The Smiths (studio album) by The Smiths

For me, a bit more enjoyable than The Queen Is Dead. Maybe there’s more variety in song style in this debut album that does it. Otherwise, it’s basically the same kind of strummy, cheeky, possibly clinically depressed Brit Pop.

Morrissey seems like the kind of guy who, if he was your friend, you’d roll your eyes at a lot.

Morrissey's melancholy and Marr's mastery on the guitar - a perfect storm that produces one of the best bands of all time and I am absolutely certain if the robots let us survive and humans are still around in the year 3021 they will still be considered as such. When I discovered this band and Marr's brilliance I had to get a guitar and start playing again.

Highlights are Hand In Glove, Still Ill and Suffer Little Children ( + This Charming Man if you count the US version). The mixture of the lyrics and the haunting guitar on Suffer Little Children is amazing. "Oh Manchester, so much to answer for...". I will keep trying to play this on guitar.... one day maybe.

Album Rating: 80.50
(805/10)

It’s difficult for me to review this album objectively. I own ‘Hatful of Hollow’ on CD, playing it to death as a teen, and only listened to ‘The Smiths’ for the first time a few years ago. This album (‘The Smiths’) contains many of my least favourite tracks from Hatful of Hollow; admittedly better versions of ‘Still Ill’ etc.

It’s still a good album but I prefer ‘The Queen…’ and ‘Strangeways…’.

Side One

1. "Reel Around the Fountain" - 81
2. "You've Got Everything Now" - 79
3. "Miserable Lie" - 84
4. "Pretty Girls Make Graves" - 81
5. "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" (quotation from "Sonny Boy" by Ray Henderson, Lew Brown and Al Jolson) - 76

Side Two

1. "Still Ill" - 81
2. "Hand in Glove" - 73
3. "What Difference Does It Make?" - 96
4. "I Don't Owe You Anything" - 71
5. "Suffer Little Children" - 83

Antes 85, ahora 88.6

TREMENDO debut. Desde el opener con Reel Around The Fountain es muy sólido, con unos cuantos altibajos, pero que en resumen constituyen uno de los mejores albums debut de la música. Sobre todo en la versión de US en donde, la mejor parte del album en mi opinión son las fantásticas 4 canciones seguidas (This Charming Man, Still Ill, Hand in Glove y What Difference Does It Make?).

Ojo que Reel Around the Fountain también es de mis favoritas de la banda en general. Después You've Got Everything Now también la disfruto, al igual que Pretty Girls Make Graves. En mi opinión, las últimas dos canciones del album son decentes y muy rescatables, aunque no a la altura de las mejores del album. Asimismo, el mayor desacierto me parece Miserable Lie, que disfruto hasta antes de la parte en que Morrissey empieza a chillar LMAO. En fin, es en resumen un genial album, uno de mis favoritos, y mi segundo favorito de los Smiths, detrás de The Queen is Dead.

Quite a debut. It really introduced everyone to The Smiths, although for me it didn't age as much as their other records. I really liked Meat is Murder better. But, overall 85/100.

From teague 07/09/2020 00:53

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From Montpejo 04/19/2020 17:19

Highlights:

Reel Around The Fountain
Suffer Little Children
What Difference Does It Make?
Hand In Glove
Still Ill
You've Got Everything Now
Pretty Girls Make Graves

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amazing debut

Really good album.

Favorites: Reel Around The Fountain; You've Got Everything Now; This Charming Man; Still Ill; Hand In Glove; What Difference Does It Make?