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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Their only officially released live concert...and it's okay., 25 Aug 2003
Recorded live by the BBC at the National Ballroom, Kilburn, England on 23rd October 1986 during The Smiths' "The Queen Is Dead" tour, "Rank", the only officially released live concert, has many drawbacks, most of which could have been avoided. But first, the plus points:There's a nice mix of songs, albeit predominately from their later years. There's the catchy ones, such as "Panic", "Ask", "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side", as well as those which reward perseverance, such as "Rusholme Ruffians" and "I Know It's Over". The Smiths were often bootlegged, but the sound quality on "Rank", despite sounding a bit tinny and confined, is better than you will find on almost all of them, probably only with the exception of their performance at The Apollo Theatre, Oxford, England on 18th March 1985 (also recorded by the BBC, and has been broadcast on radio in the past, so watch out for it). Now the negative points: This is not the complete concert! "I Want The One I Can't Have", "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out", "Shakespeare's Sister", "Frankly, Mr. Shankly", "Never Had No One Ever", "Meat Is Murder" and "How Soon Is Now?" were all played at this concert, so why oh why aren't they here? Morrissey's harmless comments during the show have also been cut. These would add nicely to the atmosphere, so once again, why aren't they here? Finally, I expect any officially released live concert to have a seamless changing between tracks (even if a concert has been edited, it's still do-able). For the most part, the track changes are pretty seamless, but, in the middle of the CD, there's a fade-out then a fade-in between tracks, which really destroys the continuation - was this really necessary?! Conclusion: "Rank" is the only official way to hear The Smiths live, which, for all its faults, makes it essential. Alternatively, you could watch out for the full "Rank" concert to be broadcast on radio, as it has been in the past (including recently on the digital BBC Radio 6).
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