friend Steve Pomfret went to the home of Steven Morrissey in Stretford to invite him to form a band. Marr and Morrissey had met at a Patti Smith gig at Manchester's Apollo Theatre on 31 August 1978, when Marr was 14 and Morrissey was 19. They bonded through their love of poetry and literature. A fan of the New York Dolls, Marr had been impressed that Morrissey had written a book on the band and was inspired to turn up on his doorstep, following the example of Jerry Leiber, who had formed his working partnership with Mike Stoller after turning up at Stoller's door. According to Morrissey: "We got on absolutely famously. We were very similar in drive." The two found that they were fans of many of the same bands. When Marr looked through Morrissey's singles collection, he found the Monochrome Set, a band they both admired. The next day, Morrissey phoned Marr to confirm that he would be interested in forming a band with him. A few days later, Morrissey and Marr held their first rehearsal in Marr's rented attic room in Bowdon. Morrissey provided the lyrics for "Don't Blow Your Own Horn," the first song that they worked on; however, they decided against retaining the song, with Marr commenting that "neither of us liked it very much." The next song that they worked on was "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle," which again was based on lyrics produced by Morrissey. Marr based the tempo on the Patti Smith song "Kimberly," and they recorded it on Marr's TEAC four-track cassette recorder. The third track that the duo worked on was "Suffer Little Children." Alongside these original compositions, Morrissey suggested that the band produce a cover of "I Want a Boy for My Birthday," a song by the 1960s American girl group the Cookies; although he had never heard of the song before, Marr agreed, enjoying the subversive element of having a male vocalist sing it, and the song was recorded on his TEAC machine. "It's still really clear. It was a sunny day, about one o'clock. There was no advance phone call or anything. I just knocked, and he opened the door. As soon as the door opened, Pommy [Pomfret] took two very firm steps back. Which is one of the things that got me to talk so fast; it was just plain exuberance." — Marr, on arriving at Morrissey's door By late 1982, Morrissey had chosen the band name the Smiths. He said later that "it was the most ordinary name, and I thought it was time that the ordinary folk of the world showed their faces." Around the time of the band's formation, Morrissey decided that he would be publicly known only by his surname, with Marr referring to him as "Mozzer" or "Moz." In 1983, he forbade those around him from using the name "Steven," which he despised. After remaining with the band for several rehearsals, Pomfret departed acrimoniously. He was replaced by the bass player Dale Hibbert, who worked at Manchester's Decibel Studios, where Marr had met him while recording Freak Party's demo. Through Hibbert, the Smiths recorded their first demo at Decibel one night in August 1982. Aided by drummer Simon Wolstencroft, whom Marr had worked with in Freak Party, the band recorded both "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" and "Suffer Little Children." Wolstencroft was not interested in joining the band, so following auditions, Mike Joyce joined; he later revealed that he was under the influence of magic mushrooms during his audition. Meanwhile, Morrissey took the demo recording to Factory Records, but Factory's Tony Wilson was not interested. In October 1982, the Smiths gave their first public performance as a support act for Blue Rondo à la Turk during a student music and fashion show, "An Evening of Pure Pleasure," at Manchester's Ritz. During the performance, they played both their own compositions and "I Want a Boy for My Birthday." Morrissey had organized the gig's aesthetic; the band came onstage to Klaus Nomi's version of Henry Purcell's "The Cold Song" playing through the venue's sound system before his friend James Maker stepped onstage to introduce the band. Maker remained onstage during the performance, relating that "I was given a pair of maracas—an optional extra—and carte blanche. There were no instructions—I think it was generally accepted I would improvise... I was there to drink red wine, make extraneous hand gestures, and keep well within the tight, chalked circle that Morrissey had drawn around me." Hibbert was allegedly unhappy with what he perceived as the band's "gay" aesthetic; in turn, Morrissey and Marr were unhappy with his bass playing, so he was replaced by Marr's old schoolfriend Andy Rourke. Hibbert denies that he objected to the band being perceived as gay and said he was not sure why he was asked to leave. In December 1982, the Smiths recorded their second demo at the Drone Studios in Chorlton-cum-Hardy; the tracks recorded were "What Difference Does It Make?," "Handsome Devil," and "Miserable Lie." This was used as their audition tape for the record company EMI, which turned the band down. The band continued to practice, this time at the upstairs of the Portland Street Crazy Face Clothing company, a space secured by their new manager, Joe Moss. By Christmas, they had written four new songs: "These Things Take Time," "What Do You See in Him?," "Jeane," and "A Matter of Opinion," the last of which they soon scrapped. Their next gig was Manchester's Manhattan in late January 1983, and although Maker would again appear as a go-go dancer, this was the last time that he did so. In early February, they performed their third gig, at the Haçienda. Biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smiths 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.