![]() Īfter remaining with the band for several rehearsals, Pomfret departed acrimoniously. In 1983, he forbade those around him from using the name "Steven", which he despised. Around the time of the band's formation, Morrissey decided that he would be publicly known only by his surname, with Marr referring to him as "Mozzer" or "Moz". He said later that "it was the most ordinary name and I thought it was time that the ordinary folk of the world showed their faces". ![]() Marr, on arriving at Morrissey's door īy late 1982, Morrissey had chosen the band name the Smiths. Which is one of the things that got me to talk so fast, it was just plain exuberance." As soon as the door opened, Pommy took two very firm steps back. There was no advance phone call or anything. Alongside these original compositions, Morrissey suggested that the band produce a cover of "I Want a Boy for My Birthday", a song by the 1960s American girl band the Cookies although he had never heard of the song before, Marr agreed, enjoying the subversive element of having a male vocalist sing it, and the song was recorded on his TEAC machine. The third track that the duo worked on was " Suffer Little Children". Marr based the tempo on the Patti Smith song "Kimberly", and they recorded it on Marr's TEAC three-track cassette recorder. The next song that they worked on was "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle", again was based on lyrics produced by Morrissey. Morrissey provided the lyrics for "Don't Blow Your Own Horn", the first song that they worked on however, they decided against retaining the song, with Marr commenting that "neither of us liked it very much". Ī few days later, Morrissey and Marr held their first rehearsal in Marr's rented attic room in Bowdon. The next day, Morrissey phoned Marr to confirm that he would be interested in forming a band with him. We were very similar in drive." Conversing, the two found that they were fans of many of the same bands. According to Morrissey: "We got on absolutely famously. A fan of the New York Dolls, Marr had been impressed that Morrissey had authored a book on the band and was inspired to turn up on his doorstep following the example of Jerry Leiber, who had formed his working partnership with Mike Stoller after turning up at Stoller's door. They bonded through their love of poetry and literature. Marr and Morrissey had met at a Patti Smith gig at Manchester's Apollo Theatre on 31 August 1978, when Marr was 14 and Morrissey was 19. In May 1982, Johnny Marr and his friend Steve Pomfret went to the home of Steven Morrissey in Stretford to invite him to form a band. History 1982: Formation and early performances Since the band's dissolution, the members have refused offers to reunite and have all separately stated that the band is finished and will never reunite. Internal tensions led to the Smiths' breakup in 1987, followed by public lawsuits over royalties. They achieved mainstream success in Europe with The Queen Is Dead (1986) and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987), both of which entered the top 20 of the European Albums Chart. 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). Their focus on a guitar, bass and drum sound, fusing 1960s rock and post-punk, was a rejection of the synth-pop sound that was predominant at the time. The Smiths signed to the independent label Rough Trade Records in 1983 and released their first album, The Smiths, in 1984. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerge from the 1980s British independent music scene. Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwriting partnership. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982.
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