77: The Smiths – Louder Than Bombs

Ah the 1980s. AOR ruled the airwaves and mullets were acceptable. People actually drank beer from cans and cruised in muscle cars up and down streets in order to demonstrate who coud play Dokken louder from their Fieros, 280 ZXs, and barely bolted together American muscle cars. Before our culture circled a drain of stoner burn out rock, one band came down from the heavens to show us how music didn't need to be all about Sweet Connie or boys coming back to town.

Rock takes on many forms and The Smiths' Louder than Bombs (1987) is required listening at my School of Rock. American angst in rock took a nose dive in the mid-80s and if it wasn't for Enlish new wave, then Warrant's Cherrie Pie might be the only contribution from that time.

The Smiths brought rock back to its core of guitar-oriented rock framed around angsty lyrics written with a sense of humor.

Louder than Bombs is a compilation album originally intended for American distribution but was so popular, it eventually became available in the UK. The Smiths set the gold standard for alternative bands who wanted to wright about more than drinking and boobies. Even today, Louder Than Bombs stands out as a finely crafted collection of masterful songs that don't take themselves too seriously.

Your assignment is to listen to Louder than Bombs and identify The Smith's influence in about every performer playing complaint rock since the late 80s. They're still the best. Get your angst from the source and forget Blur and James.

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Tagged as: 100 Days 100 Albums, Louder Than Bombs, Music, School of Rock, The Smith