The Smiths – live in Amsterdam – April 21, 1984 – VPRO/3VOOR-FM Netherlands –
The Smiths for a Friday night – getting ready for New Years, just around the corner. Recorded live in Amsterdam at De Meervaart on April 21, 1984.
However you feel about Morrissey these days, The Smiths were, without a doubt, one of the most influential Indie bands to come out of the 80s, and their contributions to that decade can’t be short-changed. They were considered outsiders who went on to achieve mainstream success without any compromise – they had a string of hits that had an across-the-board appeal and that contributed greatly to their success.
Based on the songwriting partnership of Morrissey and Marr, the group signed to the independent record label Rough Trade Records, on which they released four studio albums, The Smiths (1984), Meat Is Murder (1985), The Queen Is Dead (1986) and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987). Four of their albums (including three studio albums) appeared on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. They have also released several compilations, and numerous non-album singles. The Smiths had several singles reach the UK top 20 and all four of their studio albums reached the UK top 5, including one which hit #1. They won a significant following and remain cult favorites, although they had limited commercial success outside the UK while they were still together. The band broke up in 1987 due to internal tensions and have turned down several offers to reunite.
This concert comes six months after the release of their debut album, and they are riding high on the crest of a hugely popular wave in Europe. Their s/t debut was significant because of the number of hit singles that were culled from it.
If you missed The Smiths the first time around, or only know Morrissey – here is a great opportunity to get familiar with one of the landmark bands of the 1980s.
Play loud and get ready for 2018.
