Customer Reviews

Best of 1

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I gave this five stars completely based on the music within it, not the actual product itself. I adore The Smiths, so obviously I love these songs, but like many people have pointed out, this is a very weak collection. I took it upon myself to construct an actual Smiths "Best of" collection, because none of the ones actually released are satisfactory in my opinion. The "Singles" collection was okay, but there are more classic Smiths songs that weren't necessarily singles. The "Very Best Of Collection" was an import, and although was kinda more thorough than any other Smiths collection still left out songs and had sloppy song sequencing. And the two part "Best of Vol. 1 And 2" collection is basically a joke if you ask me (Sloppy song sequencing, Obvious exclusions, And many songs that shouldn't be on there.) The split two part collection feels very distant and random. If anything, it should have been released as a double album instead of two seperate albums, because neither of them seem very relevant to eachother, and not even just because of the uneven/flawed tracklists. It just doesn't work.

A definative Smiths collection would look like this:

[Disc 1]
01. This Charming Man
02. Panic
03. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
04. How Soon Is Now?
05. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
06. Hand In Glove
07. That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
08. Ask
09. Shelia Take A Bow
10. I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
11. William, It Was Really Nothing
12. Cemetry Gates
13. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
14. Asleep
15. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me

[Disc 2]
01. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
02. I Know It's Over
03. Still Ill
04. Shoplifters Of The World Unite
05. Bigmouth Strikes Again
06. Nowhere Fast
07. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
08. Girlfriend In A Coma
09. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
10. What Difference Does It Make?
11. Rusholme Ruffians
12. The Queen Is Dead
13. Shakespeare's Sister
14. Rubber Ring
15. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

The "Best Of The Smiths" volumes 1 & 2 are disappointing and should not be bought. They are not a good introduction to the music of the Smiths or a good overview of their career; the 'Best Of' albums leave out many of their seminal songs and contain bizarre choices. The CD entitled "Singles", which simply has all 18 of the Smiths' singles, is far better than the 'Best Of' CDs as far as showing what the Smiths were all about, or giving you much of their best material in one source. "Singles" works very well as an album- it doesn't have the disjointed feel of many "greatest hits" collections, probably because the Smiths released all of their material in a period of only a couple years. That "Singles" is superior to "Best Of The Smiths" is not only my opinion, but the opinion of the majority of Smiths fans.

As one person pointed out, this compilation is an incoherent hodgepodge of Smiths tunes. But since every tune on the cd is good, there is no reason to pan the album, especially since it includes the greatest Smiths tune of all time... Panic. For hardcore Smiths fan this cd is a waste of money since every REAL Smiths fan has every album/cd already. But for those looking to see what the Smiths are all about, this cd is a great introduction.

Look, I know it may seem pretentious to title a review "READ THIS" but look - anyone can talk about the layout of a greatest hits album, but I just want to talk about why the Smiths are a good band and why, if you haven't listened to them before, you should.
The truth is, everyone should be exposed to the Smiths at some point. They make you think about how insane life is and they capture the frenetic disassociation of being a teenager in a more intense way than almost any other band. Let me support that claim. I think that in terms of emotion in music, pure musical expression, the Smiths are one of the best bands ever. Yea, their songs can be truly masochistic, but it's in such a satisfying way. When you listen to the Smiths, you have permission to go slightly insane (more or less, depending on your mood) and if you want, feel terrible and approach your sadness face to face. That's what the Smiths are famous for, expressing that kind of emotional state often referred to as "ennui", but kind of hard to define - it's what high school can be like, kind of confused and and angry but mostly sad, sometimes bordering on hopelesness. And of all the bands of the 80s that focused heavily on that feeling, I think the Smiths express it better than any other. They just seem to be more sincere and to-the-point about their subject matter than, say, even Talking Heads or Tears for Fears. Those are both great bands in my opinion but I think that the way they get through to you is different, and that they're more ambiguous. And not that I'm knocking ambiguity either, but simplicity of expression deserves to be commended as something that conveys sincerity and familiarity. The music itself "sounds" brooding and can "sound" at times self-absorbed, but mostly it's just very intense and dark (Take "How Soon is Now?," their most famous song for example). But that brings me to my next point: the Smiths also express happiness in their songs as well, a kind of jubilation. The songs "Ask" and "William it Was Really Nothing" are just endlessly bouncy and playful - it's just expressing the opposite end of the artists's emotional expression in an equally emotional way. The Smiths aren't afraid to be unabashedly emotional and that's the best thing about them. If you think they take it too far sometimes remember that expressing oneself tends to compel one to take it to an artistic extreme, and that's not necessarily a negative.
Anyway, if you've read this far you probably already know if you want to check the Smiths out, so I say give them a shot. 80s music is the best.

Remember when you could watch MTV's 120 minutes and hear some good music along with the videos (remember when MTV HAD good videos? ) This is very similar, and the songs are awesome. It's an interesting combination of music, but for the most part, it's great. Like another reviewer stated, it reminds you of the times you sat in your bedroom contemplating the meaning of your teenage life...and wondering if your goth friends would really notice that your black shirt wasn't the exact same hue as your black pants. A fun trip back in time!

...those who don't normally like 80s music. I fall into this category, even though I grew up in that soulless, vapid decade. I harbor none of the nostalgia that many of my peers seem to revel in... for me, most of the classic music was produced before I was toddling around in short britches, and the advent of music videos marked the decline of honest, gritty tunes that stimulated both heart and mind. It all nose-dived into flat, echoey drumming, bad synths, worse haircuts, and a glossy sheen which sucked the very lifeblood out of everything. That's what kept me from exploring the Smiths for so long. Even though recent artists I've admired have name-checked them, (e.g. Jeff Buckley and Ryan Adams,) I just couldn't get past my anti-80s stance, and a cursory listen to the Amazon clips only confirmed my doubts. Morrisey had that mopey, monotonous sound, indistinguishable from most British vocalists of that time. The production was shimmery and too "perfect." I passed, but a nagging feeling persisted-- maybe this band had something special that I was missing. So, after the purchase of "Best Of's I & II" and frequent listening, I became a Smiths convert. What set them apart for me was the strength of songwriting and Johnny Marr's unique guitar style. Yes, certain hallmarks of the 80s sound still grate, but if you can affix new ears and delve deeper, you'll discover a brilliant band which carved out a niche for itself on the shoulders of giants... no mean feat. The Smiths require multiple listens to truly appreciate... their charms dig beneath you skin insidiously. Now they can fit neatly in my CD collection between the Rolling Stones and Television and not seem out of place. This is the real deal-- spend some time with the lads, you won't be disappointed.

The Smiths are an amazing band, these are incredible songs, and this is a decent collection. I had this once, and always felt like I was missing something, and that was "Volume 2". These 14 songs are wonderful again, but if you don't get "Volume 2" with it, skip it. For one-stop shopping, I might suggest "Singles", which is 18 tracks on one disc, and more bang for your buck. If money is no factor, get the remastered import "Very Best Of", which is 23 tracks. I'd even recommend the 24 track "Louder Than Bombs" disc, though that's short a few essential songs. Obviously you have many choices, but only 14 Smiths songs isn't a good one.

An incoherent hodgepodge. No logical track order on this or the related Smiths Best II. The songs are good, but for a two-CD set, Sire records has criminally overlooked some of their best tracks. Still, mediocre Smiths is still better than great Bon Jovi.

The Smiths back in 1982 helped pave the way for the British alternative music scene. Being only 2 when their debut self titled album came out I have only recently been able to appreciate the influence they have made on modern day alternative music.

I bought this album as an introduction to the Smiths and Morrisey, and I have to say I was very impressed with what I heard. It's hard to find a bad song on the album - panic, hand in glove and half a person are my personal favourites.

I agree with other reviewers who say this album is a good introduction to the Smiths, I am now in the process of getting all their albums. Buy this you won't be disappointed.

One thing I hate are "Greatest Hits" combos. Especially anyone that contain the power and pain of The Smiths. This band truly epitomized much of alernative 80's listening. They rarely toured and spent most of their existence in their core Manchester cubicles. Yet their songs touched much of the English-speaking indie world.

For those who have heard about The Smiths and would like a culled taste of what the revolution was all about, buy this CD. It will not dissappoint!