RIP Andy Rourke

[Mediocrity Man]

He was such an inspiration to me. Very sad day.

 

[erik_ghoulet]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6psa1ptpGTc&pp=ygUUc21pdGhzIHdlbGwgaSB3b25kZXI=

A masterful example of how one plays 'The Bass Guitar', which is how Andy was credited on the recordings.

Keep in mind how young he was when he composed those classic bass lines.

 

[boristhespider7]

 

[stevensivak]

Finger style also:

 

[boristhespider7]

And so, just like that, the classic Smiths lineup its over... forever. We never will see again Morrissey, Marr, Rourke and Joyce together again. One rare case of band wich never came back. Last show in 1988. The Eagles who, said it will only come back "when hell freezes" it did many times. Guns and Roses, wich swore each other to death, the same. Not The Smiths. This was a real deal.

I know right
Getting together with Joyce was pretty much never going to happen but Morrissey, Marr, and Rourke...we can but dream

 

[stevensivak]

Same for the Heads....

 

[kineticdg]

I've always paid more attention to Johnny Marr (not sure why he's getting flamed a bit here), but was just thinking while listening to The Smiths - there are a ton of rock/pop songs where a cover band bass player could just play root notes and it would be fine. These Smiths songs would collapse without the full bass line. I should have paid more attention years ago, am just now realizing how Andy was in many ways the spark that raised The Smiths beyond the thousand other post-punk bands to one of my all-time favorites. RIP Andy

 

[DJ Bebop]

Andy Rourke: The Smiths bassist dies aged 59

Too young.

 

[Mike Vee]

I'll be honest, I've never listened to The Smiths. I may have heard a song or 2 over the years and never knew who it was. I'll have to check them out. RIP to an otherwise well known bass player. The world is lesser for his passing.

 

[SJLee]

Really? One of the most iconic bands of the 80's, with an influence that has continued through the years. While "How Soon Is Now" was somewhat atypical of the rest of their output, I'd say it's one of the top ten songs that defined the decade. A game changing band as they brought back focus to the guitar after the earlier synth-centric wave, in the post-punk/indie/college rock world.

Marr's intricate chimey jangle arpeggiation was a relief from the endless showboat shredding otherwise going on in guitarland. Morrissey may have been The Pope Of Mope, his lyrics almost laughable in its self-pity, but it struck a nerve with scores of marginalized or shunned youth at the time.

But driving all that was Rourke(with Joyce), having forged a new style, not flashy or show-off like a lot of bass at that time, but when you analyze what what he was doing, you realize his uniqueness and quiet brilliance.

Nice break down. I would throw James Honeyman Scott into the mix of leading guitarists of that era as well. I feel both JHS and Marr were influenced by the jangley guitars of the 60's West Coast such as the Byrds. YMMV

 

[erik_ghoulet]

Johnny Marr is a brilliant guitarist and composer. And Morrissey was a fine singer and lyricist, regardless what one thinks about some of his recent statements (which I myself don't agree with.)

Andy Rourke's contribution to the band was as important as Marr and Morrissey even if he (criminally) doesn't get the same fawning attention.

And let's not make the mistake of forgetting Mike Joyce. If you need a reminder about his importance I recommend you listen to Rank. Play it LOUD.

 

[lidl e]

So tragic.

He played on our last single and will be on our album in october.

Shocking, but he was sick for a while

 

[Lucas Carioli]

There's a lot of pieces of Rourke genius. Here one more.

 

[Grinderman]

Too young.

Throughout the day today, I've kept coming back to this thought; he was only 4 years older than me; how's that possible? It seems like an extremely bewildering form of time-space compression.

 

[Wood and Wire]

He played on our last single and will be on our album in october.

Well that's a story right there.

That's legit worth sharing ; nobody is going to accuse you of self promotion.

 

[Matt Dean]

Andy Rourke helped define the sound of the Smiths. Too bad he died at such a young age. Playing Smiths tonight. RIP

 

[Laurent]

Andy Rourke and the Smiths rocked my teenage years. Sad loss indeed, he was my age too.

 

[Roxbororob]

Well it's a very sad evening for me. Somehow I missed the news.

Andy Rourke was one of the greatest things that came out of "new wave". He was the Smiths to me.
Big big influence.
Peaceful travels Andy.

 

[Roxbororob]

Andy Rourke: The Smiths bassist dies aged 59

Thanks for posting.

 

[pbass2]

Listening to some Smiths right now (haven't in a while) and man, sure Marr is great and does those awesome guitar tapestries, but the bass is huge on all of these songs! I'd say it's at least equally important to this music as the guitar work. Stellar bassmanship.