It's funny you said Morrisey reminds you of Robert Smith, because they really hated each other back in the 80's, Morrissey just has a big personality that he lets run through in his singing and lyrics (Bigmouth Strikes Again is a response to the tabloids, The Queen Is Dead is about his disgust with the royal family, Frankly Mr Shankly is a hate letter to the mismanagement from their label). Morrissey has such a strong fanbase because he appeals to those who can't fit in. I really like how he sings, the emphasizing on different syllables every time keep the songs dancing on their toes. I think he took inspiration from jangly guitar playing where you can subtletly tweak around on repeated parts. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out starts with a nod to the Velvet Underground's There She Goes Again. If you react to (and end up liking) Cocteau Twins, I recommend The Cure's magnum opus Disintegration. They are as pop as in Friday I'm In Love only half of the time, they actually took a lot from Joy Division (listen to A Forest or The Kiss).
they hate each other but he's not wrong in that they're both slightly off centre eccentric personalities. especially in their music, singing styles and subject matter.
Don't judge The Cure on Friday I'm in Love. It's pretty universally hated by their own fans. Love him or hate him, Robert Smith is an incredibly talented musician and writer. You should add Disintegration to your album reaction list.
Agreed. Friday I'm In Love is a terrible song to know The Cure by, and doesn't really exemplify their music. Kiss Me I think is the most broadly representative album, and probably a better place to start than Disintegration, which was more of a culmination of everything they'd figured out, so to speak. The B-sides of Standing On A Beach, _that_ is like no music you've heard before. Also, fwiw, Robert Smith and Morrissey are pretty polar opposite personalities.
The reason why the last song fades in and out is cause Morrisey wanted it to sound like a door opened and close then opened again leading to a room. Great review btw hopefully you’ll do more smiths albums.
@@bangbang4948 I can't explain this phenomenon to you. In my case, I was impressed with the band's originality, both in the lyrics and in the instrumental.
It’s become one of my favorite albums! My initial opinion definitely was not my final on this one. I reacted to the rest of The Smiths after this video, and you can hear my further thoughts on Queen in those reactions.
The biggest problem with non-British listeners reactions to bands like The Smiths is perhaps cultural. This album is a reflection of British society in the 80s and you would have to have lived it to properly connect with it. I was was a teenager, like any other living in Britain in the 80s and this album brought to light so many thoughts and feelings that most working class people experienced under an uncaring Conservative government. Morrisey understood this being from the same backround. Combined with Johnny Marr's brilliant guitar riffs and you have a seminal moment in British music. This is arguably The Smiths best work.
I was a teenager in America in the 90s and understood this. Dude just has a pretentious American ear and he eventually caved into its genius. This album is brilliant.
EDIT: (This album has become one of my Top 10 favorites. See here: ua-cam.com/video/7xcxLE1LhRI/v-deo.html) Thanks for the comments, everyone. I don't usually get this many comments in a day. I want to add that this album has been a massive grower for me over the past couple of days. I've listened to the album several times over (skipping Never Had No One Never and Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others, my two dislikes). Cemetry Gates and The Boy With The Thorn In His Side are my faves. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out makes more sense to me now too. I think it helps to see the comedic side of the songs, and then through that you can access the introspective and raw elements in the lyrics. Also, hearing this album and the songwriting of The Smiths in general makes a lot of the other music in the 80s-90s make a whole lot more sense. I can see the impact they had on rock, sort of a stepping stone from post-punk in the 70s to indie/alternative rock in the 90s. More THE SMITHS Reactions: Self-Titled: ua-cam.com/video/uCUt2NJiqLg/v-deo.html Hatful of Hollow: ua-cam.com/video/igJBlsLbJ_g/v-deo.html Meat is Murder: ua-cam.com/video/iXhoiRBdYrs/v-deo.html Strangeways, Here We Come: ua-cam.com/video/ZYXckK8ENUk/v-deo.html The World Won't Listen and Louder than Bombs: ua-cam.com/video/cWE44gXPu6c/v-deo.html
Well done in discovering the comedic element in their work. That often gets overlooked and Morrissey gets labeled a doomer when he’s far from it. Glad you discovered them and gave them a chance.
The Queen Is Dead - 1:50 Frankly, Mr. Shankly - 5:00 I Know It’s Over - 7:29 Never Had No One Ever - 9:02 Cemetery Gates - 10:00 Bigmouth Strikes Again - 11:07 The Boy With The Thorn In His Side - 12:54 Vicar In A Tutu - 15:31 There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - 16:32 Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others - 18:22
Both Joy Division and The Smiths music are to a large extent products of the individuals concerned growing up in 60s & 70s northern Britain, coupled with their own personal experiences. Try listening to The Buzzcocks, Another Music in a Different Kitchen. To some extent it fits in the musical family of Joy Division and The Smiths. Not that they sound alike, they're just from similar backgrounds.
At that time the music and attitude of The Smiths felt quite revolutionary and yet they had a funny side too. I was 17 and the song 'The Queen is Dead' sent shivers of revolutionary zeal up my spine, but then you'd laugh at a Vicar in a Tutu. They were rare and special. But well done I liked seeing your reaction and understand what you're seeing in it.
After having watched your reviews of The Smiths albums, I am grateful for my technical ignorance of music. This process seems to be trying to define art with science. I don't THINK the smiths are great but rather FEEL the smiths greatness. I hear the lilt of the vocal, the movement of the bass and jangle of the guitar of This Charming Man and it affects me. It changes my mood and lifts my spirit. And if Van Halen or Led Zepplin or Dave Matthews Band walked into a studio and rehearsed and recorded This Charming Man it would be 3 distinct songs none of which would be as great as the original. Because it is not about the notes, it is about the artist's expression of the notes. In my joyfully ignorant opinion.
Its so weird ive always liked a few smiths songs but not the others but one day i actually started really listening, ever since theres not one smiths song i dont love
@@AlexHaitz Johnny Marr is incredible. I remember your Slanted & Enchanted review, I actually recorded a lesson for a song off of it today inspired by a new podcast. ua-cam.com/video/U_hjOeWJHyI/v-deo.html
You make no sense. Morrissey is not "over the top". He is over the top if you compare him to crap artists; but compared to quality music he is one more. To me the best; but in general not an abomination. Johnny Marr is a musical genius. He revolutionized the indie guitarist and... maybe reinvented the 'pop song'. But so is Morrissey. He is ageless and a legend. His lyrics and melodies paired to his voice are bar none... the best.
So 17 months later.. I can't be bothered reading all the comments in case I may say something redundant and I know I am late, but this is my favorite album ever. I am not one of these staunch defenders of Morrissey... Watching your reaction, I thought I'd tell you why I love it and fast facts I am hoping you'll take into consideration. Why I love it: Originality. Frequent chord changes vs. power chord BS. Storytelling. At the time, the royal family was very glamorized. Charles had married Diana and they release "The Queen Is Dead" in the midst of everything and it's far more brave than God Save The Queen by Sex Pistols. The first full minute of Bigmouth Strikes Again is acoustic guitar. Bass, too, yes... but it sounds like a 2nd electric guitar and it isn't. When you're 16 as I was when I first heard "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out", which is NOT depressing or even about death. It's about liking the person you're dating so much, nothing else matters, there is nowhere you'd rather be than with them. And since it can't get any better than you, I could die and be proud it was with you. We've all felt this way as a teenager with a girlfriend... Originality is better than all else. Who wants John Mayer who sounds like Dave Matthews who sounds like the Fray who sounds like maroon 5 who sound like Jack Johnson or whatever. That stuff sucks. Who the hell prefers "Banana Pancakes" and "Moves Like Jagger" and "Waiting for the World to Cha-a-ange"? Fast facts: The Smiths were revered for the lyrics and storytelling - not the vocal intricacies. The originality of the guitar was also part of the appeal. Johnny Marr did 100% of the writing of the music. He's give a finished piece to Morrissey. Morrissey would add lyrics and vocal arrangements. If the Smiths sound familiar, it's usually bands they influenced that came after but you heard first.
I agree with your synopsis completely, echos exactly what that album meant ( and still means ) to me. I did read the comments however and was delighted to find one from the reviewer himself saying that on further listens he ‘got’ what the album was about and now likes it very much.
I don't know how much being British may play into connecting with The Smiths' songs. Musically they can connect with anyone, but lyrically, they are very much a young man's largely autobiographical experience of what was a very harsh environment (Manchester) to grow up and survive in. The north was an extremely tough and bleak place in the seventies and eighties especially. Morrissey's lyrics are never about anything bigger than the little things in life -- the comforts that we often take for granted, like hot water, an inside toilet, an open possible future, etc. Some hope, as opposed to a damned existence without. Impossible to relate to unless you have experienced this reality. Somehow, the music of The Smiths connected with people, as it spoke about an experience they knew -- a landscape in the songs that was the same as the reality they were living in. And of course, Morrissey is looking back at the 1960's Britain, where we almost evolved into something far better, something wonderful, but that faltered and was snubbed out deliberately by our political leaders who saw only a loss of control for them -- leaving us where we are now in a failed, dissolusioned and largely narcisstic society of frightened people. :0/
I just watched 3-4 of your “first take” videos (I should be doing homework; I should go to the gym haha). I love your honesty, openness, and fair/educated criticisms of the music that you’re reacting to. This probably won’t be a popular request, but I’d love to hear your reaction to Andrew Bird, and The Microphones-particularly Bird’s album, “Noble Beasts”, and The Microphones, “The Glow Pt. 2”. They aren’t closely related sonically (perhaps they are thematically with lyrics dealing with nature), but they’re both INTERESTING artists. Great work! I’m looking forward to whatever you react to next.
All of these 80s New Wave/Alternative type bands especially The Cure, Siouxie and the Banshees, Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, The Smiths + a lot of others were products of the time. Its not surprising that different generations dont get it. I get it and im sure a lot of people from my generation get it but I dont really care about trying to be cool or fit in anymore. You know like you do when your a teenager.
PART 1. The Smiths: Multiple references to other songs, films etc in these songs - all part of the fun. OK, now some dull details:- A longer edit exists of The Queen Is Dead with about 90 seconds more riff-finding from Rourke and Marr. Live versions of the song simplified it, relying heavily on a boogie-rock riff (and usually cutting out two verses). There has been one legendary cover of I Know Its Over - this one ua-cam.com/video/_5a708EqfuE/v-deo.html Never Had No One Ever (modeled on a certain Stooges song) is minimal on purpose, meant as a jamming number (refer to the infamous "trumpet version") Bigmouth Strikes Again is in part a musical homage to the Rolling Stones/ it's actually the second (not first) of several songs where Morrissey electronically harmonizes himself (disguised as the fictional Ann Coats) There Is A Light... (maybe the only song that includes musical allusions to both David Johansen and Marvin Gaye) - its popularity may have something to do with the fact the narrator's suicide-fantasy is triggered by a moment of sexual failure "in the darkened underpass" PART 2. Another Band: Someone recommended that you review a Cocteau Twins album - (he pauses for effect) - I could bore you for hours with trivia, theories and purple prose about the Cocteau Twins, but for now I'll just say this: if you're a CT novice, don't start with Treasure (overrated / time has magnified its flaws). A better plan in fact is to play through the three 1985 EPs as if they were an LP.
Thanks for the giant comment. I didn't know Buckley did a cover, but I'm going to be listening to that ASAP. And I was thinking of diving right into Heaven or Las Vegas with CT. Is that unwise? I've heard 2 songs off of it and I enjoy them a lot. Should I go earlier?
Hmm, if Fridays I'm in Love is the only song by The Cure you really know, I can understand thinking you don't like them. I would recommend Boys Don't Cry, The Lovecats, A Forest, Caterpillar, etc.
I love The Queen is Dead, the songs are quirky and ridiculous, but also deep and sad. I really think you should check out Hatful of Hollow...it was my first Smiths album, and I love them.
Interesting comparison to Radiohead. Maybe its in the guitar work...Greenwood and Marr are both masters at their craft. Just want to add that you have to let yourself embrace the eccentricity that exists within the Smiths music.
Johnny Marr (the guitarist) is an awesome composer. To be enjoyed on his own, for sure. He teamed up with Sumner of New Order and Tennant of Pet Shop Boys to do Electronic.
Its their best album for sure..and keep up with the cure..trust me it'll be worth it... Disintegration is most peoples fav album but not even close to the best in my opinion
Funny thing, Morrissey (The Smiths) and Rob Smith (The Cure) Hate each other’s guts. In various interviews they bash each other hard, and it’s pretty funny to watch.
Oof. You don't like the Cure? That's impossible. You probably have only heard the super pop hits like Friday I'm in love. Disintegration and Pornography are amazing albums and best of the 80s
I ended up doing Disintegration about 5 months later. ua-cam.com/video/jiUTQ8GOmiU/v-deo.html Don’t love it as much as I came to love Queen is Dead, but it’s a helluva album.
The ride cymbal that comes in at the end of Some Girls are Bigger than Others is one of the great pieces of pop drumming. But only someone who's grown up with them will truly know
I really like your reactions even if I disagree with you because you don't seem to hype up things like a lot of people do, makes it more genuine and all the better when you do like something I do
Already heard it, it's in my top 10-15 favorites. Fantastic post rock pioneering as far as the timbre of the guitar. Washer and Don, Aman are masterpieces.
@@AlexHaitz Ohh great! it's absolutely an essential for modern rock, you should react to a swans record, preferably Soundtracks For The Blind since while it's their most haunting/creepy record and while not being very accessible at all it will absolutely leave an impression on you, if you have 2 and a half hours of light to spare since it's an extremely long record
I know its over and there is a light thar never goes out. Are the most depressing but beautiful. In the 80s it was good for suicidal tendencies... NB Morrissey writes emotive stuff
I hate how you have centred The Smiths music totally on Morrissey ( not having a dig btw ) .. listen to th e album again and instead, listen to the perfection coming from Johnny Marr in the background. England's finest musician. melancholy at its finest.
I like to think that that vocal modular croon thing that Morrissey does is his attempt at a yodel and when he does it he's happy (heard most prominent at the end of The Boy With The Thorn In HIs Side). There's also a lot of humour (albeit skewed) in Morrissey's lyrics that I don't think you got. The bit in The queen Is Dead when he relates the time when he snuck into the palace and met the Queen etc...
Not all of it... but there were quite a few coded gay references. My favourite is still Hand in Glove": And if the people stare / Then the people stare/ Oh, I really don't know and I really don't care. Still the best gay anthem ever.
Just discovering the channel so going through the vids now. I really REALLY think you should check out Disintegration by The Cure, because it does sound to me like you unfortunately have a misunderstanding about Robert Smith and the band in general. I don't particularly like 'Friday I'm in Love' either, but Disintegration is easily one of my favourite albums of all time. I defy you to not enjoy that album!
@@AlexHaitz No problem, it's quality content! I am wondering how you record your music and mic audio? Is it through one stereo mix or separate softwares?
My sound card doesn’t support Stereo Mix, unfortunately. Should’ve looked into that before I “upgraded”. So I use Audacity to record my mic, and OBS to record the PC audio. I have both of them bound to the same record hotkey, so they’re synced from the beginning.
You mentioned coldplay in the same video as the smiths. How sad. That explains a lot. I see the generation gap from a far. Stay there in Coldplay land where u belong
I'm intrigued by the fact that you're listening to "my" music, but don't seem to really be liking any of it, which begs the question, what music do you listen to on your own, i.e., your favorite bands? I give you credit for trying music you don't know, because I don't listen to music I don't like. A work friend recommended a band to me the other day and the first song bored me spitless (I gave it about a minute), whereas while the second song was better, I didn't go down a rabbit hole listening to more of their stuff.
The Queen is Dead has grown on me, and is in my top 10 favorite albums now. I mention this in some later videos too. Some of my favorite bands are Radiohead, Beach House, Wild Nothing, Neutral Milk Hotel, Coldplay (not as much anymore, but they were very influential in my life), Simon and Garfunkel, Sufjan Stevens. Those are the main ones I’ve listened to pretty extensively and know a lot of their material.
This album was loaned to me when it was new. I didn’t like it much at first but the lyrics are genius and Johnny Marr writes a hook like no one else in the business. I get impatient with the gay, adolescent self-absorption, and everyone is over Morrisey by now but this was a stunning album.
Btw i dont think you need anyone to explain to you what we think about the album. Its your review. You do your own history research of you care. To put it into context to what was going on at the time and understanding it if you like. Thats your job to do as the listener not ours. Maybe we could do that in a conversation sharing music but i for one would never go into the why when your perplexed on whether u like or not. Play it again and see what u think.
@@thoru4367 It is the better album but he should keep with the theme he has been going with by seeing the progress of the musicians. He should just do Wait's trilogy for the 80s. You know, I'd even recommend him doing Small Change or Closing Time then SwordFishTrombone just to see the progress.
@@thoru4367 That is a bit true but thinking about he likes to think in terms of "Context" it might make more sense for him to experience the album in the "context" that people who first heard it would have felt. edit: grammar
I will do this at some point. The only Waits "song" I've heard is "What's He Building?", which I imagine is not a very good poster child for the rest of his work.
I enjoy what you have to say. You're very articulate and maybe a little too analytical ( notice the word anal in there ;). I am gen-x and I can totally see the difference between music culture of the 70s 80s 90s compared to now. People like Robert Smith or Morrissey were "normal" back then. That's how music personalities were, colourful and off the wall. Throw in more names like...Cindy Lauper, Prince, Michael Jackson, Twisted Sister, Iggy Pop, Kiss, Meatloaf, Ozzy Osbourne..I'm sure I'm forgetting names. Now look at today's music. Where is the fun at? Admit it it's dead and a drag. Millennials is a generation that fear to be different. They want to be the same and not look like a weirdo. They walk politely on eggshells not to offend. It's very reflective in music and it's fucking soo boring now. That is the reason why you don't get music from the 80s. It was about being different, not copying your peer to a T. The Smiths had their sound, so did the Cure, and Depeche Mode. It's distinctly unique to no one else's. Today's music is about making music to what people want to hear or what the record company wants. It's stuffy when you look at the charts. Then you put on something from the 80s and it's like the chains and shackles have been broken, and that difference is why Millennials are discovering it and going Holy fuck the Smiths are awesome. I go into the music store and the check out guy is wearing a Jesus and Mary Chain shirt. I smirk inside a bit thinking, I guess that's cool that he wants to say without saying 80s music should be rediscovered cause there's a lot of original materials. The Jesus and Mary Chain was an interesting band that was not doing that light happy sound but a darker warmer tone and it was an early progression into "alternative" music. Maybe you sound take a look at them. Another brilliant album for me is Depeche Mode Black Celebration. It's darker than their other songs but the album flows really well. I like hearing your Millennial perspectives and I can see why you're having some difficulties understanding people like a Robert Smith cause they don't exist anymore..sadly. Favourite Cure songs: Just Like Heaven, Boys Don't Cry.
This was voted by critics as one of the best albums ever recorded ... which really is a masterpiece listen and enjoy that’s it
"Morrissey strikes me as a bizarre man" Could not be more spot on mate.
Greatest understatement of all time.
Bizarre and fucking fantastic. Viva M! ❤️
Keep listening. Keep looking into them. You'll fall in love and regret you didn't discover them earlier.
I'm already to that point! Excited to listen to more. Planning on doing the debut and then Hatful of Hollow down the road.
Agreed, even their deep cuts are better than most bands singles, The Smiths just have it all including the commentary and humour
It's funny you said Morrisey reminds you of Robert Smith, because they really hated each other back in the 80's, Morrissey just has a big personality that he lets run through in his singing and lyrics (Bigmouth Strikes Again is a response to the tabloids, The Queen Is Dead is about his disgust with the royal family, Frankly Mr Shankly is a hate letter to the mismanagement from their label). Morrissey has such a strong fanbase because he appeals to those who can't fit in.
I really like how he sings, the emphasizing on different syllables every time keep the songs dancing on their toes. I think he took inspiration from jangly guitar playing where you can subtletly tweak around on repeated parts.
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out starts with a nod to the Velvet Underground's There She Goes Again.
If you react to (and end up liking) Cocteau Twins, I recommend The Cure's magnum opus Disintegration. They are as pop as in Friday I'm In Love only half of the time, they actually took a lot from Joy Division (listen to A Forest or The Kiss).
Yes, this. They actually can't stand each other
appleblossom345 although very recently when Morrissey was asked had he any regrets he said he wished he’d been nicer about Robert Smith !
they hate each other but he's not wrong in that they're both slightly off centre eccentric personalities. especially in their music, singing styles and subject matter.
I never realized the intro of "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" came from There She Goes Again lol.
'The boy with the thorn in his side' is my all-time favorite song.
Same
Don't judge The Cure on Friday I'm in Love. It's pretty universally hated by their own fans. Love him or hate him, Robert Smith is an incredibly talented musician and writer. You should add Disintegration to your album reaction list.
Charlotte Sometimes is one of the faves of my 12 yo daughter - Billy Eillish fan.
hated? I don't think Friday is hated at all by anyone including their fans, certainly not me, it's a wonderful song.
Morrigan71 not hate it but more akin to REM’s later ‘meh’ songs like Shiny Happy People, just not up there.. filler fluff IMO.
Agreed. Friday I'm In Love is a terrible song to know The Cure by, and doesn't really exemplify their music. Kiss Me I think is the most broadly representative album, and probably a better place to start than Disintegration, which was more of a culmination of everything they'd figured out, so to speak. The B-sides of Standing On A Beach, _that_ is like no music you've heard before.
Also, fwiw, Robert Smith and Morrissey are pretty polar opposite personalities.
i love the cure and i love friday i’m in love. i haven’t really seen anyone hate on it before tbh
The reason why the last song fades in and out is cause Morrisey wanted it to sound like a door opened and close then opened again leading to a room. Great review btw hopefully you’ll do more smiths albums.
cause Johnny Marr wanted it to sound....*
This album contains some of the best songs i've heard in my entire life. I can easily cry hearing one of them. Cheers from Brazil!
Im curious what draws Mexico and south america to the smiths/ Morrissey? Is post punk big where your from?
@@bangbang4948 I can't explain this phenomenon to you. In my case, I was impressed with the band's originality, both in the lyrics and in the instrumental.
@@antonioeisadora I guess you could say good music transcends culturally:)
I can see you're not ready for this just yet! The boy with the thorn is a masterpiece, he's literally yodeling towards the end.
This reaction broke my heart but I’m so happy you gave the album another listen. One of my all time favorite bands!
It’s become one of my favorite albums! My initial opinion definitely was not my final on this one.
I reacted to the rest of The Smiths after this video, and you can hear my further thoughts on Queen in those reactions.
The biggest problem with non-British listeners reactions to bands like The Smiths is perhaps cultural. This album is a reflection of British society in the 80s and you would have to have lived it to properly connect with it. I was was a teenager, like any other living in Britain in the 80s and this album brought to light so many thoughts and feelings that most working class people experienced under an uncaring Conservative government. Morrisey understood this being from the same backround. Combined with Johnny Marr's brilliant guitar riffs and you have a seminal moment in British music. This is arguably The Smiths best work.
I was a teenager in America in the 90s and understood this. Dude just has a pretentious American ear and he eventually caved into its genius. This album is brilliant.
Loved your commentry dude , keep up the videos love watching them
EDIT: (This album has become one of my Top 10 favorites. See here: ua-cam.com/video/7xcxLE1LhRI/v-deo.html)
Thanks for the comments, everyone. I don't usually get this many comments in a day.
I want to add that this album has been a massive grower for me over the past couple of days. I've listened to the album several times over (skipping Never Had No One Never and Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others, my two dislikes). Cemetry Gates and The Boy With The Thorn In His Side are my faves. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out makes more sense to me now too.
I think it helps to see the comedic side of the songs, and then through that you can access the introspective and raw elements in the lyrics.
Also, hearing this album and the songwriting of The Smiths in general makes a lot of the other music in the 80s-90s make a whole lot more sense. I can see the impact they had on rock, sort of a stepping stone from post-punk in the 70s to indie/alternative rock in the 90s.
More THE SMITHS Reactions:
Self-Titled: ua-cam.com/video/uCUt2NJiqLg/v-deo.html
Hatful of Hollow: ua-cam.com/video/igJBlsLbJ_g/v-deo.html
Meat is Murder: ua-cam.com/video/iXhoiRBdYrs/v-deo.html
Strangeways, Here We Come: ua-cam.com/video/ZYXckK8ENUk/v-deo.html
The World Won't Listen and Louder than Bombs: ua-cam.com/video/cWE44gXPu6c/v-deo.html
Alex Haitz Can you react to Hatfull of Hollow next?
I will at some point, don't know if it'll be next though.
Well done in discovering the comedic element in their work. That often gets overlooked and Morrissey gets labeled a doomer when he’s far from it. Glad you discovered them and gave them a chance.
The Queen Is Dead - 1:50
Frankly, Mr. Shankly - 5:00
I Know It’s Over - 7:29
Never Had No One Ever - 9:02
Cemetery Gates - 10:00
Bigmouth Strikes Again - 11:07
The Boy With The Thorn In His Side - 12:54
Vicar In A Tutu - 15:31
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - 16:32
Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others - 18:22
This album is 1 of my favorites along with The Cures Disintegration.
The Boy With The Thorn in His Side is my all time favourite song
Go to bed and revisit this when you care and can feel at your soul about music. I'll lay down the warm towel for your baby face.
Both Joy Division and The Smiths music are to a large extent products of the individuals concerned growing up in 60s & 70s northern Britain, coupled with their own personal experiences.
Try listening to The Buzzcocks, Another Music in a Different Kitchen. To some extent it fits in the musical family of Joy Division and The Smiths. Not that they sound alike, they're just from similar backgrounds.
At that time the music and attitude of The Smiths felt quite revolutionary and yet they had a funny side too. I was 17 and the song 'The Queen is Dead' sent shivers of revolutionary zeal up my spine, but then you'd laugh at a Vicar in a Tutu. They were rare and special. But well done I liked seeing your reaction and understand what you're seeing in it.
After having watched your reviews of The Smiths albums, I am grateful for my technical ignorance of music.
This process seems to be trying to define art with science. I don't THINK the smiths are great but rather FEEL the smiths greatness. I hear the lilt of the vocal, the movement of the bass and jangle of the guitar of This Charming Man and it affects me. It changes my mood and lifts my spirit.
And if Van Halen or Led Zepplin or Dave Matthews Band walked into a studio and rehearsed and recorded This Charming Man it would be 3 distinct songs none of which would be as great as the original. Because it is not about the notes, it is about the artist's expression of the notes. In my joyfully ignorant opinion.
lyrics are hilarious and Marrs guitar playing is like nothing anyone else does
Hatful of Hollow is the best album to start with. Its got there best early songs.
it aint even an album
The best album of all time. This is it man.
"There is a Light" is a "fine song" jeez buddy. wrong gig here for you
I'm glad you like the album now, it hurts to watch this video, tbh.
I know. I keep wanting to smack myself after each song for not having a massive smile on my face.
@@AlexHaitz Lmao don't do it to yourself, I know a buch of people who can relate
Its so weird ive always liked a few smiths songs but not the others but one day i actually started really listening, ever since theres not one smiths song i dont love
The only way to know if yah like them is listen to pretty much everything you can listen to by them. Glad you ended up liking them.
Enjoyed the honest review! I'm not a huge Morrissey fan either, he's too over the top for me... But Johnny Marr, man. Johnny Marr is amazing.
I've gotten used to him on repeat listens.
And Marr is next level. He revolutionized the role of the lead guitarist.
@@AlexHaitz Johnny Marr is incredible. I remember your Slanted & Enchanted review, I actually recorded a lesson for a song off of it today inspired by a new podcast. ua-cam.com/video/U_hjOeWJHyI/v-deo.html
Siddthekid Yass
You make no sense. Morrissey is not "over the top". He is over the top if you compare him to crap artists; but compared to quality music he is one more. To me the best; but in general not an abomination.
Johnny Marr is a musical genius. He revolutionized the indie guitarist and... maybe reinvented the 'pop song'. But so is Morrissey. He is ageless and a legend. His lyrics and melodies paired to his voice are bar none... the best.
So 17 months later.. I can't be bothered reading all the comments in case I may say something redundant and I know I am late, but this is my favorite album ever. I am not one of these staunch defenders of Morrissey... Watching your reaction, I thought I'd tell you why I love it and fast facts I am hoping you'll take into consideration.
Why I love it:
Originality.
Frequent chord changes vs. power chord BS.
Storytelling. At the time, the royal family was very glamorized. Charles had married Diana and they release "The Queen Is Dead" in the midst of everything and it's far more brave than God Save The Queen by Sex Pistols.
The first full minute of Bigmouth Strikes Again is acoustic guitar. Bass, too, yes... but it sounds like a 2nd electric guitar and it isn't.
When you're 16 as I was when I first heard "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out", which is NOT depressing or even about death. It's about liking the person you're dating so much, nothing else matters, there is nowhere you'd rather be than with them. And since it can't get any better than you, I could die and be proud it was with you. We've all felt this way as a teenager with a girlfriend...
Originality is better than all else. Who wants John Mayer who sounds like Dave Matthews who sounds like the Fray who sounds like maroon 5 who sound like Jack Johnson or whatever. That stuff sucks. Who the hell prefers "Banana Pancakes" and "Moves Like Jagger" and "Waiting for the World to Cha-a-ange"?
Fast facts:
The Smiths were revered for the lyrics and storytelling - not the vocal intricacies.
The originality of the guitar was also part of the appeal.
Johnny Marr did 100% of the writing of the music. He's give a finished piece to Morrissey. Morrissey would add lyrics and vocal arrangements.
If the Smiths sound familiar, it's usually bands they influenced that came after but you heard first.
I agree with your synopsis completely, echos exactly what that album meant ( and still means ) to me. I did read the comments however and was delighted to find one from the reviewer himself saying that on further listens he ‘got’ what the album was about and now likes it very much.
the more you play it, the more you will fall in love with it. its captivating!
The The - Mind Bomb. Has more Johnny Marr. A must listen.
I don't know how much being British may play into connecting with The Smiths' songs. Musically they can connect with anyone, but lyrically, they are very much a young man's largely autobiographical experience of what was a very harsh environment (Manchester) to grow up and survive in. The north was an extremely tough and bleak place in the seventies and eighties especially. Morrissey's lyrics are never about anything bigger than the little things in life -- the comforts that we often take for granted, like hot water, an inside toilet, an open possible future, etc. Some hope, as opposed to a damned existence without. Impossible to relate to unless you have experienced this reality. Somehow, the music of The Smiths connected with people, as it spoke about an experience they knew -- a landscape in the songs that was the same as the reality they were living in. And of course, Morrissey is looking back at the 1960's Britain, where we almost evolved into something far better, something wonderful, but that faltered and was snubbed out deliberately by our political leaders who saw only a loss of control for them -- leaving us where we are now in a failed, dissolusioned and largely narcisstic society of frightened people. :0/
I just watched 3-4 of your “first take” videos (I should be doing homework; I should go to the gym haha). I love your honesty, openness, and fair/educated criticisms of the music that you’re reacting to. This probably won’t be a popular request, but I’d love to hear your reaction to Andrew Bird, and The Microphones-particularly Bird’s album, “Noble Beasts”, and The Microphones, “The Glow Pt. 2”. They aren’t closely related sonically (perhaps they are thematically with lyrics dealing with nature), but they’re both INTERESTING artists. Great work! I’m looking forward to whatever you react to next.
I love The Glow Pt. 2, but I haven’t heard any Andrew Bird before. I’ll check him out!
All of these 80s New Wave/Alternative type bands especially The Cure, Siouxie and the Banshees, Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, The Smiths + a lot of others were products of the time. Its not surprising that different generations dont get it. I get it and im sure a lot of people from my generation get it but I dont really care about trying to be cool or fit in anymore. You know like you do when your a teenager.
This great album was released on this date.
June 16th, 1986
PART 1. The Smiths:
Multiple references to other songs, films etc in these songs - all part of the fun.
OK, now some dull details:-
A longer edit exists of The Queen Is Dead with about 90 seconds more riff-finding from Rourke and Marr. Live versions of the song simplified it, relying heavily on a boogie-rock riff (and usually cutting out two verses).
There has been one legendary cover of I Know Its Over - this one ua-cam.com/video/_5a708EqfuE/v-deo.html
Never Had No One Ever (modeled on a certain Stooges song) is minimal on purpose, meant as a jamming number (refer to the infamous "trumpet version")
Bigmouth Strikes Again is in part a musical homage to the Rolling Stones/ it's actually the second (not first) of several songs where Morrissey electronically harmonizes himself (disguised as the fictional Ann Coats)
There Is A Light... (maybe the only song that includes musical allusions to both David Johansen and Marvin Gaye) - its popularity may have something to do with the fact the narrator's suicide-fantasy is triggered by a moment of sexual failure "in the darkened underpass"
PART 2. Another Band:
Someone recommended that you review a Cocteau Twins album - (he pauses for effect) -
I could bore you for hours with trivia, theories and purple prose about the Cocteau Twins, but for now I'll just say this: if you're a CT novice, don't start with Treasure (overrated / time has magnified its flaws). A better plan in fact is to play through the three 1985 EPs as if they were an LP.
Thanks for the giant comment.
I didn't know Buckley did a cover, but I'm going to be listening to that ASAP.
And I was thinking of diving right into Heaven or Las Vegas with CT. Is that unwise? I've heard 2 songs off of it and I enjoy them a lot. Should I go earlier?
Get some Johnny Marr in your life
Hmm, if Fridays I'm in Love is the only song by The Cure you really know, I can understand thinking you don't like them. I would recommend Boys Don't Cry, The Lovecats, A Forest, Caterpillar, etc.
Kathleen a forest is such a great fuckin song
Please react to Manic Street Preachers - Holy Bible album, love ur raw opinions
The Cure is a really great band. Especially their early work... 80s era
A lot of commentary that you’re missing.
This album is legendary, and yes Morrisey is a very bizarre man. That pretty much defined the music
it really grows on you after awhile. it’s very strange.
I love The Queen is Dead, the songs are quirky and ridiculous, but also deep and sad. I really think you should check out Hatful of Hollow...it was my first Smiths album, and I love them.
I did a video on it! I’ve actually recently completed most of The Smiths discography.
I like how it doesn’t go anywhere. Feels trapped
How the hell did you not mention the bass in this album once in an album review? lmao
He did. I know it’s over.
Interesting comparison to Radiohead. Maybe its in the guitar work...Greenwood and Marr are both masters at their craft. Just want to add that you have to let yourself embrace the eccentricity that exists within the Smiths music.
The cure - "Jumping in someone else's train" or "A night like this" or "Killing an arabic".
Are you getting on any better with this album, Alex? What you find stifling I find absolutely liberating. Long live the king.
Here's a recent Smiths album tier list I've done to show my most current thoughts: ua-cam.com/video/MK9dog4Qg4g/v-deo.html
It is genuinely brave to review this. Salut!
Do Depeche Mode Violator
Morrissey - "Bona Drag " The album
Bro heard one of the most depressingly, hauntingly beautiful song of all time and said, "fascinating.."
Johnny Marr (the guitarist) is an awesome composer. To be enjoyed on his own, for sure. He teamed up with Sumner of New Order and Tennant of Pet Shop Boys to do Electronic.
He was dead to the wit in the lyrics.
Top Five album in any best 80's album list...
THE SMITHS ARE A CURE
The thing that really drew me into this band, not so much Morrissey, as Johnny Marr's amazing guitar work.
Love your T'-Shirt 👍
The smiths take a while to grow on you but when they do its great
This album ended up in my top 10 after a time! It was hard to get into them but once I did they really clicked.
Its their best album for sure..and keep up with the cure..trust me it'll be worth it... Disintegration is most peoples fav album but not even close to the best in my opinion
Funny thing, Morrissey (The Smiths) and Rob Smith (The Cure) Hate each other’s guts. In various interviews they bash each other hard, and it’s pretty funny to watch.
Best album ever produced
Oof. You don't like the Cure? That's impossible. You probably have only heard the super pop hits like Friday I'm in love. Disintegration and Pornography are amazing albums and best of the 80s
I ended up doing Disintegration about 5 months later.
ua-cam.com/video/jiUTQ8GOmiU/v-deo.html
Don’t love it as much as I came to love Queen is Dead, but it’s a helluva album.
Never Had No One Ever is a great stalker song. "Now I'm inside your house...I hate to intrude." When desperate turns creepy!
Also, yes Morrissey has a cover of It's Over by Roy Orbison.
I Know it’s Over is the best song ever!
U are like ryan gosling's little brother
The ride cymbal that comes in at the end of Some Girls are Bigger than Others is one of the great pieces of pop drumming. But only someone who's grown up with them will truly know
That’s a really interesting observation. The ride symbol really does add a little something special at that point.
Dawg you ain't grounded. Morrissey is just fine.
I really like your reactions even if I disagree with you because you don't seem to hype up things like a lot of people do, makes it more genuine and all the better when you do like something I do
Thanks! I try to be completely sincere.
P.S. - This album has been a huge grower, and it's probably in my top 10 now.
You should react to Spiderland by Slint, its a mix of post hardcore, post rock, spoken word, and some math rock in it
Already heard it, it's in my top 10-15 favorites. Fantastic post rock pioneering as far as the timbre of the guitar. Washer and Don, Aman are masterpieces.
@@AlexHaitz Ohh great! it's absolutely an essential for modern rock, you should react to a swans record, preferably Soundtracks For The Blind since while it's their most haunting/creepy record and while not being very accessible at all it will absolutely leave an impression on you, if you have 2 and a half hours of light to spare since it's an extremely long record
Please listen to and review The Associates album, "Sulk"
I know its over and there is a light thar never goes out. Are the most depressing but beautiful. In the 80s it was good for suicidal tendencies...
NB Morrissey writes emotive stuff
Best statement ever the cure front man like morrissey. I think i love you .BRILLIANT.
You have to listen to this album a few times before you can really appreciate it.
That certainly seems to be the case. I had to get over the initial shock of Morrissey.
So you don't like the vocals but just about every critic says how influential the band is. So sounds like it's your problem.
Can’t wait to hear what you say about I Know It’s Over. The most over the top self indulgent song.
Fascinating. Never heard music like this. Haha. Good reaction.
You're not English you won't 'get' The Smith's. It's irony, poetry, humour, with a huge dose of things quintessentially English
On the subject of weird vocal quirks, Bowie crafted his first half-dozen albums on them.
I hate how you have centred The
Smiths music totally on Morrissey ( not having a dig btw ) .. listen to th
e album again and instead, listen to the perfection coming from Johnny Marr in
the background. England's finest musician. melancholy at its finest.
Mate you don't get it, that's fine, we do....off you pop!!!!
I like to think that that vocal modular croon thing that Morrissey does is his attempt at a yodel and when he does it he's happy (heard most prominent at the end of The Boy With The Thorn In HIs Side). There's also a lot of humour (albeit skewed) in Morrissey's lyrics that I don't think you got. The bit in The queen Is Dead when he relates the time when he snuck into the palace and met the Queen etc...
TAKE ME BACK TO DEAR OLD BLIGHTY
Back then this was all code for being gay in the 80’s Pretty explicit from that perspective. ask any gay guy growing up then.
Not all of it... but there were quite a few coded gay references. My favourite is still Hand in Glove": And if the people stare
/ Then the people stare/ Oh, I really don't know and I really don't care. Still the best gay anthem ever.
WTF- Cemetry!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wonder why this was recommended to me...
It’s certified USDA Prime by Moz himself.
give power corruption & lies by new order a listen, i think you'd like it :)
Just discovering the channel so going through the vids now. I really REALLY think you should check out Disintegration by The Cure, because it does sound to me like you unfortunately have a misunderstanding about Robert Smith and the band in general. I don't particularly like 'Friday I'm in Love' either, but Disintegration is easily one of my favourite albums of all time. I defy you to not enjoy that album!
It did get added to my list of albums I’ll do reactions to, so fret not!
And thanks for bingeing the videos! It means a lot.
@@AlexHaitz No problem, it's quality content! I am wondering how you record your music and mic audio? Is it through one stereo mix or separate softwares?
My sound card doesn’t support Stereo Mix, unfortunately. Should’ve looked into that before I “upgraded”.
So I use Audacity to record my mic, and OBS to record the PC audio. I have both of them bound to the same record hotkey, so they’re synced from the beginning.
@@AlexHaitz Ah that hotkey bind is clever, thank you for the info!
react to this Mortal Coil's It'll end in tears
Haha you're so grumpy. Nice!
You mentioned coldplay in the same video as the smiths. How sad. That explains a lot.
I see the generation gap from a far. Stay there in Coldplay land where u belong
Yo you should a reaction to a band called tame impala. Their album lonerisim in specific. Its modern psychedelic rock
I love Lonerism! Gottabeaboveitgottabeaboveitgottabeaboveitgottabeaboveitgottabeaboveitgottabeaboveit.
I'm intrigued by the fact that you're listening to "my" music, but don't seem to really be liking any of it, which begs the question, what music do you listen to on your own, i.e., your favorite bands?
I give you credit for trying music you don't know, because I don't listen to music I don't like. A work friend recommended a band to me the other day and the first song bored me spitless (I gave it about a minute), whereas while the second song was better, I didn't go down a rabbit hole listening to more of their stuff.
The Queen is Dead has grown on me, and is in my top 10 favorite albums now. I mention this in some later videos too.
Some of my favorite bands are Radiohead, Beach House, Wild Nothing, Neutral Milk Hotel, Coldplay (not as much anymore, but they were very influential in my life), Simon and Garfunkel, Sufjan Stevens.
Those are the main ones I’ve listened to pretty extensively and know a lot of their material.
What band was it?
best band ever
This album was loaned to me when it was new. I didn’t like it much at first but the lyrics are genius and Johnny Marr writes a hook like no one else in the business. I get impatient with the gay, adolescent self-absorption, and everyone is over Morrisey by now but this was a stunning album.
That's news to me. Still as adored as ever as evidenced by his ardent fanbase of which I am part.
This guy reminds of a recently graduated film student who gets on to an indie film set and keeps saying "you're doing it all wrong!"
Don’t forget the obligatory Pulp Fiction poster on my wall.
Btw i dont think you need anyone to explain to you what we think about the album. Its your review. You do your own history research of you care. To put it into context to what was going on at the time and understanding it if you like. Thats your job to do as the listener not ours. Maybe we could do that in a conversation sharing music but i for one would never go into the why when your perplexed on whether u like or not. Play it again and see what u think.
You need to start down the path of Tom Waits. Start with Swordfishtrombones.
rain dogs better
@@thoru4367 It is the better album but he should keep with the theme he has been going with by seeing the progress of the musicians. He should just do Wait's trilogy for the 80s. You know, I'd even recommend him doing Small Change or Closing Time then SwordFishTrombone just to see the progress.
@@SerbSkiLLz00 imo RD is a bit more accessible tho
@@thoru4367 That is a bit true but thinking about he likes to think in terms of "Context" it might make more sense for him to experience the album in the "context" that people who first heard it would have felt.
edit: grammar
I will do this at some point. The only Waits "song" I've heard is "What's He Building?", which I imagine is not a very good poster child for the rest of his work.
Oasis - Definietly maybe and The Stone Roses (self-titled) next please!
Your not getting the lyrics
I enjoy what you have to say. You're very articulate and maybe a little too analytical ( notice the word anal in there ;). I am gen-x and I can totally see the difference between music culture of the 70s 80s 90s compared to now. People like Robert Smith or Morrissey were "normal" back then. That's how music personalities were, colourful and off the wall. Throw in more names like...Cindy Lauper, Prince, Michael Jackson, Twisted Sister, Iggy Pop, Kiss, Meatloaf, Ozzy Osbourne..I'm sure I'm forgetting names. Now look at today's music. Where is the fun at? Admit it it's dead and a drag. Millennials is a generation that fear to be different. They want to be the same and not look like a weirdo. They walk politely on eggshells not to offend. It's very reflective in music and it's fucking soo boring now. That is the reason why you don't get music from the 80s. It was about being different, not copying your peer to a T. The Smiths had their sound, so did the Cure, and Depeche Mode. It's distinctly unique to no one else's. Today's music is about making music to what people want to hear or what the record company wants. It's stuffy when you look at the charts. Then you put on something from the 80s and it's like the chains and shackles have been broken, and that difference is why Millennials are discovering it and going Holy fuck the Smiths are awesome. I go into the music store and the check out guy is wearing a Jesus and Mary Chain shirt. I smirk inside a bit thinking, I guess that's cool that he wants to say without saying 80s music should be rediscovered cause there's a lot of original materials. The Jesus and Mary Chain was an interesting band that was not doing that light happy sound but a darker warmer tone and it was an early progression into "alternative" music. Maybe you sound take a look at them.
Another brilliant album for me is Depeche Mode Black Celebration. It's darker than their other songs but the album flows really well.
I like hearing your Millennial perspectives and I can see why you're having some difficulties understanding people like a Robert Smith cause they don't exist anymore..sadly. Favourite Cure songs: Just Like Heaven, Boys Don't Cry.
I think you should listen to the other albums, too.
I have! I’ve done the other three albums and Hatful of Hollow since this one came out.
@@AlexHaitz nice....how did you like them? Have you warmed up to The Smiths?