The Smiths: Strangeways, Here We Come was unusual, drummer says

The Smiths' final album was the band's favourite despite being "unusual sounding", drummer Mike Joyce has said on the 35th anniversary of its release.

Strangeways, Here We Come was released on 28 September, 1987, months after the Manchester band disbanded in acrimony.

It went on to reach number two in the UK charts and was the group's most successful album in the US.

Joyce said though the band had split before it came out, it had been "a great experience recording that album".

The Smiths, who released four studio albums across their career, are one of Manchester's most important and influential bands.

Achieving global success in their five years together, their iconic status has brought enduring fame to Joyce, guitarist Johnny Marr, bass player Andy Rourke and singer Morrissey.

Strangeways, Here We Come, which takes its name from the Manchester prison, was recorded in early 1987, but before it could be released, tensions between Marr and Morrissey saw the band split.

Joyce told BBC North West Tonight that despite what happened, it had been "very comfortable for all of us in the studio".

"It was a great experience recording that album," he said.

He added it was a very different collection to the three that had come before it, describing it as "a story album".

"I think it's just an unusual-sounding album," he said.

"There's great songs on the others, but it just pips it for me, in terms of what we ended up with as an album and the whole thing in its entirety, rather than individual songs."

He said he remembered how much of what was included came into being during the recording sessions.

"A lot of it was written in the studio," he said.

"I know Johnny had a lot of ideas ready to go, but it was an album that was written in the studio."

He said that looking back at the album, he felt like it had only been recorded "five years ago".

"It's pretty timeless in terms of the sounds," he said.

"You couldn't really put it in any decade."

He said it had been strange at the time, putting out an album after the band split, but "the work had already been created".

"Every band has to end at some point and what a way to go out," he said.

To celebrate the anniversary and raise money for community charity Back on Track, Joyce is raffling off the silver disc he received to mark the sale of 60,000 copies of the album.

He said he would like it to "go to a Smiths' fan, but ultimately this is about generating funds".

"This charity does literally save lives," he said.

"It helps people trying to get out of that deep well of despair and back into society."