This in-depth retrospective surveys the history and music of the Smiths via interviews with the band, expert commentary and insights from insiders, including producer Stephen Street. Performance footage and TV clips round out the program.
Thirteen Smiths' recordings, half of them in a club with a live audience. These alternate with five rock videos, two directed by Derek Jarman (Panic and Ask), two by Tim Broad (Girlfriend in a Coma and Stop Me...), and one by Paula Grief and Richard Levine (How Soon Is Now?). It concludes with Jarman's short film, "The Queen Is Dead," with a three-song soundtrack. The rock videos, particularly Jarman's, are filled with multiple and superimposed images, changing tints, and little narrative coherence; they get their pace from the music's rhythm. Androgyny, dancing children, belching smokestacks, graffiti, angry young men, a waif in a cap: collages of modern alienation.
Berton Pierce travelled around America and Europe to interview model makers. Each offers a personal account of their work, and thoughts on the changes in the industry. The documentary is an oral history of the amazing hand crafted workmanship that has produced many iconic film effects over the last 35 years. It focuses on a subject Berton cares deeply about; how computer technology is slowly taking away practical hand made craftsmanship.
Live at Rockpalast in Markthalle, Hamburg, Germany on the 4th of May, 1984. Setlist: 1) Hand In Glove 2) Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now 3) Girl Afraid 4) This Charming Man 5) Pretty Girls Make Graves 6) Still Ill 7) Barbarism Begins at Home 8) This Night Has Opened My Eyes 9) Miserable Lie 10) You've Got Everything Now 11) Handsome Devil 12) What Difference Does It Make 13) These Things Take Time 14) This Charming Man II 15) Hand In Glove II 16) Barbarism Begins at Home II
Live at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, England on the 22nd of December, 1988. Setlist: 1) Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before [The Smiths] 2) Disappointed 3) Interesting Drug 4) Suedehead 5) The Last of the Famous International Playboys 6) Sister I'm a Poet 7) Death at One's Elbow [The Smiths] 8) Sweet and Tender Hooligan [The Smiths] *This first solo Morrissey show was unofficially meant as a farewell The Smiths concert. Admission was free to anyone wearing a The Smiths or Morrissey shirt.
This was the first hometown gig where the Smiths were headliners. As the band came on stage Morrissey greeted the fans "Hello you little charmers... we're the Smiths, how d'you do?" then launched into "You've Got Everything Now". Throughout the show, in one song out of two (faster numbers), Morrissey - who still looked ill at ease on stage at the time - had something to shake in his right hand while with the left one he held the microphone.
Live at the Assembly Rooms in Derby, England on the 6th of December, 1983. Setlist: 1) Handsome Devil 2) Still Ill 3) This Charming Man 4) Pretty Girls Make Graves 5) Reel Around The Fountain 6) What Difference Does It Make? 7) Miserable Lie 8) This Night Has Opened My Eyes 9) Hand In Glove 10) You've Got Everything Now 11) Back to the Old House 12) These Things Take Time 13) Accept Yourself 14) This Charming Man II
A journey through some of the finest moments of acoustic guitar performances from the BBC archives, from Jimmy Page's television debut in 1958 to Noel Gallagher and Biffy Clyro.
Kendal, an American tourist meets Shed, a fellow Morrissey and The Smiths obsessive whilst on a pilgrimage to Manchester. But is Shed really all he appears to be?
Looking at identity, power, happiness, self-destruction and acceptance, this is a thematic exploration of a group that opened the door for Britpop and led the way for a new era of guitar music.
Seven promotional films by Morrissey, released initially on VHS in 1990 and then on DVD in 2004. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on 18 January 1991. The title refers to Morrissey's childhood home in Hulme, Manchester. The L is silent, so it sounds like "humourist". The music videos: 1) The Last of the Famous International Playboys 2) Sister I'm a Poet 3) Everyday is Like Sunday 4) Interesting Drug 5) Suedehead 6) Ouija Board, Ouija Board 7) November Spawned a Monster
Kari Wührer stars as a witch, who turns the king's son Barek into an immortal berserker. The enmity between Barek and the witch extends to the present day in his attempts to become mortal again and break Odin's curse.
SKY ARTS presents Suede's Coming Up (released on Nude Records in 1996) in the Classic Albums series.
Live at the Brixton Academy in London, England on the 12th of December, 1986. Setlist: 1) Ask 2) Bigmouth Strikes Again [with "Panic" drum tease intro] 3) London 4) Miserable Lie 5) Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others 6) The Boy With The Thorn In His Side 7) Shoplifters Of The World Unite 8) There Is A Light That Never Goes Out 9) Is It Really So Strange 10) Cemetry Gates 11) This Night Has Opened My Eyes 12) Still Ill 13) Panic 14) The Queen Is Dead 15) William It Was Really Nothing 16) Hand In Glove *This concert, put together as a benefit for the Artists Against Apartheid, was originally due to be held at the Royal Albert Hall on the 14th of November but it had to be rescheduled following Johnny’s car accident. It turned out to be the last time the Smiths were on stage together, bar a few TV appearances. This was the only time “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”, “Shoplifters Of The World Unite” and the “London”/”Miserable Lie” medley were ever performed by them.
A film intended as a tour souvenir for the band, roadies and tour staff was put together in 1984 by sound engineer Grant Showbiz with Jonathan Barnett and Hetty Church using stage, soundcheck and backstage footage filmed on this date.
Live at Paseo De Camoens in Madrid, Spain on the 18th of May, 1985. Set list: 1) William It Was Really Nothing 2) Nowhere Fast 3) I Want The One That I Can't Have 4) What She Said 5) How Soon Is Now? 6) Handsome Devil 7 ) That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore 8) Shakespeare's Sister 9) Rusholme Ruffians 10) The Headmaster Ritual 11) Hand In Glove 12) Still Ill 13) Meat Is Murder 14) Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now 15) Miserable Lie 16) Barbarism Begins At Home 17) This Charming Man 18) You've Got Everything Now
This concert was filmed and seven songs ("Hand In Glove", "Handsome Devil", "Barbarism Begins At Home", "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now", "Rusholme Ruffians", "The Headmaster Ritual" and "Miserable Lie") were shown in a Spanish one-hour special on the Smiths titled Arsenal. The special also included interviews with Morrissey and Johnny Marr as well as studio songs.
Live at the Kilburn National Ballroom in London, England on the 23rd of October, 1986. Live-album released on the 5th of September, 1988. Setlist: 1) The Queen Is Dead 2) Panic 3) I Want the One I Can't Have 4) Vicar in a Tutu 5) There Is a Light That Never Goes Out 6) Ask 7) Rusholme Ruffians [with "(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame" intro] 8) Frankly, Mr. Shankly 9) The Boy With the Thorn in His Side 10) What She Said [with "Rubber Ring" intro and outro] 11) Is It Really So Strange? 12) Never Had No One Ever 13) Cemetry Gates 14) London 15) Meat Is Murder [with "The Headmaster Ritual" guitar tease intro] 16) I Know It's Over 17) The Draize Train 18) How Soon Is Now? 19) Still Ill 20) Bigmouth Strikes Again
The Smiths live in concert at Rockpalast, Hamburg May 6th, 1984