ONE SONG BY THE SMITHS....A SATURDAY SERIES (Part 25)

What with the hiatus caused by Xmas/New Year falling on Saturdays, its been a wee while since I last featured a Saturday song by The Smiths. The past efforts have seen:-

1. Nowhere Fast
2. This Night Has Opened My Eyes
3. William, It Was Really Nothing
4. The Queen Is Dead
5. Wonderful Woman
6. Golden Lights
7. These Things Take Time
8. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
9. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
10. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
11. Barbarism Begins At Home
12. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
13. Hand In Glove
14. I Don't Owe You Anything
15. Work Is A Four Letter Word
16. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
17. Meat Is Murder
18. Oscillate Wildly
19. Shakespeare's Sister
20. I Want The One I Can't Have
21. Girl Afraid
22. Rubber Ring
23. Asleep
24. What She Said

This week features another single - one that I always associate with my favourite TV clip ever featuring The Smiths.

mp3 : The Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again

It was May 1986. The show was Whistle Test on BBC2. The band had been absent for what seemed like ages - looking back now, it was only nine months, but for a band whose output up until September 1985 had been prodigious, it really did seem like an eternity.

They launched into Bigmouth Strikes Again. It was the first time I had gotten to hear the new five-piece ensemble now that Craig Gannon had been added to the live line-up. The effect on Johnny Marr was immediately obvious as he delivered his guitar licks in the coolest way imaginable.

Andy Rourke was almost unrecognisable with a new blond haircut and dark glasses - little did anyone outside the inner circle of the band know how his drug habit had spiralled out of control in recent months and that he had come close to being kicked out of the band.

Mike Joyce?? Well he didn't miss a single beat and looked capable of taking on the role as the best indie drummer outside of the majestic Pete de Freitas.

But in all honesty, this performance was all about Morrissey who looked stunning in brown jacket, white shirt, red tie and jeans. So much so that the following day I spent my lunch hour going round various charity shops looking for an identical jacket having hatched a plan to dress as the great man at a works night out that coming weekend. But he sounded fantastic as well......

mp3 : The Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again (live on Whistle Test)

Thanks to John Greer for sending me a link to a tool that converts the music on You Tube to mp3s - that's something I've been looking forward to getting my hands on so that even more versions of great songs can feature on TVV. And I can't think of many better than this.

Here's the footage:-



The single should have been Top 3.....minimum. Yet it stalled at a measly #26 in the UK charts. All because of a failure to get on the daytime playlist at wonderful Radio 1......

Criminal.

Oh and I cant let this posting go by without again featuring my favourite cover of this great song:-

mp3 : The Ukranians - Batyar

Happy Listening