Origin : Manchester, England
Genres : Alternative rock, indie pop, post-punk
Years active : 1982–1987
Labels : Rough Trade, Sire
Associated acts : The Pretenders, Jetlag, The Adult Net, Moondog One
Website : http://www.officialsmiths.co.uk
Past members
Morrissey
Johnny Marr
Mike Joyce
Andy Rourke
Craig Gannon
스미스(The Smiths)는 1982년에서 1987년까지 활동한 영국 맨체스터 출신 록 밴드이다. 각각 작사와 작곡을 맡았던 모리세이(Morrissey)와 조니 마(Johnny Marr)가 이 밴드의 중심이었다. 이들은 러프 트레이드 레코드(Rough Trade) 산하의 밴드였다.
스미스는 평론가들에게 1980년대 영국 인디 음악계에서 가장 중요한 밴드로 일컬어진다. 이들은 후대 영국 밴드들에 많은 영향을 미치는데 대표적으로 영향을 받은 밴드는 라디오헤드(Radiohead), 스톤 로지스(The Stone Roses), 블러(Blur), 스웨이드(Suede), 오아시스(Oasis), 버브(The Verve) 등이 있다.
밴드가 활동할 당시에 이들은 두 가지 특징으로 많은 주목을 받았는데 하나는 작사를 맡았던 모리세이의 재기발랄한, 때로는 많은 논쟁을 불러 일으킨 가사들이었고 또다른 하나는 주로 작곡을 했던 자니 마가 기타를 중심으로 만들어 내는 복잡하고 긴장감을 지닌 음악이었다.
스미스는 네 장의 정규 앨범을 냈고 여러 장의 편집 앨범과 수많은 싱글을 발매했다.
밴드 해체 이후 모리세이는 솔로 활동을 하고 있고, 자니 마는 여러 음악인들과 작업을 해왔는데 2013년 부터는 솔로로 활동하고 있다.
The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. The band consisted of vocalist Morrissey, guitarist Johnny Marr, bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce. Critics have called them the most important alternative rock band to emerge from the British independent music scene of the 1980s. Q magazine's Simon Goddard argued in 2007 that the Smiths were "the one truly vital voice of the '80s", "the most influential British guitar group of the decade" and the "first indie outsiders to achieve mainstream success on their own terms".[2] The NME named the Smiths the "most influential artist ever" in a 2002 poll, over The Beatles.
Based on the songwriting partnership of Morrissey and Marr, the group signed to the independent record label Rough Trade Records, on which they released four studio albums, The Smiths (1984), Meat Is Murder (1985), The Queen Is Dead (1986) and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987). Four of their albums (including three studio albums) appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. They have also released several compilations, and numerous non-album singles. The Smiths had several singles reach the UK top 20 and all four of their studio albums reached the UK top 5, including one which hit #1. They won a significant following and remain cult favourites, although they had limited commercial success outside the UK while they were still together. The band broke up in 1987 due to internal tensions and have turned down several offers to reunite.[4]
The band's focus on a guitar, bass, and drum sound, and their fusion of 1960s rock and post-punk, were a repudiation of synthesiser-based contemporary dance-pop – the style popular in the 1980s. Marr's guitar-playing on his Rickenbacker often had a jangle pop sound reminiscent of Roger McGuinn of The Byrds. Marr's guitar-playing influenced later Manchester bands, including The Stone Roses and Oasis. Morrissey and Marr's songs combined themes about ordinary people with complex, literate lyrics delivered by Morrissey with a mordant sense of humour. In 2014 and 2015, they were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Studio albums
1984 《The Smiths》
Released: 20 February 1984
Label: Rough Trade
Formats: LP, cassette, CD
1985 《Meat Is Murder》
Released: 11 February 1985
Label: Rough Trade
Formats: LP, cassette, CD
1986 《The Queen Is Dead》
Released: 16 June 1986
Label: Rough Trade
Formats: LP, cassette, CD
1987 《Stangeways, Here We Come》
Released: 28 September 1987
Label: Rough Trade
Formats: LP, cassette, CD
Live albums
1988 《Rank》
Released: 5 September 1988
Label: Rough Trade, Sire
Formats: LP, cassette, CD, DAT
Compilation albums
1984 《Hatful of Hollow》
Released: 12 November 1984
Label: Rough Trade
Formats: LP, cassette, CD
1987 《The World Won't Listen》
Released: 23 February 1987
Label: Rough Trade
Formats: LP, cassette, CD
1987 《Louder Than Bombs》
Released: 30 March 1987
Labels: Rough Trade, Sire
Formats: LP, cassette, CD
1992 《Best... I》
Released: 17 August 1992
Label: WEA
Formats: LP, cassette, CD
1992 《...Best II》
Released: 2 November 1992
Label: WEA
Formats: LP, cassette, CD
1995 《Singles》
Released: 20 February 1995
Label: WEA
Format: CD
2001 《The Very Best of The Smiths》
Released: 4 June 2001
Label: WEA
Format: CD
2008 《The Sound of The Smiths》
Released: 10 November 2008
Label: WEA
Format: CD
2008 《The Smiths Singles Box》
Released: 8 December 2008
Label: WEA
Formats: 12 × 7" vinyl, 12 × CD
2011 《Complete》
Released: 26 September 2011
3 October 2011
Label: Rhino
Formats: 8 × CD, 8 × LP, 8 × CD + 8 × LP + 25 × 7" vinyl + DVD