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A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of The Smiths

Tony Fletcher (Goodreads Author)

4.04 · Rating details · 1,042 ratings · 123 reviews

They were, their fans believe, the best band in the world. Critics and sales figures told a similar story: six albums between 1984 and 1988 made number one or number two in the UK charts. Twenty-five years after their break-up, the band remain as adored and discussed as ever. To this day, there is a collective understanding that The Smiths were one of the greatest of all B They were, their fans believe, the best band in the world. Critics and sales figures told a similar story: six albums between 1984 and 1988 made number one or number two in the UK charts. Twenty-five years after their break-up, the band remain as adored and discussed as ever. To this day, there is a collective understanding that The Smiths were one of the greatest of all British bands. The Smiths - Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce - were four working-class youths who came together, by fate or chance, in Manchester in the early 1980s. Their sound was both traditional and radically different, a music that spoke to a generation, and defied the dark social-economic mood of the Thatcher years. By early 1984, barely a year after their first headlining gig, they were the hottest - certainly the hippest - name in modern music. In the years that followed the group produced an extraordinary body of work: seventeen classic singles, seven albums, and [some] seventy songs composed by the team of Morrissey and Marr. Yet for all their brilliance and adoration - their famously energetic live shows routinely interrupted by stage invasions - The Smiths were continually plagued by their own reticence to play the game, and by the time of 1987's Strangeways Here We Come, they had split. The Smiths have never played together again - their enormous contribution to pop culture forever condensed into a prolific and prosperous halcyon period, their legacy intact and untarnished. Thirty years after their formation, twenty-five since they broke up, The Smiths' firmament remains as bright as ever. It's time their tale was told. Tony Fletcher's A Light That Never Goes Out is a meticulous and evocative group biography - part celebration, part paean - moving from Manchester in the nineteenth-century to the present day to tell the complete story of The Smiths. Penned by a contemporary and life-long fan, and the product of extensive research, dozens of interviews, and unprecedented access, it will serve to confirm The Smiths as one of the greatest, most important and influential rock groups of all time. ...more

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Hardcover, 704 pages

Published December 4th 2012 by Crown Archetype (first published January 1st 2012)

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Sep 26, 2012 Lawrence rated it really liked it

It’s almost twenty years since I read Johnny Rogan’s seminal tome, Morrissey and Marr: The Severed Alliance. In those pre-internet days, before the Smiths were an “institution” worthy of the covers of such traditionalist music papers as Mojo and Uncut, Rogan’s tell all biography was a revelation. Up until then, verything I’d read about my beloved band had been assembled in snippets – an NME article here, a music encyclopaedia entry there. The fact that Morrissey called down a fatwa on the author
It’s almost twenty years since I read Johnny Rogan’s seminal tome, Morrissey and Marr: The Severed Alliance. In those pre-internet days, before the Smiths were an “institution” worthy of the covers of such traditionalist music papers as Mojo and Uncut, Rogan’s tell all biography was a revelation. Up until then, verything I’d read about my beloved band had been assembled in snippets – an NME article here, a music encyclopaedia entry there. The fact that Morrissey called down a fatwa on the author only made the content seem more scandalous, and probably a little more believable too.

Two decades later, and as Tony Fletcher points out in the forward to his own book, there’s been little else to compete, other than Simon Goddard’s excellent trainspotter guides, Songs that Saved Your Life and Mozapedia, and more fan-orientated books like All Men Have Secrets. However, despite the paucity of books on The Smiths, there has been a shedload of magazine cover stories in the above-mentioned magazines, and the webisphere thrives with numerous comprehensive sites, some sublime, most ridiculous. Given the closed nature of Morrissey’s inner circle, and the very pubic nature of Joyce and Rourke’s legal issues with their ex-bandmates (or should that be employers?) I really had to wonder if there was much more to uncover.

So what does A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of The Smiths offer? To a newcomer, it is an excellent and comprehensive history of the band, and to anyone who has read all of the above, not a lot more. Given the time that has passed since Rogan’s (apparently tell-all) book, there seems little else to tell. There’s no new scandals (other than Marr – older and wiser, no doubt - being far more forthright on the bands’ drug use) and precious new information for those already initiated into the cult of Morrissey and Marr. Yes, the band was appallingly badly managed from the get-go. Yes, Morrissey had an increasingly annoying habit of failing to show for important appointments. Yes, Andy Rourke got fired for being on the gear and Craig Gannon got hired and fired with little in the way of acknowledgement or recompense. And that’s pretty much the story, retold once more.

Tony Fletcher – an engaging and unfussy writer – is constantly at pains to point out just how young Marr was, and what a prodigy he was, with constant references to his age. (And, to this now-37 year old reviewer, it is quite amazing to consider that Marr wrote The Queen is Dead when he was only 23, and that the first two songs the duo wrote together were Reel Around the Fountain and Suffer Little Children.) Marr is clearly the hero of the book, and Morrissey remains something of an enigma throughout – he’s certainly far less of a ‘character’ or engaging presence than in Rogan’s book. (One interesting point of omission is that of Morrissey’s personal relationships. For all the people who want to “out” Morrissey, it’s quite incredible that no one has ever come forward to dish any dirt of Morrissey’s personal relationships, or lack thereof.) Another issue – and this is a problem of most rock biographies – is that the time spent on the formation of the band is hugely out of proportion to the latter part of their career. Both Marr and Morrissey view Strangeways … as their masterwork, and Fletcher seems to agree, yet the sole chapter devoted to this album flies by far too quickly.

Whilst being a very thorough history of what actually happened, the frustrating thing about this book is that it’s far less enlightening about the more nebulous nature of the band, and what made them such a phenomenon and why the immediately attracted such a fanatical following. Perhaps more oral history with the bands’ fans might had aided in this endeavour? Or close access to Morrissey’s inner circle. I’m really not sure. This is an engaging read, and I’d certainly recommend it, but I still feel the definitive history of The Smiths is yet to be written.
...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Tosh rated it really liked it

Over the years i have heard or read all the tales in this book, via mostly British music magazines - but the author Tony Fletcher tells the tale very well. Fletcher interviewed Johnny Marr and their bass player Andy Rourke, but sadly not Morrissey or Mike Joyce. Perhaps they didn't want to dwell in the past again, or maybe due to legal issues still on the table.

Nevertheless The Smiths were a perfect band at a very specific and important time in pop music history. in the land of the 'New Romantic Over the years i have heard or read all the tales in this book, via mostly British music magazines - but the author Tony Fletcher tells the tale very well. Fletcher interviewed Johnny Marr and their bass player Andy Rourke, but sadly not Morrissey or Mike Joyce. Perhaps they didn't want to dwell in the past again, or maybe due to legal issues still on the table.

Nevertheless The Smiths were a perfect band at a very specific and important time in pop music history. in the land of the 'New Romantics," The Smiths were truly romantic about their upbringing and their home town of Manchester. But not only that, Morrissey via his lyrics and visual sense, captured all the great aspects of 1950's and 1960's British culture. Listening to The Smiths and purchasing and studying the album graphics, one can get an incredible education on artists, books, and film culture from that era.

Also The Smiths are probably the last band that actually had the work load of some band from the 60's. Their existence was very short (little bit over four years) yet they produced four studio albums, one live albums, and many many b-sides and singles. Being a Smiths fan at the time of their existence was a lot of fun - a lot of trips to the record store. Remarkable music, incredible personalities (and Morrissey to this day is a fantastic pop music figure) and this book exposes or conveys the inner-relationships of this band. It could be a tale of any band really, because it is always a family type relationship. It goes sour, because that is the nature of the human beast. Some bands go through drummers like a leaky pipe, but The Smiths seemed to use and lose managers on a regular basis. On one level it was their downfall - career wise, but then there is a special brilliance about this band that didn't use logic. Morrissey is the genius of the moment, and i think for a long time, Marr understood and appreciated that. What's kind of surprising to me is the after-life of Johnny Marr. It seems like he does everything except to be a permanent member of a band. One would think he would start over with another singer or songwriter partner - but he seems to be drifting. But that maybe over due to his future solo album and tour.

For me the best book on Morrissey/Smiths is "Mozipedia" by Simon Goddard, but this is an essential read for the fans, and again, Fletcher is a good skilled journalist, and I think The Smiths breaking up was a good move in the long run. I know there are people who will disagree with me, but I actually like the Solo Morrissey better then The Smiths! And I love The Smiths. Go figure! The book will be out this December in the U.S. and its published by Random House. ...more

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Dec 22, 2013 Sparrow added it

The Smiths were the greatest rock band of all time -- the greatest white one, anyway. This is obvious to me, but apparently not to everyone. And their music is not "depressing"! It's funny.

The Smiths were REALLY working class. They had sullen parents & went to terrible schools. Apparently, all of Morrisey's wisdom derived from one book his mother gave him -- "The Collected Works of Oscar Wilde" -- when he was 17. He is no doubt the most introverted guy ever to be a major rockstar. Compared to hi ...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Rachael rated it it was amazing

The Smiths, one of the seminal bands of the 1980s indie/alternative rock scene, broke up in 1987. Yet it’s not hard to find their faces and names splashed across British music magazines today. I’m grateful—it gives fans like me something to cling to, gives us some assurance that the band we love will not be forgotten.

But their continued press presence sparks this question from my husband.

“Why are they still on the cover of magazines?” he asks, shaking his head. “They broke up 25 years ago!”

Oh, ...more

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Jan 21, 2014 Anna Kļaviņa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2014, non-fiction, biography, british-irish

Morrissey and Joyce refused to give interview(s) for this book, and because of that the story can't be complete. Not that author wasn't trying. At times, methinks, he was trying too much. :/

<
The Smiths were a beautiful thing and Johnny left it, and Mike has destroyed it.
Morrissey

...more

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May 09, 2013 David rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, muso, biography, 1980s

Reading this biography did at least re-invigorate my interest in the Smiths, and one interesting thing that both the book and the YouTube videos of their early gigs at the Hacienda help underscore is the notion that the Smiths emerged seemingly fully formed. Lyrically and musically, some of their earliest songs are amongst their strongest and most affecting, in my opinion. But reading of how they pretty much hit the ground running made me wonder if they don't dispel Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000-Hou ...more

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Feb 06, 2013 JBP rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2013

630 page biography of the English band The Smiths--not bad for a band that only made four studio albums in their brief existence in the mid-1980s. I was fifteen when I bought "Meat is Murder" and needless to say, I fell for The Smiths hook like and sinker. I still cherish my light blue "Hatful of Hollow" t-shirt! I already knew a fair amount about the band, but Tony Fletcher's book really delves into their early days--the actual band doesn't start until we near page 200. After reading this, it j ...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Kerry Dunn rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2013

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 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! ...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Abby rated it really liked it

Shelves: music, biography

4.5 stars. Really fantastic, comprehensive portrait of one of the most influential pop bands in history. The book is a doorstopper (over 700 pages!) but I tore through it in a few days. I'm sure it helps that I've loved The Smiths since I was a teen, but you don't have to be a die-hard Smiths fan to enjoy this book. There are some really great stories in here about the band's origins and rapid rise to fame as well as their shattering break-up, and Fletcher does an excellent job locating them in 4.5 stars. Really fantastic, comprehensive portrait of one of the most influential pop bands in history. The book is a doorstopper (over 700 pages!) but I tore through it in a few days. I'm sure it helps that I've loved The Smiths since I was a teen, but you don't have to be a die-hard Smiths fan to enjoy this book. There are some really great stories in here about the band's origins and rapid rise to fame as well as their shattering break-up, and Fletcher does an excellent job locating them in geographical, historical and cultural context. It's always entertaining to read about Morrissey's ridiculous antics and hilarious interviews (quite a few of which are available on YouTube, I binged on them while reading this book), but what I liked best about this book was the story of the music itself -- I gained an even deeper appreciation for Morrissey & Marr's brilliance through Fletcher's skillful descriptions of their craft. There are some Smiths songs that I have heard so many times I didn't think it was possible to hear anything new in them anymore. But in the process of reading this book and listening to the songs with Fletcher's analysis in mind, I discovered new layers of literary and musical references in old favorites and fell in love with them all over again. It's still hard to comprehend how many amazing songs they recorded in such a short span of time. If you ever felt that the Smiths wrote "the songs that saved your life," then you must read this book.

p.s. one minor annoyance that prevents me from giving this book 5 stars -- the map of Manchester that shows the reader where the band members lived and grew up, as well as other key Mancunian locales (like the Hacienda and Salford Lads Club) was tucked a few chapters away from the section in which those locations were first described, and there was nothing in the text to direct readers to this helpful resource at the point when it would have been most relevant. But that's a minor quibble with an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable read. ...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Tom Schulte rated it really liked it

A penetrating and detailed look at the quick rise and sudden disintegration of the Smiths over 633 pages. The book reveals Moz to be a petulant, self-centered, and insecure deal-breaker that while outspoken in criticism could brook no dissent or conflicting opinion. The focus is on the close and special Morrissey-Marr relationship, both artistic and business. The context tells much of the story of British post-punk pop, as well. Details on the albums, their recording and individual songs and ses ...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Chris Huff rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction

I know a few people will want to read this book so I wanted to share my thoughts. Overall, I really enjoyed it but found several aspects disappointing. First, I appreciated that Fletcher attempted to put the band in a larger socio-economic context and to provide a lengthy overview of what 3 of the 4 bands members did before The Smiths formed. the problem is that he never convinced me that this was a necessary step in the story he tells later, which makes the 200 pages he uses before getting to t ...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Misha rated it really liked it

Shelves: doorway-plot, doorway-people, friendship, british, music, biography, read-2013

This was definitely focused on the business side of The Smiths and the scene they emerged from and within. I enjoyed reading about all of the other musicians and bands they knew/crossed paths with: Billy Bragg, Aztec Camera, James, New Order, Matt Johnson of The The, etc. The relationship between Johnny Marr and Morrissey is fascinating and when Fletcher quotes from each of them I was hooked.

I realized overall how little I knew about them. Hell, I didn't know until I read this that "Louder Than ...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Arjun rated it liked it

I'm not a huge fan of these kinds of books. In some ways, i don't want to know how the sausage is made. Much like I didn't want to know about the relationship between Gordon Lish and Raymond Carver, I hesitated before diving into this book and what you get is the story of a runaway train that ends in a trainwreck. A trainwreck that was avoidable, surely, and you didn't even need hindsight to see it coming. So, yes, while the train was speeding down the track, it created some of the most incredib ...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Sharon Burgin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

At 698 pages, this is a big book. It was a daunting read, so I put it off. Why did I do that? Once I started it, I didn’t want to put it down.

I grew up with The Smiths’ music, but I wasn’t one of their greatest fans. But after reading this book I listen to the music in a different way.

Unlike Paul Brannigan’s biography of Dave Grohl (This is a call), Tony Fletcher is a very sympathetic author. He doesn’t name drop for the sake of it or show off. As he says at the start of the book he doesn’t star ...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Patrick rated it really liked it

I'm a casual Smiths fan (I think maybe 2/3 of their output is really good, and all of their albums, with the exception of The Queen is Dead, are weighed down with dull material), and these 650 pages about the Smiths are about as much as someone like me will ever need. Fletcher has clearly done his homework, and without getting interviews with Morrissey and Joyce, I don't think anyone will come up with something more comprehensive. He's a much bigger fan than I am (he seems to think they are the ...more

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May 26, 2013 Spencer Warner rated it liked it

Shelves: music

This book was pretty good, especially the first part which spent a large amount of time describing the effects of punk and its various subsidiaries. Perhaps I'm being slightly harsh in a 3* rating, and it is spawn mainly out of the fact that at times whole chapters were dedicated to song structures and mixing desks. Other people would find this mouth-watering, but as a music fan with the technical ability of a gnat it was somewhat lost on me.
As a big (if not a long standing) Smiths fan, the book ...more

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Jul 02, 2016 Gordon Fingland rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This is the first book that i have had to give up on, it goes off on too many unnecessary tangents, it may be a rewarding read once you get to the main story but sadly i didn't get there, almost 200 pages in i was not entertained and was not hooked. Morrissey's autobiography was superb and i look forward to Johnny Marr's book too but this was a disappointing read, i didn't need to know Ireland or Manchester's full history, there is background info that is relevant or can be documented in much, m ...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Matt Kelly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I would be very surprised if this wasn't now the best Smith's biography available. Written by an experienced music journalist who is also a fan of the band, it doesn't shy away from criticism where it's due. While not giving too much background information on Joyce and Rourke, it does split remaining parts of the book fairly evenly between Morrissey and Marr, where some Smith bio's have concentrated more on one or the other. One of the greatest music partnerships,creating some of the most beauti ...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Albert rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography, non-fiction, rock-n-roll, first-reads

A Light That Never Goes Out did a very good job of telling the story of The Smiths. I'm not a big fan of The Smiths or that whole genre of music, but I found the story very interesting. I am a fan of biographies of the music industry and found Tony Fletcher quite capable of catching the essence of the band and laying it all out for the reader to take in. I'm looking forward to reading his biography of Keith Moon!

A Good Reads Giveaway recipient.

...more

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Jul 09, 2013 The American Conservative added it

'A Light That Never Goes Out is simply weak on sources, which consist mostly of interviews with peripheral figures and a few quotes from Johnny Marr in which he seems utterly uninterested in rehashing his group from 30 years ago. The lack of Morrissey’s involvement in this project is crippling.'

Read the full review, "Manchester Heroes," on our website:
http://www.theamericanconservative.co... ...more

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Sep 17, 2013 Blake Nelson rated it it was amazing

Fun to remember all those great Smiths songs. Also didn't realize how young they were at the time. (Barely in their twenties.) Which I guess explains why the Smiths were so annoying as people. They screwed over EVERYONE they had contact with. A trainwreck really, in terms of how to conduct a band. And yet: all those gorgeous songs. Really glad I read this. Really glad I didn't know anything about them when I was a superfan back in the day. ...more

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Dec 08, 2012 McCutcheon rated it it was amazing

Brilliant, with the intense detail and easy reading that I've come to expect from Tony's books. I write Tony, instead of the more formal Mr. Fletcher because he is a good friend. But this isn't back scratching- to be sure. If you are a Smith's fan, and you like to read (and the Smiths being a very literary band I'm sure you do) this is a must have. ...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Ben Richmond rated it it was ok

Shelves: music

Maybe I'm just not into musician hagiography anymore, which this book attempts to avoid, but can't help indulging somewhat. At 700 pages or whatever, the author's little narrative ticks get sort of distracting, and Fletcher struggles to pace the book effectively. ...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Lisa Bentley rated it it was amazing

An amazing account of the trials and tribulations of being both a "Smith" and a fan of the band. Must read. For a full review go to www.differentscene.co.uk x ...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Alexandra marked it as to-read

I wanted to win this book SOOO badly. I will still go buy it =( They are my fave band.

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Mar 04, 2013 Sherry rated it liked it

Another I just couldn't finish. Way too much detail. While I'm a huge Smiths fan, somehow this much detail about the band members lives seems perverse. Bored me to tears. ...more

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Jul 13, 2015 Marck Rimorin rated it liked it

A bit dry for an in-depth look. Morrissey isn't involved, but there are fascinating parts to it. ...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Lori rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Smiths Fans; 80s People; 80s alternative music

Shelves: music, eighties

A 633 page volume, written by a Smiths fan for Smiths fans everywhere, "A Light That Never Goes Out" is a book I wish I would have had the opportunity to read in 1988, when the Smiths were recently split up and my own life was changing. How can one Manchester band...a band that produced only five albums (if you include Hatful of Hollow) and lasted but five years together...be worthy of so many words? For acolytes everywhere 633 pages is just about right. Smiths fans tend toward wordiness and int ...more

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Jun 03, 2018 Joe Kessler rated it it was ok

I am probably not the ideal reader or reviewer for a book about The Smiths, a band with which I have little familiarity and no emotional attachment. (As a partial defense, they had already split up before I was even born.) But it seems to me as though author Tony Fletcher has gone too far in the opposite direction, fawning over the group's supposed genius and delving deeply into the minutiae of its members' lives. So although the writer provides an exhaustive amount of information about the stud ...more

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Jul 03, 2017 Alex rated it it was amazing

I actually read this a few years ago, so I don't recall a ton of the details, but as a huge fan of The Smiths, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Unfortunately, they broke up not long after I got into them, so I never saw them live, though I did see Morrissey solo in 1988, but it just wasn't the same.

The book did get me back into re-listening to The Smiths, and like with any truly great band, their music stands the test of time. It's really amazing as a mid-40s guy now to realize that the songs are ...more

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About Tony Fletcher

Tony Fletcher

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Tony Fletcher is the author of seven non-fiction books and one novel. His biography of drummer Keith Moon has been named in many a Best Music Book list, and his biography of R.E.M., updated in 2013 as Perfect Circle, has been published in over half a dozen countries. A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of The Smiths was published in the UK by William Heinemann in September 2012, ...more