The Smiths

[The Bear]

9 minutes ago, MaidstoneFox said:

Mike Joyce has a book out on 6th November: "The Drums". 

Bet it took him all of 5 mins to come up with that title 

[Dr Marco]

44 minutes ago, The Bear said:

Bet it took him all of 5 mins to come up with that title 

could have chosen: "Moz: a bellend"

[STEVIE B]

Has anyone seen any of The Smiths tribute bands ? 
The Smyths seem to be highly rated. I was wondering if it’s worth seeing them ?

[Flamey]

14 minutes ago, STEVIE B said:

Has anyone seen any of The Smiths tribute bands ? 
The Smyths seem to be highly rated. I was wondering if it’s worth seeing them ?

I've seen them, a fair while ago admittedly, at the flowerpot in Derby, it was a great night.

[Dr Marco]

 

[foxfanazer]

Listened to 'I know it's over' this morning. Such a beautiful song 

[Spiritwalker]

On 14/09/2025 at 08:03, STEVIE B said:

Has anyone seen any of The Smiths tribute bands ? 
The Smyths seem to be highly rated. I was wondering if it’s worth seeing them ?

I always go when they are in Leicester, unfortunately they clashed with the football last night.

[Dr Marco]

 

[Bellend Sebastian]

On 09/01/2026 at 19:05, Dr Marco said:

 

I actually quite like this now, really didn't think I was going to on first listen (although in fairness I don't think he's ever put out a single either solo or with The Smiths that I didn't enjoy on some level)

[Dr Marco]

The Queen is dead

 

[Dr Marco]

 

Edited 7 February by Dr Marco

[Bellend Sebastian]

16 hours ago, Dr Marco said:

 

Do you like it? I really like Makeup is a Lie now, but this feels like a struggle and I've heard live versions of it a few times before. 

 

Interesting to see Alain Whyte credited with backing vocals, thought he was out of the fold again

[Dr Marco]

it think It's shit to be honest

[Costello]

"Hatful of Hollow" was and still is a classic album. I'd recommend it to anyone who is too young to have seen or even remember The Smiths. In the process of re-buying all the Smiths 12" singles - sold them all before joining the Navy in 1987, and it's gutting seeing them all being sold for at least 10 times more ! Worth it though. 

[The Bear]

2 hours ago, Costello said:

"Hatful of Hollow" was and still is a classic album. I'd recommend it to anyone who is too young to have seen or even remember The Smiths. In the process of re-buying all the Smiths 12" singles - sold them all before joining the Navy in 1987, and it's gutting seeing them all being sold for at least 10 times more ! Worth it though. 

Has by far the best version of This Charming Man too. 

[Bellend Sebastian]

22 hours ago, Costello said:

"Hatful of Hollow" was and still is a classic album. I'd recommend it to anyone who is too young to have seen or even remember The Smiths. In the process of re-buying all the Smiths 12" singles - sold them all before joining the Navy in 1987, and it's gutting seeing them all being sold for at least 10 times more ! Worth it though. 

It was the first Smiths album I bought, in about 1990, I think. I'd not long been given Bona Drag (which I'd similarly not realised was a compilation) as I adored 'Suedehead', Morrissey's first solo single, and that just blew me away. 

 

I'd always liked The Smiths without diving in as I didn't feel I was their target audience (I was only 12 when they split) so I went for Hatful of Hollow because it had a lot of singles on that I remembered. It didn't grab me as quickly as Bona Drag, as a lot of those session tracks are a bit brash and direct compared to what I was used to, but I was hooked within a week or so and made it my mission to get my hands on everything that Morrissey and The Smiths had ever recorded, which I pretty much managed to do but took a while.

 

The original incarnation of Rough Trade went down the pan around that time, and it was actually quite difficult to get your hands on even the albums until The Smiths' catalogue was bought up by Warner's and they were re-released in about '94.

 

I still remember the little HMV in the Market Place having all the Smiths CD singles (which probably came out after the band game to an end) in stock, not buying them and regretting it weeks later when the whole catalogue got deleted

[ClaphamFox]

1 hour ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

It was the first Smiths album I bought, in about 1990, I think. I'd not long been given Bona Drag (which I'd similarly not realised was a compilation) as I adored 'Suedehead', Morrissey's first solo single, and that just blew me away. 

 

I'd always liked The Smiths without diving in as I didn't feel I was their target audience (I was only 12 when they split) so I went for Hatful of Hollow because it had a lot of singles on that I remembered. It didn't grab me as quickly as Bona Drag, as a lot of those session tracks are a bit brash and direct compared to what I was used to, but I was hooked within a week or so and made it my mission to get my hands on everything that Morrissey and The Smiths had ever recorded, which I pretty much managed to do but took a while.

 

The original incarnation of Rough Trade went down the pan around that time, and it was actually quite difficult to get your hands on even the albums until The Smiths' catalogue was bought up by Warner's and they were re-released in about '94.

 

I still remember the little HMV in the Market Place having all the Smiths CD singles (which probably came out after the band game to an end) in stock, not buying them and regretting it weeks later when the whole catalogue got deleted

I bought Hatful of Hollow on vinyl from a second hand record shop somewhere (I think) near where High Street meets St Nicholas Place in 1990/91. I clearly remember getting home and playing it for the first time. It was one of those moments you have during your teenage years when you feel a whole new world has opened up and your taste in music will never be quite the same again.

 

It turned out the copy I picked up was a rare first edition. It went in my parents' loft along with the rest of my records after I went to live overseas for a while in my 20s. Four years ago I purchased a new record player and told my parents I wanted my records back. It turned out my mum had given them all to a second hand store several years before without telling me to "make space". "I didn't think you'd need them again," she said.

Cheers mum 

[Bellend Sebastian]

13 hours ago, ClaphamFox said:

I bought Hatful of Hollow on vinyl from a second hand record shop somewhere (I think) near where High Street meets St Nicholas Place in 1990/91. I clearly remember getting home and playing it for the first time. It was one of those moments you have during your teenage years when you feel a whole new world has opened up and your taste in music will never be quite the same again.

 

It turned out the copy I picked up was a rare first edition. It went in my parents' loft along with the rest of my records after I went to live overseas for a while in my 20s. Four years ago I purchased a new record player and told my parents I wanted my records back. It turned out my mum had given them all to a second hand store several years before without telling me to "make space". "I didn't think you'd need them again," she said.

Cheers mum 

My mum did and does a lot of fairly inexplicable things but giving away my possessions was not one of them, thankfully. 

 

Not a big Smiths fan though

[Costello]

On 10/02/2026 at 18:09, ClaphamFox said:

I bought Hatful of Hollow on vinyl from a second hand record shop somewhere (I think) near where High Street meets St Nicholas Place in 1990/91. I clearly remember getting home and playing it for the first time. It was one of those moments you have during your teenage years when you feel a whole new world has opened up and your taste in music will never be quite the same again.

 

It turned out the copy I picked up was a rare first edition. It went in my parents' loft along with the rest of my records after I went to live overseas for a while in my 20s. Four years ago I purchased a new record player and told my parents I wanted my records back. It turned out my mum had given them all to a second hand store several years before without telling me to "make space". "I didn't think you'd need them again," she said.

Cheers mum 

Oh no ! I think there's a lot of second-hand record shops cleaning up though, advertising "we'll take your old records that are worth nothing off your hands" and Grandad doesn't realise that he's got a few Beatles first presses that are worth upwards of £500 !! 

[Dr Marco]

with Mike Joyce on drums

 

 

[Bellend Sebastian]

Anyone listened to Morrissey's new album yet? I have, although not enough to say whether it's any good, although I'm reasonably confident that it's not as bad as a lot of the reviews suggest it is. At least a few of the tracks are great.

 

Journalists have been reviewing him as a person rather than the records since the early 90s which I used to think was very unfair, but in recent years he's done nothing to help that AT ALL

 

 

[SK3Blue]

3 minutes ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

Anyone listened to Morrissey's new album yet? I have, although not enough to say whether it's any good, although I'm reasonably confident that it's not as bad as a lot of the reviews suggest it is. At least a few of the tracks are great.

 

Journalists have been reviewing him as a person rather than the records since the early 90s which I used to think was very unfair, but in recent years he's done nothing to help that AT ALL

 

 

Had a listen yesterday, Monsters of Pig Alley is the best track in my opinion, Alain Whyte wrote it. It’s not a bad album at all, not in my top 5 for him but certainly not as bad as the guardian review!!! 

[Dr Marco]

Love "Lester Bangs" too

 

"Notre Dame" is embarassing 

Edited 8 March by Dr Marco

[SK3Blue]

New Liverpool date to be announced shortly by Morrissey. 

[Dr Marco]