The Smiths -

The Smiths were an English pop-rock band from Manchester that released four albums and two compilations of non-album material on Rough Trade between 1984 and 1987.

Members: Morrissey (vocals, piano), Johnny Marr (guitar, keyboards, mandolin, bass, harmonica, 1982-87), Steven Pomfret (rhythm guitar, 1982), Dale Hibbert (bass, 1982), Mike Joyce (drums, backing vocals, 1982-87), Andy Rourke (bass, cello, 1982-86, 1986-87), Craig Gannon (bass, rhythm guitar, 1986), Ivor Perry (guitar, 1987)

Background

The Smiths formed in May 1982 when teenage guitarist Johnny Marr visited the Stretford home of Steven Morrissey, a music writer of local repute. The two met once before at an August 1978 Patti Smith show at the Manchester Apollo.

Morrissey (b. Steven Patrick Morrissey, May 22, 1959) was born to Irish parents Elizabeth (née Dwyer, a librarian) and Peter Morrissey, who migrated from Dublin to Manchester in 1958 with Steven’s older sister, Jaqueline. The family lived in a council house on Harper Street, near Queen’s Square in Hulme, inner Manchester. This area was the site of multiple abductions in a series of 1963–65 child slayings dubbed the “Moors murders.”

As a teenager, Morrissey developed interests in music and literature. He idolized late Victorian Irish author Oscar Wilde and avidly watched Coronation Street, a long-running ITV soap opera about working class Mancunians. Morrissey pitched multiple fan-fiction plots to the show’s production company, Granada Television. His biggest source of lyrical inspiration came from the 1958 play (and 1961 film adaptation of) A Taste of Honey, a socially-charged theatrical work by English dramatist Shelagh Delaney.

Morrissey’s first record purchase was “Come and Stay With Me,” a 1965 single by Marianne Faithfull. As glam rock took hold in the UK, he followed the careers of David Bowie, Roxy Music, T. Rex., and the American cult figure Jobriath. He submitted artist write-ups and concert reviews to the UK music weeklies.

On June 1, 1974, New Music Express published fifteen-year-old Morrissey’s rave endorsement of Sparks and their just-released third album Kimono My House. In the letter’s column of the December 29, 1975, issue of Sounds, Morrissey praises the recently defunct New York Dolls, who he cites as paving ground for a new array of American acts, including The Tubes.

On June 4, 1976, Morrissey attended the premiere northern Sex Pistols performance at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall, where they headlined over Mandalaband. Recent Pistols converts Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto arranged the show, which drew a small audience that also included Granada TV music host Tony Wilson and future music-makers Mark E. Smith, Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner.

In late 1977, Morrissey met local guitar prodigy Billy Duffy, who just replaced (future Durutti Column) guitarist Vinnie Reilly in The Nosebleeds. Morrissey wrote lyrics for several Noesbleeds songs (“Peppermint Heaven,” “I Think I’m Ready for the Electric Chair”) and performed with the band in place of their departed singer, Ed Banger.

On August 31, 1978, Morrissey attended a concert by Patti Smith at the Manchester Apollo, where he first encountered Johnny Marr, a fourteen-year-old aspiring guitarist.

Marr (b. John Martin Maher, October 31, 1963) was born in Manchester to Irish parents who migrated from County Kildare. The Maher’s lived in Ardwick Green until 1972 where they moved to Wythenshawe, where John met numerous aspiring guitarists, including Duffy, whose band rehearsed across the street from the Maher household.

At thirteen, Maher formed his first band, the Paris Valentinos, with twelve-year-old aspiring bassist Andy Rourke (b. Andrew Michael Rourke, January 17, 1964), a classmate at St Augustine’s Grammar School in Sharston. In June 1977, they performed a set of Thin Lizzy and Rolling Stones covers at a Silver Jubilee party in Benchill. At fourteen, Maher modified his surname to “Marr” to ease pronunciation (and avoid confusion with Buzzcocks drummer John Maher).

In 1979, after a one-show spell with hopefuls Sister Ray, Marr and Rourke formed White Dice, which entered an NME demo-tape competition that won them a (fruitless) audition for F-Beat Records. In 1981, they formed the funk-inspired Freak Party with drummer Simon Wolstencroft. By early 1982, Marr dissolved the singerless band. He approached ex-White Dice singer Rob Allman, who reminded him of Morrissey.

Inspired by the legend of Leiber & Stoller — a songwriting partnership that Jerry Leiber initiated with a visit to Mike Stoller’s house — Marr dropped by Morrissey’s residence. In the four years since their last encounter, Morrissey gained employment with the music weekly Record Mirror and authored two titles for Babylon Books: New York Dolls and James Dean is Not Dead.

Marr and Morrissey bonded over their common music interests, which covered post-punk, glam rock, jangle pop, and sixties girl groups. They rehearsed as a duo inside Marr’s attic in Bowdon and completed their first joint composition, “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” on a TEAC three-track cassette. Morrissey named their band The Smiths because it rang like an ordinary surname.

Initial bassist Steve Pomfret cleared for Dale Hibbert, an employee at Manchester’s Decibel Studios, where Freak Party cut their demo. With drummer Simon Wolstencroft, they recorded “The Hand” and a second Morrissey–Marr number, “Suffer Little Children,” which deals with the Moors murders. Morrissey presented the tape to Factory Records, but label founder Tony Wilson showed no interest.

The Smiths found a permanent drummer in Mike Joyce (b. June 1, 1963), whose stints included punk bands in Manchester (The Hoax) and Belfast (Victim). They made their live debut in October 1982 at the Manchester Ritz, where they supported Blue Rondo à la Turk for a music–fashion event dubbed “An Evening of Pure Pleasure.” After that night, Hibbert cleared for Marr’s longtime colleague, bassist Andy Rourke.

In December 1982, The Smiths entered Drone Studios in Chorlton-cum-Hardy and cut a second demo composed of three originals: “Handsome Devil,” “Miserable Lie,” and “What Difference Does It Make?” They pitched the tape to EMI, but to no avail. In early 1983, Marr and Rourke traveled to the London office of Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis, who heard potential in their song “Hand in Glove.”

For their first album, Travis linked The Smiths with Troy Tate, an early Teardrop Explodes member. Unimpressed with his production, Travis had them re-record the album with John Porter, a longtime Bryan Ferry soundman.

First Three Singles

The Smiths opened their Rough Trade catalogue with two released singles and one withdrawn follow-up between May and October 1983.

Rough Trade issued “Hand in Glove” in May. The Smiths recorded the A-side on February 27 at Strawberry Studios in Stockport and produced the session themselves. Porter later remixed the song for the debut album. The B-side contains a non-album recording of “Handsome Devil” from the group’s February 4 appearance at Manchester’s Haçienda.

A. “Hand in Glove” (3:17)
B. “Handsome Devil” (live) (2:53)

Rough Trade prepared “Reel Around the Fountain” as the September follow-up but withdrew the release. The projected disc paired the Troy Tate recording with the non-album song “Jeane.”

A. “Reel Around the Fountain” (Troy Tate version) (5:51)
AA. “Jeane” (2:53)

“This Charming Man” followed in October. The 7-inch paired the Manchester recording with “Jeane.” The 12-inch added an alternate London version of the A-side and the non-album songs “Accept Yourself” and “Wonderful Woman.”

A1. “This Charming Man” (Manchester) (2:42)
A2. “This Charming Man” (London) (2:46)
B1. “Accept Yourself” (3:55)
B2. “Wonderful Woman” (3:08)

The Smiths recorded the Manchester version at Strawberry Studios with producer John Porter, a former Roxy Music bassist whose recent production credits included Killing Joke (Fire Dances) and Microdisney (Everybody Is Fantastic). “This Charming Man” reached No. 25 on the UK Singles Chart.

The Smiths

The Smiths released their self-titled debut album on February 20, 1984, on Rough Trade.

Smiths contains ten Morrissey–Marr songs, including a revised recording of “Hand in Glove.” “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” quotes the 1928 song “Sonny Boy” by Ray Henderson, Lew Brown, and Al Jolson. Ace and Squeeze keyboardist Paul Carrack plays piano or organ on three songs. Singer Annalisa Jablonska appears on “Pretty Girls Make Graves” and “Suffer Little Children.”

“Reel Around the Fountain” lingers through a slow span as Carrack’s keyboards spread beneath restrained delivery. “You’ve Got Everything Now” bounces between wiry strumming and blunt chord surges while Morrissey stretches phrases into upper-register cries. “Miserable Lie” breaks from a restrained opening into a sudden sprint as Morrissey vaults into erratic falsetto. “Pretty Girls Make Graves” skips around a tough bass figure and nimble guitar turns.

“Hand in Glove” swells from a fade-in around a prominent bass figure, then dissolves through a matching fade. “Still Ill” eases into a slightly slower take with harmonica passages at opening and close. “What Difference Does It Make?” charges through muscular chord figures and recurring accents.

A1. “Reel Around the Fountain” (5:57)
A2. “You’ve Got Everything Now” (3:59)
A3. “Miserable Lie” (4:29)
A4. “Pretty Girls Make Graves” (3:44)
A5. “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” (4:38)

B1. “Still Ill” (3:23)
B2. “Hand in Glove” (3:25)
B3. “What Difference Does It Make?” (3:51)
B4. “I Don’t Owe You Anything” (4:05)
B5. “Suffer Little Children” (5:28)

Rough Trade first paired the group with former Teardrop Explodes guitarist Troy Tate, who produced fourteen recordings at Elephant Studios in London. The label rejected those versions and commissioned a new album from Porter. Sessions spanned September through November 1983 at Matrix and Eden studios in London, Pluto Studios near Manchester, and Strawberry Studios in Stockport. Phil Bush and Neill King engineered the Porter sessions. The Smiths produced the original “Hand in Glove,” which Porter remixed for the LP.

Morrissey selected the cover image, a cropped still of actor Joe Dallesandro from the 1968 Paul Morrissey film Flesh. Caryn Gough arranged the typography and sleeve layout.

“What Difference Does It Make?” first appeared in January 1984 as a single edit (3:25) with the non-album “Back to the Old House,” which also appeared on the 12-inch with a third exclusive, “These Things Take Time.”

A. “What Difference Does It Make?” (3:50)
B1. “Back to the Old House” (3:04)
B2. “These Things Take Time” (2:24)

The Smiths reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and remained in the Top 100 for thirty-three weeks.

1984 Singles

Rough Trade issued “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” in May 1984 (b/w “Suffer Little Children”). The 12-inch edition inserted “Girl Afraid” between the two songs. The Smiths recorded the new material in March at Island Records’ Fallout Shelter studio in Hammersmith with Porter and staff engineer Stephen Street. “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” reached No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart.

“William, It Was Really Nothing” followed in August (b/w “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want”). The 12-inch edition introduced “How Soon Is Now?” The Smiths recorded the three songs in July at Jam Studios in London with Porter. “William, It Was Really Nothing” reached No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart.

Rough Trade issued the non-album “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” in May 1984 (b/w “Suffer Little Children”). The 12-inch added a third non-album track, “Girl Afraid.”

A. “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” (3:34)
B1. “Girl Afraid” (2:46)
B2. “Suffer Little Children” (5:27)

The Smiths recorded the new material in March at Island Records’ Fallout Shelter studio in Hammersmith with Porter and staff engineer Stephen Street. “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” reached No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart.

“William, It Was Really Nothing” followed in August. Neither the A-side nor its two companion songs appeared on a Smiths studio album. The 7-inch carried “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want,” while the 12-inch added the first release of “How Soon Is Now?”

A. “William, It Was Really Nothing” (2:10)
B1. “How Soon Is Now?” (6:43)
B2. “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” (1:50)

The Smiths recorded the three songs in July at Jam Studios in London with Porter. “William, It Was Really Nothing” reached No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart.

12″ RTT166/CD RTT166CDNo. Title Length

Hatful of Hollow

The Smiths released the compilation Hatful of Hollow in November 1984 through Rough Trade.

Hatful of Hollow combines ten BBC recordings from four 1983 radio sessions with six single or B-side recordings. The broadcast material supplies alternate versions of seven debut-album songs and three titles omitted from the original LP. Rough Trade compiled the collection for Britain and withheld it from the American market until a 1993 Sire edition.

“William, It Was Really Nothing” darts between sonorous arpeggios and charging strums, then pivots before completion of its first stanza. “What Difference Does It Make?” lunges in a higher key as rougher accents strike each turn. “This Charming Man” skips on buoyant syncopation with fuller flow and softer phrasing. “How Soon Is Now?” grinds beneath tremolo guitar while slide shrieks blur across irregularly timed phrases. “Handsome Devil” bounds through a lean, fleet-footed take.

“This Night Has Opened My Eyes” glides across split-channel figures that conjoin after its opening minute. “Girl Afraid” coils through an extended opening figure before Morrissey enters, then pivots through pronounced dynamic turns. “Back to the Old House” drifts through bare acoustic strumming and wistful delivery. “Reel Around the Fountain” lingers in stately restraint with spare, spectral figures and a sweet-sour delivery. “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” sways in waltz time from bare strumming toward a brief mandolin close.

A1. “William, It Was Really Nothing” (2:09)
A2. “What Difference Does It Make?” (3:12)
A3. “These Things Take Time” (2:33)
A4. “This Charming Man” (2:42)
A5. “How Soon Is Now?” (6:46)
A6. “Handsome Devil” (2:47)
A7. “Hand in Glove” (3:13)
A8. “Still Ill” (3:32)

B1. “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” (3:33)
B2. “This Night Has Opened My Eyes” (3:40)
B3. “You’ve Got Everything Now” (4:18)
B4. “Accept Yourself” (4:01)
B5. “Girl Afraid” (2:48)
B6. “Back to the Old House” (3:02)
B7. “Reel Around the Fountain” (5:51)
B8. “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” (1:50)

BBC producer Roger Pusey oversaw the John Peel recordings from May and September 1983. Dale “Buffin” Griffin, drummer with Mott the Hoople before he joined the BBC production staff, directed the June and August sessions for David Jensen. Porter produced five studio selections from the 1984 singles, while “Hand in Glove” retains the group’s original production.

Morrissey built the sleeve around a photograph by Gilles Decroix that first appeared in a July 1983 issue of the French newspaper Libération. The image shows Fabrice Colette with a shoulder tattoo based on a drawing by Jean Cocteau. Gough arranged the pale-blue border and title treatment. Later editions cropped the photograph and moved the lettering over the image.

Rough Trade lifted “How Soon Is Now?” from Hatful of Hollow as an A-side in February 1985. Neither companion track appears on the compilation. The 7-inch paired an edited A-side (3:41) with “Well I Wonder,” which subsequently appeared on Meat Is Murder. The 12-inch restored the full recording and added the non-album Marr instrumental “Oscillate Wildly.”

B1. “Well I Wonder” (4:00)
B2. “Oscillate Wildly” (3:26) – Marr

The single reached No. 24 on the UK Singles Chart.

Hatful of Hollow reached No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart and remained in the Top 100 for forty-six weeks.

Meat Is Murder

The Smiths released their second album, Meat Is Murder, on February 11, 1985, on Rough Trade.

Meat Is Murder contains nine Morrissey–Marr songs on its original British edition. The group assumed production duties from Porter and retained Street as engineer. Marr adds piano and slide guitar, while Joyce broadens his percussion work. Street constructed tape and environmental effects for “Rusholme Ruffians,” “I Want the One I Can’t Have,” and the title song. American editions inserted “How Soon Is Now?” at the start of the second side.

“The Headmaster Ritual” hammers through open-tuned chords and sudden harmonic turns before Morrissey breaks into a wordless yodel. “Rusholme Ruffians” bounds on a swinging riff as a rampaging lower figure drives restless phrasing. “I Want the One I Can’t Have” gallops through wiry guitar figures with brash urgency. “What She Said” tumbles through a double-time triplet figure until an unresolved final chord halts its momentum. “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” swirls in waltz time, recedes through a false ending, then returns before a second fade.

“Nowhere Fast” skitters between swinging riffs and jangling passages. “Well I Wonder” drifts through shimmery restraint as raindrops patter across its close. “Barbarism Begins at Home” prowls around a tense, elastic bassline while rhythmic cues sustain its long span. “Meat Is Murder” recoils from discordant piano strikes, mechanical sawing, and cattle cries before Morrissey settles into a plaintive lament.

A1. “The Headmaster Ritual” (4:52)
A2. “Rusholme Ruffians” (4:20)
A3. “I Want the One I Can’t Have” (3:14)
A4. “What She Said” (2:42)
A5. “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” (4:59)

B1. “Nowhere Fast” (2:37)
B2. “Well I Wonder” (4:00)
B3. “Barbarism Begins at Home” (6:57)
B4. “Meat Is Murder” (6:06)

The Smiths began the album in October 1984 at Amazon Studios in Liverpool and continued at Ridge Farm in Surrey. Street engineered the sessions and mixed the recordings at Island Studios in London. His concurrent Island work included Linton Kwesi Johnson (Making History); he also co-produced and mixed material for Stephen Duffy (The Ups and Downs).

Morrissey selected a repeated frame of United States Marine Corporal Michael Wynn from the 1968 Emile de Antonio documentary In the Year of the Pig. The sleeve replaces the helmet inscription “Make War Not Love” with the album title. Gough handled the layout. Paul Slattery photographed the group for the inner sleeve, which also includes a Morrissey portrait by Toshi Yajima.

1985 Singles

In March 1985, The Smiths followed Meat Is Murder with their seventh single, “Shakespeare’s Sister,” backed with the album track “What She Said.” The 12-inch added another exclusive, “Stretch Out and Wait,” which also appeared in Germany as the b-side to “Barbarism Begins at Home.”

A. “Shakespeare’s Sister” (2:09)
B1. “What She Said” (2:40)
B2. “Stretch Out and Wait” (2:37)

The Smiths recorded and produced the three songs in January at Ridge Farm in Surrey. “Shakespeare’s Sister” reached No. 26 on the UK Singles Chart.

In July 1985, Rough Trade lifted an edited “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” (3:52) from Meat Is Murder. Every B-side contains a non-album live recording from the Smiths’ March 18 concert at the Oxford Apollo. The 7-inch carried “Meat Is Murder,” while the 12-inch added live versions of “Nowhere Fast,” “Stretch Out and Wait,” and “Shakespeare’s Sister.”

B1. “Nowhere Fast” (live) (2:31)
B2. “Stretch Out and Wait” (live) (2:49)
B3. “Shakespeare’s Sister” (live) (2:12)
B4. “Meat Is Murder” (live) (5:34)

The single reached No. 49 on the UK Singles Chart. Meat Is Murder reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and remained in the Top 100 for thirteen weeks.

“The Boy with the Thorn in His Side” followed in September (b/w “Asleep”). Its 12-inch edition paired “Rubber Ring” and “Asleep” as a continuous second-side sequence. Morrissey and Marr produced the sessions with Street as engineer.

A. “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side” (single version) (3:17)
B1. “Rubber Ring” (3:55)
B2. “Asleep” (4:10)

Morrissey and Marr produced the August sessions at Drone Studios in Manchester with Street as engineer. The single reached No. 23 on the UK Singles Chart.

The Queen Is Dead

The Smiths released their third album, The Queen Is Dead, on June 16, 1986, on Rough Trade.

The Queen Is Dead retains the four-member lineup and contains ten Morrissey–Marr songs. Marr arranged synthesized strings and broadened his keyboard work with harmonium and marimba. “The Queen Is Dead” incorporates “Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty,” a 1916 song by A.J. Mills, Fred Godfrey, and Bennett Scott. Morrissey altered his voice for “Bigmouth Strikes Again” and received the backing-vocal credit Ann Coates.

“The Queen Is Dead” pounds through a looped tom figure, feedback squeals, and wah-soaked guitar before a low figure rises near its close. “Frankly, Mr. Shankly” bounces on a jaunty music-hall lilt and oompah bassline. “I Know It’s Over” sways in grave waltz time as repeated opening phrases gather intensity. “Never Had No One Ever” lingers in waltz time beneath a dark, slow-moving lament. “Cemetry Gates” skips through sprightly open-G figures and a spring-heeled beat.

“Bigmouth Strikes Again” surges through a minor-key rush as percussive breaks and sped-up Morrissey replies strike between lines. “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side” glides across cascading arpeggios while wordless falsetto flutters above a buoyant figure. “Vicar in a Tutu” skitters through a wiry, lightly swinging pattern. “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” shimmers from a stuttering chord sequence into sampled strings and an echoed flute arpeggio. “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” drifts through hypnotic figures toward a softly glistening close.

A1. “The Queen Is Dead” (6:24)
A2. “Frankly, Mr. Shankly” (2:17)
A3. “I Know It’s Over” (5:48)
A4. “Never Had No One Ever” (3:37)
A5. “Cemetry Gates” (2:39)

B1. “Bigmouth Strikes Again” (3:12)
B2. “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side” (3:16)
B3. “Vicar in a Tutu” (2:22)
B4. “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” (4:03)
B5. “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” (3:16)

Morrissey and Marr produced the album between July through December 1985 at Jacobs Studios in Farnham, RAK Studios in London, and Drone Studios in Manchester. Street engineered the recordings except “Frankly, Mr. Shankly,” which Porter engineered. The sessions extended the partnership established on Meat Is Murder without restoring an outside producer.

Morrissey selected a green-tinted still of Alain Delon from the 1964 French film L’Insoumis. Gough handled the layout. Manchester photographer Stephen Wright supplied the inner-sleeve group image from his November 1985 session outside Salford Lads Club, part of his 1984–87 coverage of the band.

Rough Trade lifted “Bigmouth Strikes Again” from The Queen Is Dead in May 1986. Its B-sides remained outside the album. The 7-inch carried the Marr instrumental “Money Changes Everything,” while the 12-inch added “Unloveable.”

B1. “Money Changes Everything” (4:40) – Marr
B2. “Unloveable” (3:54)

The single reached No. 26 on the UK Singles Chart.

The Queen Is Dead reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and remained in the Top 100 for twenty-two weeks. It also reached No. 70 on the Billboard album chart.

Warner released an expanded edition in October 2017 with a new remaster, demos, alternate recordings, contemporary B-sides, and a previously unreleased August 1986 concert from the Great Woods Center in Massachusetts. The accompanying DVD contains Derek Jarman’s three-song film The Queen Is Dead.

1986 Singles

The Smiths briefly dismissed Rourke in early 1986 and recruited former Aztec Camera guitarist Craig Gannon as bassist. Rourke returned within two weeks, and Gannon moved to rhythm guitar. He played on “Panic,” “Ask,” and “You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby,” then left after the October tour.

Rough Trade issued the non-album “Panic” in July 1986 (b/w “Vicar in a Tutu”). The 12-inch added the non-album Marr instrumental “The Draize Train.”

7-inch:

A. “Panic” (2:19)
B. “Vicar in a Tutu” (2:21)

12-inch:

A. “Panic” (2:19)
B1. “Vicar in a Tutu” (2:21)
B2. “The Draize Train” (5:08) – Marr

The Smiths recorded “Panic” in May at Livingston Studios in London with Porter. Gannon joined Marr on guitar. The single reached No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart.

The non-album “Ask” followed in October (b/w “Cemetry Gates”). The 12-inch added the non-album cover “Golden Lights,” first recorded by Twinkle in 1965.

7-inch:

A. “Ask” (single version) (2:59)
B. “Cemetry Gates” (2:39)

12-inch:

A. “Ask” (single version) (2:59)
B1. “Cemetry Gates” (2:39)
B2. “Golden Lights” (2:38) – Twinkle

Singer Kirsty MacColl joined Morrissey on the backing parts. Porter produced the June session at Jam Studios, and Steve Lillywhite mixed the recording amid his work on Peter Gabriel (So) and U2 (The Joshua Tree). “Ask” reached No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart.

Rough Trade issued the non-album “Shoplifters of the World Unite” in January 1987. Both B-sides remained outside the studio albums. The 7-inch carried “Half a Person,” while the 12-inch added “London.”

7-inch:

A. “Shoplifters of the World Unite” (2:56)
B. “Half a Person” (3:35)

12-inch:

A. “Shoplifters of the World Unite” (2:56)
B1. “London” (2:06)
B2. “Half a Person” (3:35)

Marr produced “Shoplifters of the World Unite” in November 1986 sessions at Trident Studios in London. Morrissey, Marr, and Street produced the two B-sides. The single reached No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart.

The non-album “Sheila Take a Bow” followed in April. Its B-sides contain non-album recordings from the December 1986 John Peel session. The 7-inch carried “Is It Really So Strange?”; the 12-inch added “Sweet and Tender Hooligan.”

7-inch:

A. “Sheila Take a Bow” (2:40)
B. “Is It Really So Strange?” (John Peel session) (3:04)

12-inch:

A. “Sheila Take a Bow” (2:40)
B1. “Is It Really So Strange?” (John Peel session) (3:04)
B2. “Sweet and Tender Hooligan” (John Peel session) (3:34)

Morrissey, Marr, and Street produced “Sheila Take a Bow” in January at Good Earth Studios in London. The single reached No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart.

Recorded June 1986

Germany

The World Won’t Listen

The Smiths released the compilation The World Won’t Listen on February 23, 1987, through Rough Trade.

The World Won’t Listen collects eighteen recordings from the 1984–86 singles and their associated sessions. The sequence includes the previously unissued “You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby,” which Rough Trade had considered for the January 1987 single position. “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” provides the sole selection drawn directly from The Queen Is Dead. All tracks are Morrissey–Marr originals apart from the Twinkle cover “Golden Lights” and the Marr instrumentals “Money Changes Everything” and “Oscillate Wildly.”

A1. “Panic” (2:20)
A2. “Ask” (3:15)
A3. “London” (2:07)
A4. “Bigmouth Strikes Again” (3:13)
A5. “Shakespeare’s Sister” (2:08)
A6. “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” (4:02)
A7. “Shoplifters of the World Unite” (2:56)
A8. “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side” (3:15)
A9. “Money Changes Everything” (4:41)

B1. “Asleep” (4:10)
B2. “Unloveable” (3:55)
B3. “Half a Person” (3:36)
B4. “Stretch Out and Wait” (2:44)
B5. “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” (3:49)
B6. “Oscillate Wildly” (3:27)
B7. “You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby” (3:34)
B8. “Rubber Ring” (3:48)
B9. “Golden Lights” (2:39)

The compilation spans Porter’s productions for “Panic,” “Ask,” and the aborted “You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby” single through Marr’s Trident recording of “Shoplifters of the World Unite.” Morrissey and Marr produced the material connected to The Queen Is Dead. Street joined them for “London” and “Half a Person.” Gannon appears on the 1986 recordings, while MacColl sings on “Ask” and “Golden Lights.”

Morrissey selected a 1960s fairground photograph by Jürgen Vollmer from Rock ’N’ Roll Times: The Style and Spirit of the Early Beatles and Their First Fans. Vollmer had photographed the Beatles during their Hamburg period. Gough adapted the image for the LP, cassette, and compact-disc layouts.

The World Won’t Listen reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and remained in the Top 100 for fifteen weeks.

Louder Than Bombs

Sire released the double-album compilation Louder Than Bombs in the United States on March 30, 1987. Rough Trade issued the set in Britain in May.

Sire assembled Louder Than Bombs as an American counterpart to Hatful of Hollow and The World Won’t Listen, neither of which had received a contemporary US release. Its twenty-four tracks cover the 1983 BBC sessions, non-album singles, and B-sides through “Sheila Take a Bow.” “This Night Has Opened My Eyes” represents the BBC material, while the remaining radio recordings on the first side come from the December 1986 Peel session.“Sheila Take a Bow” struts on a broad, swaggering guitar riff.

“Shoplifters of the World Unite” surges through reverb-drenched chords before Marr breaks into a compact solo. “Half a Person” drifts through an elegiac, soft-edged lament. “Shakespeare’s Sister” darts between dry twangs and barroom piano. “You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby” bounces with sneering phrasing and chirruping figures. “Ask” skips through jaunty arpeggios toward a communal singalong.

A1. “Is It Really So Strange?” (3:02)
A2. “Sheila Take a Bow” (2:41)
A3. “Shoplifters of the World Unite” (2:57)
A4. “Sweet and Tender Hooligan” (3:33)
A5. “Half a Person” (3:36)
A6. “London” (2:07)
B1. “Panic” (2:21)
B2. “Girl Afraid” (2:48)
B3. “Shakespeare’s Sister” (2:09)
B4. “William, It Was Really Nothing” (2:10)
B5. “You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby” (3:34)
B6. “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” (3:36)

C1. “Ask” (3:16)
C2. “Golden Lights” (2:39) – Twinkle
C3. “Oscillate Wildly” (3:27) – Marr
C4. “These Things Take Time” (2:24)
C5. “Rubber Ring” (3:48)
C6. “Back to the Old House” (3:04)
D1. “Hand in Glove” (3:14)
D2. “Stretch Out and Wait” (2:44)
D3. “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” (1:52)
D4. “This Night Has Opened My Eyes” (3:40)
D5. “Unloveable” (3:56)
D6. “Asleep” (4:11)

The production sequence reaches from the group’s self-produced debut single and Pusey’s 1983 Peel session to the 1986–87 work by Porter, Marr, and Street. The two-disc format also restores B-sides omitted from The World Won’t Listen, including the studio versions of “These Things Take Time” and “Back to the Old House.”

Morrissey chose Arnold Newman’s 1961 portrait of Salford playwright Shelagh Delaney, first published in The Saturday Evening Post. Delaney wrote A Taste of Honey, whose dialogue supplied Morrissey with phrases and situations used across several Smiths songs. Gough arranged the monochrome cover and type.

Louder Than Bombs reached No. 62 on the Billboard album chart. Its May 1987 British release reached No. 38 on the UK Albums Chart.

Strangeways, Here We Come

The Smiths released their fourth album, Strangeways, Here We Come, on September 28, 1987, on Rough Trade.

Strangeways, Here We Come appeared after the group had broken up. Marr expands the arrangements with piano, keyboards, harmonica, marimba, harmonium, and autoharp. Rourke adds keyboards to “A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours,” while Morrissey plays piano on “Death of a Disco Dancer.” Street contributes programmed percussion and sound effects. Morrissey wrote all lyrics, and Marr composed the ten songs.

“A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours” creeps through eerie keyboard figures as Morrissey shifts from purrs to rough growls. “Death of a Disco Dancer” coils through slithering electronics before rudimentary piano strokes and distortion converge in a droning churn. “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” barrels through a metallic opening strike, rubbery bass, and breathless phrasing. “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish” stomps through serrated guitar, handclaps, and synthetic saxophone bursts.

“Unhappy Birthday” drifts through semi-acoustic strumming as harmonium deepens each turn. “Girlfriend in a Coma” skips along a jaunty figure beneath whispered melodrama. “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” lingers on stark chords and distant crowd noise, then swells into an orchestral surge. “I Won’t Share You” glides across tender autoharp figures and restrained phrasing.

A1. “A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours” (3:00)
A2. “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish” (3:47)
A3. “Death of a Disco Dancer” (5:26)
A4. “Girlfriend in a Coma” (2:03)
A5. “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” (3:32)

B1. “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” (5:03)
B2. “Unhappy Birthday” (2:46)
B3. “Paint a Vulgar Picture” (5:35)
B4. “Death at One’s Elbow” (2:01)
B5. “I Won’t Share You” (2:48)

The Smiths recorded the album in March and April 1987 at the Wool Hall in Beckington, near Bath. Morrissey and Marr co-produced the sessions with Street, who moved from engineering their two prior albums into the production partnership. His concurrent credits included Stephen Duffy (Because We Love You). Steve Williams assisted with the engineering.

Morrissey selected an image of actor Richard Davalos on the set of the 1955 film East of Eden. Gough arranged the sleeve, and Wright supplied the group photography.

Rough Trade preceded Strangeways, Here We Come with “Girlfriend in a Coma” in August 1987. Both B-sides remained outside the album. The 7-inch carried an edited “Work Is a Four-Letter Word,” a song written by Guy Woolfenden and Don Black for the 1968 Cilla Black film. The 12-inch restored the longer version and added “I Keep Mine Hidden.”

7-inch:

A. “Girlfriend in a Coma” (2:02)
B. “Work Is a Four-Letter Word” (edit) (2:09) – Black, Woolfenden

12-inch:

A. “Girlfriend in a Coma” (2:02)
B1. “Work Is a Four-Letter Word” (2:45) – Black, Woolfenden
B2. “I Keep Mine Hidden” (1:57)

“Girlfriend in a Coma” reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart.

Rough Trade prepared “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” for a British single release but withdrew it after the August 1987 Hungerford killings. Line Records issued the song in Germany. The German 7-inch paired it with another album track, “Girlfriend in a Coma.” The 12-inch added the non-album recordings “Work Is a Four-Letter Word” and “I Keep Mine Hidden.”

German 7-inch:

A. “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” (3:32)
B. “Girlfriend in a Coma” (2:02)

German 12-inch:

A. “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” (3:32)
B1. “Work Is a Four-Letter Word” (2:47) – Black, Woolfenden
B2. “Girlfriend in a Coma” (2:02)
B3. “I Keep Mine Hidden” (1:57)

Rough Trade lifted “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish” from the album in November. Every companion recording remained outside the album in its released form. The 7-inch carried the shelved Troy Tate version of “Pretty Girls Make Graves,” while the 12-inch added a live “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others.” The cassette single also included the group’s live version of “What’s the World?” by James.

7-inch:

A. “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish” (3:46)
B. “Pretty Girls Make Graves” (Troy Tate version) (3:35)

12-inch:

A. “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish” (3:46)
B1. “Pretty Girls Make Graves” (Troy Tate version) (3:35)
B2. “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” (live) (5:03)

Cassette single:

A1. “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish” (3:46)
A2. “Pretty Girls Make Graves” (Troy Tate version) (3:35)
B1. “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” (live) (5:03)
B2. “What’s the World?” (live) – Booth, Glennie, Gott, Whelan

The single reached No. 23 on the UK Singles Chart.

“Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” followed in December. Its B-sides contain non-album BBC recordings from the August 1984 John Peel session. The 7-inch uses an edited A-side and carries “Rusholme Ruffians.” The 12-inch restores the album version and adds “Nowhere Fast,” while the compact disc adds “William, It Was Really Nothing.”

7-inch:

A. “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” (edit) (3:11)
B. “Rusholme Ruffians” (John Peel session) (4:04)

12-inch:

A. “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” (5:04)
B1. “Rusholme Ruffians” (John Peel session) (4:04)
B2. “Nowhere Fast” (John Peel session) (2:39)

CD single:

“Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” (5:04)
“Rusholme Ruffians” (John Peel session) (4:04)
“Nowhere Fast” (John Peel session) (2:39)
“William, It Was Really Nothing” (John Peel session) (2:04)

The single reached No. 30 on the UK Singles Chart.

Strangeways, Here We Come reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 55 on the Billboard album chart.

Reissues

WEA acquired the Smiths catalogue in 1992 and returned the four studio albums and principal compilations to circulation at mid-price. Several releases received revised artwork or altered compact-disc sequences during the campaign.

Rhino issued Complete in 2011 with the four studio albums, the three compilations, and the 1988 live album Rank. Johnny Marr and Frank Arkwright remastered the original tapes. The deluxe box added vinyl editions of the eight albums, twenty-five reproduced singles, cover prints, a poster, and The Complete Picture video collection.

Discography: