Taking Sides: The Smiths v. Sade

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according to I-Love-1884 this was the real musical divide back in the day.

so which side were you on?

and which side are you on now?

the great thing about this one is that Sade supporters can't really get away with saying they think the Smiths are humourless bastards.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Sunday, 29 December 2002 15:57 (twenty-three years ago)

Smiths > Sade
"There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" < "Your Love Is King"

― Adam A. (Keiko), Sunday, 29 December 2002 17:33 (twenty-three years ago)

SADE without question. Denman, Hale, Matthewman and Ditcham are great musicians with such smooth groove.
Johnny Marr alone couldn't carry the Smiths, as good as he is.

― bahtology, Sunday, 29 December 2002 17:50 (twenty-three years ago)

The Smiths are humourless bastards.

― tigerclawskank, Monday, 30 December 2002 15:33 (twenty-three years ago)

The bloke in my local who played bass in NWOBHM band Bitches Sin says Morrissey was a cunt when he met him. However, on the other hand, The Smiths are the greatest English band ever, and Sade is a big pile of tedious fucking shit. The Style Council were even worse though.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 30 December 2002 15:35 (twenty-three years ago)

"according to I-Love-1884 this was the real musical divide back in the day"

Hmmmm, well according to I-Love-1988(?) a couple of nights ago, the real musical divide that year was between Bros and Brother Beyond....

Now I wasn't exactly a fan of theirs at the time (!), but I certainly remember Bros having been extremely popular, whereas Brother Beyond seem to have (mercifully) failed to register with me at all - so I suspect you should take what I Love 19XX say about anything with an enormous pinch of salt.

Fwiw, they were 2 or 3 years late identifying Goth too.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 30 December 2002 15:49 (twenty-three years ago)

I Love 1884?

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 30 December 2002 15:52 (twenty-three years ago)

At the time I loved The Smiths almost unconditionally + detested everything about Sade, or everything Sade seemed to represent. Lots of issues here North v South (England), Post-Industrial unemployed v Thatcherite boom-bunnys, 'The Queen is Dead' v 'Diamond Life', Jamming! v The Face.

Now, I just bought 'Love Is Stronger Than Pride' second-hand on the back of that Michael Mayer cover but probably won't play it again. The Smiths had great moments and great flaws, but I still love them.

― stevo (stevo), Monday, 30 December 2002 15:57 (twenty-three years ago)

"To Turn My Back On You" helped create deep house. It's like a funk version of Deee-Lite's "What Is Love?" with less-annoying keyboards.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 30 December 2002 15:59 (twenty-three years ago)

I think The Smiths would be much better if they wore backless dresses like Sade's.

I also think it would be great if Sade had done a cover of This Charming Man and The Smiths had a go at Smooth Operator.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Monday, 30 December 2002 16:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Nothing says class like indieboy bacne!

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 30 December 2002 18:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Helen Folsade Adu is the one truth faith. All shall bow down and worship her like the Goddess she is.

― Lord Custos Omega (Lord Custos Omega), Monday, 30 December 2002 18:31 (twenty-three years ago)

four years pass...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaXAOng-cRE

― deej.. (deej..), Thursday, 8 February 2007 20:35 (nineteen years ago)

If this Taking Sides had ever been posed by the television during my teenage years, I think my mom and I could have come to blows over the remote.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:09 (nineteen years ago)

I think The Smiths would be much better if they wore backless dresses like Sade

OTM.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:22 (nineteen years ago)

deej that sade song is incredible! i'd never heard it before! the pause in "you are my --- religion" is exquisite, i love the way she conveys oceans of emotion with that one pause while remaining coolly detached.

er anyway the answer is quite obviously sade, the best of sade is a must-own - 'the sweetest taboo', 'your love is king', 'cherish the day', and especially 'smooth operator' and 'no ordinary love' are all fantastic. it's very yuppy wine bar, sure, but that's its appeal, it does what it does exquisitely.

the smiths on the other hand are disgusting. so, no contest.

― antidote against poisoning (lex pretend), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:25 (nineteen years ago)

homophobia!!

― zeus (zeus), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:27 (nineteen years ago)

tatu were better at being gay than morrissey ever was

― antidote against poisoning (lex pretend), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:28 (nineteen years ago)

i like both groups a lot, actually. almost tempted to vote for the smiths just because my knowledge/interest in that kind of stuff outside of them is so low.

also, thank dan perry for putting me on to that song earlier in this thread

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLDtoq2SMwY&eurl=
^^^a better qual version of the same video

― deej.. (deej..), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:29 (nineteen years ago)

Who am I kidding, Sade wins.

― deej.. (deej..), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:30 (nineteen years ago)

i like both groups a lot, actually.

Groups?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:30 (nineteen years ago)

Sade = Sade Adu + band, (kind of like PJ Harvey)

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:34 (nineteen years ago)

More simply Sade = Sting.

― everything (everything), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:35 (nineteen years ago)

yeah it was also just easier than seperating them out ("I like both the Smiths and Sade")

― deej.. (deej..), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:37 (nineteen years ago)

i just think the smiths are funny

― deej.. (deej..), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:37 (nineteen years ago)

i just think the smiths are funny

Well, yeah! That's part of the point, actually.

Sade = Sade Adu + band, (kind of like PJ Harvey)

Which actually reminds me -- friend Stripey (a massive Smiths/Sade fan) says that her backing band did some sort of side project thing on their own in the late nineties that was really good. Can't remember the name, though.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:38 (nineteen years ago)

Sweetback.

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:40 (nineteen years ago)

Indeed! Their name sounds like "Shriekback" (only they're nothing like them).

yeah – there it is.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:43 (nineteen years ago)

I've been on a big Sade kick lately. Love Deluxe and Lovers Rock have been in big rotation. Never heard the Smiths, but from what I've heard about them and the Morrisey stuff I've heard, Lex's description seems pretty accurate.

― The Reverend (R. J. Greene), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:46 (nineteen years ago)

Actually, it's not.

― everything (everything), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:53 (nineteen years ago)

Sade. And I don't love Sade.

Something, something, pristine astral form.

― the new sincerity (Pye Poudre), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:54 (nineteen years ago)

Actually, it's not.

Mm. An important point: Moz solo stuff != Marr/Joyce/Rourke of the Smiths. As much as the Lex might complain about the comparison, it's like saying Max Martin and the Neptunes are similar because Britney worked with both of them.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 8 February 2007 21:58 (nineteen years ago)

god. worst contest ever. they're both just horrible beyond words, albeit in very different, but equally tedious ways.

the smiths win, but barely - and ONLY because of the swooping weeeeeeeeaaaaargh in 'how soon is now'. and only that because it reminds me of the flying sequence in 'the lost boys'.

― m the g (mister the guanoman), Thursday, 8 February 2007 22:08 (nineteen years ago)

I'm a fan of both, but ultimately at this point in time, Sade is just untouchable. 'Love Deluxe' is probably one of my top 5 albums.

― is anyone anticipating the new Baaderonixx? (baaderonixx), Thursday, 8 February 2007 22:09 (nineteen years ago)

That's a fair point, but I'm still not in any rush to investigate.

― The Reverend (R. J. Greene), Thursday, 8 February 2007 22:22 (nineteen years ago)

"I Love 1884?"

Taking Sides: Brahms vs. Tchaikovsky

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 8 February 2007 22:22 (nineteen years ago)

Tchaikovsky.

― The Reverend (R. J. Greene), Thursday, 8 February 2007 22:28 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.pianoparadise.com/Tchaikovsky.jpg

"Your Love is Czar"

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 8 February 2007 22:30 (nineteen years ago)

"How Soon is Revolution?"

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 8 February 2007 22:35 (nineteen years ago)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/01/Johann_Strauss_and_Brahms_in_Vienna.jpg/180px-Johann_Strauss_and_Brahms_in_Vienna.jpg

Strauss And Brahms: The Severed Alliance

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 8 February 2007 22:41 (nineteen years ago)

In czarist Russia, DJ HANGS YOU!

― timmy tannin (pompous), Thursday, 8 February 2007 22:51 (nineteen years ago)

Taking Sides: Morose Sad Homo Music vs. Great Sex Cocaine Music

― the table is the table (treesessplode), Thursday, 8 February 2007 22:55 (nineteen years ago)

Wait, which one is Brahms and which one is Tchaikovsky?

― The Reverend (R. J. Greene), Thursday, 8 February 2007 23:04 (nineteen years ago)

I was on Sade's side and I am still on Sade's side. That being said, The Smiths are better, and there are considerably better examples of the side I belonged and belong to than Sade.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 9 February 2007 00:42 (nineteen years ago)

Explain yrself.

― The Reverend (R. J. Greene), Friday, 9 February 2007 00:58 (nineteen years ago)

Be careful what you wish for.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 9 February 2007 00:59 (nineteen years ago)

Haha.

― The Reverend (R. J. Greene), Friday, 9 February 2007 01:01 (nineteen years ago)

this thread's revive is sorta the ultimate case study in what's different about ilx now

― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Friday, 9 February 2007 01:05 (nineteen years ago)

Explain yrself.

Well, if Sade=pop and Smiths=rock, I sure belong on the pop side, at least as far as the 80s go. But Sade I have never understood the big fuss about, and I also don't feel like they are the opposites they are said to be, really. Smiths were first and foremost a "guitar rock" band, and it would be more natural to put them up against the English synthpop bands that were popular around the same time as Smiths debuted. In which case I'd pick whatever UK synthpop band rather than Smiths.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 9 February 2007 02:00 (nineteen years ago)

this thread's revive is sorta the ultimate case study in what's different about ilx now

How so?

― is anyone anticipating the new Baaderonixx? (baaderonixx), Friday, 9 February 2007 09:01 (nineteen years ago)

yeah the consensus before and now seems to (rightly) be sade >>>>> smiths...quite heartening to see it still like that, really.

― antidote against poisoning (lex pretend), Friday, 9 February 2007 09:42 (nineteen years ago)

How's that Sweetback album actually? Instrumental 'smooth grooves'?

― is anyone anticipating the new Baaderonixx? (baaderonixx), Friday, 9 February 2007 09:46 (nineteen years ago)

not much of a consensus...

I make it smiths 5, sade 6. pretty even split.

― m the g (mister the guanoman), Friday, 9 February 2007 09:55 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah - pretty evenly divided and representative of ILM really.

― is anyone anticipating the new Baaderonixx? (baaderonixx), Friday, 9 February 2007 09:58 (nineteen years ago)

Indeed, 11 votes and no else really gives a hoot.

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 9 February 2007 10:03 (nineteen years ago)

GEIR - if you were talking about Sade as an exemplar of shite coffee table jazz I would see your point.

EVERYONE ELSE WHO LIKES SADE MORE THAN THE SMITHS: It's nice to know that ILX is so welcoming of people who don't actually like music.

― The Real Dirty Vicar (dirtyvicar), Saturday, 10 February 2007 00:59 (nineteen years ago)

I'm about to start a long sophisti-pop essay that will hopefully allude to Sade, so I will confine my remarks to this: it's taken Morrissey more than 20 years to come around to the wisdom of "Your Love is King."

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Saturday, 10 February 2007 01:05 (nineteen years ago)

Musical or lyrical wisdom?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 10 February 2007 01:07 (nineteen years ago)

Dunno if it's about shite coffee table jazz, but sure, Everything But The Girl made considerably better coffee table jazz at the same time :)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 10 February 2007 01:20 (nineteen years ago)

Er, no they didn't.

― The Android Cat (Dan Perry), Saturday, 10 February 2007 03:54 (nineteen years ago)

And they did not wear backless dresses.

― The Real Dirty Vicar (dirtyvicar), Saturday, 10 February 2007 11:57 (nineteen years ago)

"I make it smiths 5, sade 6. pretty even split."

Have I actually voted?

Lest there be any confusuon here, Smiths >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sade

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Saturday, 10 February 2007 12:32 (nineteen years ago)

"Everything But The Girl made considerably better coffee table jazz at the same time"

"Er, no they didn't."

Is that "no they didn't.... make coffee table jazz" or "no they didn't.... make better coffee table jazz"?

As far as I'm concerned EBTG certainly made better music than Sade....

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Saturday, 10 February 2007 13:03 (nineteen years ago)

EbtG certainly weren't making coffee table jazz when Sade was in her pomp. I'd take Sade's best over their best, anyway.

― I Tried to Use My Cock as a Bong (noodle vague), Saturday, 10 February 2007 13:13 (nineteen years ago)

They're both great! Yay music!!!

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Saturday, 10 February 2007 13:33 (nineteen years ago)

The Smiths, without a question.

― zeus (zeus), Saturday, 10 February 2007 13:52 (nineteen years ago)

Sade.

― siobh (siobh), Saturday, 10 February 2007 16:24 (nineteen years ago)

EVERYONE ELSE WHO LIKES SADE MORE THAN THE SMITHS: It's nice to know that ILX is so welcoming of people who don't actually like music.

The complete idiocy of this statement is baffling. Fuck off.

― the table is the table (treesessplode), Saturday, 10 February 2007 22:16 (nineteen years ago)

The Smiths

― about:coffee (fandango), Saturday, 10 February 2007 22:54 (nineteen years ago)

I like Sade tho!

― about:coffee (fandango), Saturday, 10 February 2007 22:56 (nineteen years ago)

The Smiths

― wesley useche (electronicmaji), Saturday, 10 February 2007 22:59 (nineteen years ago)

I'm surprised by the number of people on here who hate The Smiths.

Sade is great, but I definitely have to give this one to The Smiths, it's not even close.

― Matt Olken (Moodles), Saturday, 10 February 2007 23:12 (nineteen years ago)

You're surprised that people hate The Smiths? I see your point, it's totally unheard of.

(NB I don't hate The Smiths.)

― I Tried to Use My Cock as a Bong (noodle vague), Saturday, 10 February 2007 23:15 (nineteen years ago)

Hmmm, I love the Smiths, but I'd still go for Sade.

― is anyone anticipating the new Baaderonixx? (baaderonixx), Sunday, 11 February 2007 00:47 (nineteen years ago)

this isn't really a fair comparison.

the question should be

who's better at what they do, the smiths or sade.

the two are certainly not just different sides of the same coin.

i love sade. a lot.

that's it.

― Surmounter (rra123), Sunday, 11 February 2007 05:44 (nineteen years ago)

the only nasty attitude in this thread is coming from people acting like the smiths being better is a foregone conclusion

― deej.. (deej..), Sunday, 11 February 2007 05:45 (nineteen years ago)

at least sade explored more intervals.

― Surmounter (rra123), Sunday, 11 February 2007 05:45 (nineteen years ago)

like of notes.

― Surmounter (rra123), Sunday, 11 February 2007 05:46 (nineteen years ago)

Slade. (I totally misread the thread title)

― StanM (StanM), Sunday, 11 February 2007 15:03 (nineteen years ago)

the only nasty attitude in this thread is coming from people acting like the smiths being better is a foregone conclusion

Rockists vote for the Smiths, poptimists choose Sade. And I'm a rockist in this question, definitely. Though if it'd been U2 vs Sade, perhaps I'd choose the latter.

― zeus (zeus), Sunday, 11 February 2007 15:41 (nineteen years ago)

The Smiths are a lot more pop than Sade ever was.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 11 February 2007 15:44 (nineteen years ago)

Dom OTM. As far as I'm concerned, apart from a couple of tracks, Sade operate much more in the smooth funked-up muzak Steely Dan call their own.

― is anyone anticipating the new Baaderonixx? (baaderonixx), Sunday, 11 February 2007 16:39 (nineteen years ago)

But pre-Pretzel Logic SD were a rock band!

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Sunday, 11 February 2007 16:41 (nineteen years ago)

You know what? I think Smiths are probably better, but I'm far more likely to play Sade these days. I find this to be a pretty hard choice, actually.

― MY NAME IS FREEZER BURN (Bimble...), Sunday, 11 February 2007 16:52 (nineteen years ago)

The Smiths.

― everything, Wednesday, 21 February 2007 21:01 (nineteen years ago)

I've never actually heard Sade, but the Smiths are one of my top 3 bands so I'm guessing they'll be the victors if it ever comes down to it.

― Curt1s Stephens, Wednesday, 21 February 2007 21:03 (nineteen years ago)

Sade's voice was as dead as her eyes - morrissey's voice was/is the most irratating noise I've ever heard - I think the Smiths win because of Johnny Marr's guitar playing and the half dozen great tunes they wrote (but didn't sing very well)

― roger whitaker, Thursday, 22 February 2007 02:16 (nineteen years ago)

EVERYONE ELSE WHO LIKES BRAHMS MORE THAN THE TCHAIKOVSKY: It's nice to know that ILX is so welcoming of people who don't actually like music.

― The Reverend, Thursday, 22 February 2007 05:54 (nineteen years ago)

I for one never bought into that pop-jazz thing, and despised the Style Council at the time.

― Daniel Giraffe, Thursday, 22 February 2007 10:23 (nineteen years ago)

five months pass...

OK guys, I am opening my mind. What songs does Sade have other than "smooth operator" and the other one?

― The Real Dirty Vicar, Friday, 10 August 2007 12:13 (eighteen years ago)

ONE OF US

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 10 August 2007 12:21 (eighteen years ago)

dv all her songs are actually exactly the same, so pick only any of them

ok ok i always say that and it's not really true. lex's choices are all good. "by your side" has become possibly my favorite sade song.. when she sings "when you're gone" and the "gone" slips up around the rest of the band, edging into dissonance and then gently backing off of it.. MM!

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 10 August 2007 12:24 (eighteen years ago)

'Kiss of Life' is probably my favorite Sade single.

― baaderonixx, Friday, 10 August 2007 12:36 (eighteen years ago)

i rely think this is one of my fav threads.

i'm definitely in the sade camp, not sure if i specified this already. her songs do weave together but the melodies are clearly unique. no one knows how to chillax better than sade.

― Surmounter, Friday, 10 August 2007 14:14 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

we should turn this into a poll

― baaderonixx, Monday, 6 July 2009 06:37 (sixteen years ago)

this a ridiculously easy question - every time sade puts out a new album, i get laid, without fail.

which tells you how often i get laid i guess. anyway, sade obv

― messiahwannabe, Monday, 6 July 2009 09:09 (sixteen years ago)

nine years pass...

well she is aging better than moz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yfuCpcX7EU

― Rabbit Control (Latham Green), Thursday, 16 August 2018 19:57 (seven years ago)

this is the funniest thread title on ilm

― lowercase (eric), Thursday, 16 August 2018 20:02 (seven years ago)

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