Week 42: 50 Albums That Changed Music

[Swish]

I was wondering when these Brit critics would get around to this band, one of the UK's favorites back in the 80s. While a few of you might claim this was a biased choice, in my mind it was a good choice regardless. And the selection is The Smiths - The Smiths (1984)

Yearning, melodic, jangly, and very northern, The Smith's first album was quite unlike anything that had gone before. It helped that Morrissey was a one-off and that Johnny Marr had taken all the best riffs from Sixties pop, punk, and disco and melded them into his own unique style. But there was something magical about their sound that endless successors have tried to replicate. Without this...there'd be no Belle and Sebastian, no Suede, no Oasis, and no Libertines - at the very least.

I was a pretty big fan of this band, and an even bigger fan of Johnny Marr (did you know he changed his last name from Maher to Marr since Johnny Maher was the name of the drummer from the Buzzcocks?). Anyway, they were a huge influence on many other bands of prominence than those they mentioned, especially the Stone Roses and Radiohead.

Swish

[MindGoneHaywire]

This isn't my favorite Smiths album, but the choice makes sense. To suggest the Libertines wouldn't have existed without them might be a bit of a stretch, though.

Johnny Marr is one of the most innovative guitarists of the rock era, and all the more so because what he does goes against the grain of the vast majority of guitarists in the rock era: it focuses on rhythm playing far more than lead playing.

I think the Smiths have probably never gotten enough credit for influence on the bombardment of alternative rock that came 10 years after them, but I'd say that's a good thing. Their records are generally good enough to not deserve that credit, which could be viewed as insulting.

[-Jar-]

I was wondering when these Brit critics would get around to this band, one of the UK's favorites back in the 80s. While a few of you might claim this was a biased choice, in my mind it was a good choice regardless. And the selection is The Smiths - The Smiths (1984)

Yearning, melodic, jangly, and very northern, The Smith's first album was quite unlike anything that had gone before. It helped that Morrissey was a one-off and that Johnny Marr had taken all the best riffs from Sixties pop, punk, and disco and melded them into his own unique style. But there was something magical about their sound that endless successors have tried to replicate. Without this...there'd be no Belle and Sebastian, no Suede, no Oasis, and no Libertines - at the very least.

I was a pretty big fan of this band, and an even bigger fan of Johnny Marr (did you know he changed his last name from Maher to Marr since Johnny Maher was the name of the drummer from the Buzzcocks?). Anyway, they were a huge influence on many other bands of prominence than those they mentioned, especially the Stone Roses and Radiohead.

Swish

The funny thing about the Smiths, is that their influence is much stronger now in the indie and alternative rock that I hear than it ever was during the 90's.. I think maybe it takes a decade for that kind of influence to set in. In the 90's, the Smiths were seen as one of the better 80's bands, now they're seen as legends.

-jar

[kexodusc]

Hey, finally, another one I agree with completely.
The Queen Is Dead was also an excellent album, but I think I'll give the edge to this one because I probably would never have been exposed to Queen Is Dead if not for their earlier success, especially this side of the pond. So I won't argue the album.

More influential than Radiohead? Yeah, definitely. Because they've been around longer if nothing else. Radiohead's let it be known that the Smiths were a big influence (I think they even thank them in the liner notes). I don't know what huge acts have emerged citing Radiohead as an influence?

Safe to say The Smiths were pioneers of a sort, well ahead of their time. I think they're bigger now than they were in the late 80's in North America, I see teenage kids sporting Smiths Tees now.

[nobody]

Yeah, this one is hard to argue against. Great debut by a band that has gone on the influence tons of bands and that gets name checked by bands coming from many different directions. The music bit, of course, but I also think Morrissey's lyrics deserve a mention. His mopey persona and heavily overblown depressive lyrical style, heavy on the personal, has become a staple but was really unique on first listen. Sadly, most of his followers have none of his sense of humor that make his maonings so much more paletable.

[Monkey Bones]

I don't know what huge acts have emerged citing Radiohead as an influence?

But isn't the biggest band in the world generally thought of as Radiohead-lite by most of us music nerd types? Sure, I doubt that Coldplay ever explicitly thanked Radiohead for The Bends, or cited the obvious influence, but it's hard to believe they would be around without it. Seems safe to say that Radiohead emerged from the 90s as the most influential rock band currently on the scene.

But yea, The Smiths are still building careers for many. Can't believe the Decemberists would be around without them. So many others too.

[Slosh]

But yea, The Smiths are still building careers for many. Can't believe the Decemberists would be around without them. So many others too.

Case in point: