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The Very Best of the Smiths
 
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The Very Best of the Smiths
~ Smiths (Artist)
4.2 out of 5 stars 29 customer reviews (29 customer reviews)
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Product details

Track Listings
1. Panic
2. Boy With The Thorn In His Side
3. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
4. Ask
5. Bigmouth Strikes Again
6. How Soon Is Now
7. This Charming Man
8. What Difference Does It Make
9. William It Was Really Nothing
10. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
11. Girlfriend In A Coma
12. Hand In Glove
13. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
14. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
15. That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
16. I Know It's Over
17. Sheila Take A Bow
18. I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
19. Still Ill
20. Shakespeare's Sister
See all 23 tracks on this disc

Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
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

Description
Hits collection from arguably the greatest singles band of all-time, The Smiths. With the lyrical wordplay of Morrisseyand the mercurial guitar-playing of Johnny Marr, The Smithsblazed a trail across the eighties with a slew of truly great singles, all of which are included here. Includes 'The Boy With The Thorn In His Side', 'Panic' and 'There Is A LightThat Never Goes Out'.

 
Customer Reviews
29 Reviews
5 star: 62%  (18)
4 star: 17%  (5)
3 star: 10%  (3)
2 star: 3%  (1)
1 star: 6%  (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Unnecessarily repackaged, necessarily AMAZING tunes, 13 Dec 2001
By A Customer
Older Smiths fans will no doubt turn their nose up at this album, with so many other 'best of' compilations already available.
But people who have never heard an extensive collection of Smiths music before...well, it won't leave your stereo. One criticism, despite there being a phenomenal 23 tracks on here, is that there ISN'T ENOUGH! Frankly Mr Shankly, Cemetry Gates, This Night Has Opened my Eyes...where are they? This would have something to do with the fact that the album is 78 minutes long, any longer and the CD would jump.
The tracks that you're left with are still jaw-droppingly good. Johnny Marr's cheery and insanely catchy minor chords are in complete contrast to Morrisey's terminally miserable lyrics. But don't let the misery put you off - if Morrissey were a dead poet he would be world famous. His lyricism is so miserable at times it's hilarious eg "Bigmouth Strikes Again": "Sweetness I was only joking when I said I'd like to smash every tooth in your head/sweetness I was only joking when I said by rights you should be bludgeoned in your bed". His voice is totally distinguishable; comedy pathos camp, if that makes any sense. There are however some great ballads on here: two are from their seminal "Queen Is Dead" album, "There Is A Light..." and "I Know It's Over". The songs with the most intriguing titles like "What Difference Does It Make" and "Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before" do not disappoint. One thing that makes the Smiths so appealing is their honest English austerity - such as "Still Ill" - with the encouraging lyric of "if you must go to work tomorrow, well if I were you I wouldn't bother". I just can't fault this album at all - I don't want to sound gushy but seriously there is not one duff song on here. My favourites are "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now", "Stop Me...", "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others", and "Shoplifters Of The World Unite".
When you've worn this out, which won't be for absolutely ages, grab a copy of "The Queen Is Dead" and "Hatful Of Hollow".
The Smiths were only around from 1983-1987, but their music has and always will have a more lasting impact than five years.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction, 31 Aug 2006
It's really pointless to discuss whether or not the right tracks have been chosen for this release, since everybody will have a different opinion on what should or shouldn't be there. A "Very Best Of" set could easily have included Reel Around The Fountain, Girl Afraid, The Headmaster Ritual, Well I Wonder, Rusholme Ruffians, Rubber Ring, Asleep, Cemetry Gates, The Queen is Dead, Frankly Mr Shankly, You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby, Half a Person, Death of a Disco Dancer, A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours ... the list goes on. But there isn't a "dodgy" track in this selection - they're all among the best works of the band, and perhaps more importantly, they're all very accessible songs to new listeners. This makes "The Very Best of The Smiths" the perfect CD to introduce somebody to the band.

Another plus point is the audio quality, which is excellent. Some have complained about it, and the songs do indeed sound different to their original releases, but in almost every case, it is an improvement (especially the songs from the debut album, which always sounded poor). Don't listen for the difference on your PC or laptop - a quality CD player and speakers will reveal just how great this sounds is.

There are a couple of quibbles, however. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side sounds weaker and less melodic here, probably because they have remastered the single version of the song, as opposed to the superior version from The Queen is Dead. Also, the beautiful two-minute intro to Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me has been cut completely, as in the single release - while the song still sounds great, it now lacks the punch that makes the complete piece one of the Smiths' best. I'd have been happier to see a song like I Started Something I Couldn't Finish dropped totally from the CD to make room for the full intro.

Still, these are minor quibbles. For the new fan, this CD is perfect. If you're already a fan and are a devoted completist, and have a few quid to spare, this might be worth a look purely for the digital remastering, and to own the single version of Last Night I Dreamt ... on CD. But at this price, you can't really beat it as an introduction to the Smiths.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Band Summed Up In One Album, 30 Dec 2004
The Smiths are one of the greatest bands ever to come out of Britain, and the true greatness of their work is expressed on this album. It follows a loose chronological order, with most of their later songs at the end of the record. However the fact that it is a greatest hits collection means that it is a collection of songs, not an album as such. Despite this, all the classics are there, including "How Soon Is Now", "This Charming Man", "Hand In Glove", "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side" and "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out". One slight disadvantage is that the audio quality seems a little flat on some of the songs, but this is a minor gripe. Obviously if you already own the bulk of their output, this album isn't really required, but it's a great introduction to Morrissey & Marr's band and their sublime work. The sleeve, with Charles Haughtrey on the front also follows in the tradition of their quirky, surreal cover art.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Great songs but only good for casual fans
This album has a special place in my heart as it was the first Smiths album I brought when I was 14 years old. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mozfan

4.0 out of 5 stars Great band, excellent songs, but......
If you don't own a Smiths album then you could do worse than buy this. They're my favourite band and this album isn't enough for a fan, indeed there's very little point owning it... Read more
Published 3 months ago by The Bogie Fan

5.0 out of 5 stars Something truely Amazing!!!
It took me one listen of 'There is a light that never goes out' and I went and bought this album. Essential a crash course guide to what the Smiths were about. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. MM Hickey

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't you wish there were more bands like this?
Purists never like Best Of compilations, and yes, there are undoubtedly some great Smiths songs that aren't on this cd, but that doesn't change the fact that this is essentially a... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Cuban Heel

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent compilation..
This is an excellent introduction to The Smiths, and is similar in content to the earlier "Singles" compilation. Read more
Published 8 months ago by P. Philips