The Smiths

When slick, synth-driven hits by the likes of Duran Duran were the British pop standard, The Smiths' early singles sounded strikingly odd. The lyrics of "Hand In Glove" and "This Charming Man" dealt fairly explicitly with gay themes at a time when even Boy George was deflecting discussion of his sexuality. Musically, Morrissey's quavering, imperfectly-pitched voice was a uniquely peculiar instrument, although Johnny Marr's signature blend of dour post-punk and '60s-inspired shimmer soon became the default guitar sound of the British indie scene. Stardom beckoned, although the band remained polarizing throughout their career: many detractors, and even a surprising number of fans, either didn't understand or chose to ignore the layers of irony, sardonic humor and winking self-deprecation in many of Morrissey's superficially depressive lyrics. Three increasingly great albums culminating in the career high point The Queen Is Dead, along with a seemingly endless string of non-LP singles and radio sessions gathered on the compilations Hatful of Hollow and Louder Than Bombs, made The Smiths an integral part of the emergent alternative music scene: unlike nearly all of their UK contemporaries, they captured a large and devoted American following. Morrissey and Marr's artistic differences split The Smiths in mid-1987, with Morrissey moving on to an uneven solo career and Marr becoming a sideman for everyone from Kirsty MacColl to Modest Mouse. A 1996 court case in which drummer Mike Joyce successfully sued for a greater share of the band's royalties seems to have forever quashed any hope of a reunion.