Hello again!

It was last Christmas where Yaniv297, Sr. Moog, Capn Kris and EdTanguy set on a mission to fix one of RB’s most glaring omissions – The Smiths, one of the biggest alternative rock acts in history, were seriously underrepresented in game and in customs. We’ve delivered 8 tracks (9, if you count the separately released “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish”), but it wasn’t enough. We’ve promised more, and we stood by our word. We’re happy to announce…

So Smiths fans, brace yourselves for yet another batch of songs from the legends. And just like last time, we have a combination of big hits, fan favorites and hidden gems from the Smiths catalog. So let’s begin!

Testing, Trailer and Preview Videos on all songs by Capn Kris

Click the images to download the songs

Custom by Sr. Moog.
Venue and Dryvox by Capn Kris.

The band’s funk apice brings us to one of the best songs on the album in my opinion. Marr and Rourke let themselves get carried away in the funk groove of James Brown and give birth to this shaky, fun song that I’m sure everyone will enjoy playing. Morrisey gives us a great melody that at times is disturbing as if it’s the result of the beats he mentions over and over again in the song’s lyrics.

Custom by Capn Kris
Tempo Map, Drums and Bass by Sr. Moog

An extremely on-the-nose song when it comes to lyrics, Frankly Mr. Shankly has a very vibrant rhythm that sets it as one of the lighter sounding songs off of “The Queen is Dead”. A very basic song when it comes to Guitar and Drums, this is a great song for the center of any Rock Band playlist.

Custom by Yaniv297
Venue and Dryvox by Capn Kris.

One of the most devastating and bleakest Smiths songs, “I Know It’s Over” is a huge centerpiece of the album, and the Smiths catalog in general. A beautiful ballad that builds up to an amazing climax, this song includes arguably the best vocals of Morrissey’s career – Johnny Marr said watching him perform it was “one of the highlights of his life” – and enough space for all the instruments to shine, especially the drums get pretty epic near the end. On top of that, the lyrics are incredibly sad, while Morrissey laments his loneliness while watching his love gets married to someone else (even though a lot of the lyrics are open to interpretations), while the image of his love taunts him (“if you’re so clever, why you’re on your own tonight?”), and arrives at a heartbreaking and strangely comforting conclusion. All in all, it’s quite possibly the biggest ballad of Morrissey’s life, and an absolute Smiths tour-de-force. 

Drums by Yaniv297
Tempo Map and Guitar by Sr. Moog
Bass and Vocals by Ed Tanguy
Venue, Dryvox and Fake Ending by Capn Kris.

One of the songs on this great album brings back anecdotes from when Morrisey used to stroll through Chorlton Cemetery. A friendly melody delivers a typical but effective guitar line from Marr with an interesting rhythm section that will give us a good time as we try to put ourselves in Morrisey’s shoes.

Custom by Yaniv297
Venue, Dryvox and Fake Ending by Capn Kris.

The lead single from the classic “Queen is Dead” album, “The Boy with the Thorn in his Side” shows the Smiths at their best, an upbeat, fun and catchy tune that also has a deeper meaning. “The thorn is the music industry and all these people who never believe what I said, tried to get rid of me, never played the records, so I think we’ve reached the stage where if they don’t believe me now, will they ever believe me”, says Morrissey, who named it his favorite Smiths song in 2003. It’s a fantastic custom, with some great guitars, and Morrissey’s freeform yodeling (well, sort of) in the coda of the song being a particular highlight.

Custom by Yaniv297
Venue, Dryvox and Fake Ending by Capn Kris.

“Panic” was written after the Chernobyl disaster, at what Morrissey felt was a glaring contrast between the grim news and the happy songs played on the radio (apparently the specific song was Wham’s “I’m Your Man”). It was mildly controversial for it’s time, especially the line “burn down the disco” was seen by some as racist (to which Johnny Marr replied, “show me the black members of New Order”, saying that disco isn’t necessarily black) but it’s also one of the Smith’s greatest anthems, 2 minutes of rousing energy and important lyrics. It’s clearly influenced by the T.Rex tune “Metal Guru”, and it ends with an endless chorus of “Hang the DJ”, a battle cry, and an emotional climax to this short journey. It’s been ever present in popular culture, from a “Black Mirror” episode named “Hang the DJ”, to a Simpson parody (“Panic on the Streets of Springfield”) to the cult classic “Shaun of the Dead”.

Custom by Yaniv297
Venue, Dryvox and Fake Ending by Capn Kris.

Supposed to be a lead single but scrapped later, “You Just Haven’t Earned it Yet, Baby” is classic Smiths – upbeat, catchy, jangly guitars and some deeply sad lyrics while also being humorous. It’s narrator tells his companion that the happiness she craves just haven’t been earned yet, and “she must suffer for a longer time”. Johnny Marr is on fire and the rhythm section is amazingly tight – which all makes for a classic Smiths song, and one which became a clear favorite to play during testing.

Custom by Sr. Moog
Venue and Dryvox by Capn Kris.

After the release of “The Queen Is Dead” the bar was set high for critics who were going to compare everything the band performed to that album. The band’s reaction was an album that featured better production and unusual arrangements for the band, something that is very much present in this song with almost no guitar parts. The song was inspired by a poem written by Oscar Wilde’s mother, Jane Wilde, which spoke of a republican takeover of the Irish government and, musically, Marr says he was inspired by the song “Shoes” by Reparata.

Custom by EdTanugy

Girlfriend in a Coma is a bouncy reggae inspired tune that is at no point challenging but neither particularly boring to play. Wikipedia claims “The song is a narration by a man whose girlfriend is in a coma.” [Citation Needed] but according to his autobiography, Morrissey had yet to be in a relationship for a further 7 years after this single came out. So what are we supposed to believe? that this is all fictitious? 

Morrissey later stated in 2006 to British tabloid The Independent: “You’re not really supposed to like those songs. They’re very depressing[…]” but jokes on you, this bass line is very catchy, and I’ve been playing it for a month straight now.

Custom by Sr. Moog
Drums, Bass and Keys by Yaniv297
Venue and Dryvox by Capn Kris.

The opening peaty, eerie piano chords serve as an introduction to an ode to loneliness and the emotions it generates. A beautiful but sad melody brings us to Morrisey telling us that he felt he was loved but it was only a false alarm. A band that is in the background, with an orchestra that brings us to London, the cold, the loneliness and with Morrisey at the head, makes us see the loneliness that many of us can feel but, as a song from my country says, sometimes with a song the sadness is more beautiful.

So that’s it! Those were 10 new tracks from the great Smiths. We hope you’ve enjoyed them. And if we still didn’t chart all your favorites, no worries – I can confirm “Smiths 03” is already in the works, and will allow us to go even deeper into the catalog of this great band. Until then, enjoy these songs and see you soon!