IF IT'S NOT LOVE THEN IT'S THE POLL THAT WILL BRING US TOGETHER - ILM Artist Poll #72 - THE SMITHS - RESULTS THREAD

TOO LOW! (My #2)

http://i.imgur.com/z7eSPTV.jpg

26. GIRL AFRAID (B-side of 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' 12")
581 points | 25 votes | 3 first place votes

For all the naysayers, the "Girl Afraid" intro pretty much demonstrates Marr's virtuosity. And for anyone that would use a lesser word, congratulations, you, too, must be a virtuoso.

BTW, this poll has sent me back to some bootlegs and man, dysfunctional or no, the band was super tight at the end of its run. You'd think a lot of these songs would be tough to play live, and maybe they were, but they all sound great.

I'm loving how many B-sides/non-LP tracks we're getting in a row here!

As I've said before, Marr has created some wonderful guitar work over the years, but I certainly wouldn't describe him as a virtuoso.

barbarism begins on ILM

does it really matter in terms of everyone here's discovery/experience of the band whether a song was a "B-side"? Hatful, Louder than Bombs, and World Won't Listen were widely available comps that I feel like people considered the equivalent of "albums." And The Smiths got next to no American radio play while they were active, so the single vs. b-side/album track distinction wouldn't be meaningful in terms of that aspect of experiencing the band.

^ this

I imagine it may have been a different story depending on where you grew up, but in America there wasn't any real distinction between what was a Smiths album and a Smiths compilation. B-sides are every bit as familiar to me as album cuts, and probably more so because I listened to Louder Than Bombs more than anything else.

xx-post

Honestly, who cares if he's a virtuoso? I have no idea (nor do I care) if a guitar bit requires skill to play or not.

Does it sound good? Most of the time it does, yes.

love rubber ring, one of those songs i just like more and more as time goes by

I got Hatful and World Won't Listen as well, as I was a completist as a teen, though to be honest, I probably listened to the mixtapes I made of my favorite Smiths songs more than any one album or comp.

And The Smiths got next to no American radio play while they were active,

this is not true. i lived in a place called Los Angeles and they have a radio station called KROQ. the Smiths were one of their biggest bands and they played every single and even some album tracks.

several xposts

One edgy station in LA does not equal "American radio play."

No, I don't think it particularly matters. Sure, I don't consider those compilations to be "proper" studio LP's (which they aren't) but I don't have a problem with so many B-sides/non-LP tracks placing - as I said, I'm loving it... it demonstrates the consistency of the bands output.

(many x-posts)

Wish I would've voted for Rubber Ring. If I leave The Smiths for a while and come back, it's one of the songs I never pair with its title all that easily, but it's a brilliant song!

Girl Afraid was my #1, JIC otm regarding Marr's guitar on this track, absolutely stunning

it's one of the songs I never pair with its title all that easily,

yeah, going through the list, that was one of those, "what song is that again?" and at first I'd thought it was an instrumental

B-sides are every bit as familiar to me as album cuts, and probably more so because I listened to Louder Than Bombs more than anything else.

xpost The reason I keep bringing up the virtuoso thing is I think it's key to Marr's compositions. They're so distinctive and original and imo inimitable because he is so remarkably skilled and creative. "Girl Afraid" in particular, no one else would have done that, or anything close to that. Same for many Smiths tracks. Like someone like, I dunno, Robert Fripp, his virtuosity is similarly inextricable from his songwriting. It's more than just "wonderful guitar work." Save that looser complement for John Squire or Bernard Butler or something.

I have to admit, though, I haven't given much thought to how Americans perceived this band. I always assumed they were very much a cult concern over there at the time, far more so than here.

sarahell OTM about the compilations. Although quite a lot of the b-sides from around TQID and beyond are somehow discernably b-side-like, in a way that doesn't apply with the earlier singles. (Aside from perhaps "Wonderful Woman", which sounds exactly like a b-side.) "Rubber Ring" is the only one of the last few tracks that was close to being a contender for me.

xpost:

I wouldn't consider John Squire or Bernard Butler to be virtuosos either, fwiw.

absolutely. Not sure how many of the poll voters are Americans, but I'd guess a significant amount.

(that was an xp to Turrers)

my #1 -- the peak of '80s jangle.

― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, March 5, 2016 11:38 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

it was my no. 1 too!!!

I wouldn't consider John Squire or Bernard Butler to be virtuosos either, fwiw

Well, no, exactly. They're just "wonderful guitar work" guys. Marr is much more than that. He doesn't sound like he's copying anyone, and I've never heard anyone copy him. It's indebted to everything from Brit folk-rock to Chic, but it rarely even explicitly echoes that stuff, as much as Marr I'm sure can mentally catalog every last lick he's copped.

http://i.imgur.com/LIsCYOM.jpg

25. SHOPLIFTERS OF THE WORLD UNITE (Single A-side)
588 points | 27 votes | 1 first place vote

It all clicked when I found out one of Marr's biggest guitar heroes was James Honeyman-Scott of Pretenders, because you definitely hear his stamp all over Marr's playing.

Morrissey sounds so damn confident on this one.

my #1 -- the peak of '80s jangle.

― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, March 5, 2016 11:38 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

it was my no. 1 too!!!

― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson

you handsome deviil

Shoplifters is the closest they ever got to a metal track, complete with Maiden-esque dual guitar lead

I've never really enjoyed 'Shoplifters Of The World Unite', one of their least essential singles for me, although Morrissey himself apparently considers it to be one of their finest moments.

Alabaster crashes down

"Girl Afraid" was my #1 pick. I could have gone with one of several in the top spot, tho

To be quite honest, I vastly prefer 'You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby', which was supposed to be the single originally.

"shoplifters" is absolutely one of their finest moments

It's better than 'Shakespeare's Sister', I'll give it that.

I've never really enjoyed 'Shoplifters Of The World Unite', one of their least essential singles for me, although Morrissey himself apparently considers it to be one of their finest moments.

(Turrican)

Completely agree with this. Never understood the appeal.

It and "Paint a Vulgar Picture" the only Smiths tunes Moz performed when I saw him in late '97.

Turrican OTM. "YJHEITB" is the closest to an exception to my "b-sides sounding like b-sides" jibber-jabber. Unsurprising that it almost WAS the a-side.

Love the instrumental version of this one

oh someone said upthread that they sing "sweet and tender hooligan" to their cat; i sing "shoplifters" to my cats i.e. "soft kittens of the world / unite and take over"

Don't encourage them!

i almost voted for girlfriend in a coma because of the ilx thread with the "midget with a pamphlet" bit

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

Why did I watch that whole video?

http://i.imgur.com/e48InJH.jpg

24. SHEILA TAKE A BOW (Single A-side)
640 points | 31 votes | 1 first place vote

I first saw that video after I saw the Vice online guitar interview with Johnny Marr. Marr says that the Shoplifters solo was mostly him saying to hell with it, I am going to do a total hard rock guitar solo. And then he felt vindicated when years later he saw that video of the guy head banging to it.