Ask people which chapter of Morrissey’s career represents his peak artistically and most would confidently make a case for his time in The Smiths, a band that produced four magnificent studio albums in the space of four years and set the standard for a generation of musicians. The Smiths rarely made a bad track and left behind a near-perfect legacy in terms its quality, yet were taken from us at their peak when guitarist Johnny Marr – seemingly exhausted with taking charge of the day-to-day running of the band – left to spread his wings musically. It’s one of the most pored over chapters in music history, ensuring Morrissey’s place in the pantheon of music greats is secure, with The Smiths’ influence still keenly felt across music and beyond.
For others, though, it’s the early part of his solo career which remains his most fascinating period, a story less well-told told in the British music press but one deserving of attention. What happened was quite remarkable. The man expected to fail without Marr’s brilliance to fall back on became an icon in the United States and charted higher than he had ever done as a member of The Smiths, garnering a following so loyal he has continued to survive as a solo artist ever since despite record labels doing their best to marginalise and silence him.
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