Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
OMG I miss the '80s: The Smiths live on, June 1, 2005
Confession: I was in college when The Smiths released the Strangeways and Louder than Bombs albums, so if you do the math that makes me - um, well, older than I was when I was in college. Anyway, the '80s were a fantastic time to be listening to new popular music, and The Smiths were one of the bands that defined the decade. I no longer have my vinyl LPs, and even some of my early CD's are gone, but I recently bought "Singles" and I realized how much I missed this band.
Morrissey's vocals, Marr's guitar - the whole effect is so much more emotional than the self-conscious stuff that passes as pop now. Really, there's a kind of melancholy ultra-British-ness to the whole thing, like they're so NOT concerned about looking like pin-up boys, or with syrupy cheery lyrics that they just pour themselves into the music. And every song here is unlike all the cookie-cutter tunelessness we get today. No one actually sings anymore. Morrissey just reminded me.
If you are new to The Smiths, this is a fantastic album. As another reviewer said, they really were a singles band, and for the most part these really are some of the best.
'How Soon is Now' is an '80s alternative anthem, with bitter clever lyrics ("I am the son and the heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar..." -- yikes, haven't heard that from Britney) and a riff you just never forget. 'Panic' likewise. Hang the DJ indeed. Sometimes the vocals are so ridiculously good it's hard to believe this band gets shelved in the 'rock' section ' - the singing on 'The Boy with the Thorn in his Side' just twists and turns and Morrissey's on top of it every note.
This is alternative rock at its best, jangly guitar riffs, brooding and very English vocals, breakneck fast and morose in just the right doses. There are other great bands from the '80s, but The Smiths were unique. When they disbanded after the 'Strangeways' album (in 1987 I think), it was a kind of blessing only in that they quit before the energy and creativity left. Their last album is a stunner - nothing half hearted.
"I've seen this happen in other people's lives, now it's happening in mine."
Whew. Yeah buy it. ;)
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There Is A Light That Will Never Goe Out !, June 9, 2002
This is a collection of the stunning Smiths singles that lit up the dire and musically bankrupt Eighties . Hardly any of these singles broke into the Top Ten , but don't let that fool you , as this set is as good , if not better than anything you will find in Rock and Pop's vast array of " Greatest Hits " collections ( and I don't say that lightly ) .From 1983 - 1987 in an astonishing burst of creativity , The Smiths released these seventeen singles , with B-sides that most bands would die for ( the last song on this cd is an album track that was released as a single long after the demise of the band ) , and four classic albums . The Smiths were anything but an orthodox rock band , thanks to the acrobatic vocal dynamics of their charismatic lead singer , their unusual song structures and the subjects touched upon in these songs , and above all Morrissey's lyrics that were a revelation to me in the 1980's . Up until that point I had never heard lyrics that were so unselfconsious about laying bare the singers troubled psyche to the public , but that was only part of it . Morrissey's disorientating language also blurred the boundaries between the genders , in some songs you are not sure if the protagonist is a man or woman , or even transexual . His early lyrics in particular had a dark , ambiguous undercurrent to them , songs such as " The Hand That Rocks The Cradle " could be about a loving parent , but if you read between the lines , the hand rocking the cradle might be a far more sinister figure . The unusual and sometimes taboo subjects dealt with in the Smiths songs were tempered by Morrissey's very funny , and self-deprecating wit , he had the knack of disturbing the listener and making them laugh at the same time ( not a comfortable feeling ) . Throughout their brief but brilliant career The Smiths enjoyed a large underground following in the UK but never broke America , they were lionised by the British music press , but were constantly at odds with some of Britain's daily tabloids who would often try to whip up controversy by deliberatly misinterpreting Morrissey's lyrics , " Suffer Little Children " a song from their debut LP is a case in point , this haunting , beautiful lament to the victims of the moors murderers was portrayed by the press as a glorification of the murderers , the controversy only ended after one of the victims mothers publicly stated that the song was a moving tribute to the victims . Anyway , enough of that ...... all I really want to say is , if you like gorgeous melodies , fantastic guitar playing , subversive lyrics , and want to hear some of the most imaginative and exciting music ever written , you'll find eighteen prime examples on this CD . It's appropriate that the foldout booklet shows the picture covers to all of The Smiths singles and albums , as this was another integral part of their art , but that's another story .............. Essential !
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the charming man, June 16, 2005
i'm a very seasoned classic rock and jazz listener. i just do not know how this fantastic band escaped my eye for such a long time. this is simply the apex of pop music and when you listen to them you know there's something special here - it is just magic. morrissey's vocals, poetry and idealism are so rare in the music industry where talent and originality have become a byline. he catches your imagination with his art, wit, openness and compassion. johnny marr's shimmering fret work provides the able foil to his band leader's genius. if you fall in love with this album but still don't want to buy the other individual albums, check out the other great collection - louder than bombs. there're only seven overlaps between the two - you get some 16 odd extra songs there. great great great stuff!
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