Louder Than Bombs

The Smiths

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: July 7, 1987
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002LBH
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,107 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Track Listings

1. Is It Really So Strange?

2. Sheila Take a Bow

3. Shoplifters of the World Unite

4. Sweet and Tender Hooligan

5. Half a Person

6. London

7. Panic

8. Girl Afraid

9. Shakespeare's Sister

10. William, It Was Really Nothing

11. You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby

12. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now

13. Ask

14. Golden Lights

15. Oscillate Wildly [Instrumental]

16. These Things Take Time

17. Rubber Ring

18. Back to the Old House

19. Hand in Glove

20. Stretch Out and Wait

See all 24 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

This 1987 collection of Smiths album tracks, B-sides, and singles (and roughly half of Hatful of Hollow) is a worthy essential Smiths due to its scope and size. Twenty-four tracks in all, it includes hits such as the irresistible and bouncy "Ask," the Smiths prototype "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now," "William, It Was Really Nothing," "Panic," and "Hand in Glove." Lesser-known tracks like the lovely, piano-driven instrumental "Oscillate Wildly," the dark "Rubber Ring," and the weary "Half a Person" are strong enough to stand without the benefit of support from the hits. There are a few misses here, but they're hardly noticeable when surrounded by all the great tracks. Plus, a number of must-haves ("You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby," "Stretch Out and Wait," "Half a Person") are virtually unavailable elsewhere. --Lorry Fleming

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Louder Than Bombs..., February 15, 2008

By	Donna J. Slutz - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you own all four of the Smiths albums..."The Smiths", "Meat Is Murder", "The Queen Is Dead" and "Strangeways, Here We Come"...the album "Louder Than Bombs" is like the Beatles "Past Masters 1 & 2" collection but not as complete. This album does collect a nice piece of The Smiths songs not released on the four albums though. With "Louder Than Bombs", you have all of The Smiths non-album singles along with most of the B-Sides but not all of them...

"Louder Than Bombs" scrapes up the following songs...

Non-Album Singles:

Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - 3:34 (1984 non-Album UK Single)
William, It Was Really Nothing - 2:11 (1984 non-Album UK Single)
Shakespeare's Sister 2:08 (1985 non-Album UK Single)
Panic - 2:20 (1986 non-Album UK Single)
Ask - 3:12 (1986 non-Album UK Single)
Shoplifters Of The World Unite - 2:58 (1987 non-Album UK Single)
Sheila Take A Bow - 3:02 (1987 non-Album UK Single)

B-Sides:

Back To The Old House - 3:04 (1984 B-Side of "What Difference Does It Make")
These Things Take Time - 2:23 (1984 B-Side of "What Difference Does It Make")
Girl Afraid - 2:49 (1984 B-Side of "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now")
Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want - 1:52 (1984 B-Side of "William, It Was Really Nothing")
Oscillate Wildly - 3:25 (1985 B-Side of "How Soon Is Now")
Stretch Out And Wait - 2:46 (1985 B-Side of "Shakespeare's Sister")
Asleep - 4:11 (1985 B-Side of "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side")
Rubber Ring - 3:48 (1985 B-Side of "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side")
Unloveable - 3:56 (1986 B-Side of "Bigmouth Strikes Again")
Golden Lights - 2:43 (1986 B-Side of "Ask")
London - 2:08 (1987 B-Side of "Shoplifters Of The World Unite")
Half A Person - 3:36 (1987 B-Side of "Shoplifters Of The World Unite")
Is It Really So Strange? - 2:42 (John Peel Session) (1987 B-Side of "Sheila Take A Bow")
Sweet And Tender Hooligan (John Peel Session) - 3:33 (1987 B-Side of "Sheila Take A Bow")

The other 3 songs on the album are:

Hand In Glove - 3:15 (Single Version)
You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby - 3:33 (Taken from mispressings of the "Shoplifters Of The World Unite" single)
This Night Has Opened My Eyes (John Peel Session) - 3:40 (Also can be found on "Hateful Of Hollow")


The CD booklet that comes with the album has the lyrics to all 24 songs featured across 10 pages with about 2 or 3 songs per page.

On another note, there are only a handful of songs you don't have with this collection and the four albums released by the band. Below are the remaining 9 songs and where you can get them on CD...


"The World Won't Listen" album:
Money Changes Everything


"Hateful Of Hollow" album:
Accept Yourself
Handsome Devil


"Rank" Live album:
The Draize Train (Live)


"Sweet And Tender Hooligan" single:
I Keep Mine Hidden
Work Is A Four Letter Word
What's The World


and now the last and hardest of the songs to get...


"This Charming Man" Single:
Jeane
Wonderful Woman

...Not all releases of "This Charming Man" has "Jeane" & "Wonderful Woman". You have to find a copy made before the 1992 re-release. There are many different versions but just make sure it has the two songs above on it. There are also two CD Maxi-Singles of "This Charming Man" that are easy to get that were released in 1990...You have to buy both of these to get the two songs "Jeane" and "Wonderful Woman"...


The first CD Maxi-Single features:

1.This Charming Man (Manchester)
2.Jeane
3.Accept Yourself


The second CD Maxi-Single features

1.This Charming Man (Manchester)
2.This Charming Man (London)
3.This Charming Man (New York Vocal)
4.This Charming Man (New York Instrumental)
5.This Charming Man (Peel Session)
6.This Charming Man (Single Version)
7.This Charming Man (Original Single Version)
8.Wonderful Woman

60 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The songs are timeless...it is me that has grown old., May 11, 2004

By	meccano (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

There are things in life that will always defy explanation to those who have not experienced them. I can try to tell you what it is like having a son or falling in love, but will you really understand until it happens to you? The Smiths are one of those things that I could TRY to explain to you, but alas my feeble attempt to verbally express the impact The Smiths had on my left would never be properly conveyed. During my 20th summer on this planet, LOUNDER THAN BOMBS played nonstop on my 1984 Dodge Charger's Blaupunkt stereo as I drive from my part time job at the movie theatre in West LA to summer classes downtown at USC. From "Is It Really So Strange?" to the last song "Asleep" and back again I had BOMBS playing endlessly. For that moment in time it became as important to me as air and blood. I don't listen to LOUDER THAN BOMBS over and over again anymore, but I don't really have to as the changes it affected in me have already been done (for better or worse). Like REM's first studio album Murmur, or losing my virginity, I think about LOUNDER THAN BOMBS and smile with a mix of pain, happiness and regret. The songs are timeless; alas it is me a mere mortal that has grown old. Feel free tender hooligans to take this for your own, for your summer of any year yet to come, and let it melt into the pores of your being.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sixteen Clumsy and Shy...., June 8, 2000

By	"iheartcrass" (NC) - See all my reviews

This is the Smiths album I would give a friend if they wanted to know what the Smiths sounded like. There are 24 amazing tracks on here full of the MOZ wit and the MARR guitar sound. This album reads almost like a greatest hits series. I can't think of one song on here that lacks that Wilde wit and bittersweet feeling that Moz delivers in his songs. I must admit my favorite tracks here are "Half a Person", "This Night Has Opened My Eyes", "Heaven Knows Im Miserable Now", and the always fun "ASK". This album makes me want to pull my black turtle neck out of the closet and go spend the afternoon in the park sketching or having a pic-nic with a close friend who can recite Shelly and Poe. If you know the Smiths, you know what I mean. If you don't know the Smiths, here's your chance!