Mike Joyce's 10 best drum tracks with The Smiths

19 November 2025, 15:00

The powerhouse behind the sound of The Smiths has just released his autobiography, The Drums. Let's celebrate his genius with the perfect playlist.

By Radio X

@RadioX

1. The Smiths - What Difference Does It Make?

   • John Peel Session, 18th May 1983

   This driving version of The Smiths' third single was performed for the BBC five months before it was re-recorded for the band's self-titled debut album.

   

   What Difference Does It Make? (John Peel Session 18/05/83)

2. The Smiths - Still Ill

   • John Peel Session, 14th September 1983

   Another Peel Session version that crushes the album take like a grape, Still Ill opens with Joyce's snare drum accompanying Johnny Marr on harmonica.

   

   Still Ill (John Peel Session 14/09/83)

3. The Smiths - What She Said

   • From the album Meat Is Murder, release date 11th February 1985

   A ferocious entry from the Manchester group's second album, which fades in and doesn't let up. Morrissey's echoed vocal sounds like the man howling in the middle of a storm.

   

   What She Said (2011 Remaster)

4. The Smiths - Barbarism Begins At Home

   • From the album Meat Is Murder, release date 11th February 1985

   Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke had been in a pre-Smiths funk band called Freak Party, which rode again on this Meat Is Murder album track. Mike Joyce rises to the challenge admirably.

   

   Barbarism Begins at Home (2011 Remaster)

5. The Smiths - Rubber Ring

   • B-side of The Boy With The Thorn In His Side, release date 16th September 1985

   From its wry, vaguely funky beginning, this underrated b-side builds to a stunning, swirling climax.

   

   Rubber Ring (2011 Remaster)

6. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead

   • From the album The Queen Is Dead, release date 16th June 1986

   As Johnny Marr's guitar feedback squalls, Joyce begins the unrelenting rhythm that powers this legendary title track. Check out the unedited version on the deluxe edition of The Queen Is Dead, which includes some stunning extra fills from the sticksman.

   

   The Queen Is Dead 1985 Original Unedited Version

7. The Smiths - Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others

   • From the album The Queen Is Dead, release date 16th June 1986

   Living in the shadow of the monumental There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, The Smiths' best album concludes with this thumbnail sketch that seems rather inconsequential... until you hone in on the gorgeous instrumentation. The moment Joyce opens the cymbals as the track fades is exquisite.

   

   Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others (2011 Remaster)

8. The Smiths - Panic

   • Single, release date 21st July 1986

   This deliberate pastiche of glam rock is given extra heft by Mike Joyce's powerful drum work.

   

   The Smiths - Panic (Official Music Video)

9. The Smiths - London

   • B-side of Shoplifters Of The World Unite, release date 26th January 1987

   The remorseless flip-side to one of The Smiths' most underrated singles, Joyce charges through this homage to the film Billy Liar in just over two minutes. The final few seconds where the musician goes into double time are incredible.

   

   London (2011 Remaster)

10. The Smiths - Death Of A Disco Dancer

    • From the album Strangeways Here We Come, release date 28th September 1987

    The band claimed that The Beatles' "White Album" was an influence on their final outing and it can be heard on this track, which is a nod to Lennon's Dear Prudence. It remains one of Joyce's greatest "feel" performances with The Smiths.

    

    Death of a Disco Dancer (2011 Remaster)