Never heard Morrissey or 'The Smiths'... which are the best records?

C

Curious...

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I'm 16 & I've studied the cello for the majority of my life & have never been that interested in pop music.

I keep running into these two names though... so i looked them up on the internet & i was intrigued by what i read about Morrissey.

Would anyone have any suggestion as to which album(s) to buy & explore first? Thanks...
 
You sound very interesting, down to earth. Well as you might tell, we are a very involved sub-culture, us Morrissey fans. I would say, "louder than bombs," or "hatful of hollow" represent the smiths best. Don't start with the latter stuff..."strangeways" ect. best of comps.
And as for Morrissey, I would start with "viva hate," m st., suedehead, break up the family, hairdressor.. are the best succession of songs on any Morrissey solo album. Go for it> Morrissey is the best ever!
 
Get Thee To a Record Shoppe

> You sound very interesting, down to earth. Well as you might
> tell, we are a very involved sub-culture, us Morrissey fans. I
> would say, "louder than bombs," or "hatful of
> hollow" represent the smiths best. Don't start with the
> latter stuff..."strangeways" ect. best of comps.
> And as for Morrissey, I would start with "viva hate,"
> m st., suedehead, break up the family, hairdressor.. are the
> best succession of songs on any Morrissey solo album. Go for
> it> Morrissey is the best ever!

Hi, Curious. I would agree with East's recommendations of "Hatful of Hollow" by the Smiths and "Viva Hate" from Morrissey (add to that, "Bona Drag").

Also, I would recommend clicking the link below and reading the Smiths and Morrissey interviews - it'll give you a great deal of insight into the band and Morrissey.

Happy reading!




From "The Arcane Old Wardrobe" site
 
my thoughts...

any smiths album would be a good starting point, but i would recommend "the queen is dead" for your first. the smiths only released four 'proper' albums. they were not an 'album' band... in that their best work is not necessarily on their albums, but on singles & b-sides. the best compilation of this category of their work is by far "louder than bombs".

as for morrissey solo, he has explored a wide array of sounds since '87. the period after the "kill uncle" album was a turning point for him musically. he lost the clean, clear, smiths-like sound in favor of a denser, more rock-like approach. the best example of this direction is "vauxhall & i", which is very strong. i think his best solo albums are "viva hate", "kill uncle" & "vauxhall & i", in descending order. again, morrissey has many wonderful gems hidden on b-sides. a couple of good compilations to obtain some of those songs are “bona drag” & “my early burglary years”.

hope this helps.
 
I'm from Poland and here it's not that strange that someone doesn't know Smiths' or Morrissey's records. Anyway, I'd recommend you to start either with 'The Singles' (which is their best compilation) or with 'The Queen Is Dead'. Both them contain THAT song, 'There Is A Light Never Goes Out'. As If to Moz solo, try 'Your Arsenal'.

Go for it!
 
It's generally accepted that "The Queen is Dead" is the best Smiths album. A rundown - the self-titled debut album is a beautiful record that really established the "Morrissey persona" ; "Meat is Murder" is a harder, angrier record, though Morrissey's voice was much improved ; "The Queen is Dead" combines the best attributes of the first two records and adds a twist of self parody and blatant humor ; and "Strangeways Here We Come" is a record that reflects the tension between Morrissey and Marr. It's not as coherent as the other records, it seems like the beginning of a new direction that the band may have taken had they not broken up.

In terms of value for money, your best bet may be "Louder Than Bombs," a 24 track compilation of singles and B-sides.
 
oh where you play cello?

the smiths... "louder then bombs"

Morrissey.... "Vauxhall & I"

seems to me you would probably be into the music just as much as the singing so check those out.. for i believe they have some of the best music written in them.......

and i played Tuba for 8 years how bout that...hehe


Morrissey Friends
 
the light shines brightly...

i take it that "There is a Light..." is your favorite! it seems that there is a rough consensus on this among morrissey/smiths fans. i bet if there was a poll, that particular song would prevail. (although it does not reflect my opinion)
 
Re: oh where you play cello?

> the smiths... "louder then bombs"

> Morrissey.... "Vauxhall & I"

> seems to me you would probably be into the music just as much as
> the singing so check those out.. for i believe they have some of
> the best music written in them.......

> and i played Tuba for 8 years how bout that...hehe

I just wanted to say I loved the dragon Ball Z refrence. As far as what albums to get to have a good sample of there work I would have to say "singles" for the smiths and "bona drag" for morrissey.
 
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