Celebration of 30 years of The Smiths' debut

Nothing I ever write can express my love for the four seemingly normal boys from Manchester. The meeting of 22 year old Steven Patrick Morrissey and 18 year old Johnny Marr at Kings Road, Stretford in the May of '82 is one of the most iconic encounters in rock history. Releasing their self titled debut 20th February 1984, it only seems fair to celebrate the 30th birthday of what has to be one of the best Smiths albums.

Their similar tastes and ultimately, their influences, were so similar it would've seemed impossible for the two to not be so in sync. Marr has given respect to his mum for allowing him to "Analyse music properly. See how it worked" in a 2009 interview with him here. Morrissey's love for artists such as The New York Dolls, Patti Smith, The Velvet Underground and Iggy and The Stooges contrasted perfectly with Marr's love for the likes of T.Rex, Bowie and The rolling Stones, meaning they were a pretty perfect pairing, each of them being brought up on a selective diet of 60's singles.

Johnny brought in bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce, and the four-piece unit is assembled. In Morrissey's "Autobiography" he talks of their long touring stint, when "a Smiths coterie forms in every British city" - a far cry from the come-and-go synth-pop of the decade.

Signing to Rough trade, they released three oh-so famous singles - "Hand In Glove" "This Charming Man" and "What Difference Does It Make?". Many consider that their performance of the latter two tracks on Top Of The Pops in November of 1983 helped them rise to the glory they rode on for most of the 80's, as it gave bored teenagers everywhere something to be inspired by everywhere; in a rather similar fashion to Bowie's performance of "Starman" in 1972 on the same programme, where other bored teenagers thought "Bloody hell. he's good." Only this time, 'The Smiths' would be the buzz word for not only that decade, but for the future generations to lap up.

I often think of a world without The Smiths, and my instant reaction is "Oh god no." While I find it near impossible to deliver a distinct reason as to why living without their constant comfort in the form of 4 beautiful albums and the unforgettable "Hatful Of Hollow" which by rights should be classified as an album of its accord - a total entity of well crafted production, powerful vocals and enough emotion to make anyone feel as though they've got at least 4 Manchester lads on their side. Arguably, a love of The Smiths has to be earned, with their total wealth of lyrical and sonic material, often hidden with initially, quite lighthearted imagery, (tracks like "This Charming Man" and "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle" must be noted here). It seems easy to pick up a best of album and utter in a wholly non-committal fashion "I quite like them", but delve deeper into the twinkling rhythm section, glorious guitars and of course, the brooding lyrics, and you are effectively hooked for life on the eternally flowering world of Smithdom.

Their debut closer "Suffer Little Children" is one that shows Morrissey's pure vocal power and his unadulterated skill at harnessing someone's emotion and making everyone with a brain larger than that of a fly to feel some form of psychological torment, with his capacity to suddenly change tone and emotionally and make it sound unbelievably ethereal. Personally, my favourite track from this album has to be "Hand In Glove". Oooooh mama, as soon as that grand sprinkling of harmonica begins, my legs turn to jelly and my brain becomes a load of romantic mush. For all those that say The Smiths are an entirely unromantic, depressive 'movement' well... bugger off, I don't care for people like you. Personally, Hand In Glove is an ode to not just the people you love, but the emotion of love itself; how every little thing someone can do consumes all your time and desire and basically your body as a 'thing-that-feels-stuff'.

What strikes me as downright fascinating about this album is it's ability to change tone very quickly, while keeping a sense of seamlessness throughout all of the tracks. Most notably, third-on-the-album track "Miserable Lie" begins very slowly with a meandering quality, with a seemingly limited amount of space to move anywhere else, but BOY does it move, without sounding in any way messy, through the use of snarling guitars and increasingly strengthening vocals that build and build. Also, how could I forget about "Pretty Girls Make Graves". The music takes on a steady feel while Morrissey's vocals build to the background of Mike and Andy's rhythm section, both merging perfectly to create a perfectly formed track.

Fellow Smiths fans will hopefully all wear some form of memorabilia on the day of the 30th anniversary, as a sign of the immutable bond between all those who sit in their bedrooms and devote their lives to these four lads from Manchester. These four lads who managed to sum up a veritable catalogue of emotions and events in such a beautiful way that it seems nearby impossible to ever forget the first moment you heard them. For me, the first Smiths song I genuinely became infatuated with was "This Charming Man". I am under the view that up until this point in my life, I had never experienced something that sounded so magical but at the same time felt very real. I quickly developed a fixation on all of their work, lives and of course, their tragic demise in '87 (*sigh*). To sound incredibly cliché, The Smiths have got me through much of my teenage years, yes. They marked some of my favourite ever moments and of course, the unalloyed crap-ness of the other 70%.

Fellow FIBLAR writer Molly also speaks fondly of the first album...

"I got The Smiths' debut on vinyl for Christmas last year from my brother, despite the shameful fact that as far as I know, I'm the only one in my family who likes them. Although it's not my favourite Smiths album, and Morrissey himself doesn't like the way it was produced, it is most certainly a piece of art in the form of a beautifully crafted record, and the success born from it was completely deserved. Happy 30th."

Admittedly, the production wasn't as crisp as their subsequent albums; the likes of "The Queen Is Dead" became so famous and well loved for that reason. However, the wondrous thing about Smithdom is that all of their albums stir up such a multitude of sensations in the listeners mind that it is more or less impossible to choose a favourite album. Nonetheless, "The Smiths" will always be one of my favourites, because it's them as a strong unit, showcasing some of their most coveted songs and overall, has such a beautiful raw sound aided by the sprinkling guitars and Morrissey's syrupy vocals that deems it virtually other-worldly.

Long live The Smiths. Happy 30th anniversary to one of the most beautiful albums of all time.

"Stay Handsome Forever"
Paige x x x
PS. The good life is out there somewhere so stay on my arm you little charmer