A Light That Never Goes Out

A Light That Never Goes Out
Author: Tony Fletcher
Publisher: Crown Archetype
Total Pages: 722
Release: 2012-12-04
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0307715973

The definitive book about The Smiths, one of the most beloved, respected, and storied indie rock bands in music history. They were, their fans believe, the best band in the world. Hailing from Manchester, England, The Smiths--Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke, and Mike Joyce--were critical and popular favorites throughout their mid-1980s heyday and beyond. To this day, due to their unforgettable songs and lyrics, they are considered one of the greatest British rock groups of all time--up there with the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, and the Clash. Tony Fletcher paints a vivid portrait of the fascinating personalities within the group: Morrissey, the witty, literate lead singer whose loner personality and complex lyrics made him an icon for teenagers who felt forlorn and forgotten; his songwriting partner Marr, the gregarious guitarist who became a rock god for a generation of indie kids; and the talented, good-looking rhythm section duo of bassist Rourke and drummer Joyce. Despite the band's tragic breakup at the height of their success, A Light That Never Goes Out is a celebration: the saga of four working-class kids from a northern English city who come together despite contrasting personalities, find a musical bond, inspire a fanatical following, and leave a legacy that changed the music world--and the lives of their fans.

Why pamper life's complexities?

Why pamper life's complexities?
Author: Sean Campbell
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Total Pages: 439
Release: 2013-01-18
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1847794734

For five short years in the 1980s, a four-piece Manchester band released a collection of records that had undeniably profound effects on the landscape of popular music and beyond. Today, public and critical appreciation of The Smiths is at its height, yet the most important British band after The Beatles have rarely been subject to sustained academic scrutiny. Why pamper life’s complexities?: Essays on The Smiths seeks to remedy this by bringing together diverse research disciplines to place the band in a series of enlightening social, cultural and political contexts as never before. Topics covered by the essays range from class, sexuality, Catholicism, Thatcherism, regional and national identities, to cinema, musical poetics, suicide and fandom. Lyrics, interviews, the city of Manchester, cultural iconography and the cult of Morrissey are all considered anew. The essays breach the standard confines of music history, rock biography and pop culture studies to give a sustained critical analysis of the band that is timely and illuminating. This book will be of interest to scholars and students in the fields of sociology, literature, geography, cultural and media studies. It is also intended for a wider audience of those interested in the enduring appeal of one of the most complex and controversial bands. Accessible and original, these essays will help to contextualise the lasting cultural legacy of The Smiths.

Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance

Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance
Author: Johnny Rogan
Publisher: Omnibus Press
Total Pages: 863
Release: 2012-06-26
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0857127829

Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance is among the most successful – and controversial – rock biographies ever published. Having denounced the book and called for the death of its author Johnny Rogan, Morrissey later did a U-turn and cited it as evidence in the royalty-related court case brought by Smiths drummer Mike Joyce.Now, 20 years after it was first published, Rogan has returned to his definitive Smiths biography to produce a completely revised edition based on new information and new interviews to add to the almost 100 initially conducted over a four-year period. Widely acclaimed as one rock’s leading writers, Johnny Rogan now brings yet more insight and analysis to his best-selling book that revealed, for the first time, the true and unsanitised story of The Smiths – the most important group of their generation.

The Smiths FAQ

The Smiths FAQ
Author: John D. Luerssen
Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2015-08-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 149504596X

(FAQ). Revered and massively influential, the Smiths have been called the most important band of the fertile U.K. 1980s music scene. While the group was only active for five years (1982 to 1987), the cult of the Manchester-reared foursome has ballooned in the three decades since its dissolution. Despite a $75 million offer to reunite for a two month tour in 2007, Morrissey and Johnny Marr, the group's principals, refused, opting to leave their legend untainted. The Smiths have since influenced a who's who of alternative music, including Death Cab for Cutie, Radiohead, the Killers, Jeff Buckley, Pete Yorn, the Decemberists, and Oasis. Featuring a foreword by guitarist and "Fifth Smith" who played with the band in 1986, The Smiths FAQ traces the band's history with clarity and detail, illuminating such questions as Who were the Nosebleeds? Why did Morrissey shun the Ramones? Who were the Paris Valentinos? What was Cult guitarist Billy Duffy's connection to the band? How was Morrissey injured during the group's U.S. debut performance? What Smiths single paid homage to T. Rex?. John D. Luerssen (author of FAQ series titles about U2, Bruce Springsteen, and Nirvana) gathers the indispensable early facts, the legendary stories, and inimitable anecdotes that make this a must-own tome for all fans.

Autobiography

Autobiography
Author: Morrissey
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 478
Release: 2014-11-04
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 014310750X

“Spend the day in bed” with Autobiography by Morrissey, whose new album Low in High School is out November 17th Steven Patrick Morrissey was born in Manchester on May 22nd 1959. Singer-songwriter and co-founder of the Smiths (1982–1987), Morrissey has been a solo artist for twenty-six years, during which time he has had three number 1 albums in England in three different decades. Achieving eleven Top 10 albums (plus nine with the Smiths), his songs have been recorded by David Bowie, Nancy Sinatra, Marianne Faithfull, Chrissie Hynde, Thelma Houston, My Chemical Romance and Christy Moore, amongst others. An animal protectionist, in 2006 Morrissey was voted the second greatest living British icon by viewers of the BBC, losing out to Sir David Attenborough. In 2007 Morrissey was voted the greatest northern male, past or present, in a nationwide newspaper poll. In 2012, Morrissey was awarded the Keys to the City of Tel-Aviv. It has been said “Most pop stars have to be dead before they reach the iconic status that Morrissey has reached in his lifetime.”

Mozipedia

Mozipedia
Author: Simon Goddard
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 546
Release: 2012
Genre: Rock musicians
ISBN: 0091927102

Steven Patrick Morrissey is one of the most original and controversial voices in the history of popular music. With The Smiths, he led the most influential British guitar group of the 1980s, his enigmatic wit and style defining a generation. As a solo artist, he has continued to broach subjects no other singer would dare. Worshipped by some, vilified by others, Morrissey is a unique rock and roll creation. The 300,000 words of Mozipedia make this the most intimate and in-depth biographical portrait of the man and his music yet. Bringing together every song, album, collaborator, key location, every hero, book, film and record to have influenced his art, it is the summation of years of meticulous research. Morrissey authority Simon Goddard has interviewed almost everybody of any importance, making Mozipedia the last word on Morrissey and The Smiths.

The Smiths

The Smiths
Author: Simon Goddard
Publisher:
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2004
Genre: Rock musicians
ISBN: 9781903111840

- The Smiths - Songs That Saved Your Life is now re-issued in a revised and expanded form, to include the fruits of Simon Goddard's most recent research, undertaken since the publication of the first edition in 2002. The new material for this edition includes: - Interview with guitarist Craig Gannon - Interview with John Peel - Interview with producer John Porter - Previously unpublished stills of the band

Morrissey

Morrissey
Author: David Bret
Publisher: Franz Steiner Verlag
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2004
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9781861057877

Morrissey is Britain's most articulate singer-songwriter, a lyricist of aching loneliness and lacerating wit. His latest album, "You Are the Quarry," is one of his best solo efforts since the disbanding of the Smiths. Here, Morrissey's friends and entourage speak frankly about the reclusive pop idol.

This Day in Music

This Day in Music
Author: Neil Cossar
Publisher:
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2014-08
Genre: Rock music
ISBN: 9781783055104

Births, deaths and marriages, No1 singles, drug busts and arrests, famous gigs and awards... all these and much more appear in this fascinating 50 year almanac.Using a page for every day of the calendar year, the author records a variety of rock and pop events that took place on a given day of the month across the years.This Day in Music is fully illustrated with hundreds of pictures, cuttings and album covers, making this the must-have book for any pop music fan.