Smiths Split NME

GOODBYE, SMITHS

GROUP SPLITS, MORRISSEY TO GO SOLO

THE SMITHS are dead. After weeks of speculation about a replacement for Johnny Marr, NME discovered at the weekend that Morrissey intends to record under his own name in the future.

His new songwriting partner is Stephen Street, the producer and engineer who has worked with The
Smiths since the Sandie Shaw collaboration in March, 1984.

And it’s now more than likely that the two remaining Smiths - drummer Mike Joyce and bass player Andy Rourke - will team up with Johnny Marr in his new band.

The news started to break on Friday when the NME received a statement from Joyce announcing
his departure, saying he had “fulfilled his role” with The Smiths.

Rough Trade and The Smiths’ office were unaware that Joyce intended to quit, as he had been
approached by Morrissey to play on his solo material.

The full truth was revealed on Saturday by Pat Bellis, spokesperson for Morrissey: “It’s taken some time to think things over, but now Morrissey has decided to end one era before beginning another.

“The Smiths were Morrissey, Johnny, Andy and Mike. Any other combination would not have been the same, so the auditions to replace Johnny were never taken really seriously. They just tried out a few people suggested by friends.

“There was a tremendous pressure on Morrissey when Johnny left, and he knew it would be a difficult task to replace him.”

Morrissey has already recorded a couple of songs with Stephen Street in demo form and is said to be happy with the results. Product may be in the shops before the end of the year, on EMI.

Pat Beilis added that Morrissey will not be appearing in Brookside, as earlier suggested, although the
thought of being Harry Cross’s neighbour was very appealing.

Joyce’s statement said he would be soon working with other musicians, and sources in Manchester say it is likely he will link up with Marr, and Rourke will probably tag along.

Marr’s first recorded product since he quit The Smiths will be out next month. He plays guitar on the new Bryan Ferry LP, as yet untitled, and has co-written one of the songs with the singer. Ferry has also recorded a vocal version of The Smiths’ instrumental ‘Money Changes Everything’, which will not be on the album, but may surface as a B-side sooner or later.

So, the new Smiths album ‘Strangeways Here We Come’, released later this month, will be the last we hear from the band, unless negotiations by Rough Trade to release a live album are successful.
The label wants to issue an LP from the Kilburn National Ballroom show last year, the tapes of which belong to the BBC.

Morrissey and Marr are still both signed to EMI as individuals, but the label will now never release a Smiths record.

Nick Gatfield, head of A&R at EMI, was not available for comment at the time of going to press. He was at the company’s annual sales conference, the same conference here The Smiths’ signing was announced last year.