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A review by kerryanndunn
A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of The Smiths by Tony Fletcher
4.0
Wow! This was an exhaustive history of The Smiths! Exhaustive but never exhausting. In fact it was compelling throughout! The main focus is on the relationship between Johnny Marr and Steven Patrick Morrissey and it traces their individual lives from childhood, to the fateful day that Marr knocked on Morrissey's door looking for someone to write songs with, to the formation and eventual dissolution of the Smiths. Morrissey does not come out looking so good, but is there anyone in the world that doesn't believe that Morrissey is a complete diva? Although this book paints a vulgar picture of him (pun intended), I have no doubt that it's completely accurate. Marr comes out looking a lot better, but he has his moments of petulance and assholery too. The detail in this book is staggering and includes not just the personal histories, band drama, and tour chaos, but also very interesting dissections of the songs and albums of The Smiths. There is also a ton of information on Manchester and the music scene there, as well as the bands that both influenced the Smiths and were their contemporaries. It's all fascinating and actually inspired me to keep a Spotify playlist of all songs mentioned in the book. From You're the One by The Marvelettes to Metal Guru by T Rex to Puppet on a String by Sandie Shaw to Billy Bragg's cover of Jeane to Kimberly by Patti Smith to Work is a Four Letter Word by Cilla Black my playlist grew to over 60 songs. If any of you are on Spotify feel free to subscribe to my playlist, simply titled A Light That Never Goes Out.
The only reason for the four stars rather than five is because despite how much information is here there are some things the author alludes to that he then never elaborates on and I found that a little frustrating. The book ends almost right when the Smiths does and I wouldn't have minded reading a little bit more about what happened after the band broke up. How do things stand today, over twenty years later?
I would recommend this book to any Smiths fan, but also to any music fan. It's a compulsive read about the music industry and band dynamics and the things that can catapult a band into the spotlight but also break down their spirits until they can't go on.
And it's interesting to think about what would have happened if only the Smiths had a capable manager from the beginning instead of trying to manage themselves!
The only reason for the four stars rather than five is because despite how much information is here there are some things the author alludes to that he then never elaborates on and I found that a little frustrating. The book ends almost right when the Smiths does and I wouldn't have minded reading a little bit more about what happened after the band broke up. How do things stand today, over twenty years later?
I would recommend this book to any Smiths fan, but also to any music fan. It's a compulsive read about the music industry and band dynamics and the things that can catapult a band into the spotlight but also break down their spirits until they can't go on.
And it's interesting to think about what would have happened if only the Smiths had a capable manager from the beginning instead of trying to manage themselves!