Yeah, but which Smiths album is INESSENTIAL?!

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So which is it?

Also, who is the best Smiths-clone?
Gene? Interpol? Limp Bisquick?

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 3 March 2003 17:07 (twenty-three years ago)

"Hatful Of Hollow" is unneeded. A few great singles that are on no other ordinary album, but those are on compilations anyway.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 3 March 2003 17:10 (twenty-three years ago)

apart from the fact that hatful of hollow is the best album

― schnell schnell, Monday, 3 March 2003 17:16 (twenty-three years ago)

No, "Strangeways Here I Come" is the only truly good album they did. By then, they were finally making songs, not just Morissey reading his poems over Johnny Marr's guitar playing and inventing melodies to them along the way.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 3 March 2003 17:18 (twenty-three years ago)

strangeways here i come is smiths as embarrasing parody

― schnell schnell, Monday, 3 March 2003 17:20 (twenty-three years ago)

of self

― schnell schnell, Monday, 3 March 2003 17:23 (twenty-three years ago)

morrisey as self righteous observer magazine reader (C)

― schnell schnell, Monday, 3 March 2003 17:24 (twenty-three years ago)

I would say there was a distinct style change on that album. Particularly in the way they were writing songs. The songs seemed more precomposed, and it almost sounded like the melodies were actually composed before the lyrics were written. Which made them a lot better, I would say.

Apart from that album, Morrissey solo has been better than The Smiths were. And out of the English guitar bands of the 80s, The Cure and Stone Roses were SOOOOO much better.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 3 March 2003 17:25 (twenty-three years ago)

I would agree there's a distinct stylistic change; they went from writing great songs to writing horrible ones. There isn't a single song on _Strangeways..._ that measures up to median Smiths, let alone their best. (I would include among their best "This Night Has Opened My Eyes", "Oscillate Wildly", "Reel Around The Fountain", "What Difference Does It Make?", "Sheila Take A Bow", "Ask", "Rubber Ring", "How Soon Is Now?", "Bigmouth Strikes Again", "Shoplifters Of The World Unite" and "Back To The Old House".)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 3 March 2003 17:29 (twenty-three years ago)

I would say "Girlfriend In a Coma" is the best song they ever wrote.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 3 March 2003 17:30 (twenty-three years ago)

You're high, Geir. 'Hatful' is necessary for the version of 'Back to the Old House' that's on it. Morrissey's first couple of solo albums are maybe as good as 'Strangeways...', and that's it. I'm high too, so there you go!

― Bryan (Bryan), Monday, 3 March 2003 17:33 (twenty-three years ago)

The only song on _Strangeways..._ more embarrassing than "Girlfriend In A Coma" is "Unhappy Birthday".

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 3 March 2003 17:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Unless you were 17 when you first heard it, then it was TRUE TRUE TRUE.

― Bryan (Bryan), Monday, 3 March 2003 17:36 (twenty-three years ago)

I danced my LEEEHHGS down to the knees

― evil liah (gcannon), Monday, 3 March 2003 17:37 (twenty-three years ago)

I was under 17 when I first heard it and I thought it was mildly amusing. In fact, I felt somewhat genially towards the entirety of _Strangeways..._ as that was my first exposure to The Smiths and I liked the album until I heard EVERYTHING ELSE THAT THEY EVER DID and was shocked at how much better their older material is. Even older Smiths songs that I'm not that fond of ("This Charming Man", "Vicar In A Tutu") are light-years better than the songs on _Strangeways..._ ("A Rush..." excepted).

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 3 March 2003 17:41 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't like the debut much. "The Queen is Dead" towers over the rtest...

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Monday, 3 March 2003 17:44 (twenty-three years ago)

I agree Dan, but there was something about the production on 'Strangeways...' that makes it stand out (good or bad), and I sort of adopted it as my favorite Smiths album at the time because nobody else seemed to like it much. Silly reasons. Geir, I hope you know I was joking! Generally speaking, the Smiths were a difficult band to take very seriously, mostly thanks to Morrissey.

― Bryan (Bryan), Monday, 3 March 2003 17:47 (twenty-three years ago)

Strangeways is the best album, but Hatful has the best songs on it.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Monday, 3 March 2003 17:58 (twenty-three years ago)

The albums they did in the 80s and 90s.

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Monday, 3 March 2003 18:05 (twenty-three years ago)

S/T first album is horrendously mixed/produced; a vile turd with many duds, and what's repeated is inferior to the more vital single versions compiled for Hatful.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Monday, 3 March 2003 19:34 (twenty-three years ago)

The World Won't Listen.

― RJG (RJG), Monday, 3 March 2003 19:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Save the guitar reference in Rusholme Ruffians to Elvis P.(via And Marie's Her Name), Rank stank.

― christoff (christoff), Monday, 3 March 2003 20:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, half of the Smiths releases are random collections anyway, right? Are we talking "proper" albums here?

― donut bitch (donut), Monday, 3 March 2003 20:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Rank. and any of the 'singles' or 'best ofs'

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 3 March 2003 22:54 (twenty-three years ago)

I will admit that _Rank_ is slightly less essential than _Strangeways..._, but only SLIGHTLY.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 3 March 2003 22:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Rank slightly less essential = Rank is more rank?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 3 March 2003 22:56 (twenty-three years ago)

Wait, _Rank_ has "The Draize Train" on it, meaning it isn't as rank as _Strangeways..._.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 3 March 2003 22:57 (twenty-three years ago)

'The Draize Train' could be the greatest Smiths song of them all.

― Bryan (Bryan), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 00:43 (twenty-three years ago)

apropos to very little, something that's always sucked for me is that "Paint A Vulgar Picture" is perhaps the ultimate indie/guitar jaunty singalong EVER, but the lyrics/theme always kept me from belting it out, shower-stle. even at 17 i couldn't stand hearing myself sing about 'the record industry' -- wtf does that have to do with me??

― Aaron A., Tuesday, 4 March 2003 00:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Best Smiths rip-off moment: Another Sunny Day, "You Should All Be Murdered." Runner up- Ride virtually covering "Back to the Old House Again" on the Birdman e.p.. BTW, Mark Gardener is about to embark on a solo acoustic mini-tour of the US.

― R. Lim, Tuesday, 4 March 2003 01:52 (twenty-three years ago)

Anyway, the best Smiths album of all is of course called "Olympian" and was released under the alias of Gene in 1995...

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 02:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Were it not for the fact that I have transcended your particular sirensong, Geir, I would hunt you down and kill you for this statement. But I have moved on, yes yes...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 02:16 (twenty-three years ago)

guh, The World Won't Listen is the OBVIOUS answer to this question.

why won't you listen?

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 02:28 (twenty-three years ago)

uh.

the longpigs?

― hristov, Tuesday, 4 March 2003 02:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Am I the only person who doesn't really find this band very interesting AT ALL?

― Evan (Evan), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 03:44 (twenty-three years ago)

probably not.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 4 March 2003 05:07 (twenty-three years ago)

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