The World Won't Listen [IMPORT]

The Smiths

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 18, 1993)
• Original Release Date: March 1987
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Warner Bros UK
• ASIN: B0000073X4
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #115,779 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
1986 hits & B-sides comp on WEA International. 18 tracks, including the CD exclusive of 'Money Changes Everything', aninstrumental that later became Bryan Ferry's hit 'The Right Stuff' in 1987 when he added lyrics & vocals to it. Others include 'Panic', 'London', 'Bigmouth Strikes Again', 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out', 'Shoplifters Of The World Unite', 'The Boy With The Thorn In His Side', 'Ask' & 'You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby'.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better off with the actual albums, January 9, 2004

By	K. Kennedy "kak513" (Long Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Few Surprises On World Wont Listen, March 27, 2000

By	Jeffrey Whitcher "Beatles freak" (Garden City, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unnecessary but excellent if you don't have "Louder Than Bombs", October 6, 2005

By	SandmanVI (Glen Allen, VA United States) - See all my reviews

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.