The Miracle of the Smiths

Always think of the incredible bassline on Barbarism Begins at Home, and Morrissey and Marr dancing to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m39bJLMnWxw

RIP Andy, I made of Freebass a million times but The Smiths weren’t The Smiths without you.

Not only the most talented bass player I've ever had the privilege to play with but the sweetest, funniest lad I've ever met. Andy's left the building, but his musical legacy is perpetual. I miss you so much already. Forever in my heart mate.

— Mike Joyce (@mikejoycedrums) May 19, 2023

Marr's full statement is very detailed and touching.

I always admired the fact that Rourke used a pick and employed a fairly hard Fender Precision sound (Similar to JJ Burnell or early Simon Gallup) I feel made a big difference to the individuality of Smiths early overall sound, his lines were (melodically) the kind that a lot of those bubbling, fingerstyle players might play but he did it with a pick instead, the burpiness replaced with more attack.

The way he keeps the line flowing on Barbarism, with the little scraped ghost notes, it swings but not too much and it jabs the notes out at you, maybe even a throwback to some of the more brittle post-punk bass players.

iirc he and Marr were in a jazz funk outfir prior to The Smiths.

*outfit*

White Dice shoulda been bigger than the Smiths

Well this is sad news. The Smiths were one of a very small handful of bands where everybody was still alive, but there was no chance of a reunion.

Morrissey was so dominant that a lot of people overlooked what an incredible bunch of musicians the Smiths were. RIP.

a very small handful of bands where everybody was still alive, but there was no chance of a reunion.

A very small handful indeed. I can't even think of any other band of significance - help me out.

Talking Heads?

Black Sabbath

there's probably a thread for this!

The classic 5-piece Genesis line-up.

Dire Straits?

R.E.M., probably.

XTC

Talking Heads, Dire Straits and Black Sabbath did all get back together again in one way or another in the past though. Original Genesis, OK, but if we're looking at original line-ups that's a much wider field.

Lotta indie bands, though it is debatable if they would be considered "significant" - Cocteau Twins, Galaxie 500, etc.

Feeling likely we'll never see New Order onstage and intact again.

Cocteau Twins and Galaxie 500 are good calls.

The Jam

Critique of the Goth Programme (Neil S)
Posted: 19 May 2023 at 12:58:41
there's probably a thread for this!

The Smiths would not have been the band they were without Andy Roarke and Mike Joyce. RIP Andy, I will play “Barbarism Begins At Home” a few times on repeat today

it really is an amazing track

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVGadF6WE3k

*Rourke

of all the things to typo, ugh

a long time ago, the band I was in did a Smiths set for the First Avenue cover band contest. It was really instructive having to sit down and work out Rourke's basslines, very tricky, very melodic, very clever. Came away with an even greater appreciation of this talent. Obviously, Morrissey has soured things but musically they were such an amazing unit. We had a blast figuring it all out.

I always admired the fact that Rourke used a pick and employed a fairly hard Fender Precision sound (Similar to JJ Burnell or early Simon Gallup) I feel made a big difference to the individuality of Smiths early overall sound, his lines were (melodically) the kind that a lot of those bubbling, fingerstyle players might play but he did it

“The bass sound in The Smiths came about from me trying to overcompensate. Because there was only me and Johnny, in the early days, we both played overtime to make the biggest sound possible.”

i'm now realising i'd always way underrated "barbarism begins at home"

rourke really had such perfect chemistry with marr, somehow matching each other in inventiveness

Well, they’d been playing together since they were 11…

DJP and Josh on the money here

I didn't always like every bit of their output but the music was never anything short of awesome.

Meat is Murder is Rourke's peak imo.

The Headmaster Ritual is the one for me, the little slides sitting at the most perfect spots that mirror the double snare hits. The boxed-in economy of movement in the left hand, that slightly unusual and very groovy downward-facing melody in the verse, and the overall bounce. It must have been so much fucking fun to dig in and play a line like that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0UhVax_hmw

This is so sad, RIP. I saw them a few times and it was insanely good.

Per points above, thought Rob Sheffield called it right here:

Andy brought the crucial elements of disco, funk, dub, and hip-hop — in addition to everything else they were, they were a brilliant dance band, ironic as that might seem to Smiths-phobes.

Yep! I wrote in my piece that the Smiths always lit up -- bear with me -- every small indie club I danced at in the late '90s and early '00s.

Not really sure I hear any dub in his playing, at least not with the Smiths, but disco (Marr's not so secret secret weapon; he named his son Nile) and funk, sure, and I guess by loose extension hip-hop.

Agreed

Was he really underrated?

Didn’t quite know that he and Johnny Marr went back that far, maybe I should (re)read the Smiths books I own.

Thinking about his place in the pantheon of busy bass players. He sort of was like Jamerson with a pick, as MaresNest was kind of hinting at. Nice that he and Johnny were such good lifelong friends and didn’t get into that kind of Bruce Thomas vs Elvis Costello stalemate situation.

Never really saw them as a dance band either, but hey, as per Dead Milkmen, "you'll dance to anything...by The Smiths..."

They have a ton of super danceable stuffy, largely due to Mike and Andy; just going through Louder Than Bombs brings out a ton of options (I was just bopping around the kitchen to “Is It Really So Strange?”)

Hadn’t realized he had played on Morrissey solo material, now I am curious about which recordings exactly.

Wiki!

"November Spawned a Monster," and he co-wrote "Yes, I Am Blind" and "Girl Least Likely To."

That explains why “November Spawned A Monster” swings like that

And "Girl..." is one of his best songs.

Never really saw them as a dance band either, but hey, as per Dead Milkmen, "you'll dance to anything...by The Smiths..."

― henry s, Friday, May 19, 2023 2:19 PM (fifty-three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

vile, homophobic song