Hello everyone, and merry Christmas!

This is Yaniv, Sr. Moog, EdTanguy and Kris and we’re very happy to present the first pack of a project we’ve been working on for a while.

We’re very happy to present – The Smiths!

This band probably needs no introduction – one of the most legendary and influential bands of indie rock, and of the last decades in general. Led by the controversial-yet-brilliant Morrissey, with the groundbreaking jangly guitar of Johnny Marr, and the fantastic rhythm section of Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce, The Smiths made a string of phenomenal records and songs in the 80’s. And in my humble opinion, the Smiths are one of the most underrepresented bands in Rock Band, in relation to their popularity and influence.

So we’re here to fix that, and we’re happy to present a collection of 8 songs, from their biggest hits to hidden gems. First, feast your eyes on the great trailer made by CapnKris:

And now, the customs!

The Smiths 01 Pack

Custom by EdTanguy.

EdTanguy writes: “It’s a good song”.

Custom by Sr. Moog.

Sr. Moog writes: This song was released as a single along with two of the band’s best known songs such as “Please, Please, Please…” and “How Soon Is Now? and appears on two of the many compilation albums the band has released during their career. When asked about the meaning of the song, Morrisey said that “in popular music, marriage is always debated from a woman’s point of view so I thought the voice of one man talking to another saying that marriage was a waste of time. A song with a fabulous guitar line by Johnny Mar, a solid rhythmic song in which Morrisey explains how “absolutely nothing” marriage is.

Custom by Sr. Moog.
Vocals by Yaniv297.

Sr. Moog writes: Perhaps one of the most controversial and at the same time most punk songs of the band. An unrestrained rhythm, with extraordinary instrumentation, leads Morrisey in a controversial song, as it was believed to promote pedophilia, with a chorus in which he mentions that he “lets you touch the mammary glands”. Someone as irreverent as Morrisey was encouraged to put this phrase in a song by one of the leading bands of the British 80s.

Custom by Yaniv297.
Upcycled and updated from a custom by Paolex.
Custom venue by CapnKris.

Originally written by Johnny Marr in just one hour, “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” is one of the Smith’s biggest singles. It’s classic Smiths, with the famous jangly guitars, and classic miserable Morrissey lyrics – “In my life, why do I give valuable time to people who don’t care if I live or die?”, he sings. Also notable by being the first Smiths song to be produced by Stephen Street, who’ll work with the band on many songs in the future. “Heaven Knows” is a classic and a delight on every instrument.

Custom by Sr. Moog.
Keys by Yaniv297.

Sr. Moog writes: The eighth track of their second album “Meat Is Murder” tells the story of an animal that is panting but still alive, asking to be taken into account. This theme is not surprising because Morrisey established himself as one of the leading exponents of vegetarianism and, as a starting point, the album expresses that meat is a crime. A heartbreaking song that has a gloomy and melancholy atmosphere, an instrumentation that takes you straight to the subject and makes you feel part of the sadness that animals experience and which Morrisey tries to explain.

Custom by Sr. Moog.

Sr. Moog writes: Sometimes less is more. This phrase explains how such a subtle instrumentation can generate as many sensations as it can invoke a beauty and melancholy that makes silence an unbearable noise. The sadness that this song transmits has its origin in the play “A Taste Of Honey” by Shelagh Delaney in which Morrisey is inspired to compose a heartbreaking lyric of a girl who has a pregnancy when she is underage and the man abandons her. Although the arguments are somewhat different, this was the origin of one of the band’s most beautiful songs.

Custom by Yaniv297.
Guitar and Vocals by Sr. Moog
Custom venue by CapnKris.

The lead single from the band’s biggest album, “The Queen is Dead“, “Bigmouth” is easily one of the biggest songs the Smiths has ever done. A bitter commentary of the music industry, “Bigmouth” is based on an relentless disco beat, with powerful guitars all over it, as Morrissey delivers the lyrics. “I wanted something that was a rush all the way through” says Johnny Marr, and he succeeded. The lyrics are meant to be somewhat humorous, though the message is clear for all to see. The song is widely regarded among the band’s finest – Billboard ranked it number 2 – and is clearly one of the greatest indie classics of the 80’s.

Custom by Yaniv297.
Custom venue by CapnKris.

Originally the B-side to “William, It Was Really Nothing”, somehow “Please, Please, Please” have found it’s own life and success, even outshining it’s A-side (it’s currently ranked by Spotify as their 4th most listened to song). “Please, Please, Please” is a devastating short song, based on acoustic guitars and without drums, as the narrator talks about his unhappy life, and begs for just one bit of good fortune – “Lord knows it would be the first time”. It’s a beautiful song, followed by a great outro that would surely have you practicing your alt-strumming. Have fun with this great song!

Those are the new songs in the pack, but we would also like to draw attention to another custom: “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish” by our own CapnKris. Originally slated for this project, the decision was made to release it separately for the RB3 anniversary pack, but it’s a great custom that still very much belongs here among those songs.

That’s it for today, hope you liked it! We’re happy to finally bring some more Smiths representation to our DB. If we didn’t get to your favorite song, don’t worry – this pack is called “The Smiths 01” for a reason. Our group is not dismantling and we’ll be delivering more Smiths in the future! And in the meantime, enjoy those and the rest of the releases, and Merry Christmas :).