The Smiths

The Smiths Tease Something Involving The Queen Is Dead Coming Tomorrow - Pitchfork
A cryptic image with the caption “TQID 16.06.17” appears on the band’s official Facebook page



#TQID
16.06.17

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Related item:

• "The Queen Is Dead" single confirmed by Boz - June 16, 2017 at your local HMV on 12", 7" - June 9, 2017

This was posted on June 1 and seemed to have slipped through the cracks. It is interesting to see how some of the covers work better than others. Of course, covering a great song is sometimes harder to pull off than covering a mediocre one: how do you match the original?

Gotcha Covered: “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” - Stereogum

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Here's an interesting interview with a Smiths fan (living in New Zealand), who appeared in The Smiths video for Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before:

Crashing down on a crossbar: The New Zealand man in a Smiths video - The Spinoff
By Helen Lehndorf
June 8, 2017

In 1987, at the tail-end of The Smiths' five year lifespan, a call went out to fans: apply now to be featured in the music video with lead singer Morrissey. Among those chosen was Hector Hazard, who talks to Helen Lehndorf about his memories of the day, and shares some never before seen photos of the shoot.

"Suffer Little Children: the story of Morrissey's obsession with the Moors murderers" - The Telegraph
By Alice Vincent
16th, May, 2017

A very long, interesting article - worth a read.
The full article requires free registration or paying a subscription so it is here in full minus the pictures and videos used.

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Further to this article is a similar one in The Guardian (with Moz references):

"Suffer little children: how Ian Brady cast a dark shadow over popular culture" - The Guardian
by Dorian Lynskey
16th, May, 2017

Excerpt:
"In Autobiography, Morrissey remembers the long shadow that the Moors murders cast over his northern childhood. “A swarm of misery grips mid-60s Manchester as Hindley and Brady raise their faces...

"The Boy With The Thorn In His Side" (Demo) debuted at #172 in UK Singles Chart.

source http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk

also/

"There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" has reached Silver status (200k sales) in the UK.

source https://www.bpi.co.uk/certified-awards.aspx

It was officially the second-best selling single of RSD2017

Record Store Day 2017 uncovered: the best-selling vinyl albums and singles revealed - Official Charts
Record Store Day was all about the legendary David Bowie.

The best-selling vinyl singles of Record Store Day 2017 are:

1 NO PLAN DAVID BOWIE
2 THE BOY WITH THE THORN IN HIS SIDE THE SMITHS
3 INTERSTELLAR OVERDRIVE PINK FLOYD
4 RED HILL MINING TOWN U2
5 STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER BEATLES

Siobahn says she was obsessed with The Smiths when she left the group

‘People wet their knickers when they find out I was in Bananarama’: the 80s trio return - The Guardian

Excerpt:

“It was a combination of the fact that, musically, we’d gone absolutely full-on pop, at a time when I was feeling lost and dark and depressed in my life. I was obsessed with the Smiths, and I just wanted something that would …” Fahey pauses. Even after three decades, it doesn’t seem to be a comfortable topic. “It had been a real pressure cooker, the three of us being together 24/7, for years. It couldn’t continue.”