Photo by Jeff Sim

pson

THE SMITHS

14 BLITZMAG.COM

When 90 leading international critics

decide to write a reference book

called ‘1001 Albums You Must Hear

Before You Die’, it’s bound to intrigue people to

the choices they made and the reasons behind it.

Fortunately one album they threw in there was

Meat Is Murder- the highly influential album by

The Smiths. With the 25th birthday of its release

quickly approaching, BLITZ decided to take a

look back. Josh Beedle

25 years since Meat Is Murder

The first official single released from the album was; ‘That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore’ which got to #49 in

the single chart, many not really caring for the moody tone of the song. Although this didn’t ward people off the album too much, anyone who thought this spelt the end for The Smiths, were taken back in the very popular ‘How Soon Is Now?’-Which wasn’t even originally on the European and Australian releases of Meat Is Murder, but due to its popularity in clubs and on the radio, it was released on The Smiths compilation album; Hatful of Hollow.

The single ‘ How Soon Is Now?’ is considered to be one of the best releases from The Smiths, in fact other magazines like; Rolling Stone rated the song #486 in its list of ‘The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time’. Q placed it at #28 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.

Meat is Murder was a much more political album than their first, even the title track had was rationalised as Morrissey wouldn’t allow the other band members being photographed whilst eating meat. The album also has veins of anti-corporal punishment, as heard in the tracks ‘The Headmaster Ritual’ and ‘Barbarism Begins at Home’. Well, we’re all aware of the mind of Morrissey, so these are hardly that surprising.

The album not only holds up, it throws most of today’s bands into the dust.

"I would

rather eat my

own testicles

than reform

The Smiths, and

that's saying

something for

a vegetarian"

Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr produced the album themselves, assisted only by engineer Stephen Street, whom they had first met on the session for “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”- another awesome single from these talented minds.

Although each album was better than the one before it, Meat Is Murder is still considered to be the best of the four studio releases. ‘How Soon Is Now’ is also considered a classic and is almost guaranteed that the influence left by

Photo by Jeff Sim

pson

THE SMITHS

BLITZMAG.COM 15

The Smiths will carry through to many other bands in the future. The BLITZ

Guide To

THE SMITHS

With four albums, one live album

and a whopping seven compilation albums, it’s easy to get confused what’s on each CD, so, out of the goodness of our hearts, here are the albums worth buying.

The Smiths

The first album released, this album showed everyone what exactly The Smiths could do, a definite must have for any fan.

.Meat Is Murder.

Well, obviously this one was going to come up, buy it. Just buy it.

The Queen Is Dead

The third album, this continued the quality streak that The Smiths were creating.

Strangeways, Here We Come

The last studio album, although not seen as the best, this was still a huge hit, reaching #2 on the album chart for that year.

Singles

There are a lot of compilation albums, this is the best of the bunch. Don’t send this one back if you get this as a present.

It’s a shame The smiths were an ephemeral, not lasting long and breaking up only a few years later, with very ugly lawsuits following this up, they came to a sudden end, with an eternal legacy.

Many of the compilations released with their name have been average at best, being released mainly for the more casual listener One of the later compilations thrown out by Warner Music was The Very Best Of The Smiths, with many saying it was released purely as a money making exercise .

With Johnny Marr saying; “The band were not asked for their approval on this record and consequently it is a

It’s a real shame, we’ll never see these guys play again. On the plus side, we’ll never see Morrissey’s shirt either.

disgrace. It has the worst cover I’ve ever seen and has been re-mastered poorly. I believe Morrissey is less than pleased about this album but I can only speak for myself when I say that it should be ignored by fans.”

It really is a shame that there name is being placed on such lackluster products.

Although some members of the band have performed together, the band has never been fully reunited. Johnny Marr has been asked a lot about it; “I don’t really have any stock feelings about it either way, to be honest with you...It’s kind of boring really”. With Morrissey going as far saying ; “I would rather eat my own testicles than reform The Smiths, and that’s saying something for a vegetarian.”- Well, guess that’s a definite no then is it?

08 FIT & FRESH

ACTIVITY BREAKS

Activity Breaks To Keep You Fit

Pictures - R

io-Frio Holidays, C

ycle Côte d’A

zur & M

ark Warner

A common reason we all use to not exercise is the lack of time, but if you go away on holiday, you have loads of it! So we’re

going to give you several ideas on where to go and what to do, whilst keeping fit and feeling fresh.

Adventure St. Tropez Going to France doesn’t cost a lot, and you can get a lot out of it, with the fantastic sport of Wakeboarding. With a great scope for expression it’s one of the best water based sports, and a fantastic way to keep fit.Cote d’Azur,is located in the Gulf of St. Tropez in the South of France, under the warmth of the Mediterranean sun.

You can do a lot of different things at Adventure St. Tropez including’ Waterskiing, Jetskiing,Powerboating, Coastal Safaris,Mountain Biking, Kayaking and so much more.

There’s no need to only exercise though, take a day or so out to unwind, relax and catch some sun. A seven day break with 5 active days will cost less then £600 including include activities, accommodation and local transport. Go as a group and enjoy!

Cycle Côte d’Azur.

A new, small cycle your company aimed mainly at women, based, again in the Cote d’Azur.

With all levels of cycling catered for it doesn’t matter if you’re an expert cyclist or a novice, they’ll look after you and make sure you’re challenged. With daily rides from just £35 per person, three day weekend trips from just £125 per person and week training camps from just £590 per person it’s extremely affordable.

Rio Frio Holidays

When people think of Spain they don’t usually think if hiking in the mountain ranges of the Sierra de Loja, Sierra de Gibalto, Sierra de San Jorge and Sierra de Alhama.

That’s what Rio Frio Holidays do, not only is it something new and different it allows you to keep extremely fit whilst soaking up some of that Spanish sun.

You’ll gasp in awe at the breathtaking scenery when climbing Mulhacen, which is the highest mountain in mainland Spain, or take in some more scenery on one of the hiking routes down to the coast, or between the beautiful lakes, cities and white villages (“Pueblos Blancos”) of Andalucia.

09FEB 2011

“Not only is it something new and different it allows you to keep extremely fit whilst soaking up some of that Spanish sun.”

ACTIVITY BREAKS

Activity Breaks To Keep You Fit

Active Breaks

So, how about a break away which has you keeping fit with biking or kayaking or even yoga? Active Breaks is just that, hosting a five day routine with accommodation and healthy, nutritious breakfasts added on.

Based on the Costa Blanca in Spain. This area has one of the best climates imaginable,with a warm sun shining down, a cool breeze to breath in and cool seas to relax in, Costa Blanca will have you feeling extremely fresh.

Doing activities such as; biking, volleyball, yoga and mountain hikes, there’s never a dull moment.

Prices vary depending on the time of year you intend to travel, but all the months are below £600.

Don’t worry if you’re not super fit, they have fully trained staff to help and help you feel welcome.

Mark Warner

Get fit with the fantastic Kitesurfing courses that Mark Warner provides in sunny Abo Suma- Egypt.

All the courses are recognised by the BKSA (British Kitesurfing Association) and the instructors are BKSA trained, so you’ll always be in safe hands.

For watersports enthusiasts (beginners and advanced alike), this is a location that should not be missed. Abu Soma Bay is internationally renowned as offering some of the best kitesurfing and windsurfing conditions in the world.

Prices vary depending on the level of course you wish to do, please visit their site.

Or perhaps you fancy something to keep you fit whilst being surrounded by beautiful snow, Mark Warner also host a number of Winter breaks, involving Skiing and Snowboarding in a number of locations; such as St Anton (Austria) ,Les Deux Alpes (France), Courmayeur (Italy) and more!

Neilson

Neilson holidays also offer a wide arrange of different holidays, whether they be for sun and sea for Windsurfing, Surfing or Wakeboarding, or even Winter holidays for Skiing and Snowboarding surrounded by soft, powdery snow.

Fancy some Snowboarding or Skiing, then look no further then Neilson’s breaks to Canada. Canada undoubtedly offers some of the best snowboarding and skiing holidays in the world, with its fantastic snow record and impressive mountain ranges.

Prices vary, so please check the website for more information.

Not into the whole Winter thing, then Neilson’s breaks for the Summer are right for you, each one includes a tuition in Kayaking, Windsurfing and even Tennis!

You can enjoy playing in beautiful surroundings with plenty of sunshine. The Beach Clubs in Lesvos, Halkidiki, Lemnos and Sivota in Greece and Foca, Teos,Marmaris or Ortakent in Turkey give you the opportunity to play tennis on a daily basis, allowing you to be keeping fit and improve your tennis skills, all at the same time.