Customer Reviews

World Won't Listen (Mlps)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most of these songs are available elsewhere:
1. Panic.......Louder Than Bombs

2. Ask.......Louder Than Bombs

3. London.......Louder Than Bombs

4. Bigmouth Strikes Again.......The Queen Is Dead

5. Shakespeare's Sister.......Louder Than Bombs

6. There Is a Light That Never Goes Out.......The Queen Is Dead

7. Shoplifters of the World Unite.......Louder Than Bombs

8. Boy With the Thorn in His Side.......The Queen Is Dead

9. Money Changes Everything

10. Asleep

11. Unloveable.......Louder Than Bombs

12. Half a Person.......Louder Than Bombs

13. Stretch Out and Wait.......Louder Than Bombs

14. That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore.......Meat Is Murder

15. Oscillate Wildly.......Louder Than Bombs

16. You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby.......Louder Than Bombs

17. Rubber Ring.......Louder Than Bombs

18. Golden Lights.......Louder Than Bombs

This is a great starting point to the world of the Smiths. You get all of the best tracks from The Queen Is Dead and Louder Than Bombs. You could conceivably pick up this disc and Hatful Of Hollow and have a pretty comprehensive Smiths collection. Whatever you do, avoid the poorly sequenced best-of's and singles collections out there.

It's true that The Smiths' work has gotten the "reissue, repackage, repackage... extra track and a tacky badge" treatment in recent years. However that isn't really a valid criticism of this particular compilation. A reviewer below, with whom many of you seem to agree, actually makes a horribly illogical argument. He contends that you are better of buying the "actual albums" citing that most of these tracks can be had on "Louder Than Bombs". Well my friend, "Louder Than Bombs" was a compilation of early singles just like this one. LTB and TWWL were essentially the same exact album released for the same exact purpose. In fact, LTB is just TWWL released in the US as opposed to the UK intended to be basically a simultaneous release on opposite sides of the Pond. In reality "World..." slightly predates "Louder..." by several months; TWWL was released in the UK in February of 1987 while LTB was released in the US in May of the same year. So "Louder..." was NOT an "actual" album and it didn't come first.

Another reviewer says he hates the redundancy of Smiths' releases. I do too, but that is also germane only to later comps and not to this release. As noted before this and LTB are really just the same album intended for different populations... no one ever expected you to buy both. People in America were supposed to buy LTB while fans in the UK were supposed to buy TWWL... period. Having only the studio albums would cheat you out of many, many of the band's best songs. The simple truth is that every fan needs EITHER LTB or TWWL but not both. As for the posthumously released hits collections, I think they are redundant and I don't own them. The only argument that one can really make is that this is somewhat redundant with "Hatful of Hollow". However "Hatful" was never meant to be a proper release of the singles, rather it was released (very early in their career in 1984 I might add) to answer demand from fans for recordings of the band's Radio One John Peel Sessions; they added in a number of b-sides that many fans did not have to add value... so this was actually an attempt to help the fan out not to milk the redundancy cow. The versions at times are considerably different than the official versions and there are a couple of tracks hard to find elsewhere.

OK enough griping but I really hate inaccuracy and false arguments if you can't tell.

Having said the above, I personally slightly prefer "Louder Than Bombs" to "The World Won't Listen" simply because it is domestic and therefore cheaper, otherwise they are essentially the same. The only thing offered here that is truly rare is the instrumental "Money Changes Everything", later used as the music for Bryan ferry's hit "The Right Stuff" from 'Bete Noire'... a great song that Marr actually played on. Obviously the music is great as you already know.

There are only two songs on this collection that can be considered "rarities". The first, "Money Changes Everything" is an instrumental which would later serve as the backing track for Bryan Ferry's song "The Right Stuff" from his Bete Noire album (which, incidentally, Johnny Marr plays on). The second is a different vocal track (which a slight change in lyrics) for "Stretch Out And Wait". Apart from that there is nothing new here that isnt available on The Smiths U.S catalog. But hey, no Smiths is bad Smiths.

For the America Smiths fan, it's totally not worth paying the money to buy an import copy of this. All of the songs can be found on albums here except for Money Changes Everything, which is an instrumental and you can live without. The alternate vocal version of Stretch Out and Wait is on here as well, but unless you're a hardcore Smiths fan, it's not worth it.

If you value quality of quantity then The World Won't Listen is for you (over Louder than Bombs). Aside from just a compilation of various tracks from their canon; this Smiths album is a wonderfully thought out collection of songs. It's a arrangement that flows wonderfully together, from one song to the next. For me, that's a crucial aspect of any album or compilation. And this collection fits that role perfectly.

It's also worth mentioning that this album's version of Stretch Out and Wait is lovely and that the inclusion of Marr's two instrumental masterpeieces (Money Changes Everything and Oscillate Wildly) works well as interludes between the standard songs - it's something I always do when I create playlists for myself and something I appreciate here as well.

If aging has made me anything it's less apologetic for the things I love. Having heard the Smiths mercilessly berated over the years - usually by individuals so emotionally closed and sarcastic it's heartbreaking - I can only turn away from the criticism leveled at what is perhaps the most lyrical and musically influential band of the eighties.

It's easy to see that deep down Morrissey scares certain people, usually those who have never worn their hearts anywhere near their sleeves. He only evokes mockery from individuals too fearful to be real. Because let's face it, that's what the Smiths represent: a stepping out; an emotional release; one so courageous and embarrassingly stark that only those who have walked through the flames of self-expression can really understand it. And as for their critics... well, I don't see a need for those kinds of people anyway.

Many have dubbed this album "Hatful of Hollow Mark II," and I suppose that's just what it is. "Panic" and "Ask" were high watermarks for the group, glorious in their imploring invitations, open defiance, and unexpected honesty, but there is somber, subtle beauty to be found in such songs as "Asleep" and "Stretch Out and Wait."

Differences between the Warner version of The World Won't Listen and the original Rough Trade release are noticeable, with Warner having added "Money Changes Everything," the instrumental version of what would later become Brian Ferry's comeback anthem, "The Right Stuff," and "Golden Lights," a cover of a sixties track that originally appeared as a b-side and then on the American release Louder Than Bombs. While important by themselves, these tracks neither hurt nor help the original Rough Trade release, although they may make the purchase of this album somewhat superfluous if you're considering buying Louder than Bombs.

I bought both albums when they were released and I still listen to each one about the same amount, although I will admit to a preference for The World Won't Listen, probably due to the fact that I had it for about a year and had grown accustomed to the track listing before LTB was released.

Louder Than Bombs was my first Smiths album, and it took me a while to really get into it. I pushed my way through the songs, discovering the songs toward the end of the album much later. In short, it didn't flow for me. I bought The World Won't Listen unaware that it had most of the same songs as LTB, but as I listened, even though I was familiar with most of the songs, the album captivated my attention in a way LTB never did. If you want to have a solid collection, if you want a cheaper price, then go for LTB. However, if you want an album that works as an ALBUM, then get The World Won't Listen.

I own this on vinyl (well, used) and I think it sounds brilliant, just as good as a cd. This album is basically the same as "Louder than Bombs", released in the States, but I like the song order better. "Unloveable" is the best song in my opinion. "London", "Rubber Ring", "Oscillate Wildly" and "You just haven't earned it Yet, Baby" are great too. Any Smiths fan should buy it.

probebly the best record from the smiths. the voice and the words maken by morrisi are rare in today rock scene. you can cry from the words and feel elivated by the sound. "there is a light that never goes out" is one of my favurits songs, and oscilating wildly is great example of what good band can do with simple lyrics. enjoy!