'The Smiths'

[great_badir]

For the craic:

My manager is a HUGE Smiths and Morrissey fan.  His collection is ridiculous - all the singles, 12", vinyl, cassette, CDs, etc etc etc.

A few years ago he went to see Morrissey in...ooohhh, I think it might've been Bournemouth, and got the chance to meet him after the show.  A massive prick, apparently.  He was absolutely devastated.  Mind you, it didn't put him off the music one bit.

He(my manager)'s also met David Dickinson.  Who is lovely.  Apparently.

Just for the record, I neither love nor hate The Smiths, but I would rather leave Morrissey.

[Thomas]

My sixth form philosophy teacher went to see him when he got tapped on the head with a plastic bottle cup. I saw her the other day at a Stewart Lee show. Obviously she was my favourite teacher.

[holyzombiejesus]

What are people's thoughts on Last night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me? I remember hearing it for the first time, just before Strangeways came out (Annie Nightingale on a Sunday night, I think) and it completely floored me. Nearly enacted that bit in Rubber Ring. I'd taped it and listened to practically nothing else for what seemed like weeks (through horrible headphones with horrible painful orange foam muffs too). I think I genuinely believed it to be the best song ever written. Now I think it's probably a bit shit. Well, maybe not shit, schmaltzy perhaps. I'm going to listen to it in a bit when the new Real Estate LP has finished and see if I've formulated a decent opinion on it. Bet you're all looking forward to that...

[Thomas]

First version I heard was without the long intro - just straight into it. Musically and vocally very strong, and I love the fadout, but yeah, I find it a tad 'schmaltzy', as you say.

[holyzombiejesus]

Just listened to it (Strangeways version). 6.5/10. The single version gets at least 1 point deducted but would still score 6/10. How does that work?

In it's favour, it does have the distinction of being one of the (I think) 3 Pointless answers for The Smiths top 40 singles.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Last Night I Dreamt... is a keystone Smiths track. I don't listen to it much but it seems to define one aspect of what Morrissey and The Smiths were about. The production is also quite good, Morrissey isn't indulged too much, and the music seems to take the fore.

[holyzombiejesus]

I used to think that too, the same with Asleep, but now I think that both of them are more like 2 dimensional versions of what The Smiths were about. Mawkish pastiches. No humour or verve, just self pitying navel gazing. Maybe.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Isnt there a line 'The story is old, I know, but it goes on', which I think is a nice bit of self-awareness.

[holyzombiejesus]

Yeah. I might well be being harsh on it (and Asleep). I'm older now and a clever swine...

[Treguard of Dunshelm]

I like just how utterly knackered and weary Asleep sounds, and humour would have undermined that.

[Mark Steels Stockbroker]

I like just how utterly knackered and weary Asleep sounds, and humour would have undermined that.

Simon Goddard insists that Asleep really makes sense if you hear it on the "Boy" 12 inch, coming straight after Rubber Ring.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Yes. It's not just the two songs together, but the "you are sleeping" sample and the wind sound which blends them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCtCxSiMAdc

In fact, it could almost work as a single song.