Paul Archer recently released his solo debut album , Art; the first Paul Archer solo album in a 30-year recording career; his first vinyl album (conceived as such from the start); and the first time his visual art has intersected with his musical world, featuring on the cover and inserts. It is also the first album of a new career after many years in Burning Codes.

His musical journey began in Belfast in the mid-90s with Disreali Gears, a soulful psych-rock experience much beloved on the then thriving local scene. One album and a lot of great memories and out of that, the Ghears [sic] emerged. A new band, a relocation to England and a sound that incorporated Paul’s love of Krautrock locked grooves with his deeply compassionate worldview, crunching guitars and rich vocal gifts. The Burning Codes era that followed, ended on a high with the album Liberator and single Loss Leader and a fearsome reputation as a live band.

Paul now joins us for a Why I Love on the famous four – not John, Paul, George & Ringo, but Morrissey, Marr, Joyce & Rourke. The Smiths.

BEGINNINGS

I fell in love with the unique, pioneering, fearless and ever creative sound and work of The Smiths whilst on a geography field trip in the beautiful Lake District of England. The guy in the seat in front of me on the bus was playing an old cassette tape on an old cassette tape recorder and it blew my mind!

The song he happened to be playing was called What Difference Does It Make – “All men have secrets and here is mine so let it be known for we have been through hell and high tide I can surely rely on you” – brilliant, so brilliant and stirring! with it’s powerful insisting guitar riff and this incredible wailing vocal!

My mind was blown. I needed more, more, more! I loved the way their sound would polarise people in their reaction mainly, in my experience to the vocals with their wailing, peculiar tonality and delivery. As soon as I got back home to Ireland I purchased the album in question which was Hatful Of Hollow and my Smiths journey began in earnest!

THE CRAFTSMANSHIP OF MARR

Marr’s guitar craftsmanship and those amazing, deft, powerful and beautiful arpeggios and then those Iggy inspired throbbing chords as heard on How Soon Is Now – “I am the son and the heir, of a shyness that is criminally vulgar” – incredible and so erudite, thoughtful and lierate. Those performances with the emaciated frontman swinging bunches of gladioli! So unique! So different and pioneering!

When I used to play in a group with my brother we would cover the beautiful Centery Gates – “A dreaded sunny day and I’ll meet you at the cemetery gates,”, “So we go inside and we gravely read the stones, all those people, all those lives, where are they now? With loves and hates and passions just like mine.”

OUTSIDER MUSIC

This for me was another kind of “outsider” music akin to other seminal bands for me like The Velvet Underground. I have always felt like a bit of an “alien” in this world, a bit of an outsider and I think that this is primarily why this music moved me so much. The Smiths inspired me and continue to inspire me most because of their approach which was fearless, genre bending with leanings towards folk, rock, punk, rockabilly and so much more…

I found commonality and solace in this genre bending approach and my heart lept with it’s creativity and it’s depth of feeling and it’s outsider wonder! Perhaps my favourite song of all of their catalgue of genius was That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore – “I’ve seen this happen in other people’s lives, and now it’s happening in mine.” This line of lyrics was so resonant for me and still is to this day. 

A POTENT ALCHEMY

What a team they were despite their current differences and there was a rare and potent alchemy of sound and creativity between them with the solid, punchy and grounding rhythm section of Rourke and Joyce and the interplay between Marr’s sometimes folk right through to punk, indie, alternative and new wave guitar mastery. Indeed you get the feeling that, with his guitar Marr could capture any feeling whether wistful or heavy. My focus with The Smiths was on their time together and not so much as solo artists. Theirs was a rare and potent glue and sonic alchemy and one which will always inspire me to keep pushing my own boundaries and borders musically and creatively in much the same way that my other great musical love The Velvet Underground also do. 

Whilst I never got to see them live I am so grateful to have been exposed to their genius creativity. Among my Smiths favourites are the following songs but I love all their work – Jeane, Reel Around The Fountain, How Soon Is Now, That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, What Difference Does It Make…

Our thanks to Paul for shining the spotlight on one of the most famous of our Manchester bands.

Here’s Fear Destroyer from Art:

Paul Archer online: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Youtube / X

You can read more from our extensive archive of Why I Love pieces from a wide array of artists on an even wider array of subjects, here.

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