The Sound of the Smiths [Original recording remastered]

Available in two editions (one or two discs), the Sound... is , like Neil Young's Decade, that rare beast - a compilation that can appeal to newcomers and hardcore fans alike. Disc One packs in the usual suspects, from the underproduced first step of Hand In Glove to the last gasp of self-pitying despair, Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me. The deluxe version spoils us with rare b-sides, live treats (they were a band that were equally incredible on stage) and even demos (Pretty Girls Make Graves).

For the Smiths, in the early 80s, 12 was the magic number. The album re-acquaints us with the format that shook the world - the 12 inch mix. For anyone who wasn't there in the true heyday of independent rock music, this album includes the full glory of the extended mix of How Soon Is Now?. And on the second disc it's Francis Kevorkian's extended mix of This Charming Man which demonstrates exactly how important Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke were: locking tight beneath Marr's 12-string Rickenbacker.

On paper it was always an odd concept: grey Northern kitchen sink drama wedded to West Coast jangle. But, like Led Zeppelin, that's the greatness of The Smiths. They were a band that were always more than the sum of their parts, and perfectly of their time. At an age when London no longer ruled our airwaves and post industrial Britain was in the iron grip of Thatcherism they were a special place for the more sensitive among us to hide.

The joys are too many to list, though in newly minted guise it's the oddities that make these gems shine again. The gulls crying at the end of Ask, the squawking harmonica on Hand In Glove. And it also becomes clear how, faced with a splintering band and the pressures of fame, Morrissey retreated into the blackest of humour. Girlfriend in a Coma still being the grimmest of self-parodic jokes.

The Sound Of The Smiths may come in the wake of a heap of compilations, but it's probably the last word on a band that will always be one of this nation's greatest treasures. Now, can we have that tour? --Chris Jones

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The Sound Of The Smiths is available as either a single disc or two disc collection. Disc one comprises 23 tracks and presents all the Smiths' memorable single releases, reinstating singles that were scheduled though eventually unreleased in that form ("Still Ill" and "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby") plus European only singles including "Barbarism Begins At Home" and "The Headmaster Ritual". The core of disc one, however, is that matchless run of singles from their first Rough Trade 7 inch "Hand In Glove" to the posthumous "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me". The collection includes genuine classic hits such as "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now", "How Soon Is Now", "Panic" and "Girlfriend in A Coma" which marked the pinnacle of that unique creative collaboration between vocalist Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr. Indeed, Morrissey's eloquence and proselytising was always matched by the compelling musicianship of Marr, bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce.

The two disc format adds a further 22 tracks including rare b-sides, tracks that were exclusive to 12 inch releases and selected live recordings. Among the rarities are the Troy Tate produced "Pretty Girls Make Graves", "What's The World", a cover of a track from the fellow Manchester band James, recorded live at Barrowlands, Glasgow, originally released only on a cassette single and the live "Meat Is Murder" from the vinyl 12 inch single version of "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore".