"The Smiths best band of the 80s" Topic

Real working class boys who made poetry about their
anger to Thatchers Britain. Invented Indie music
and never sold out. Manchesters finest and a major
influence on serious musicians , Jeff Buckley,
Ryan Adams, Brit Pop bands , Artic Monkeys etc

Yup.

I'd have to go with not even close on that one.

Maybe in the UK, although I'm not even sure about that.
I find their/His music to be a bit dated a little like anti war songs of the 60s.

Not even the best Manchester band of the 80's.

Back in the day we thought they were a bunch of flailing hags… nowadays I 'get' them much better and enjoy their music. Definitely a great band… no one will ever agree on 'best'.

I never understood the appeal of this band, morose lyrics sung poorly.

They're one of my all time favourite bands; but then there's the Cure, R.E.M, and many more.

This charmimg man
Big mouth strikes again
The boy with the thorn in his side
How soon is know
Please, please

You may not get it but there is dark beauty.
If Oscar Wilde invented indie this would be it.

Dunno about best band. Too subjective. But – just as subjectively – Johnny Marr's guitar riff at the beginning of 'How soon is now' is just rogeringly brilliant. I bought the whole album on the strength of that sound and was not disappointed.

"Best" is always subjective, just like ones taste in music (I prefer capes!). I find the Smiths OK, if somewhat whiney. My own favourite would probably be The Waterboys:

YouTube link

But there are so many contenders that I might easily change my mind.

Ermm No….

Not with the mighty Iron Maiden about, Guns'n'Roses, Megadeath, Metallica….ahh the sound track of my early teens.

Got to go with Prince rupert here and his superior taste in music. Still, at the Smiths aren't as bad as the Cure – talk about depressing, 5 minutes of the Cure and I want to shoot myself!

Huh, 5 minutes of the Cure and I want to shoot Robert Smith.

those metal/thrash/poodle bands were dated in the 80s
and the Smiths were a new musical form. None were worthy of the
original black country boys that was Zepplin.
As for Robert Smith I always enjoy Lovecats.

I guess I wasn't living right in the '80's since I cannot recall one ounce of their music and can therefore state that they are not the "best" in my opinion.

guess I wasn't living right in the '80's since I cannot recall one ounce of their music and can therefore state that they are not

Not to be rude but since you have not heard any tracks,
and wasnt living in the 80s its hard to take your opinion
seriously.
They are Northern English working class thing. It would
be hard to understand their anger to the politics of
the time if your from North America.
Musical journalists , musicans, bands like the \Killers
site them as their biggest musical influence. They were
leftfield but major record sells in the uk. In America they were hard to understand their points because they were so
"Northern" but they were huge on the US college circuit.

I'm a working class Mancunian, (that's 'Northern English working class', for anyone who doesn't know), and I always thought at the time, like many of my friends (also working class Mancunians) that The Smiths were okay, but Morrissey had his head stuck up his own backside.

But each to their own.

Well I was living in the 80s in the UK during the Thatcher era and they sounded like whingers then, hell Morrissey still sounds like a pretentious wally even today.

Maybe I don't get it becuase I'm a southener…..

Smiths were ok but didn't get much air time or shop promo even from the indie people in my area. And I wasn't as personally attached to their politics as many of you may have been.

5 minutes of the Cure and I want to shoot Robert Smith.

He did do three good songs
Just Like Heaven
Friday I'm in Love
Pictures of You

as for How Soon is Now I tend to listen to the Psychedelic Furs version more than the Smiths.

as for How Soon is Now I tend to listen to the Psychedelic Furs version more than the Smiths

YouTube link

I didnt know the Psychedelic Furs covered that. Great version of a great song

I found that while listening to the Smiths, someone posted something about the PF cover.

<I didnt know the Psychedelic Furs covered that. Great version of a great song>

Nor did I. Thanks!

<I always thought at the time, … that The Smiths were okay, but Morrissey had his head stuck up his own backside.>

I'm sure you're right. And I reckon he'd hate me for mentioning Marr but not him. But if I only listened to music by people who didn't have their heads up their own backsides it might be a fairly short playlist.

decent cover of How soon is now,
but does not get near Marrs brilliant riff.

Morrissey I agree was pretentious but most great
artists are. He stood for his principles if
we liked them or not. He was adored by many and
hated by many.Its an English thing pretentious
artists , Bowie, Ferry, Eno etc.

I wouldn't say they were my number one favourite 80s band (fairly hard to say who that would be in any case as the 80s spewed forth such variety), however I still listen to them and enjoy a lot of their songs. On my current iTunes setup they seem to be hovering around the high 30s/low 40s for times played, whereas the Cramps (who I am listening to now) are in the low teens.

I hated them at the time though, thought they were a bunch of pretentious s, but they grew on me over the years. In 1984 I was still doing the crustie + dog on a string thing though, so not really The Smiths target audience at the time.

I remember taking a copy of the Cramps 12" Human Fly,
to school in about 79, Their sound was B,movie horror
Rockabilly. The problem was their music was a pastiche and
was hard to move forward. British physcobilly bands like
the Meteors and King Kurt never did it for me.
The Smiths core base at first tended to be university,
student crowd . Remember seeing hundreds of Morrissey
disciples in long coats, quiffs, a copy of Soviet poetry
under their arm, at the time, all very pretentious.
That tended to make British music the most creative.
What the Smiths had,that their music had hidden depth
lacking with other artists.
Other bands of merit was Joy Division/New Order , Echo
and the Bunnyman,etc . Being pretentious was being English
at this time.

Not even the best Manchester band of the 80's.

+1!

Of course that begs the question,which one was!

As to the Smiths, good but pretentious. Some of their stuff still gets airtime chez Etranger….

some would say ,the Stone Roses.
Captured the second summer of love but burnt
out quickly. Still the Salford boy club band for me.

Sorry , dont think they can touch the Jam or Clash.