10 Great Albums That Came Out After The Band Split Up

Much like Joy Division who appeared earlier, The Smiths were an active band for a deceptively brief period of time. Given the lengthy solo careers of Morrissey and Johnny Marr, it comes as a shock to most when realising The Smiths were only together for five years, having formed in 1982. In spite of only being together for five years, the prolific writers and recorders managed to put four full length albums under their belts, even if the last of these came out once the band were no more.

The story of The Smiths’ breakup is one of the most chaotic to emerge from the entire 1980’s (which is quite a statement considering some of the competition). They toured extensively with the persona of being the anti-synth pop band, while channelling post-punk and primordial indie rock vibes. Gradually, the wear and tear of the road began catching up to Johnny Marr, who decided to take a break from the group in June 1987. Somewhat put out by his decision, Morrissey allegedly leaked a story to NME the following month saying The Smiths were soon to split up and that Marr was no longer a member of the band. Morrissey also said he didn’t like Marr working with other musicians, despite the fact Morrissey was already working with other industry professionals to produce his first solo material.

Following Marr’s abrupt exit, Ivor Perry joined the band but his stint was incredibly brief. By the time ‘Strangeways, Here We Come’ was released in 1988, the band were long gone. Morrissey had already released his first solo album and Marr had already begun working with post-punk group, The The, though legal battles between the former members would rumble on for years.