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The good news for those discovering The Smiths’ catalogue for the first time is that virtually every title bearing the band’s name is stuffed with quality. Naturally, all four of the group’s official studio albums are essential ports of call, but the mandatory singles, rarities and radio-sessions comps Hatful Of Hollow and The World Won’t Listen are equally inspired – and even the band’s lone live album, Rank, deserves considerable respect. Listen to ‘Rank’ here. For Smiths fans 4.5/5. It isn't essential, but I couldn't see you wanting to miss out on this album.

This is about as close as it gets to getting any where near the experience of seeing the The Smiths live, unless you manage to get hold of the unabreached bootleg of the same Kilburn gig called The Bad Boy From A Good Family . Peak Morrissey:“You’re just the same as I am/ What makes most people feel happy/ Leads us headlong into harm” 49. “Death at One’s Elbow” Peak Morrissey:“I don’t need/ A house that’s a showplace/ I just feel/ That we’re going no place/ When you say that/ work is a four-letter word” 68. “Oscillate Wildly” This attitude was carried out in the way that the band released singles. They would do it often and without the promise that the songs would also be found on studio records.a b Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (19 May 2023). "Andy Rourke, bassist for the Smiths, dies aged 59". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 19 May 2023. Peak Morrissey:“No, I’ve never had a job/ Because I’ve never wanted one” 57. “Suffer Little Children”

While this was not as revolutionary as its predecessor, it was an album received warmly by critics and fans alike. The Smiths had created an aesthetic and a sound all of their own. This Charming Man” is a perfect point of entry for the nascent Smiths fan: Marr’s ringing guitar hops and bops atop a jaunty bass line (the song’s instrumental MVP) while Morrissey casually tosses out lyrics 19th century poets would trade a year’s supply of quills for.“Punctured bicycle on a hillside desolate / Will nature make a man of me yet?” is a couplet for the ages, and the chorus is winking tribute to cat-and-mouse same-sex flirtation that never passes the line of British propriety: “I would go out tonight/ But I haven’t got a stitch to wear / This man said, ‘It’s gruesome / that someone so handsome should care.'” Franklin, Jamie (16 December 2009). "Johnny Marr - PowerOn". Roland UK. Archived from the original on 5 August 2014 . Retrieved 2 September 2022. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Smiths | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018 . Retrieved 25 February 2020.

European Hot 100 Albums Chart" (PDF). Music & Media. 31 October 1987. p.26. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 January 2021 . Retrieved 14 October 2019.

A melancholy reverie that builds to a hypnotic conclusion, “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” is breathtaking in its structural scope, with spiraling guitars and lonely atmospherics creating a sort of dumbfounded despair about…what? Morrissey’s vocals are emotionally direct, but the lyrics are general enough that you can apply the song’s sentiment to any number of personal misfortunes and get lost in a bout of pensive bliss. In May 1982, Johnny Marr and his friend Steve Pomfret went to the home of Steven Morrissey in Stretford to invite him to form a band. [7] Marr and Morrissey had met at a Patti Smith gig at Manchester's Apollo Theatre on 31 August 1978, when Marr was 14 and Morrissey was 19. [7] They bonded through their love of poetry and literature. [8] A fan of the New York Dolls, Marr had been impressed that Morrissey had written a book on the band and was inspired to turn up on his doorstep following the example of Jerry Leiber, who had formed his working partnership with Mike Stoller after turning up at Stoller's door. [9] According to Morrissey: "We got on absolutely famously. We were very similar in drive." [10] The two found that they were fans of many of the same bands. [11] When Marr looked through Morrissey's singles collection, he found the Monochrome Set, a band they both admired. [12] Marr later said that without them the Smiths would not have existed. [13] The next day, Morrissey phoned Marr to confirm that he would be interested in forming a band with him. [14] Sheppard, David (2022). "We Changed People's Lives". MOJO the Collectors' Series: The Smiths – Hand in Glove 1982-1987: 105. Peak Morrissey:“Typical me/ I started something/ And now I’m not too sure” 24. “The Headmaster Ritual” Recorded in London in the summer of 1983, the album was re-recorded following a radio session and a meeting with producer John Porter in Manchester and released in February 1984, heralding the arrival of one of the most distinctive and original bands on the British music scene.Peak Morrissey:“I stole and I lied, and why?/ Because you asked me to/ But now you make me feel so ashamed/ Because I’ve only got two hands/ Well, I’m still fond of you” 11. “William, It Was Really Nothing” a b Rosen, Steven. "Johnny Marr on Fender Signature Guitar: 'It Was Such A Privilege' ". UltimateGuitar.com (interview). Archived from the original on 6 May 2014 . Retrieved 5 May 2014. Usually, I only include studio albums on worst to best lists, but for The Smiths 1984’s Hatful of Hollow and 1987’s Louder Than Bombs are essential parts of their story. Both are compilations, but because The Smiths’ timeline is so compressed they play well as albums. The Smiths Albums Ranked #6 Meat Is Murder Rogan, Johnny (1993). Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance. London: Omnibus. ISBN 978-0-7119-3000-1. a b c d e f Hattenstone, Simon (29 October 2016). "Johnny Marr: 'The conversation about re-forming the Smiths came out of the blue' ". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016 . Retrieved 29 October 2016.

Peak Morrissey:“Under the iron bridge we kissed/ And although I ended up with sore lips/ It just wasn’t like/ The old days anymore” 31. “Cemetry Gates”

“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” (1984)

Introduced by Sergei Prokofiev’s classical piece Montagues And Capulets, Morrissey and company immediately set the tone as they lay into a colossally wired version of The Queen Is Dead. It’s followed by visceral takes of Panic and the band’s then-current single, Ask, before the group tease the audience with a snatch of Elvis Presley’s (Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame and then seamlessly segue into the song it directly inspired – Rusholme Ruffians from Meat Is Murder. RPM100 Albums". RPM. 40 (9). 5 May 1984. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011 . Retrieved 29 October 2008.