I put this on my list because the american version has "this charming man"

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What a breath for alternative music, a cold and suffocated breath indeed, but a much needed one. The Smiths came with a sound that was simple, in a time of extravagances, of synths, of eletric drums, they came with a open sound, that in each and every music of them, sounded more like a poem.

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This is a great album with every track having something to offer - in particular Reel Around the Fountain, This Charming Man, and What Difference Does it Make - on which that opening guitar is astounding and gets me bouncing inside every time

The Smiths ruled, for awhile, and rightly so. Great music like nothing I had heard before.

I've reviewed this album once already, listened to it too many times to count and I still keep coming back to it. Forget the slightly rough production, this is The Smiths laying out their mantra and their manifesto, and it is wonderful from start to finish.

I grew up with this album and it helped make me who I am today. I bought it from HMV on CD in 2014, right at the start of Sixth Form for me. Few albums could have provided a better soundtrack, with the themes of youth, loneliness and discontent with the world contextualised against the sound of early-80s Manchester that is so vividly captured in the songs on this record embodying what I myself was going through.

Contrary to what some believe, it's not depressing. Far from it. It's filled with a melancholic hope, that despite how rubbish the world is, you are not alone and you certainly don't have to feel sad about it. The Smiths' debut is a friend, an accomplice and an advisor.

And the more you listen, the more you realise how accurate and relevant it is. And just how good it is; this is Jangle Pop like no other, and I could wax lyrical about all the tracks on here. The real highlight is the second half, from This Charming Man (on CD versions) to What Difference Does It Make?, which really is one amazing song after another.

Summarising what The Smiths' debut means to me is hard, because it's so personal and so integral both to who I am and the music I've since gone on to explore. And indeed, I feel like it's one of those albums that everyone has their own personal experience with. That's what makes it truly special.

For me, its greatest strength is the message it lays out: the world is rubbish, and there's not much you can do about it. So, rather than getting wallowed down in its sadness, embrace it.

Because the music that kind of attitude produces is what makes life worth living for.

Greatest debut ever?

Great debut, a shame that 'This Charming Man' wasn't on the first issue.. It's my favourite Smiths track!

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