From the NME.
The first-ever demo by The Smiths has surfaced online after the 1982 recording was placed on YouTube, apparently by their original bassist.
Snippets of ‘I Want A Boy For My Birthday’ had circulated among the band’s fan community for several years. But the version seemingly posted by early bassist Dale Hibbert is the first time the full three-minute version has been heard.
‘I Want A Boy For My Birthday’ is a cover of ’60s girl group The Cookies, who released their original version as a B-side in 1963.
Morrissey and Johnny Marr made their version in 1982 on Marr’s TEAC tape recorder so that Hibbert could learn it for the band’s first official demo recordings.
Hibbert left the band after The Smiths’ first gig as Morrissey and Marr were unhappy with his playing. He was replaced by Andy Rourke, who became the band’s permanent bassist.
The existence of the demo was only uncovered in 2013 in Simon Goddard’s Smiths biography Songs That Saved Your Life. Marr said in the book: “I’d never heard the song before, but I thought ‘Great, this will freak them out!’ I was really happy to encourage it.”
Hibbert left the music industry after The Smiths. He went on to run a bar in Manchester and now runs a vegetarian café, Kava, in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, with his wife Svet.
The leaking of the demo comes as Morrissey prepares to release his new album ‘I Am Not A Dog On A Chain’ in March. Marr recently released ‘Single Life’, a box set which compiles the ten 7″ singles he’s released as a solo artist.
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- The Smiths - Strangeways, Here We Come - EX - UK - vinyl LP - £35.00, $42.70, €40.60 (New Item) (arrived 02-Dec-2022 16:21)on December 8, 2022 at 12:09 pm
THE SMITHS Strangeways Here We Come (1985 UK first press 10-track LP with 'Guy Fawkes Was A Genius' etched into the run-off groove, complete with the illustrated lyric inner & embossed 'Richard Davalos' picture sleeve. The sleeve is Excellentwith just minor shelf wear, whilst the vinyl shows a few faint scuffs or hairlines not affecting play & remains in Excellent condition ROUGH106)
- Morrissey - Ouija Board Ouija Board - UK - 7" vinyl - £12.00, $14.64, €13.92 (New Item) (arrived 17-Oct-2022 13:09)on December 8, 2022 at 12:09 pm
MORRISSEY Ouija Board Ouija Board (1989 UK solid centre 7" vinyl single, also including Yes I Am Blind. The glossy picture sleeve has minor evidence of shelfwear, whilst the vinyl remains in excellent condition POP1622)
- The Smiths - Panic + Inner - Hype Stickered - EX - UK - 12" vinyl - £30.00, $36.60, €34.80 (New Item) (arrived 05-Sep-2022 09:00)on December 8, 2022 at 12:09 pm
THE SMITHS Panic (1986 UK 3-track 12" vinyl single with 'I Dreamt About Stew Last Night' in the B-side run-out groove, also including The Draize Train and Vicar In A Tutu, song hype stickered Richard Bradford picture sleeve with die-cut inner & matching turquoise labels. The sleeve has light wear, whilst the inner has a small seam split and the vinyl has just the odd ligth surface scuff, not affecting play RTT193)
- Morrissey - The 7" Singles '91-'95 - HMV/Parlophone - UK - 7" box set - £49.99, $60.99, €57.99 (New Item) (arrived 13-Sep-2022 16:21)on December 8, 2022 at 12:09 pm
MORRISSEY The 7" Singles '91-'95 (Rare 2009 original UK limited edition 9 x 7" vinyl box set - the HMV/Parlophone Singles Collection '91–'95' contains nine 7-inch singles - beginning with 'My Love Life', it moves through three singles from the Mick Ronson-produced album 'Your Arsenal': 'We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful', 'You're The One For Me, Fatty' and 'Certain People I Know' – on to what's considered by many his greatest album, and final for Parlophone, 'Vauxhall And I', with singles 'The More You Ignore Me The Closer I Get' & 'Hold On To Your Friends'. Also included is the '94 duet with Siouxsie Sioux, 'Interlude', and non-album singles 'Boxers' and 'Sunny', which indicated the direction he would take on his next album, 'Southpaw Grammar'. B-sides include a live version of 'Suedehead', the gorgeous 'Used To Be A Sweet Boy', Moz's exploration of London's underbelly, 'Have-A-Go Merchant' and 'Black-Eyed Susan', and an affecting version of 'Moonriver'. Housed inside a flip-top lid picture box, with its cover-image taken by photographer Anton Corbijn. Brand new & factory sealed. Highly recommended)
- The Smiths - What Difference Does It Make? - Terence Stamp - EX - UK - 7" vinyl - £20.00, $24.40, €23.20 (New Item) (arrived 22-Sep-2022 15:55)on December 8, 2022 at 12:09 pm
THE SMITHS What Difference Does It Make? (1984 UK first issue 7" vinyl single with intact four-prong centre, also including the full band version of the non-album track Back To The Old House, withdrawn glossy picture sleeve featuring the Terence Stamp image which was replaced with an image of Morrissey. The sleeve has some light edgewear, whilst the vinyl appears barely played RT146)
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