The Very Best of The Smiths

Description

It's a shame that the people responsible for The Very Best of The Smiths were neither shameless nor honest enough to include "Paint a Vulgar Picture" on this compilation. Morrissey's awesomely prescient analysis of record company rapacity ("Re-package! Re-package! Re-evaluate the songs/ Double-pack with a photograph/Extra track and a tacky badge") would have been a suitable introduction: The Smiths are already one of the most collected, compiled and anthologised bands in rock history (we've been here already with Best. . . 1 , Best. . . 2 , The World Won't Listen , Louder Than Bombs and Singles , and there's nothing new on The Very Best Of bar a claim that it is "Digitally Remastered", as if anyone can tell). However, it could reasonably be argued that The Very Best Of is not entirely redundant: it appears at a time when the British indie tradition that The Smiths raised to heights still unequalled is now in the hands of people who never knew these songs, who were still in short pants when The Smiths split in 1988. It might be hoped, therefore, that this collection will serve two purposes: one, to inspire today's crop in pursuit of the heights scaled here; two, to remind an increasingly unfussy audience of just how dull, timid and witless the likes of Travis, Coldplay and Stereophonics sound alongside "This Charming Man", "The Boy With The Thorn in His Side" and "How Soon Is Now?". --Andrew Mueller Import-only collection of digitally remastered tracks from one of the most influential British bands of the '80s. While many of their contemporaries sold more records, The Smiths' musical legacy casts a much bigger shadow and their influence can still be felt in modern Pop and Rock music many years after their 1987 split. This 23 track collection features many of their most popular songs including 'Panic', 'The Boy with the Thorn in His Side', 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now', 'Bigmouth Strikes Again', 'How Soon Is Now?', 'This Charming Man', 'What Difference Does It Make?', 'William, It Was Really Nothing', 'There Is a Light That Never Goes Out', 'Please Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want', and many more. The actor featured on the album cover is Charles Hawtrey, star of many Carry on films. Warner. 2001. Review: The one to have. By far the best Smiths compilation. - They may not have produced many albums, but this compilation shows that what they lacked in quantity, The Smiths more than made up for in QUALITY! Not a bad track in here and whereas with some of their other compilations the tracks have been "remastered" (or just ruined in most cases), this one has the songs sounding as I remember them as a spotty teen in the mid 80s. A really good collection. So pleased with this CD. Review: Easy Listening - Nice nostalgic listening