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The Smiths
The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwriting partnership. The Smiths are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerge from 1980s British independent music. The Smiths signed to the independent label Rough Trade Records in 1983 and released their debut album, ''The Smiths (album), The Smiths'', in 1984. Their focus on a guitar, bass and drum sound, fusing 1960s rock and post-punk, was a rejection of the synth-pop sound predominant at the time. Several Smiths singles reached the top 20 of the UK singles chart, and all their studio albums reached the top five of the UK Albums Chart, including the number-one album ''Meat Is Murder'' (1985). The band achieved mainstream success in Europe with ''The Queen Is Dead'' (1986) and ''Strangeways, Here We Come'' (1987), which both ent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andy Rourke
Andrew Michael Rourke (17 January 1964 – 19 May 2023) was an English musician best known as the bassist of the 1980s indie rock band the Smiths. Regarded as one of the greatest bassists of his generation, he was known for his melodic and funk-inspired approach to bass playing. Rourke joined the Smiths after their first gig, having known guitarist Johnny Marr since secondary school, and played on their entire discography. After the group broke up in 1987, he performed on some of lead vocalist Morrissey's early solo releases. Rourke recorded with Sinéad O'Connor and the Pretenders in the early 1990s, and was a member of the supergroup Freebass and the band D.A.R.K., and later Blitz Vega with Kav Sandhu. He organised the Versus Cancer concerts from 2006 to 2009. Early life Rourke was born in Manchester, Lancashire, in 1964, and grew up on the Racecourse Estate in Ashton upon Mersey. His Irish father, Michael, worked as an architect; his mother, Mary (née Stone), was Engli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Smiths (album)
''The Smiths'' is the debut studio album by the English Rock music, rock band the Smiths, released on 20 February 1984 by Rough Trade Records. The album was first recorded with producer Troy Tate, but the results were ultimately shelved in favour of a new version produced by John Porter (musician, born 1947), John Porter. Recording took place intermittently in London, Manchester, and Stockport during September 1983, between dates on the band's national tour. The album pairs Johnny Marr's jangly guitar work with Morrissey's literate and melancholic lyrics. The songs touch on themes of unrequited love, isolation, identity, and social disaffection. Several tracks, including "Reel Around the Fountain" and "Suffer Little Children", attracted media attention for their controversial lyrics. Critical reception was mixed at the time, with some reviewers praising the songwriting while others critiqued the production. Over time, however, retrospective assessments have recognised ''The Sm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
O2 Apollo Manchester
The O2 Apollo Manchester (known locally as The Apollo and formerly Manchester Apollo and ABC Ardwick) is a concert venue in Ardwick Green, Manchester, England. It is a Grade II listed building, with a capacity of 3,500 (2,514 standing, 986 seats). History The building was designed by architects Peter Cummings, Alex Irvine, and R. Gillespie Williams, in an Art Deco style. The building's frontage consists of a glazed white terracotta façade. Its original purpose was as a multi-purpose cinema and variety hall and was opened on 29 August 1938 by actress Margaret Lockwood. It was taken over by Associated British Cinemas in 1943, but it began to host pop concerts in the 1960s. The Beatles performed at two shows at the ABC Ardwick on 20 November 1963 which were filmed, in colour. They performed here again on 7 December 1965. The Rolling Stones performed at the ABC Ardwick with Ike & Tina Turner, The Yardbirds, and Peter Jay & the New Jaywalkers on 28 September 1966. In the 1970 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fused rock and poetry in her work. In 1978, her most widely known song, " Because the Night," co-written with Bruce Springsteen, reached number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and number five on the UK Singles Chart. In 2005, Smith was named a Commander of the by the French Ministry of Culture. In 2007, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In November 2010, Smith won the National Book Award for her memoir '' Just Kids'', written to fulfill a promise she made to Robert Mapplethorpe, her longtime partner and friend. She is ranked 47th on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of all Time, published in 2010, and was awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2011. Early life and education Smith was born on De ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stretford
Stretford is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, sited on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal; the Bridgewater Canal bisects the town. The town is located south of Manchester, south of Salford and north-east of Altrincham. Stretford borders Chorlton-cum-Hardy to the east, Moss Side and Whalley Range, Manchester, Whalley Range to the south-east, Hulme to the north-east, Urmston to the west, Salford to the north and Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale to the south. In 2011 it had a population of 46,910. Within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Lancashire, Stretford was an agricultural village in the 19th century; it was known locally as ''Porkhampton'', due to the large number of pigs produced for the Manchester market. It was also an extensive market-gardening area, producing more than of vegetables each week for sale in Manchester by 1845. The arrival of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steven Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then, he has pursued a successful solo career. Morrissey's music is characterised by his baritone voice and distinctive lyrics with recurring themes of emotional isolation, sexual longing, self-deprecating and dark humour, and anti-establishment stances. Morrissey was born to working-class Irish immigrants in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Lancashire, England; the family lived in Queen's Court near the Loreto convent in Hulme and his mother worked nearby at the Hulme Hippodrome bingo hall. They moved due to the 1960s demolitions of almost all the Victorian-era houses in Hulme, known as 'Slum clearance in the United Kingdom, slum clearance', and he grew up in nearby Stretford. As a child, he developed a love of literature, kitc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Craig Gannon
Craig Gannon (born 30 July 1966) is an English guitarist, best known as the second guitarist in the Smiths (1986). He is now a composer for film and television. Career Born in Manchester, Gannon had played in bands with friends since he was 12 years old, and in 1983 joined Aztec Camera after replying to an ad in ''Melody Maker''. In 1984, he briefly joined The Colourfield, and went on to join The Bluebells.Rogan, Johnny (2012) ''Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance (The 20th Anniversary Edition)'', Omnibus Press, , pp. 400 After another brief stint in The Colourfield, when bass player Andy Rourke was fired from the Smiths in early 1986, Gannon was hired to replace him. Within a fortnight, however, Rourke was reinstated and Gannon moved to rhythm guitar, becoming the official fifth member, playing on the "Panic" and " Ask" singles and touring the UK, Canada, and the US with the band. Gannon also played on the scrapped single "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby", which was i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Albums Chart
The European Top 100 Albums chart was the European adaptation of the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart. It ran from March 1984 until December 2010. Also commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums, the chart showcased the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data. It was compiled by ''Music & Media''. ''Billboard'' became ''Music & Media's'' financial partner in 1985 and later owned the magazine. When ''Music & Media'' closed in August 2003, ''Billboard'' continued to compile the European Top 100 Albums. The European Top 100 combined album sales (both retail and digital) of new and older albums. The methodology was different from the US ''Billboard'' 200, where albums would only be allowed to chart if they weren't 18 months old. If an album older than 18 months had enough sales to enter the 200 chart after having already dropped out of the 100th position, it would chart on The ''U.S. Billboard'' Catalog Albums. Later ''Billboard'' reviewed the criteria and de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Strangeways, Here We Come
''Strangeways, Here We Come'' is the fourth and final studio album by the English rock band the Smiths. It was released on 28 September 1987, by Rough Trade Records, a few months after the band had broken up. All of the songs were composed by Johnny Marr, with lyrics written and sung by Morrissey. The record marked a stylistic shift for the band, incorporating a broader range of instrumentation and a more experimental sound than their previous releases. It achieved commercial success and has since been regarded by all four band members as their finest work. Following the critical acclaim of their 1986 album '' The Queen Is Dead'', the Smiths experienced increasing public attention and media presence. Despite internal tensions and the departure of temporary rhythm guitarist Craig Gannon, the band returned to the studio in early 1987 to fulfill their final contractual obligation to Rough Trade. During the recording sessions at the Wool Hall recording studio in Bath, Somerset, rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Queen Is Dead
''The Queen Is Dead'' is the third studio album by the English rock band the Smiths, released on 16 June 1986, by Rough Trade Records. Following the release of their second album '' Meat Is Murder'', the Smiths retreated to Greater Manchester to begin work on new material, with Johnny Marr and Morrissey writing extensively at Marr's home in Bowdon as the band sought to escape the pressures of London and their label Rough Trade. The album was produced by Morrissey and Marr, with engineering by Stephen Street; its music blends indie rock and post-punk. Recording for the album took place between July 1985 and December of that year, with sessions held at RAK Studios in London, Jacobs Studios in Farnham and Drone Studios in Manchester. ''The Queen Is Dead'' spent 22 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number two. It reached number 70 on the US ''Billboard'' Top Pop Albums chart and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in late 1990. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meat Is Murder
''Meat Is Murder'' is the second studio album by the English rock band the Smiths, released on 11 February 1985, by Rough Trade Records. Following the release of their self-titled debut album in early 1984, the Smiths maintained a prolific output with non-album singles and the compilation '' Hatful of Hollow'', while also drawing media attention for their outspoken political views and provocative lyrics. The band began working with engineer Stephen Street during this period, a collaboration that continued into ''Meat Is Murder''. Recording for the album took place between mid-1984 and December of that year, with sessions held in London at the Fallout Shelter and Jam studios, and in Surrey at Ridge Farm Studio. Guitarist Johnny Marr developed many of the demos in his Earl's Court flat, often incorporating BBC sound effects records provided by Morrissey, a technique that became a recurring part of their creative process. Musically, the album expanded the band's sound, incorporati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on Fridays (previously Sundays). It is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 (top 5) and found on the OCC website as a Top 100 or on ''UKChartsPlus'' as a Top 200, with positions continuing until all sales have been tracked in data only available to industry insiders. However, even though number 100 was classed as a hit album (as in the case of ''The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums'') in the 1980s until January 1989, since the compilations were removed, this definition was changed to Top 75 with follow-up books such as ''The Virgin Book of British Hit Albums'' only including this data. As of 2021, Since 1983, the OCC generally provides a public charts for hits and weeks up to the Top 100. Business customers can require a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
