MAGNET Magazine picks the five most overrated and underrated Smiths songs

[oye terence]

what wouldve been a good Beatles song for the Smiths to cover?

You've got to hide your love away.

I would have liked it ,anyways.

 

[anon x]

I don't think there are many bad Beatles covers, to be honest.

I take it you haven't seen Across The Universe ?

The Trojan records boxed set of Beatles covers is a treat though.

 

[nugz]

You've got to hide your love away.

I would have liked it ,anyways.

I can dig it.

"Julia" is my fav. I don't know about instrumentally, but I think Morrissey would sound really nice singing it.

I would also like to hear him sing "Piggies."

ooh ooh, i know! they shouldve covered "Two of Us."

 

[bysshe]

I can dig it.

"Julia" is my fav. I don't know about instrumentally, but I think Morrissey would sound really nice singing it.

I would also like to hear him sing "Piggies."

ooh ooh, i know! they shouldve covered "Two of Us."

I think you should start a new thread.

I'll add "She's Leaving Home" to "I'm Only Sleeping."

 

[nugz]

I think you should start a new thread.

I'll add "She's Leaving Home" to "I'm Only Sleeping."

i know, this is totally off topic, isnt it?

Tori Amos covered "She's Leaving Home."

 

[bysshe]

i know, this is totally off topic, isnt it?

Tori Amos covered "She's Leaving Home."

Yeah. We've never hijacked a thread before.

If I weren't so tired, I might be able to come up with some more. I should sleep on it. Maybe by then, you'll have created that new thread.

 

[nugz]

Yeah. We've never hijacked a thread before.

If I weren't so tired, I might be able to come up with some more. I should sleep on it. Maybe by then, you'll have created that new thread.

or I could do my work.



...nahhhhh

 

[Worm]

Yeah. We've never hijacked a thread before.

I wonder what the MAGNET intern is going to think when he/she returns to this thread.

 

[bysshe]

I wonder what the MAGNET intern is going to think when he/she returns to this thread.

IF he/she returns to this thread.

or I could do my work.



...nahhhhh

That's my girl.

 

[Darth Vegan]

or I could do my work.



...nahhhhh

work is a four letter word

 

[Amy]

This made me laugh:



And it should have read, "a) didn't drink alcohol; b) had never been employed; and c) was celibate by choice. Tense changes, people.

Except for that Moz did drink alcohol ('spasms of wine' anyone?), had been employed, and admitted that his celibacy stemmed largely from bad past experiences.

 

[Uncleskinny]

Except for that Moz did drink alcohol ('spasms of wine' anyone?), had been employed, and admitted that his celibacy stemmed largely from bad past experiences.

And of course that last ever session with The Smiths, when he was blathered, by all accounts.

Peter

 

[Worm]

And of course that last ever session with The Smiths, when he was blathered, by all accounts.

Peter

Was he? That explains so much.

Then again, how would they tell?

Q: I understand Morrissey was drunk during those last sessions.
Marr: Well, he came to us suggesting we cover Cilla Black.
Q: You must have known he was drunk then!
Marr: Not really. We still thought he was sober.
Q: Why?
Marr: Because he came to us suggesting we cover Cilla Black.

 

[bysshe]

Except for that Moz did drink alcohol ('spasms of wine' anyone?), had been employed, and admitted that his celibacy stemmed largely from bad past experiences.

And that, too.

I was more concerned with the grammatical errors.

 

[VacancyForABackscrubber]

I dont think any songs are OVER rated because they are so brilliant they cant possibly be over rated. They deserve all the recognition they get.

BUT I think that some songs ARE underated:

1. Accept Yourself - Why does nobody ever recognise the lyrics in this. Of all the songs these are the ones that most reasonated with me anyway.
2. This Night Has Opened My Eyes - This song is amazing. Again why does nobody ever mention it as one of their favourites
3. Barbarism Begins At Home - This is probably the most danceable Smiths track. It was the rare moment when Rourke's bass abilities really stood out and people realised he wasnt just useless or replaceable. This song wouldnt have been the same without his bass. And in my humble opinion it is better than Shakespeares Sister.
4. That Joke Isnt Funny Anymore - An extremely bittersweet, heartfelt song. People usually put this second to There Is A Light, and I cant see why
5. This Charming Man - because this song has obviously been exposed so much we need to remind ourselves how great it is. Remember when you first heard the opening chords and the catchy soaring chorus with the jangling mesh of notes in the refrain. And how you started going into a kind of trance. We have all forgotten this

BUT as I said all of the songs are brilliant. LET US REVEL IN THE GREATNESS *waves gladioli in victory*

 

[Amy]

And of course that last ever session with The Smiths, when he was blathered, by all accounts.

Peter

?? Are you sure that wasn't Johnny....

I remember reading something about Moz nicking JM's cigs when he was drunk during the recording of 'The Queen..', I can imagine that would have been quite a sight

 

[Uncleskinny]

?? Are you sure that wasn't Johnny....

I remember reading something about Moz nicking JM's cigs when he was drunk during the recording of 'The Queen..', I can imagine that would have been quite a sight

Nope, definitely Moz. Goddard tells the story with quotes from Marr - Morrissey was bouncing round the studio with a wine bottle in his hand, saying "Lezzz go down and do it...", and Johnny was saying "Do what? We haven't got any songs!". This was just before I Keep Mine Hidden and Work Is A Four-Letter Word.

Peter

 

[Worm]

Nope, definitely Moz. Goddard tells the story with quotes from Marr - Morrissey was bouncing round the studio with a wine bottle in his hand, saying "Lezzz go down and do it...", and Johnny was saying "Do what? We haven't got any songs!". This was just before I Keep Mine Hidden and Work Is A Four-Letter Word.

Peter

Peter, you seem to be implying a cause-and-effect relationship between the drunkenness and the two B-sides.

I actually think "I Keep Mine Hidden" is (bringin' the thread back around again) an underrated Smiths gem. I've liked it since 1987 and I'm looking forward to hearing it on the tour.

Lots of fans and critics hate "Work Is A Four-Letter Word" but even that one I dont mind so much. The Smiths on auto-pilot were still enjoyable. Had that song been recorded 2 years earlier I don't think it would be quite as despised as it is. It's like someone's last words being a belch. (Or "Bugger Bognor"!)

 

[columbula]

Nope, definitely Moz. Goddard tells the story with quotes from Marr - Morrissey was bouncing round the studio with a wine bottle in his hand, saying "Lezzz go down and do it...", and Johnny was saying "Do what? We haven't got any songs!". This was just before I Keep Mine Hidden and Work Is A Four-Letter Word.

OMGoodness, love. I'm not one for being around people wasted out of their minds, but I would've loved to have been there. Adorable. And drunk. Awesome.

And personally I like "Work is a Four-Letter Word" better than "I Keep Mine Hidden". (they're both great though) It's my favorite cover of theirs, next to "Marie's the Name of his Latest Flame".

 

[Theo]

2. “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” (1984)
Over the course of this song, Morrissey is miserable because: a) he is no longer drunk; b) he found a job; and c) the sight of two lovers makes him feel lonely. This is a reasonable scenario until we realize that, at that time, Morrissey: a) doesn’t drink alcohol; b) has never been employed; and c) is celibate by choice. Aside from this logical disconnect, the song represents Morrissey’s worst, self-parodic self-pity and is further handicapped by one of Marr’s most wilted-sounding compositions. Mentally delusional and emotionally defeated, it’s like the sad feeling you got when you were six and your Sea Monkeys died.

Turning to the facts, on page 85 of Morrissey & Marr: The Sausage Appliance:

With the American dream postponed and his dole money squandered on Patti Smith excursions, Morrissey decided to seek a job. It was to prove one of his biggest mistakes to date. At the end of November, he secured a post with the Civil Service and was so appalled by the suffocating atmosphere and meniality of the tasks shoved before him that he quit within a fortnight. Upon returning to the Civil Centre, he became embroiled in an argument with a disgusted DHSS official who concluded the diatribe with the biting rejoinder, "People like you make me feel sick." It was a humiliating moment and a woeful insight into the contempt often experienced by the unemployed. More salutary evidence of official disapprobation followed when Morrissey learned that his weekly benefit had been reduced to a paltry £5. His crime had been leaving the unsatisfactory Civil Service job for "no good reason". He was now in a worse position than if he hadn't taken the irksome job in the first place.

Seems to fit quite perfectly with the lyrics of that great Smiths song.

And how does this guy know Moz never once got drunk before he wrote that song?