Purely by coincidence, I am reading three books on or related to the Smiths. I am reading them simultaneously. They are:
And not by coincidence, I purchased a copy of The Smiths Complete box set which contains all the albums (8 CDs) they released while a working band (although missing many other stray tracks). I was not insane enough to buy The Smiths Complete (Deluxe Edition) which runs for $500 and is a vinyl version of the CD version with a lot of bells and whistles added.
I also made a playlist on my iPod that lists every single Smiths song (including every single obscure b-side, compilation track, radio session track, etc. etc.) in the exact order it was released to the public. They released 122 tracks as official releases. It plays for over seven hours.
I also made a playlist of about 40 songs that were otherwise unreleased, i.e. various bootleg tracks, including many songs in alternate studio versions.
I also saw Johnny Marr in concert earlier this year in New York. He was fantastic.
I also spent a few hours on Youtube watching Smiths performances and recent interviews with Morrissey.
I've read many reviews of the new autobiography by Morrissey. Including one by Tony Fletcher, which was quite good.
What have I learned from this immersion?
Let me think about this. Will get back.
- A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of the Smiths (2013) by Tony Fletcher
- Songs That Saved Your Life: The Art of the Smiths, 1982-87, 3rd ed. (2013) by Simon Goddard
- Autobiography (2013) by Morrissey
And not by coincidence, I purchased a copy of The Smiths Complete box set which contains all the albums (8 CDs) they released while a working band (although missing many other stray tracks). I was not insane enough to buy The Smiths Complete (Deluxe Edition) which runs for $500 and is a vinyl version of the CD version with a lot of bells and whistles added.
I also made a playlist on my iPod that lists every single Smiths song (including every single obscure b-side, compilation track, radio session track, etc. etc.) in the exact order it was released to the public. They released 122 tracks as official releases. It plays for over seven hours.I also made a playlist of about 40 songs that were otherwise unreleased, i.e. various bootleg tracks, including many songs in alternate studio versions.
I also saw Johnny Marr in concert earlier this year in New York. He was fantastic.
I also spent a few hours on Youtube watching Smiths performances and recent interviews with Morrissey.
I've read many reviews of the new autobiography by Morrissey. Including one by Tony Fletcher, which was quite good.
What have I learned from this immersion?
Let me think about this. Will get back.
2 comments:
That's hardcore, Spaceman, for music that's not.
I don't know what possessed me. I often go through 'immersion' periods with specific bands or music. It's a bit of a manic completist view on music. With the internet, it's so easy now to track down every obscure song ever recorded by anyone. If you're even slightly obsessive compulsive, it's a huge time suck.
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