Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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54 of 55 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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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't you wish there were more bands like this?, 25 Aug 2007
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 tremendous record. I've owned it for so long I can't remember buying it, but I keep coming back to it again and again. I listen to it at least once a month.
It's just the great melodies, the intelligent lyrics, the great sense of romanticism and wistfulness set against a crumbling Northern landscape. If there's any better set of ingredients for great music I've not found them yet.
Where to start with stand-out tracks? With the exception of 'Shakespeare's Sister' which I've never really liked, I love them all. 'How Soon is Now' with its industrial, chugging guitars; the sense of naivete in 'This Charming Man'; the acerbic wit of 'Bigmouth Strikes Again'. For me though, it has to be 'There is a Light that Never Goes Out' - I want them to play that song at my funeral.
Seriously, you can forget your Coldplay and your Killers and all those other bands that seem so desperate to sound like a third rate U2 (who are themselves, these days, a second rate U2 it seems), this band is the real deal. Intelligent, inventive, bordering on genius. They do cast a shadow over a lot of the rubbish that masquerades as indie music these days.
If only there was another band like The Smiths. For a brief moment in the early 90s it looked like Suede might pull it off - until that all went horribly wrong. But I digress. This album is an essential addition to your collection. If you don't have it already, why don't you? You must be mad...
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