Andy Rourke is secretly an MVP in this band. Obviously Marr and Morrissey are still the vital cogs in the band, but Rourke's bass playing is still crucial.
Easiest discography for me. Know this band’s music inside out. Remember buying the “ This Charming Man “ single in high school. Never, ever saw or perceived them as being a “depressing “ band . If you “got “ them ( and Morrissey in particular ) their catalogue is one of the most joyous, wonderful pop music experiences you’ll have. Thank you Morrissey for letting us into your head. Marr for providing the brilliant soundtrack . Underrated Rourke for his amazing bass work . (And even the outcast Mike Joyce ). My tribute to one of the greatest ever bands 👊🏻❤️ 1. The Queen is Dead: (5 stars) Most consistent, cohesive studio album One of the great guitar pop albums of all time . Standouts : Title Track , Boy with the Thorn in his side , Some Girls A Bigger than Others, There is a light that never goes out, Bigmouth Strikes Again 2. Meat is Murder. (5 stars) Never a fan of the sound on this album but doesn't matter .Great tunes , and Morrissey was never more cutting and brilliant lyrically . Standouts : Rusholme Ruffians, I Want the one I can't have, Headmasters Ritual, Nowhere Fast , That Joke isn't Funny Anymore 3. The Smiths : ( 5 stars) Brilliant Debut . Has This Charming Man on it . That's 5 stars immediately . Morrissey has a lot to say in his first broadcast to the world . Marr creates a new sound . Lives will change . Standouts : Hand that rocks the cradle, What Difference does it Make , Hand In Glove , Reel Around the Fountain, This Charming Man 4. Strangeways Here We come ( 5 stars) My favourite sounding record of theirs . Marr shines . Still magnificent songs on the record( even with reported disharmony in the band ) . Still sounding like no one else . Still the best pop band in the world at the time Standouts: Last Night I Dreamt that somebody loved me, I won't share you , Rush and a Push , Girlfriend in a Coma 5. Hatful of Hollow : ( 5 stars) I'm ranking the comps 5 and 6 because of course the band never intended for them to be artistic statements as such .Some great alternative recordings of Hand in Glove , What Difference etc. And some amazing b-sides , singles Standouts : Handsome Devil, William It Was Really Nothing, Accept Yourself , Back to the Old House 6. Louder than Bombs : ( 5 stars) Like " Hatful of Hollow" but with some of their later singles , b-sides Standouts : Panic, Unloveable , Shoplifters if the World Unite, Ask
@@gavinreid2741 That’s basically the same comp ( with a more concise post 84 roundup of singles , slightly different versions , less hatful of hollow stuff which the Americans needed , and a better sleeve in my opinion )but the original one selected by the band in Britain . Louder than Bombs was for the American market and this is an American show so I’m obliging 😊…but if you’re enquiring if I’m aware of that comp, of course I am. Bought it when it came out .one of the few bands I’d buy “ double up / cash in comps “ for .( not that either was a cash in per se)
A top five band of all time for me. Very consistent and prolific through their relatively short existence . Possibly along with the Kinks and the Jam , the most quintessentially English of all bands . Manchesters finest . My ranking : 1. Meat is Murder 5 stars 2. Queen is Dead 5 stars 3 Strangeways Here We Come 4.5 stars 4 . Hatful of Hollow 4.5 stars 5. The Smiths 4 stars 6. Louder than Bombs 4 stars
1. The Queen Is Dead - All the tunes are great plus Morrissey at his wittiest 2. Hatful of Hollow - This felt like a new album when it came out. Contained several classics that had previously only been heard on John Peel's and Kid Jensen's radio shows (These Things Take Time, Back To The Old House, This Night Has Opened My Eyes) 3. Meat Is Murder - Slightly uneven but several brilliant songs: Headmaster Ritual, Nowhere Fast, Barbarism Begins At Home 4. Strangeways Here We Come - Stop Me, A Rush & A Push, I Won't Share You all great. But overall felt like the inspiration was ebbing. Probably best that they ended at this point 5. The Smiths - A fine debut, marked them out from the indie landfill of the time. The singles Hand in Glove and especially This Charming Man had already revealed their incipient genius. What a pity, as Kramz says, that Morrissey turned out to be such a jerk
Re: Using Frankly Mr. Shankly as someone's introduction to The Smiths... well... the version of The Queen Is Dead I downloaded way back in the day somehow put the title track at the end, so that made Frankly Mr Shankly the first Smiths song I ever heard, haha. I was perplexed, cause of their reputation as a super depressing band, but then it was on to I Know Its Over, which hooked me. Oh yeah, and my ranking is: Queen Is Dead > Meat Is Murder > The Smiths s/t (> Hatful of Hollow) > Strangeways (> Louder Than Bombs)
Best two lines I heard this week: 1) I dreamt about you last night, and I fell out of bed twice (he got it from somehwere but the way he sings it!) 2) Oh mother I can feel the soil falling over my head
Everytime someone mentions John Peel...I just miss him more. Growing up he was always there promoting so many great artists and made essential radio listening back in the day. Says alot about the man that so many great artists made brilliant recordings in his sessions and kept going back again and again. Great man!❤️🔥
Even if it overlaps with later compilations, Hatful of Hollow is essential for the Peel and Jensen sessions, which include more spirited versions of songs the band had previously recorded.
In regards to the Smiths, their best album is usually "the one I'm listening to now." All are at least 4 star albums. Never listened to "Hatful of Hollow," but from what I do have, I'll rank 'em this way: 05) The Smiths T-2) Meat Is Murder T-2) Strangeways, Here We Come T-2) The Queen Is Dead 01) Louder Than Bombs
One of my top 5 favourite bands of all time, love every album! 1. The Queen Is Dead (Louder Than Bombs) 2. Meat Is Murder 3. The Smiths 4. Strangeways, Here We Come (Hatful Of Hollow)
Great episode, really enjoyed it. I'll admit hearing Joe Kwaczala call Hatful "not worthwhile" was like a knife in the heart, but apart from that he did great also.
Basically a perfect discography. It made me very happy to hear all you guys love them as much as I do. 6. The Smiths 5. Hatful of Hollow 4. Meat is Murder 3. Strangeways, Here We Come 2. Louder than Bombs 1. The Queen is Dead (would be a great candidate for "resequencer")
Wow FINALLY after trudging through ELO and Sloan and (God help us!) Iron Maiden and Boston (!!) we get to the best, my favourite band, The Smiths! Nearly through up over my pullover when I saw who you had lined up this week for the reviews. QBeen waiting for you guys to get to them. Enjoyed the video. My list: 1) The Queen is Dead (Kram and our Joe nailed this one with their comments: so intelligent and interesting and alive) 2) Meat is Murder (kudos to the new Joe for his enthusiasm for this one, such positive vibes in these groves) 3) Strangeways (Jason spoke very eloquently about the skill and presentation here) 4) The Smiths (one of the most brilliant and confident debuts, ever, by anyone) All 5 stars, who are you kidding? And it’s hard to include Hatful and Louder here, both also classics and essentials, but I like Hatful more for the radio sessions, very assured playing and approaches. Now you have to go all in and do the Morrisey solo catalogue, which is great, PC concerns be damned ! It’s the music and lyrics, fellas!
Yeah I will second you on a Morrissey discography...his voice got better still, as he progressed into his solo career. Like we all say, it's not all about the person, it's all about the music...
FYI the female vocals on Golden lights and all other smiths songs were done by Kirsty Maccoll who has a very good discography herself and often wrote songs with johnny marr. I would def recommend her albums too
Studio albums... 1: The Queen is Dead 2: The Smiths..... Bought it when it came out. HAve always loved it. 3: Strangeways, Here We Come 4: Meat Is Murder With compilations... 1: The Queen is Dead 2: Louder Than Bombs 3: The Smiths 4: Strangeways, Here We Come 5: Meat Is Murder 6: Hatful of Hollow
Hatful of Hollow has a special place in my heart because it's the first album I listened to by them. I got instantly hooked by the jangly guitar of Johnny Marr in This Charming Man and Still Ill. Soon I also noticed the incredible bass lines of Andy Rourke. When I begun to understand Morrissey's lyrics I became obsessed with them... That was 31 years ago... until now
This has been a great week. I was a huge Smiths fan as a teenager/early 20s but kinda fell off of listening to them for a few years. Revisiting them this week made me fall in love all over again. I had all of these albums except Meat Is Murder which I also used to not like (I got it in the last few weeks though). That did change this time around. My first album by them was Best...1 which I ordered when joining Columbia House at 15. That was definitely an odd compilation of somewhat random songs. Thankfully it didn't take me long to dive into everything else. 6. Hatful of Hollow - 4 (This one surprised me by how much it shrunk on me. I remember loving it a lot more. But like you all said, most of the songs that appear elsewhere are better in their other versions. My only exception is "Still Ill" because I've always preferred this version with the harmonica intro and outro. This compilation is still great but everything else is better) 5. Meat Is Murder - 4 (This was interesting to hear through fresh ears. I like it a lot better now than before and it could grow on me even more with time. It is a solid listen, it is weird to hear a Smiths album that is somewhat new to me because I mostly ignored it in the past after I decided I didn't like it. I can't put it above the others though.) 4. The Smiths - 4.5 (A really solid debut. Weirdly despite not being a huge production nerd I've always noticed the sound was off about this one and it did affect how I heard it. But the songs are strong enough to surpass that anyway. I especially love "Reel Around the Fountain". They weren't at their peak yet but it is a helluva way to start). 3. Louder Than Bombs - 5 (So long but so many great songs! I almost forgot over the years how great of a compilation this is but listening to it this week was just banger after banger. Most of the songs that introduced me to the band that I fell in love with on Best...1 are on here too which makes it even better.) 2. Strangeways, Here We Come - 5 (This is just a beautiful listen and great start to finish, I am a huge fan of the opener "A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours" and it just keeps going from there. I will never not get chills when Morrissey sings his first lines on "Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me".) 1. The Queen Is Dead - 5 (Always has been and always will be my number 1. There was never a doubt. I love everything about it. I listened to it a few weeks ago when you first announced you were covering The Smiths and I immediately felt the love for it again. Morrissey was on fire with his lyrics back then, I love all of this. I love the bouncy fun moments and the sad moments. It's all perfect). Great episode, great week. It was fun to hear another perspective as well but you're all irreplaceable so I'm glad that was a joke haha.
Back in the halcyon days of yore, l worked in a record store. The lovely Gina turned me onto The Smiths and thank goodness she did. Here’s my ranking: #6. The Queen is Dead #5. The Queen is Dead #4. The Queen is Dead #3. The Queen is Dead #2. The Queen is Dead #1. The Queen is Dead.
My favorite band of all time. So glad you guys are doing their Listography. Here goes my ranking: 6. Meat is Murder 5. The Smiths 4. Hatful of Hollow 3. Louder than Bombs 2. Strangeways Here We Come 1. The Queen is Dead
I'm a new convert to this channel and it's excellent. The best of its type that I've seen and that's despite Jason and particularly Joe hating one of my favourite albums of all time (Unknown Pleasures). I'm ploughing my way through the back catalogue and have so far really enjoyed The Smiths ( I was 16 when This Charming Man came out and for me and my friends,The Smiths immediately became 'our band'), David Bowie, Neil Young, Echo and the Bunnymen and Radiohead. Some of the best videos are when the 3 (now 2) presenters disagree about the band/artist e.g. Blur. What makes this channel so much better than other music review channels, is the discussion format, the depth of musical knowledge and descriptions of why albums/tracks are good or bad. Not just someone saying 'this albums great' or 'this albums' poor, without saying why! Ideas for future discography reviews: a refresh of The Cure, The Chameleons, The Go-Betweens, Idles and for a real challenge, The Fall. Keep up the great work!
Really looking forward to watching this. I’ll just add, though: as you’re opting to include Hatful of Hollow, I’d have included it’s follow-up compilation, The World Won’t Listen. Louder Than Bombs is a mesh of those two, if I recollect.
As a first time in the history of the channel for me (and I've watched every listography), my list was exactly the same as Jason's. Cool to have Joe K. on as a guest, too. Great analysis, guys!
Excellent discussion! I’m from the UK and am old enough to have been there when The Smiths happened. I can’t begin to describe the impact they had on a lot of people. Some points: 1. Hatful of Hollow was a big thing when it came out as it was more Smiths product 2. Louder Than Bombs wasn’t released in the UK originally. We had a wonderful compilation called The World Won’t Listen. 3. The Queen Is Dead tour show at Wolverhampton Civic Hall was the greatest night of my life.
My Ranking: 1. The Queen Is Dead (10/10) 2. Strangeways, Here We Come (9,5/10) 3. Meat is Murder (9/10) 4. The Smiths (8,5/10) 5. Louder Than Bombs (8,5/10) 6. Hatful of Hollow (8/10) Greetings From Canary Islands.
I'm a lifelong Smiths / Morrissey fan. I could probably reel off every Smiths lyric and UK chart position from memory. They are absolutely my favourite band and pretty much an obsession. Here's my list; 01. Meat is Murder (5) - Dark and snarky, I love every song on it. I think this is Morrissey at his darkest and most intimate. Johnny Marr just thunders through so many styles; post punk, rockabilly, 50s ballads, funk, art pop. And the rhythm section is at it's best here. Joyce's thunderous drums on What She Said and That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore. Rourke on pretty much everything and twice as hard on Barbarism Begins At Home. 02. Hatful of Hollow (5) - Super cool underground indie vibe on this one. I hard disagree about weaker versions on this. I think the playing and more organic production make the tracks sing way more than the debut. I love every track on here and consider it to be the greatest compilation ever released. 03. The World Won't Listen (5) - Not on your list but it was released in the UK instead of Louder Than Bombs, which itself was a US amalgamation of Hatful & this compilation. Shorter and with no overlap from Hatful, this is the superior compilation imo. It makes for a cleaner discography run, while the US Bombs comp muddies the waters. Full of great tracks and great sequencing. 04. Strangeways, Here We Come (5) - Great production, great songs, Morrissey sounds better than ever, there's a feeling of finality to this album that seems very fitting as a final LP. Love it. 05. The Queen is Dead (4.5) - Bright, Kinks style vaudaville LP. I love the majority of this album but some tracks like Never Had No-one Ever and Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others would feature on my least favourite Smiths songs ranking if one existed. Still amazing, though. 06. The Smiths (4) - Inconsistent production muddies this one a bit. Morrissey is also a bit wobbly as a singer and Jonny rapidly developed as a writer after this. But it's still a great debut with lots of incredible songs and lyrics on it. 07. Louder Than Bombs (3.5) - Full of amazing material but redundant when compared to the earlier UK combo of Hatful of Hollow and The World Won't Listen. There's just too much overlap and it's too long. Here's my own ranking video for deeper analysis from myself: th-cam.com/video/vc1L0dVVWuk/w-d-xo.html
But I think Louder Than Bombs has tracks that don't appear on either Hollow or Listen. And Listen has some unfortunate tracks that appear on TQID. Whoever made these decisions was a bloody idiot.
@@179rich Yeah... Louder Than Bombs does have a couple exclusive tracks, namely the three tracks from the Sheila Takes a Bow single and the original version of Back to the Old House (which is inferior to the Hatful version). The World Won't Listen collected up all UK singles released between Hatful of Hollow and The World Won't Listen, so Bigmouth Strikes Again and The Boy with the Thorn in His Side are justified inclusions because they were singles. The only exception is There is a Light that Never Goes Out, which wasn't released as a single until 1992, which was very posthumous. So calling it an idiotic move is a bit much, I think. Aside from one track, there was a clear philosophy.
6) The Smiths(1984) - 4 stars (US Version with this charming man) 5) Strangeways, Here We Come(1987) - 4 stars 4) The Queen Is Dead(1986) - 4.5 stars 3) Hatful of Hollow(1984) - 4.5 stars (compilation - some of the session versions just aren't as good) 2) Meat Is Murder(1985) - 5 stars 1) Louder than bombs(1987) - 5 stars (my favorite compilation of all time)
@@gavinreid2741 it wasn't included in the original lists of the video maker. probably because it was UK only and overlaps greatly with Louder than Bombs
I think Meat Is Murder is the best Smiths album & note the original copies omitted How Soon Is Now which was a B-Side originally. The Headmaster Ritual & That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore are two of the top 5 Smiths songs ever. The Queen Is Dead is hot on its heals as second best with the debut third & Strangeways their flawed swan song fourth. Both compilations are excellent with Louder having more meaty songs. Smiths shows at The Hollywood Palladium in Summer of 1985 were two of the best I ever saw. The Meat Is Murder Tour.
I refuse to let artists ruin their own art for me. I try not to pay much attention to what actors, musicians, fine artists, etc. say. Or said, because the further back you go the worse it gets. "If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am." - Andy Warhol
Definitely a top ten band for me but as mentioned as much as I like the 'Smiths and for the most part Morrissey solo I really have to be in the mood but that mood can last for weeks... As soon as I heard 'This Charming Man' I was both sold & hooked... 6. Meat is Murder 3'5 5. Hatful of Hollow 3.5 4. The Smiths 4.0 3. Louder than Bombs 4.5 2. Strangeways, Here We Come 4.5 1. The Queen is Dead 4.9
Notes and two cents (20 minutes in) - I personally prefer the Hatful of Hollow version of What Difference Does It Make? The original debut version like the rest of the album feels ‘washed out’ production wise, and the HFOH version really showcases the powerhouse brilliance of Rourke and Joyce. - The ‘cringey’ bits on the Queen is Dead such as the opening ‘take me back to dear old Blighty’ and Frankly Mr Shankley are on purpose - they are taking a swipe at the old school British nationalism that the album pokes fun at. It’s like a gentler satire of the ‘all these things are American dreams’ bit that satires American patriotism.
Can’t believe we’re doing compilations here, but okay, I’m in. 6. Hatful of Hollow 5. Meat Is Murder 4. The Smiths 3. Strangeways, Here We Come 2. Louder Than Bombs 1. The Queen Is Dead The two albums that have shifted the most for me over the last decade are the debut and Strangeways. And this never happens, but Jason actually convinced me to switch Louder Than Bombs and The Queen Is Dead. If I was allowing compilations in my little list on my channel, Louder Than Bombs might have bumped Queen Is Dead. But! When Jason talks about the length and listening experience, Queen Is Dead reigns. Louder Than Bombs has my two favorite Smiths songs though. Louder Than Bombs and Snap! by The Jam are the two greatest rock compilations ever - featuring a single band. Well done, chaps. Cheerio ✌🏻
I try to preach Snap! to these guys since ages...The Jam were another great British band with great songs and great singles but not so good albums. But the compilation does not have any weak track but instead some of the greatest single songs of that period.
@@davidellis5141 Most artists would sell their soul to ever write an A-Side like that. Funny co-incidence, I just listen to Paul Weller's 2021 album Fat Pop while writing this. He is still a genius for writing great songs.
@@roxannewalsh I am still a novice when it comes to Weller’s solo material. One of these years, it will be a singular focus. I think All Mod Cons and Sound Affects are great albums, but Snap! is superior as a collection of songs.
I don't care for the Jam, but I admit I haven't heard much by them so maybe I haven't heard the right material. What I heard didn't make me want to listen further though.
I saw them live in 1983 about 2 weeks before This Charming Man was released, playing the small bar at Sheffield Uni on a stage apparently made of tables shoved together!! Hand in Glove had been around for a while but hadn’t really broken through. They were still a bit rough but quite unlike the other indie bands of the time. A month later they were on Top of the Pops with Morrissey waving his gladioli on national tv. Fantastic stuff! Arguably the most important British band of the eighties and definitely one of the most important ever. Made so many fantastic records. Ranking the studio albums I would go 4 Meat is Murder 3 The Smiths 2 The Queen is Dead 1 Strangeways Here We Come To think Johnny Marr was just 23 when they broke up
Hatful Of Hollow is essential if you choose to follow the UK chronology and also buy The World Won’t Listen. Louder Than Bombs is a trimmed combination of both, released for the US market.
Here's my list: 1. Queen Is Dead ( TOP-10 all times favorite albums). 2. Louder Than Bombs ( my favorite compilation album of all time). 3. Hateful Of Hollow ( my second favorite compilation album of all time). 4. Strangeways, Here We Come ( TOP-50 favorite albums of all time). 5. The Smiths. 6. Meat Is Murder
A big one this week, The Smiths. I first got into them in 1990-when I was 15-well after they had already broken up. I was into The Cure and a friend suggested these guys. ‘Louder Than Bombs” was my first album I had of theirs. A Top-20 band for me. All of their studio albums are Top-5 for me in their respective years, with The Queen is Dead winning my Album of the Year for 1986. 1. The Queen is Dead. 5 Stars. In my Top-20 albums of all time. 2. Strangeways, Here We Come, 5 Stars 3. Hatful of Hallow. 5 Stars. Jason’s right, this is like a ‘Greatest Hits’ album. And I like the alternate versions here. How Soon is Now & Please, Please, Please are legendary. 4. Meat is Murder. 4.5 Stars old version, 5 Stars new version (with How Soon is Now) 5. Louder than Bombs 4.5 Stars. So many great tunes here. 6. The Smiths. 4.5 Stars US version.
I've been listening to Smiths for the last month 24 hours a day! For sure my top 5 maybe even top 3 band of all time My ranking: 6. The Smiths 5. Hatful Of Hollow 4. Louder Than Bombs 3,2,1. The Queen Is Dead, Strangeways, Meat Is Murder: i can't decide between these 3 perfect albums
The Smiths: memories of my misspent youth 🤪 Without any shadow of a doubt my favourite album is The Queen is Dead, one of my top 5 albums of all time. And yes Morrisey is a complete tool 😂 Cheers guys! 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Maybe not the best place to post this but since I'm not a The Smiths fan at all, but I desperately want to comment ;) so here is my Christmas list(ography) for 2022..PLEASE Santa...I've been VERY good this year: Doves Athlete Genesis Phoenix Kansas Heart Phantogram (I'm out of one word bands) Linda Ronstadt The Monkees Hall and Oates The Psychedelic Furs
Great video. The Smiths were my favourite band back in the 80's. Louder Than Bombs was originally only meant for the American Market, but they released it in Europe to stop people having to buy expensive imports. 'The World Won't Listen' was basically the British version but with fewer tracks.
Huge Smiths fan here. Johnny Marr is my favorite guitarist of all time, Mike Joyce is always great, Andy Rourke is their secret weapon, one of the best and underrated bassist for sure (and everyone agree that Morrissey is a tool but it's impossible for me to hate him). The Smiths is a top 10 of all time. 1) The Queen is Dead (★★★★★) 2) Louder Than Bombs (★★★★★) 3) The Smiths (★★★★½) 4) Meat is Murder (★★★★½) 5) Strangeways, Here We Come (★★★★½) 6) Hatful of Hollow (★★★★☆)
Wow, we have the exact same ranking AND ratings, except I left out Louder Than Bombs because I’m not familiar with the entire album. But I do love many of their singles, of course. 🍻
Kramzer connecting the dots in guitar sounds between The Smiths and The Church, Echo and the Bunnymen, latter-day REM and early Radiohead is impressive.
6. The Smiths (4 stars) 5. Hatful of Hollow (4.5 stars) 4. Meat is Murder (4.5 stars) 3. Strangeways, Here We Comes (4.5 stars) 2. The Queen is Dead (5 stars) 1. Louder Than Bombs (5 stars)
I totally agree with Jason. Hatful of Hollow is better for being more energetic - Reel Around The Fountain is better even though Charming Man isn't but it's still great. Their best collection of songs and, in my eyes, an improvement on the debut. My favourite Smiths album and one of my all-time favourites.
I couldn't agree more with Joe K- The songs with prominent bass parts by Andy Rourke are my favorite as well. Andy's playing is very mature: Strays from the root quite a bit, but still very melodic- great note selection. Some busy playing that never sounds cluttered or in the way. Killer P-Bass tone. Top 5 rock bass player ever
I remember buying these as new releases as they came out. After nearly 40 years of listening to The Smiths almost daily it’s funny how your opinion of songs and music changes . Back then I would’ve put it this way . 1. Louder 2. The Smiths 3 . The Queen is dead 4. Strange ways 5 meat After thousands of listens in 2022 1. Louder 2. Meat 3. Queen 4. The Smiths 5 . Strange ways Still all quality songs …. Great channel guys… take care ….
1. Strangeways, Here We Come 2. The Queen is Dead 3. The Smiths 4. Meat is Murder I don’t like to count the compilations but if I did Louder Than Bombs would be number 3 as it was my introduction and Hatful of Hollow would get an honourable mention. The John Peel session stuff is great and JP is greatly missed. I like it all at the end of the day, just picking favourites.
Louder Than Bombs was my introduction to the Smiths. It remains the only album I know well and, I could be wrong here, feels like all I really need from the Smiths. It's a fantastic collection of songs and I love so many of the songs on it. Sweet and Tender Hooligan is my pick for underappreciated Smiths tune. It rocks!
Eric, I understand the sentiment of feeling like it's all you really need...I mean, that's 24 Smiths' songs and you might be wondering about the Law of Diminishing Returns on what else is out there. I would recommend researching further. I'm not even close to being the biggest Smiths' fan, but the other albums are all at least 4-star records, depending on your ears.
@@chrisdelisle3954 I do know lots of songs from the other albums, of course. Bombs is just the only full album I know. Might check out Queen after this, but there is just so much music and so little time. And dammit, my bosses insist that I keep writing words in exchange for my paycheck, so that severely limits my listening time. Morrissey lyrics don't work so well as marketing copy. 😁
Same for me. Only album of theirs I bought (cassette actually) back in '87. Was kind of late to the party and I still have to be in the right spot to listen to them, but it's always Louder Than Bombs. If only they could've crammed "Big Mouth" and "How Soon" onto it. 😄
@@nightowl1851 I bought it in 87 as well and thus was also late to the Smiths party. 87 was a mammoth year for albums with Louder Than Bombs, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, Warehouse: Songs and Stories, Pleased to Meet Me, John Hiatt's Bring the Family, Document, Sister, Sign o' the Times, Tunnel of Love, Joshua Tree, if'n by firehose, two albums by Meat Puppets, and albums by Dino Jr., Public Enemy, Eric B and Rakim, Butthole Surfers, Midnight Oil, Screaming Blue Messiahs, another great Robyn Hitchcock album, Jane's Addiction's debut...it was the year that kept giving, for me anyway.
people dont tend to like my Smith's list but here it goes: 1. Meat is Murder- I think that this record essentially has no bad tracks, and its brisk pace really makes it feel wholly worthwhile. As far as full band performance is concerned this is my personal favorite because of the speed of most of the songs, but also the composition of them. Johnny Marr's best guitar work is featured on this album, as well as Andy Rourke's best basslines. These two weave in and out of eachother and make these songs become as pretty as they are momentous. That being said the band always knows when to pull back and take a breath, which they do on the slower cuts from this record perfectly. This record is really "in your face" but never really to its detriment aside from the final track, which is a bit of an unfortunate misstep. Meat is Murder (the song) has too high of a tempo and thats my one gripe with this record. There is a bootleg floating around of them playing a show where this song was played much much slower and it captures the mood they were going for much more successfully than what was laid to tape here. Aside from that I really think this record is great; Morrissey stands out here to me as well, he's not as flashy or as clean in his performance as he would be on later releases but the lack of polish doesn't really take away from him because he is a very virtuosic performer. His lyrics also are quintessential morrissey bouncing between being darkly humorous and witty to morosely disheartened, often all at once. He has a skill for that that I think is present on essentially every Smiths release and it's no exception here. 2. Strangeways Here We Come- This is the smiths at their most naturally restrained, finely melodic, and subtly melancholic. This album sounds like a quiet divorce disguised as a happy ending. The melodrama is at an all time low for this group here, and is replaced with what could be considered more standard pop songs, or rather, pop-leaning material; and aside from Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me there isn't really a sign of the Smiths in their original incarnation, with all the bombast and emotional turmoil. The lyrics here are the best the Morrissey has ever written. His words stretch from blessed simplicity to decoratively Victorian, and slip past his previous capabilities and flashes of brilliance into being wholly and nakedly descriptive, derisive, hilarious, and sad in a way that he had not previously achieved. I think that Morrissey really carries this record over the simplicity of the instrumentals, but that is by design. The band has pulled back from the spotlight and restrained themselves without giving up the stunning melodicism they are known for, and opt into helping these songs paint the vivid imagery of heartbreak that gradually emerges as the tracklist carries on. What starts as something that can be misconstrued as relatively standard curls inwards to a rather mature portrait of loss and fatigue at love that "just doesn't do what it used to" anymore. By the time the record is over and you realize that you've heard the sound of a band falling apart, of its members reaching the start of their separate ways, you've already seen the worst of it, and you are ready to let go. That is the strength of this record, and really of this band, that they were able to find this delicate a way of saying goodbye. 3. The Queen is Dead- The fact that this album remains so emotionally relevant despite its shortcomings is amazing to me. That is a pretty cruel way to start off my writing here, especially considering this is a record that I actually like quite a bit, but its true. There are songs here that to me appear strikingly underwritten, but Morrissey is the worst offender here. Almost every song feels like a rough draft lyrically, and despite the brightspots (Vicar in a Tutu, There Is A Light) there are songs that stick out to me as rushed even on a band level which isn't an issue they have on any record but their first from 1984. I Know It's Over feels empty, and Never Had No One Ever is a bore; that being said, that the former can still punch tears and emotions out of me in the way that it does is still a testament to how powerful it is, and I wish it had gotten a second draft so I didn't always feel like I was questioning why I enjoyed it so much. There is also a surprising lack of distinctiveness in many of the guitar parts throughout this record, where a lot of the inventiveness of earlier releases and singles seems like its been stripped away. Most of the guitar parts feel like they are merely functional, with no sort of interesting flair about them in any way, and it takes what was a standout characteristic of this band and makes it feel negligible. The same goes for Rourke's bass, and it seems like this regression could have led to something beneficial for Morrissey, or beneficial for some wider arrangements involving other instruments but neither of these possibilities come to the surface and it leads to a lot of these songs feeling bare. Through all of these troubles, though, The Queen is Dead offers some of this band's truest and most pristine pop moments with the likes of Cemetry Gates (and the already mentioned There Is a Light,) and even though I myself am not the biggest fan of Bigmouth Strikes Again I can definitely see its appeal. Songs like Frankly Mr. Shankly and The Boy With the Thorn In His Side stand out because of the former's comically vicious character assassination and the latter's extreme earnestness. However, it's disheartening that for much of this record I feel like I am constantly pulled in and out of these songs, where they are almost all part of something special, but they can never fully capture me. The title track is a rush of snide snarls and critical eyes crossed atop a heavy and intimidating collage of the band creating its best take on chaos and yet it still feels tame, it still feels like it's being held back. It says little but does a lot, and I go back and forth between loving it and not really caring. And it is a similar fate with the final song Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others, which takes the shimmering chimes and pretty pace of Johnny Marr's best guitar work and weaves it into a mesmerizing, floating piece of pop music surrealism. It is hilarious and wryly, and its second-verse punchline involving Cleopatra and Marc Antony has to be one of the funniest lines ever put to record. That being said there are still times where it sticks in my mind as a sore spot, which makes me sad, and reveals what I think is the unfortunate truth about this record: The Queen is Dead is a mixed bag, but still it is full of wonderful surprises and sustaining classics but it also displays both the best and worst aspects of this band. Its emotional rawness keeps it essential, but I don't think I can overlook its flaws. It is remarkable, and yet it is also ordinary, which in terms of the Smiths, makes it a letdown. In spite of all of this, though, I still like this record.. there are even days when I LOVE this record, but I don't think that it is the record that demonstrates why the Smiths are such an important band. 4. The Smiths- From here there is a show of growth. This is the sound of a band in progress. They are notable, noteworthy, but not for very long. I think that the majority of this record does menial work in demonstrating the strengths of the band, but major steps are made towards being able to identify what they would be. This is best seen as a prelude to their career, giving hints to their greatness and their capability. Taken on its own I don't think that, had this been the only album they ever made, that they would be remembered. Without what followed this would be another one of the endless faces that get lost in the crowd in record stores still peeling through the leftovers of New Wave classics. This Charming Man is a necessity, but it was left off the original UK release, which leaves Still Ill as the only song that I think is really worth your time, and even then it feels like an average Smiths-cut at best. I find an appeal in the darkness of this record, both the aesthetics and the production, and the dispassionate manner of the lyrics, but it doesn't stick. After a while of listening it really just comes across as dull. I find Reel Around the Fountain to be dismal, Handsome Devil hilarious, and the rest of it just kind of drifts away as monotony. I have never been able to get into this record, but I am thankful for the people that did because we were given the rest of the Smith's career. I think we are fortunate that they were as gifted as everyone thought them to be, because for me, I can't see it. Not here.
@@TastesLikeMusic Hey Joe, I appreciate you reading through what I had to say. My opinion on the queen is dead is quite critical but I do think that it is as popular as it is for a reason, and is also probably their most culturally important record because it really strikes a nerve. I think despite its flaws everything its trying to say comes through, and in fact it does so quite brilliantly. I happen to be stuck in this weird position where I can't seem to ignore those flaws, but as negative as I may appear I really do enjoy that record. The Smiths are one of my favorite bands so its strange to me to have what is for most their quintessential album be second to last in my ranking, but I think its held up by the fact that I really don't think they have any bad music at all except for their first album which I really just don't like very much. Anyways, always a fan of you guys, thanks for the videos :)
Jason, may I have this dance? Set your spirit free! In no particular order: Atlantis to Interzone- Klaxons River- PNAU , Ladyhawke Tongues -Joywave, KOPPS Controller (feat. Faris Badwan) - Hercules & Love Affair Walkie Talkie - DJ Shadow Body Movin’ - Beastie Boys B.O.B. - Outkast Groove is in the Heart - Deee-Lite Banquet (Phones Disco Edit) - Bloc Party Whoo! Alright - Yeah... Uh Huh - The Rapture
1. The Queen Is Dead 5/5 2. Louder Than Bombs 4.5/5 3. Strangeways, Here We Come 4/5 4. Hatful of Hollow 4/5 5. The Smiths 3.5/5 6. Meat Is Murder 3.5/5
I just wanted to say that I love Rubber Ring, which kind of sums it all up: "But don't forget the songs that made you smile, and the songs that made you cry, when you lay in awe on your bedroom floor and said "Oh, oh, smother me, mother."". To me The Queen Is Dead is their best record and definitely one of the Top 10 Indie records of all time. My ranking would be 1) Queen 2) Hatful 3) Strangeways 4) Smiths 5) Meat Is Murder, I love Headmaster's Ritual and Rusholme Ruffians, the last two songs I can hardly listen to. I'm including Hatful Of Hollow in the regular album list, because it was the first record I heard by them back in 84, and there are a lot of songs on there that weren't on the debut album, whereas most of the songs on Louder Than Bombs had already been on Hatful and The World Won't Listen. "And don't forget the songs, that made you cry, and the songs that saved your life. Yes, you're older now, and you're a clever swine, but they were the only ones who ever stood by you.". Thanks for the episode, it's a shame what has become of Morrissey, but The Smiths will be forever one of the greatest British pop bands of all time. I'd really like to see you do The Fall one day, Mark was from Manchester as well and he hated The Smiths. Julian Cope and The Teardrop Explodes would be nice as well, so would be Hüsker Dü and Bob Mould/Grant Hart. Enough of wishful thinking, bye bye from Germany.
7. _Strangeways, Here We Come_ Marr, exhausted 6. _Hatful Of Hollow_ Unmatched songs, not a fan of the song order 5. _The Smiths_ Simultaneously underrated & undercooked 4. _The Queen Is Dead_ A mix of crown jewels & toss aways 3. _Best...1_ A solid entry point 2. _Louder Than Bombs_ The collection that converted me 1. _Meat Is Murder_ Marr's finest moment, IMO (save for the title track). The Smiths' _Dark Side Of The Moon_
Agree with you on #2.....same thing happened to me. Interestingly, I'm not too impressed with Morrisey's solo stuff. I like a few songs no doubt....but "something" is missing...and I think we ALL know that.
1- The Smiths 2- The Queen Is Dead 3- Louder Than Bombs 4- Meat Is Murder 5- Strangeways Here We Come I discovered this band about a year ago and I listened to the albums in chronological order from the most part. And as Spotify was my way, I’m of course including This Charming Man and How Soon is Now in the records
Hatful of Hollow was a good place to get a quick overview of all their previously released singles and the Peel sessions. As far as I know, that record was the only place to hear Handsome Devil. The British release of the World Won’t Listen was a near track for track of Louder than Bombs, but the instrumental Money Changes Everything was included. That track later appears as Bryan Ferry’s the Right Stuff. Hearing them in the 80’s is much different. We now have access to all of their releases but if you didn’t live in town with a good record shop carrying all their import singles, getting all their releases was pretty damned difficult. Oh yeah, my favorite studio release is Louder than Bombs.
Here’s my ranking 1. The Smiths 2. Meat Is Murder 3. Hatful Of Hollow 4. Complete 5. Rank 6. Strangeways Here We Come 7. The Queen Is Dead (non-deluxe/deluxe) 8. Louder Than Bombs 9. The Sound Of The Smiths (non-deluxe/deluxe) 10. 12 inch singles (I forgot the actual name of it and it’s not really mentioned, very often) 11. The World Won’t Listen (If there are any other albums, please tell me)
You guys should do a 'Resequencer' on 'The Queen is Dead'. Joe K. gets a lot wrong about that album, but he is right that the sequencing is just bizarre.
Agreed. Much like "Rumours, it's still a great album, but the sequencing kind of feels like an afterthought. I can't think of a weirder way to close an album than "Some Girls are Bigger than Others".
Smiths never appeared to be a real album band (except maybe Strangeways) but a song band. In a way, their albums all feel like compilations of the songs they had at a certain time - this is why it makes sense for me to treat the compilations that were released during their existence just like the albums. Their discography is more or less the best bulk of songs anyone released in the 80s (or any other decade to be honest).
I agree that the album is oddly sequenced, but I would not touch Some Girls, that beautiful guitar riff could go on forever and it's almost painful when it starts to fade away. I think I would swap Frankly Mr Shankly and The Boy With The Thorn On His Side
at 6 to 1 6) Hateful of Hollow (because I have Louder Than Bombs) 5) Strangways Here We Come (love the opener, but overall, Morrissey is too cynical ) 4) Meat is Murder (some hidden gems 'What She Said', 'That Joke..., 'Well I Wonder' . Would have been better with How Soon Is Now) 3) The Smiths (classic debut with mostly listenable songs) 2) Louder Than Bombs (half of these on the double LP are fantastic. I have my own playlist) 1) The Queen is Dead (Classic LP with songs of despair and hope, Morrisey at his most sarcastic!) Excellent production. Standout songs Bigmouth, The Boy with the Thorn, There is a Light, Some Girls are Better than Others...
1. The Queen Is Dead * * * * * 2. The Smiths * * * * 1/2 3. Meat Is Murder * * * * 1/2 4. Strangeways, Here We Come * * * * 1/2 Hatful Of Hollow * * * *
I recall going to an 18 and under teen dance club where I grew up, must have been 1988, and when the DJ started playing “How Soon is Now” the crowd started going wild and rushing to the dance floor if they weren’t already on it. So yes, the Smiths were and are strangely danceable.
Great video. No one sounds like the Smiths. My list: 1. Strangeways Here We Come 2. The Queen is Dead 3. Meat is Murder 4. Hatful of Hollow 5. Louder than Bombs 6. The Smiths Any plans to do a Morrissey listography?
A great band with both jangle and strings to love. My top 12 favorite Smiths songs: 1. Half a Person - 5 stars 2. Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before 5 stars 3. The Boy With the Thorn in His Side 5 stars 4. Girlfriend in a Coma 4.9 stars 5 "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" 4.9 stars 6 This Charming man 4.8 7. There is a light that never goes out 4.8 8. Panic 4.4 9 Shoplifters of the World Unite 4.7 10. Ask 4.7 11. Bigmouth Strikes Again 4.7 12. How Soon is Now? 4.6 I think it's a tie for best album between The Queen is Dead and Louder than Bombs . Who cares what Morrissey has said about anything? So he is anti-immigrants Jay-Z is in the HoF and he is more racist. One more reason to see the buffoonery in the Rock Hall of Fame. Morrissey apologized in Big Mouth Strikes again. "Bengali in Platforms" is just some fashion advice to Bengali and letting him know life is difficult even when you belong. Ha. I don't have to agree at all with Morrissey but this is a frightening fascist world when the far Left tries to suppress free speech. And the far right has had it's fun there too. Some would say it wasn't such a racist song. You need to see the cultural context in which it was written. Thatcherite England was a place where working-class communities were being ravaged by unemployment, crime, depression. The song is pointing out the true state of the country from Morrissey's perspective and it does so effectively by contrasting the 'western plans' of an outsider with the grim reality of England. What do you expect? A nuanced song without sarcasm from Morrissey?
Update: Maybe this is more about Morrisey refusing to be on stage with the Smith's drummer - all over a song lawsuit. But the Smiths' should be in without Morrissey being there.
Sure Frankly, Mr. Shankly is a corny annoying song. Joe is right about Meat is murder. The best songs are Headmaster Ritual and That joke isn't funny any more and How soon is now? is good but overrated. Kramz is right about The debut album. Hand in Glove and What Difference Does It Make? and sometimes with This Charming Man. Morrissey on his own I really don't know ? The debut is great. Later he did a tune Boy Racer that is good. Jason's review of Louder than Bombs rings true. But don't you ever skip tracks, it's easy to do. OK some weak songs but a little higher than 5th best. None of you seem to love any particular songs. I am not feeling the love. Don't you like Half a Person - does it chills you or sound very haunting? Stop Me is a great song! Don't You think Miserable Now is funny and edgy with a great melody. Boy with a Thorn is just brilliant. The only records I have are the BEST of .. I guess they didn't make a great record though but they were great. Marr's is one of the most underrated writers and guitarists.
Excellent choices. I am struggling in narrowing down my top 10, but I would have a lot of your choices in my top 20 for sure. They would just be moved around a bit. I am a fan of all of your picks including 'Half a Person'. I love the witty lyrics of that song. 'There is a light...' is my absolute favourite and I share your ranking of 'Stop Me...' Excellent choices
@@greghansell5115 Thanks. I would like to see your top 20! An early sneek preview before a ten ton truck ends it all. As I noted, I may have never listen to a full record but I got Best of I and II and then listen to youtube .. i like my music with video now. I wasn't really listening to music much when they were in their heyday, if that explains my situations. Sure Light that Never Goes Out .. should have given it more that just 4.7 on the 1 to 5, rethinking it. "And if a double-decker bus Crashes into us To die by your side Is such a heavenly way to die And if a ten ton truck Kills the both of us To die by your side Well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine". Wonder if they took out those lines (which are great!) if they could have a bigger hit.
@@oppothumbs1 I can't quite firm up a top 20. Too difficult because so many songs are on fairly equal footing. But obviously you know 1 & 2 are firmed up, especially number 1. That song is perfect so I would be happy to give it a 5/5. Stop Me....maybe 4.75. After that, it gets tricky, but I would say that a few other songs off The Queen is Dead would probably make it (Boy with the thorn, Bigmouth, I know it's over). William it was really nothing, Last Night I dreamt...Please, please, please...are others that I really like and deserve to be in the top 10. I like Reel around the Fountain for some reason... and then there's a bunch on you list.
1. Strange Ways 2. Smiths 3. Louder than Bombs 4. Queen is Dead 5. Hatful of Hollow Last night I Dreamt... Maybe one of the best recordings ever produced
While I don't think 'Ask' will pop up in anyone's top ten songs list, it does feature my favourite lyric - "spending warm summer days indoors, writing frightening verse to a buck toothed girl in Luxembourg"!
probably the same will happen to 'Half a Person'...."I like it here, can I stay...and do you have a vacancy for a back scrubber". Top 10 for me but probably not for most people....
1. The Queen Is Dead (4.5 stars) 2. The Smiths (4) 3. Hatful of Hollow (4) 4. Strangeways, Here We Come (4) 5. Louder Than Bombs (4) 6. Meat Is Murder (3.5) It seems like I agree with Jason for a lot of this one, from Louder Than Bombs having that lull in the 3rd side that makes it drag a bit (I agree Hatful seems better as a start to finish cohesive listening experience) to The Queen Is Dead being a strong lyrical album and that Meat Is Murder seemingly missing something. I think Strangeways is a bit lower on my list because all the great tracks for me come in the first half of it and the second half feels merely pretty good, and I miss the more guitar oriented youthful rawness of the debut which I prefer. Very enjoyable studio discography overall, but I think top 10 songs is where they *really* shine for me.
Unless you're downgrading Hatful for containing previous released material I think you've underrated it by at least a 1/2 star. Just my opinion, though. Great list.
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 It’s mainly for the versions of debut songs that I think are superior on that album. Really there’s very little separation at all between the 2-5 spots on my list (the debut would be a more solid #2 for me if “This Charming Man” was officially on it).
@@ThePhysicalillusion Gotcha. I go back-and-forth on which ones are better. Versions on the debut are produced better but I think the performances on Hatful might be stronger. All things being equal, I think the song lineup on Hatful is superior. Cheers!
1 The Smiths (1984) 9.5/10🏆 Miserable lie was the one misstep as it's a sore one to listen to- bit unsettling more than pleasing. The rest for me is one of those essential albums of the 80s ❤️🔥
Couple things: 1) yall are NUTS (said with a smile, not an attack - stupid internet!) ! The peel sessions versions are SO much better than the muddy/twangy records from the 1st album. HoH wasnt available in the states until around 1990 (believe me we TRIED to get it forever) and those Charming Man and What Difference versions blew us all away! to this today those 2 versions are still on my Smiths Apple Playlist & TCM version is in my top 5 Smith songs. Andy Rourke REALLY pops on TCM. Please take a listen to both again 2) Jason saying 73 minutes is too long for an album (IE should be tighter) was akin to my comment on the U2 album ranking video: shorter is easier on the audience. If I want to share your channel with people going over 30 min is daunting. They would most likely do your top 10 songs. I like your input but, as Jason feels about LTB, shorter can be more effective and hold attention more easily.
Hmm. I'm a little shocked that Jason says the length of Louder than Bombs holds it back. I think it's amazing from start to finish. I believe he gave "All things must pass" five stars and that's an album I felt had far too much filler material and whose length was a big turnoff.
One thing that helps out All Things Must Pass is that pretty much all the ignorable stuff comes at the end, whereas the ignorable stuff on Louder Than Bombs is interspersed between the great songs. Still a 5 star album for me because it's best tracks are towering.
Louder than Bombs was initially only available in the USA. The tracks mosty taken from Hatful of Hollow ,and The World Won't Listen. Here in the UK I think most people tend to prefer the radio session versions of Hatfull to the debut album versions.
I love the Smiths, I had other compilations for the Smith (most notably Singles and the Sound of the Smiths, both of which I rate 5 stars) than ever listening to Louder than Bombs, so I'll leave that one off. 5. Hatful of Hollow - despite having two of my favorite songs. The alternate versions of really kill it for me. 4. Meat is Murder - I hate the title track, and I don't think any song really stands out. (Maybe Joke), but still plenty of good stuff 3 1/2 stars 3. Strangeways Here We Come - A few more standout tracks than Meat. 2. The Smiths - "Reel" may be my favorite from that album but I still think it's a strange opener. 4 stars 1. Queen is Dead - The most solid album of theirs. 5 stars. Joe 2, is a lovely addition. I very much look forward to tomorrow.
jason coming in clutch with strangeways at number 1, that genuinely hyped me up cause I was just waiting for the trifecta to ruin my hopes at this point. I didnt listen to the compilations but without them jason and I have the same ranking surprisingly, usually i feel your taste is the most different from mine out of you three but apparently thats not the case with the smiths; 4. meat is murder 3. the smiths 2. the queen is dead 1. strangeways here we come Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me is fantastic and Death of a Disco Dancer is one of my favorites as well, it just sounds so ahead of the curb, far more similar to early 90's rock imo.
As far as what is treated and considered as a studio album, on rateyourmusic they have Hatful of Hollow as a studio album, and Louder Than Bombs a compilation.
RYM is sometimes weird in this respect - they also have some live albums among regular albums for some artists (there are cases where I agree with that e.g. for cases where an artist decided to record new material with an audience). In the Smith case here, this is a pretty random decision, same with The World Won't Listen, which probably deserves equivalent treatment to Hatful. Does it matter? Someone in the video said that there is no bad Smith song - and Smith albums were foremost just a format to get Smith songs.
Am I the only person in the world for whom it took me years to decide how I felt about Morrissey's voice? He's basically like a Mancunian version of Bert from Sesame Street as the lead singer of a rock band. I just loved Marr's music (writing and arranging as well as playing) so much, as well as the wittiness of the lyrics, but I went back and forth on this band because of that. By the late '90s or so, I had resigned myself and admitted they were one of the all-time great bands. The fact that they produced such beautiful music in the mid-'80s seals it for me. The Cocteau Twins, pre-Document R.E.M., and The Smiths rule that time period for me. 6. Meat is Murder - My version does not have "How Soon is Now?" which obviously plummets it. Lots of very good tracks - "The Headmaster Ritual," "What She Said," "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore," "Barbarism Begins at Home," and "Well I Wonder (love the bass)," but the title track plummets it further. When you only have 9 tracks, you can't include something like that. 4 stars. 5. Strangeways, Here We Come - I like a lot of the material here, especially the glorious middle section of "Girlfriend," "Stop Me," "Last Night I Dreamt," and "Unhappy Birthday," but there are a lot of dogs on this album for me - "Death at One's Elbow," "Paint a Vulgar Picture (great lyrics, perhaps their single most boring musical track, outside of "Meat is Murder")," and "Death of a Disco Dancer." 4.5 stars. 4. Hatful of Hollow - Ah, those great early singles. Love the call on the acoustic version of "Back to the Old House." Also, the true home of "How Soon is Now." 4.5 stars. 3. The Smiths - To me, aside perhaps from TQID, this is the album that most exemplifies that "suburban guitar sound" that Kram referenced. Such pillowy chime from the 335 and the Ric 360. "Pretty Girls Make Graves" might be their most unsung gem. 4.5 stars. Urgh, I hate having to parse the top two.... 2. Louder Than Bombs. Okay, I have to admit that Jason is right - the third side is rather wanting. But those other three! The first seven tracks, plus "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" and "Ask," it's like a new album (pretty sure all of those were early '87 tracks for them), and one that happens to be better than Meat is Murder. Plus the reprise of all of those great singles (except for one, grrr) from Hatfull, and of course "Asleep." 5 stars. 1. The Queen is Dead. I discovered The Smiths just when Strangeways came out, and for a while it took me a while to get why so many people put it so far above their other three studio albums and even Louder Than Bombs. It took a while for the slower stuff to grow on me. I agree with Joe K. that I could do without "Frankly Mr. Shankly" and "Vicar in a Tutu," but the other eight tracks are so phenomenally great that it doesn't matter. Gorgeously produced.
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 Don’t get me wrong, his phrasing, pitch, and expressiveness are good. It’s just the voice itself, particularly the unapologetic nasality in that high register.
@@scottanthonyweidner8692 His singing voice definitely improved throughout his career following The Smiths...I really enjoy his vocals on 'You are the Quarry' in particular.
Only a casual Smiths fan. They have some great songs, but not a top 50 artist for me, which puts me in the minority, it looks like. I agree with Kram, including compilations in the ranking feels like cheating, I guess because they have such a small discography it gives you something else to talk about. And as good as Joe K. was, you don't need guests, the three of you are so insightful on your own, and have such good chemistry, it only becomes a small distraction. Just my two cents worth.
As much as I love 'em, I'm in agreement w/you that they're not top 50 all time. Just too short of a career. I also have the perspective of someone who grew up in America. It can be argued that The Smiths were a one-hit-wonder here in The States. "How Soon Is Now?" is their only song that made a real dent in the airwaves here.
I would agree on not being a top 50. I like the Smiths, but they aren't as important to me as other artists from this era, like R.E.M., the Replacements, or the Cure.
I have never heard The Smiths; and now, grateful to have nothing but time to check them out; I go to do so...One interesting thing is that none of you guy's ranked the self titled debut higher than 3rd...most bands make their first album up of all the best songs they have written since they were born; then they have like 9 months to duplicate that life-time's worth of artistry for their second album; I can only think that, like in the case of Elvis Costello; they took the money that the first album made and then paid for a real professional studio with real professional engineering, etc... I'm going to listen to Meat Is Murder first, because Joe has been my go-to guy in the past, as far as me agreeing with one of you the most; so, here we go; "Alexa, play Meat Is Murder" Alexa: "Dude, really? I can play The Queen is Dead; I already have it cued!" "Alexa, what did I tell you about arguing with me?"
Decent list except for that Louder Than Bombs placement. Sheila Take a Bow, Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want, and Asleep alone make this the second best in their discography IMO.
@@josejones Louder than Bombs is the one that I struggled the most with placing. It has some of my favorite songs on it, but as an album, you also have all the B-Sides, which are sort of a mixed bag. Not all their B-Sides are a "Rubber Ring" or a "Please Please Please". Some of the stuff is also on Hatful of Hollow, which feels more like a real album. Also, I think all their albums are pretty consistent, so there's not that much difference between 1 and 6.
Kramzer so right about Morrissey. Maybe Morrissey could start up a supergroup with similarly enlightened individuals like Nugent, Kid Rock and Clapton and Gary Barlow (he could make the tea).
1.The queen is dead 2.louder than bombs 3.meat is murder 4.strangeways 5.smiths 6.hatful my top 4 changes based off which one I have on but the bottom 2 get played the least.
Andy Rourke is secretly an MVP in this band. Obviously Marr and Morrissey are still the vital cogs in the band, but Rourke's bass playing is still crucial.
Agreed 👍
He is fantastic agreed
Easiest discography for me. Know this band’s music inside out. Remember buying the “ This Charming Man “ single in high school. Never, ever saw or perceived them as being a “depressing “ band . If you “got “ them ( and Morrissey in particular ) their catalogue is one of the most joyous, wonderful pop music experiences you’ll have. Thank you Morrissey for letting us into your head. Marr for providing the brilliant soundtrack . Underrated Rourke for his amazing bass work . (And even the outcast Mike Joyce ). My tribute to one of the greatest ever bands 👊🏻❤️
1. The Queen is Dead: (5 stars)
Most consistent, cohesive studio album
One of the great guitar pop albums of all time .
Standouts : Title Track , Boy with the Thorn in his side , Some Girls A Bigger than Others, There is a light that never goes out, Bigmouth Strikes Again
2. Meat is Murder. (5 stars)
Never a fan of the sound on this album but doesn't matter .Great tunes , and Morrissey was never more cutting and brilliant lyrically .
Standouts : Rusholme Ruffians, I Want the one I can't have, Headmasters Ritual, Nowhere Fast , That Joke isn't Funny Anymore
3. The Smiths : ( 5 stars)
Brilliant Debut . Has This Charming Man on it . That's 5 stars immediately . Morrissey has a lot to say in his first broadcast to the world . Marr creates a new sound . Lives will change .
Standouts : Hand that rocks the cradle, What Difference does it Make , Hand In Glove , Reel Around the Fountain, This Charming Man
4. Strangeways Here We come ( 5 stars)
My favourite sounding record of theirs . Marr shines . Still magnificent songs on the record( even with reported disharmony in the band ) . Still sounding like no one else . Still the best pop band in the world at the time
Standouts: Last Night I Dreamt that somebody loved me, I won't share you , Rush and a Push , Girlfriend in a Coma
5. Hatful of Hollow : ( 5 stars)
I'm ranking the comps 5 and 6 because of course the band never intended for them to be artistic statements as such .Some great alternative recordings of Hand in Glove , What Difference etc. And some amazing b-sides , singles
Standouts : Handsome Devil, William It Was Really Nothing, Accept Yourself , Back to the Old House
6. Louder than Bombs : ( 5 stars)
Like " Hatful of Hollow" but with some of their later singles , b-sides
Standouts : Panic, Unloveable
, Shoplifters if the World Unite,
Ask
The World Won't Listen?
@@gavinreid2741 That’s basically the same comp ( with a more concise post 84 roundup of singles , slightly different versions , less hatful of hollow stuff which the Americans needed , and a better sleeve in my opinion )but the original one selected by the band in Britain . Louder than Bombs was for the American market and this is an American show so I’m obliging 😊…but if you’re enquiring if I’m aware of that comp, of course I am. Bought it when it came out .one of the few bands I’d buy “ double up / cash in comps “ for .( not that either was a cash in per se)
Frankly Mr. Shankly and Vicar in a Tutu suck tho
A top five band of all time for me. Very consistent and prolific through their relatively short existence . Possibly along with the Kinks and the Jam , the most quintessentially English of all bands . Manchesters finest . My ranking :
1. Meat is Murder 5 stars
2. Queen is Dead 5 stars
3 Strangeways Here We Come 4.5 stars
4 . Hatful of Hollow 4.5 stars
5. The Smiths 4 stars
6. Louder than Bombs 4 stars
1. The Queen Is Dead - All the tunes are great plus Morrissey at his wittiest
2. Hatful of Hollow - This felt like a new album when it came out. Contained several classics that had previously only been heard on John Peel's and Kid Jensen's radio shows (These Things Take Time, Back To The Old House, This Night Has Opened My Eyes)
3. Meat Is Murder - Slightly uneven but several brilliant songs: Headmaster Ritual, Nowhere Fast, Barbarism Begins At Home
4. Strangeways Here We Come - Stop Me, A Rush & A Push, I Won't Share You all great. But overall felt like the inspiration was ebbing. Probably best that they ended at this point
5. The Smiths - A fine debut, marked them out from the indie landfill of the time. The singles Hand in Glove and especially This Charming Man had already revealed their incipient genius.
What a pity, as Kramz says, that Morrissey turned out to be such a jerk
I consider Haltful of Hollows is the best introduction to the Smiths then either Meat is Murder or The Queen is Dead
Thank you for ranking The Smiths’ albums. The Queen is Dead is my favorite album of all time.
Re: Using Frankly Mr. Shankly as someone's introduction to The Smiths... well... the version of The Queen Is Dead I downloaded way back in the day somehow put the title track at the end, so that made Frankly Mr Shankly the first Smiths song I ever heard, haha. I was perplexed, cause of their reputation as a super depressing band, but then it was on to I Know Its Over, which hooked me.
Oh yeah, and my ranking is: Queen Is Dead > Meat Is Murder > The Smiths s/t (> Hatful of Hollow) > Strangeways (> Louder Than Bombs)
Best two lines I heard this week: 1) I dreamt about you last night, and I fell out of bed twice (he got it from somehwere but the way he sings it!) 2) Oh mother I can feel the soil falling over my head
Everytime someone mentions John Peel...I just miss him more. Growing up he was always there promoting so many great artists and made essential radio listening back in the day. Says alot about the man that so many great artists made brilliant recordings in his sessions and kept going back again and again. Great man!❤️🔥
Wasn't he a nonce?
@@ronniemacdonald2768 nobodies perfect. Yourself included. Sometimes nonces get special things done. But no I don't think so.
Even if it overlaps with later compilations, Hatful of Hollow is essential for the Peel and Jensen sessions, which include more spirited versions of songs the band had previously recorded.
This charming man peel version > than any other
Agreed and the raw demo sounds of Hatful is nice 🔥
I agree. I love the Peel sessions versions.
In regards to the Smiths, their best album is usually "the one I'm listening to now." All are at least 4 star albums. Never listened to "Hatful of Hollow," but from what I do have, I'll rank 'em this way:
05) The Smiths
T-2) Meat Is Murder
T-2) Strangeways, Here We Come
T-2) The Queen Is Dead
01) Louder Than Bombs
One of my top 5 favourite bands of all time, love every album!
1. The Queen Is Dead
(Louder Than Bombs)
2. Meat Is Murder
3. The Smiths
4. Strangeways, Here We Come
(Hatful Of Hollow)
I was looking for this list…then I found this list. And heaven knows I’m miserable now.
Great episode, really enjoyed it. I'll admit hearing Joe Kwaczala call Hatful "not worthwhile" was like a knife in the heart, but apart from that he did great also.
I feel you. I yelled at the screen!! Lol
Basically a perfect discography. It made me very happy to hear all you guys love them as much as I do.
6. The Smiths
5. Hatful of Hollow
4. Meat is Murder
3. Strangeways, Here We Come
2. Louder than Bombs
1. The Queen is Dead (would be a great candidate for "resequencer")
Agreed on the resequencing. The only ones I would keep at their actual place are the first and last tracks of each side
Agree
Wow FINALLY after trudging through ELO and Sloan and (God help us!) Iron Maiden and Boston (!!) we get to the best, my favourite band, The Smiths! Nearly through up over my pullover when I saw who you had lined up this week for the reviews. QBeen waiting for you guys to get to them. Enjoyed the video. My list:
1) The Queen is Dead (Kram and our Joe nailed this one with their comments: so intelligent and interesting and alive)
2) Meat is Murder (kudos to the new Joe for his enthusiasm for this one, such positive vibes in these groves)
3) Strangeways (Jason spoke very eloquently about the skill and presentation here)
4) The Smiths (one of the most brilliant and confident debuts, ever, by anyone)
All 5 stars, who are you kidding?
And it’s hard to include Hatful and Louder here, both also classics and essentials, but I like Hatful more for the radio sessions, very assured playing and approaches.
Now you have to go all in and do the Morrisey solo catalogue, which is great, PC concerns be damned ! It’s the music and lyrics, fellas!
Yeah I will second you on a Morrissey discography...his voice got better still, as he progressed into his solo career. Like we all say, it's not all about the person, it's all about the music...
FYI the female vocals on Golden lights and all other smiths songs were done by Kirsty Maccoll who has a very good discography herself and often wrote songs with johnny marr. I would def recommend her albums too
Studio albums...
1: The Queen is Dead
2: The Smiths..... Bought it when it came out. HAve always loved it.
3: Strangeways, Here We Come
4: Meat Is Murder
With compilations...
1: The Queen is Dead
2: Louder Than Bombs
3: The Smiths
4: Strangeways, Here We Come
5: Meat Is Murder
6: Hatful of Hollow
Hatful of Hollow has a special place in my heart because it's the first album I listened to by them.
I got instantly hooked by the jangly guitar of Johnny Marr in This Charming Man and Still Ill. Soon I also noticed the incredible bass lines of Andy Rourke. When I begun to understand Morrissey's lyrics I became obsessed with them... That was 31 years ago... until now
This has been a great week. I was a huge Smiths fan as a teenager/early 20s but kinda fell off of listening to them for a few years. Revisiting them this week made me fall in love all over again. I had all of these albums except Meat Is Murder which I also used to not like (I got it in the last few weeks though). That did change this time around. My first album by them was Best...1 which I ordered when joining Columbia House at 15. That was definitely an odd compilation of somewhat random songs. Thankfully it didn't take me long to dive into everything else.
6. Hatful of Hollow - 4 (This one surprised me by how much it shrunk on me. I remember loving it a lot more. But like you all said, most of the songs that appear elsewhere are better in their other versions. My only exception is "Still Ill" because I've always preferred this version with the harmonica intro and outro. This compilation is still great but everything else is better)
5. Meat Is Murder - 4 (This was interesting to hear through fresh ears. I like it a lot better now than before and it could grow on me even more with time. It is a solid listen, it is weird to hear a Smiths album that is somewhat new to me because I mostly ignored it in the past after I decided I didn't like it. I can't put it above the others though.)
4. The Smiths - 4.5 (A really solid debut. Weirdly despite not being a huge production nerd I've always noticed the sound was off about this one and it did affect how I heard it. But the songs are strong enough to surpass that anyway. I especially love "Reel Around the Fountain". They weren't at their peak yet but it is a helluva way to start).
3. Louder Than Bombs - 5 (So long but so many great songs! I almost forgot over the years how great of a compilation this is but listening to it this week was just banger after banger. Most of the songs that introduced me to the band that I fell in love with on Best...1 are on here too which makes it even better.)
2. Strangeways, Here We Come - 5 (This is just a beautiful listen and great start to finish, I am a huge fan of the opener "A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours" and it just keeps going from there. I will never not get chills when Morrissey sings his first lines on "Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me".)
1. The Queen Is Dead - 5 (Always has been and always will be my number 1. There was never a doubt. I love everything about it. I listened to it a few weeks ago when you first announced you were covering The Smiths and I immediately felt the love for it again. Morrissey was on fire with his lyrics back then, I love all of this. I love the bouncy fun moments and the sad moments. It's all perfect).
Great episode, great week. It was fun to hear another perspective as well but you're all irreplaceable so I'm glad that was a joke haha.
Back in the halcyon days of yore, l worked in a record store. The lovely Gina turned me onto The Smiths and thank goodness she did. Here’s my ranking:
#6. The Queen is Dead
#5. The Queen is Dead
#4. The Queen is Dead
#3. The Queen is Dead
#2. The Queen is Dead
#1. The Queen is Dead.
My favorite band of all time. So glad you guys are doing their Listography.
Here goes my ranking:
6. Meat is Murder
5. The Smiths
4. Hatful of Hollow
3. Louder than Bombs
2. Strangeways Here We Come
1. The Queen is Dead
I'm a new convert to this channel and it's excellent. The best of its type that I've seen and that's despite Jason and particularly Joe hating one of my favourite albums of all time (Unknown Pleasures).
I'm ploughing my way through the back catalogue and have so far really enjoyed The Smiths ( I was 16 when This Charming Man came out and for me and my friends,The Smiths immediately became 'our band'), David Bowie, Neil Young, Echo and the Bunnymen and Radiohead. Some of the best videos are when the 3 (now 2) presenters disagree about the band/artist e.g. Blur.
What makes this channel so much better than other music review channels, is the discussion format, the depth of musical knowledge and descriptions of why albums/tracks are good or bad. Not just someone saying 'this albums great' or 'this albums' poor, without saying why!
Ideas for future discography reviews: a refresh of The Cure, The Chameleons, The Go-Betweens, Idles and for a real challenge, The Fall.
Keep up the great work!
1. Queen is Dead
2. The Smiths
3 Meat is Murder
4 Hatful of Hollow
5. Louder than Bombs
6. Strangeways Here We Come
+Marr's solo stuff is excellent.
Really looking forward to watching this. I’ll just add, though: as you’re opting to include Hatful of Hollow, I’d have included it’s follow-up compilation, The World Won’t Listen. Louder Than Bombs is a mesh of those two, if I recollect.
As a first time in the history of the channel for me (and I've watched every listography), my list was exactly the same as Jason's. Cool to have Joe K. on as a guest, too. Great analysis, guys!
Excellent discussion! I’m from the UK and am old enough to have been there when The Smiths happened. I can’t begin to describe the impact they had on a lot of people. Some points:
1. Hatful of Hollow was a big thing when it came out as it was more Smiths product
2. Louder Than Bombs wasn’t released in the UK originally. We had a wonderful compilation called The World Won’t Listen.
3. The Queen Is Dead tour show at Wolverhampton Civic Hall was the greatest night of my life.
Awesome points. #3 🔥🔥
My Ranking:
1. The Queen Is Dead (10/10)
2. Strangeways, Here We Come (9,5/10)
3. Meat is Murder (9/10)
4. The Smiths (8,5/10)
5. Louder Than Bombs (8,5/10)
6. Hatful of Hollow (8/10)
Greetings From Canary Islands.
Awesome guys!!! Wow, those rankings were all over the place but that's to be expected with material this strong. Joe was a great guest!
I'm a lifelong Smiths / Morrissey fan. I could probably reel off every Smiths lyric and UK chart position from memory. They are absolutely my favourite band and pretty much an obsession. Here's my list;
01. Meat is Murder (5) - Dark and snarky, I love every song on it. I think this is Morrissey at his darkest and most intimate. Johnny Marr just thunders through so many styles; post punk, rockabilly, 50s ballads, funk, art pop. And the rhythm section is at it's best here. Joyce's thunderous drums on What She Said and That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore. Rourke on pretty much everything and twice as hard on Barbarism Begins At Home.
02. Hatful of Hollow (5) - Super cool underground indie vibe on this one. I hard disagree about weaker versions on this. I think the playing and more organic production make the tracks sing way more than the debut. I love every track on here and consider it to be the greatest compilation ever released.
03. The World Won't Listen (5) - Not on your list but it was released in the UK instead of Louder Than Bombs, which itself was a US amalgamation of Hatful & this compilation. Shorter and with no overlap from Hatful, this is the superior compilation imo. It makes for a cleaner discography run, while the US Bombs comp muddies the waters. Full of great tracks and great sequencing.
04. Strangeways, Here We Come (5) - Great production, great songs, Morrissey sounds better than ever, there's a feeling of finality to this album that seems very fitting as a final LP. Love it.
05. The Queen is Dead (4.5) - Bright, Kinks style vaudaville LP. I love the majority of this album but some tracks like Never Had No-one Ever and Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others would feature on my least favourite Smiths songs ranking if one existed. Still amazing, though.
06. The Smiths (4) - Inconsistent production muddies this one a bit. Morrissey is also a bit wobbly as a singer and Jonny rapidly developed as a writer after this. But it's still a great debut with lots of incredible songs and lyrics on it.
07. Louder Than Bombs (3.5) - Full of amazing material but redundant when compared to the earlier UK combo of Hatful of Hollow and The World Won't Listen. There's just too much overlap and it's too long.
Here's my own ranking video for deeper analysis from myself: th-cam.com/video/vc1L0dVVWuk/w-d-xo.html
But I think Louder Than Bombs has tracks that don't appear on either Hollow or Listen. And Listen has some unfortunate tracks that appear on TQID. Whoever made these decisions was a bloody idiot.
@@179rich Yeah... Louder Than Bombs does have a couple exclusive tracks, namely the three tracks from the Sheila Takes a Bow single and the original version of Back to the Old House (which is inferior to the Hatful version). The World Won't Listen collected up all UK singles released between Hatful of Hollow and The World Won't Listen, so Bigmouth Strikes Again and The Boy with the Thorn in His Side are justified inclusions because they were singles. The only exception is There is a Light that Never Goes Out, which wasn't released as a single until 1992, which was very posthumous. So calling it an idiotic move is a bit much, I think. Aside from one track, there was a clear philosophy.
@@tokyochuchu Hatful should have been released in the States. That was their first mistake. I had it anyway - bought the import.
Yesss ChuChu! I agree with you!
6) The Smiths(1984) - 4 stars (US Version with this charming man)
5) Strangeways, Here We Come(1987) - 4 stars
4) The Queen Is Dead(1986) - 4.5 stars
3) Hatful of Hollow(1984) - 4.5 stars (compilation - some of the session versions just aren't as good)
2) Meat Is Murder(1985) - 5 stars
1) Louder than bombs(1987) - 5 stars (my favorite compilation of all time)
The World Won't Listen?
@@gavinreid2741 it wasn't included in the original lists of the video maker. probably because it was UK only and overlaps greatly with Louder than Bombs
@@frodofraggins .. Hatful of Hollow was also initially a U K only release (1984) hence the overlap with Louder...
To fully appreciate The Smiths it's crucial to understand british humor, which that guest guy clearly doesn't get.
I think Meat Is Murder is the best Smiths album & note the original copies omitted How Soon Is Now which was a B-Side originally. The Headmaster Ritual & That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore are two of the top 5 Smiths songs ever. The Queen Is Dead is hot on its heals as second best with the debut third & Strangeways their flawed swan song fourth. Both compilations are excellent with Louder having more meaty songs. Smiths shows at The Hollywood Palladium in Summer of 1985 were two of the best I ever saw. The Meat Is Murder Tour.
I refuse to let artists ruin their own art for me. I try not to pay much attention to what actors, musicians, fine artists, etc. say. Or said, because the further back you go the worse it gets. "If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am." - Andy Warhol
Definitely a top ten band for me but as mentioned as much as I like the 'Smiths and for the most part Morrissey solo I really have to be in the mood but that mood can last for weeks... As soon as I heard 'This Charming Man' I was both sold & hooked...
6. Meat is Murder 3'5
5. Hatful of Hollow 3.5
4. The Smiths 4.0
3. Louder than Bombs 4.5
2. Strangeways, Here We Come 4.5
1. The Queen is Dead 4.9
Notes and two cents (20 minutes in)
- I personally prefer the Hatful of Hollow version of What Difference Does It Make? The original debut version like the rest of the album feels ‘washed out’ production wise, and the HFOH version really showcases the powerhouse brilliance of Rourke and Joyce.
- The ‘cringey’ bits on the Queen is Dead such as the opening ‘take me back to dear old Blighty’ and Frankly Mr Shankley are on purpose - they are taking a swipe at the old school British nationalism that the album pokes fun at. It’s like a gentler satire of the ‘all these things are American dreams’ bit that satires American patriotism.
“What difference does it make?” Every! Thank you for this! 💙 🎶
Can’t believe we’re doing compilations here, but okay, I’m in.
6. Hatful of Hollow
5. Meat Is Murder
4. The Smiths
3. Strangeways, Here We Come
2. Louder Than Bombs
1. The Queen Is Dead
The two albums that have shifted the most for me over the last decade are the debut and Strangeways. And this never happens, but Jason actually convinced me to switch Louder Than Bombs and The Queen Is Dead. If I was allowing compilations in my little list on my channel, Louder Than Bombs might have bumped Queen Is Dead. But! When Jason talks about the length and listening experience, Queen Is Dead reigns. Louder Than Bombs has my two favorite Smiths songs though. Louder Than Bombs and Snap! by The Jam are the two greatest rock compilations ever - featuring a single band. Well done, chaps. Cheerio ✌🏻
I try to preach Snap! to these guys since ages...The Jam were another great British band with great songs and great singles but not so good albums. But the compilation does not have any weak track but instead some of the greatest single songs of that period.
Snap includes my favorite Jam track - The B-Side The Butterfly 🦋 Collector.
@@davidellis5141 Most artists would sell their soul to ever write an A-Side like that.
Funny co-incidence, I just listen to Paul Weller's 2021 album Fat Pop while writing this. He is still a genius for writing great songs.
@@roxannewalsh I am still a novice when it comes to Weller’s solo material. One of these years, it will be a singular focus. I think All Mod Cons and Sound Affects are great albums, but Snap! is superior as a collection of songs.
I don't care for the Jam, but I admit I haven't heard much by them so maybe I haven't heard the right material. What I heard didn't make me want to listen further though.
I saw them live in 1983 about 2 weeks before This Charming Man was released, playing the small bar at Sheffield Uni on a stage apparently made of tables shoved together!! Hand in Glove had been around for a while but hadn’t really broken through. They were still a bit rough but quite unlike the other indie bands of the time. A month later they were on Top of the Pops with Morrissey waving his gladioli on national tv. Fantastic stuff! Arguably the most important British band of the eighties and definitely one of the most important ever. Made so many fantastic records.
Ranking the studio albums I would go
4 Meat is Murder
3 The Smiths
2 The Queen is Dead
1 Strangeways Here We Come
To think Johnny Marr was just 23 when they broke up
Interesting lists. I don't know if it's different in America but here in the UK "hatful of hollow" is very highly rated.
Hatful Of Hollow is essential if you choose to follow the UK chronology and also buy The World Won’t Listen.
Louder Than Bombs is a trimmed combination of both, released for the US market.
Here's my list:
1. Queen Is Dead ( TOP-10 all times favorite albums).
2. Louder Than Bombs ( my favorite compilation album of all time).
3. Hateful Of Hollow ( my second favorite compilation album of all time).
4. Strangeways, Here We Come ( TOP-50 favorite albums of all time).
5. The Smiths.
6. Meat Is Murder
Nice order but I think Meat is Murder is higher up - the title track is garbage but in the US has How Soon Is Now
A big one this week, The Smiths.
I first got into them in 1990-when I was 15-well after they had already broken up. I was into The Cure and a friend suggested these guys. ‘Louder Than Bombs” was my first album I had of theirs. A Top-20 band for me. All of their studio albums are Top-5 for me in their respective years, with The Queen is Dead winning my Album of the Year for 1986.
1. The Queen is Dead. 5 Stars. In my Top-20 albums of all time.
2. Strangeways, Here We Come, 5 Stars
3. Hatful of Hallow. 5 Stars. Jason’s right, this is like a ‘Greatest Hits’ album. And I like the alternate versions here. How Soon is Now & Please, Please, Please are legendary.
4. Meat is Murder. 4.5 Stars old version, 5 Stars new version (with How Soon is Now)
5. Louder than Bombs 4.5 Stars. So many great tunes here.
6. The Smiths. 4.5 Stars US version.
I've been listening to Smiths for the last month 24 hours a day! For sure my top 5 maybe even top 3 band of all time
My ranking:
6. The Smiths
5. Hatful Of Hollow
4. Louder Than Bombs
3,2,1. The Queen Is Dead, Strangeways, Meat Is Murder: i can't decide between these 3 perfect albums
But i love every album by them
1. Meat Is Murder
2. The Queen Is Dead
3. Strangeways Here We Come
4. The Smiths
Wow, I didn't know people don't like Meat Is Murder. I love it.
It’s great. I loathe the title track but everything else is amazing.
There’s really no wrong answer
The Smiths: memories of my misspent youth 🤪
Without any shadow of a doubt my favourite album is The Queen is Dead, one of my top 5 albums of all time.
And yes Morrisey is a complete tool 😂
Cheers guys!
🇬🇧🇺🇸
Maybe not the best place to post this but since I'm not a The Smiths fan at all, but I desperately want to comment ;) so here is my Christmas list(ography) for 2022..PLEASE Santa...I've been VERY good this year:
Doves
Athlete
Genesis
Phoenix
Kansas
Heart
Phantogram
(I'm out of one word bands)
Linda Ronstadt
The Monkees
Hall and Oates
The Psychedelic Furs
I Can't wait guys, to hear your thoughts on; the Cure, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Echo & the Bunnymen, or Cocteau Twins.
They get a lot of pressure to do those bands. They will have to give in some day, hopefully in the coming year.
I remember being very disappointed by Strangeways. It felt like the inspiration was gone and they were going through the motions.
Great video. The Smiths were my favourite band back in the 80's. Louder Than Bombs was originally only meant for the American Market, but they released it in Europe to stop people having to buy expensive imports. 'The World Won't Listen' was basically the British version but with fewer tracks.
1. The Queen is Dead
2. Louder than Bombs
3. Strangeways, Here We Come
4. Meat is Murder
5. Hatful of Hollow
6. The Smiths
Huge Smiths fan here. Johnny Marr is my favorite guitarist of all time, Mike Joyce is always great, Andy Rourke is their secret weapon, one of the best and underrated bassist for sure (and everyone agree that Morrissey is a tool but it's impossible for me to hate him). The Smiths is a top 10 of all time.
1) The Queen is Dead (★★★★★)
2) Louder Than Bombs (★★★★★)
3) The Smiths (★★★★½)
4) Meat is Murder (★★★★½)
5) Strangeways, Here We Come (★★★★½)
6) Hatful of Hollow (★★★★☆)
Wow, we have the exact same ranking AND ratings, except I left out Louder Than Bombs because I’m not familiar with the entire album. But I do love many of their singles, of course. 🍻
Kramzer connecting the dots in guitar sounds between The Smiths and The Church, Echo and the Bunnymen, latter-day REM and early Radiohead is impressive.
6. The Smiths (4 stars)
5. Hatful of Hollow (4.5 stars)
4. Meat is Murder (4.5 stars)
3. Strangeways, Here We Comes (4.5 stars)
2. The Queen is Dead (5 stars)
1. Louder Than Bombs (5 stars)
exactly my ranking except 5 and 6 are switched.
I totally agree with Jason. Hatful of Hollow is better for being more energetic - Reel Around The Fountain is better even though Charming Man isn't but it's still great. Their best collection of songs and, in my eyes, an improvement on the debut. My favourite Smiths album and one of my all-time favourites.
Best Andy Rourke showcase song: This Night Has Opened My Eyes. What an incredible talent.
I couldn't agree more with Joe K- The songs with prominent bass parts by Andy Rourke are my favorite as well.
Andy's playing is very mature:
Strays from the root quite a bit, but still very melodic- great note selection.
Some busy playing that never sounds cluttered or in the way.
Killer P-Bass tone.
Top 5 rock bass player ever
I remember buying these as new releases as they came out. After nearly 40 years of listening to The Smiths almost daily it’s funny how your opinion of songs and music changes . Back then I would’ve put it this way .
1. Louder
2. The Smiths
3 . The Queen is dead
4. Strange ways
5 meat
After thousands of listens in 2022
1. Louder
2. Meat
3. Queen
4. The Smiths
5 . Strange ways
Still all quality songs …. Great channel guys… take care ….
“Which one of your children do you love the most?”Hmmm, let me think! I’ll get back to you.
1. Strangeways, Here We Come
2. The Queen is Dead
3. The Smiths
4. Meat is Murder
I don’t like to count the compilations but if I did Louder Than Bombs would be number 3 as it was my introduction and Hatful of Hollow would get an honourable mention. The John Peel session stuff is great and JP is greatly missed. I like it all at the end of the day, just picking favourites.
1 - The Queen Is Dead
2 - Strangeways Here We Come
3 - Hatful of Hollow
4 - The Smiths
5 - Meat Is Murder
6 - Louder Than Bombs
Louder Than Bombs was my introduction to the Smiths. It remains the only album I know well and, I could be wrong here, feels like all I really need from the Smiths. It's a fantastic collection of songs and I love so many of the songs on it. Sweet and Tender Hooligan is my pick for underappreciated Smiths tune. It rocks!
Eric, I understand the sentiment of feeling like it's all you really need...I mean, that's 24 Smiths' songs and you might be wondering about the Law of Diminishing Returns on what else is out there. I would recommend researching further. I'm not even close to being the biggest Smiths' fan, but the other albums are all at least 4-star records, depending on your ears.
@@chrisdelisle3954 I do know lots of songs from the other albums, of course. Bombs is just the only full album I know. Might check out Queen after this, but there is just so much music and so little time. And dammit, my bosses insist that I keep writing words in exchange for my paycheck, so that severely limits my listening time. Morrissey lyrics don't work so well as marketing copy. 😁
Same for me. Only album of theirs I bought (cassette actually) back in '87. Was kind of late to the party and I still have to be in the right spot to listen to them, but it's always Louder Than Bombs. If only they could've crammed "Big Mouth" and "How Soon" onto it. 😄
@@nightowl1851 I bought it in 87 as well and thus was also late to the Smiths party. 87 was a mammoth year for albums with Louder Than Bombs, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, Warehouse: Songs and Stories, Pleased to Meet Me, John Hiatt's Bring the Family, Document, Sister, Sign o' the Times, Tunnel of Love, Joshua Tree, if'n by firehose, two albums by Meat Puppets, and albums by Dino Jr., Public Enemy, Eric B and Rakim, Butthole Surfers, Midnight Oil, Screaming Blue Messiahs, another great Robyn Hitchcock album, Jane's Addiction's debut...it was the year that kept giving, for me anyway.
@@burmajones803 1987 for me, too, that year is the pinnacle and can't wait for it for Songs of the Year, although it's going to be agonizing choosing.
people dont tend to like my Smith's list but here it goes:
1. Meat is Murder- I think that this record essentially has no bad tracks, and its brisk pace really makes it feel wholly worthwhile. As far as full band performance is concerned this is my personal favorite because of the speed of most of the songs, but also the composition of them. Johnny Marr's best guitar work is featured on this album, as well as Andy Rourke's best basslines. These two weave in and out of eachother and make these songs become as pretty as they are momentous. That being said the band always knows when to pull back and take a breath, which they do on the slower cuts from this record perfectly. This record is really "in your face" but never really to its detriment aside from the final track, which is a bit of an unfortunate misstep. Meat is Murder (the song) has too high of a tempo and thats my one gripe with this record. There is a bootleg floating around of them playing a show where this song was played much much slower and it captures the mood they were going for much more successfully than what was laid to tape here. Aside from that I really think this record is great; Morrissey stands out here to me as well, he's not as flashy or as clean in his performance as he would be on later releases but the lack of polish doesn't really take away from him because he is a very virtuosic performer. His lyrics also are quintessential morrissey bouncing between being darkly humorous and witty to morosely disheartened, often all at once. He has a skill for that that I think is present on essentially every Smiths release and it's no exception here.
2. Strangeways Here We Come- This is the smiths at their most naturally restrained, finely melodic, and subtly melancholic. This album sounds like a quiet divorce disguised as a happy ending. The melodrama is at an all time low for this group here, and is replaced with what could be considered more standard pop songs, or rather, pop-leaning material; and aside from Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me there isn't really a sign of the Smiths in their original incarnation, with all the bombast and emotional turmoil. The lyrics here are the best the Morrissey has ever written. His words stretch from blessed simplicity to decoratively Victorian, and slip past his previous capabilities and flashes of brilliance into being wholly and nakedly descriptive, derisive, hilarious, and sad in a way that he had not previously achieved. I think that Morrissey really carries this record over the simplicity of the instrumentals, but that is by design. The band has pulled back from the spotlight and restrained themselves without giving up the stunning melodicism they are known for, and opt into helping these songs paint the vivid imagery of heartbreak that gradually emerges as the tracklist carries on. What starts as something that can be misconstrued as relatively standard curls inwards to a rather mature portrait of loss and fatigue at love that "just doesn't do what it used to" anymore. By the time the record is over and you realize that you've heard the sound of a band falling apart, of its members reaching the start of their separate ways, you've already seen the worst of it, and you are ready to let go. That is the strength of this record, and really of this band, that they were able to find this delicate a way of saying goodbye.
3. The Queen is Dead- The fact that this album remains so emotionally relevant despite its shortcomings is amazing to me. That is a pretty cruel way to start off my writing here, especially considering this is a record that I actually like quite a bit, but its true. There are songs here that to me appear strikingly underwritten, but Morrissey is the worst offender here. Almost every song feels like a rough draft lyrically, and despite the brightspots (Vicar in a Tutu, There Is A Light) there are songs that stick out to me as rushed even on a band level which isn't an issue they have on any record but their first from 1984. I Know It's Over feels empty, and Never Had No One Ever is a bore; that being said, that the former can still punch tears and emotions out of me in the way that it does is still a testament to how powerful it is, and I wish it had gotten a second draft so I didn't always feel like I was questioning why I enjoyed it so much. There is also a surprising lack of distinctiveness in many of the guitar parts throughout this record, where a lot of the inventiveness of earlier releases and singles seems like its been stripped away. Most of the guitar parts feel like they are merely functional, with no sort of interesting flair about them in any way, and it takes what was a standout characteristic of this band and makes it feel negligible. The same goes for Rourke's bass, and it seems like this regression could have led to something beneficial for Morrissey, or beneficial for some wider arrangements involving other instruments but neither of these possibilities come to the surface and it leads to a lot of these songs feeling bare. Through all of these troubles, though, The Queen is Dead offers some of this band's truest and most pristine pop moments with the likes of Cemetry Gates (and the already mentioned There Is a Light,) and even though I myself am not the biggest fan of Bigmouth Strikes Again I can definitely see its appeal. Songs like Frankly Mr. Shankly and The Boy With the Thorn In His Side stand out because of the former's comically vicious character assassination and the latter's extreme earnestness. However, it's disheartening that for much of this record I feel like I am constantly pulled in and out of these songs, where they are almost all part of something special, but they can never fully capture me. The title track is a rush of snide snarls and critical eyes crossed atop a heavy and intimidating collage of the band creating its best take on chaos and yet it still feels tame, it still feels like it's being held back. It says little but does a lot, and I go back and forth between loving it and not really caring. And it is a similar fate with the final song Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others, which takes the shimmering chimes and pretty pace of Johnny Marr's best guitar work and weaves it into a mesmerizing, floating piece of pop music surrealism. It is hilarious and wryly, and its second-verse punchline involving Cleopatra and Marc Antony has to be one of the funniest lines ever put to record. That being said there are still times where it sticks in my mind as a sore spot, which makes me sad, and reveals what I think is the unfortunate truth about this record: The Queen is Dead is a mixed bag, but still it is full of wonderful surprises and sustaining classics but it also displays both the best and worst aspects of this band. Its emotional rawness keeps it essential, but I don't think I can overlook its flaws. It is remarkable, and yet it is also ordinary, which in terms of the Smiths, makes it a letdown. In spite of all of this, though, I still like this record.. there are even days when I LOVE this record, but I don't think that it is the record that demonstrates why the Smiths are such an important band.
4. The Smiths- From here there is a show of growth. This is the sound of a band in progress. They are notable, noteworthy, but not for very long. I think that the majority of this record does menial work in demonstrating the strengths of the band, but major steps are made towards being able to identify what they would be. This is best seen as a prelude to their career, giving hints to their greatness and their capability. Taken on its own I don't think that, had this been the only album they ever made, that they would be remembered. Without what followed this would be another one of the endless faces that get lost in the crowd in record stores still peeling through the leftovers of New Wave classics. This Charming Man is a necessity, but it was left off the original UK release, which leaves Still Ill as the only song that I think is really worth your time, and even then it feels like an average Smiths-cut at best. I find an appeal in the darkness of this record, both the aesthetics and the production, and the dispassionate manner of the lyrics, but it doesn't stick. After a while of listening it really just comes across as dull. I find Reel Around the Fountain to be dismal, Handsome Devil hilarious, and the rest of it just kind of drifts away as monotony. I have never been able to get into this record, but I am thankful for the people that did because we were given the rest of the Smith's career. I think we are fortunate that they were as gifted as everyone thought them to be, because for me, I can't see it. Not here.
Can’t disagree more about QiD and The Smiths but well argued anyway. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic Hey Joe, I appreciate you reading through what I had to say. My opinion on the queen is dead is quite critical but I do think that it is as popular as it is for a reason, and is also probably their most culturally important record because it really strikes a nerve. I think despite its flaws everything its trying to say comes through, and in fact it does so quite brilliantly. I happen to be stuck in this weird position where I can't seem to ignore those flaws, but as negative as I may appear I really do enjoy that record. The Smiths are one of my favorite bands so its strange to me to have what is for most their quintessential album be second to last in my ranking, but I think its held up by the fact that I really don't think they have any bad music at all except for their first album which I really just don't like very much.
Anyways, always a fan of you guys, thanks for the videos :)
Jason, may I have this dance? Set your spirit free! In no particular order:
Atlantis to Interzone- Klaxons
River- PNAU , Ladyhawke
Tongues -Joywave, KOPPS
Controller (feat. Faris Badwan) - Hercules & Love Affair
Walkie Talkie - DJ Shadow
Body Movin’ - Beastie Boys
B.O.B. - Outkast
Groove is in the Heart - Deee-Lite
Banquet (Phones Disco Edit) - Bloc Party
Whoo! Alright - Yeah... Uh Huh - The Rapture
1. The Queen Is Dead 5/5
2. Louder Than Bombs 4.5/5
3. Strangeways, Here We Come 4/5
4. Hatful of Hollow 4/5
5. The Smiths 3.5/5
6. Meat Is Murder 3.5/5
I just wanted to say that I love Rubber Ring, which kind of sums it all up: "But don't forget the songs that made you smile, and the songs that made you cry, when you lay in awe on your bedroom floor and said "Oh, oh, smother me, mother."".
To me The Queen Is Dead is their best record and definitely one of the Top 10 Indie records of all time. My ranking would be 1) Queen 2) Hatful 3) Strangeways 4) Smiths 5) Meat Is Murder, I love Headmaster's Ritual and Rusholme Ruffians, the last two songs I can hardly listen to. I'm including Hatful Of Hollow in the regular album list, because it was the first record I heard by them back in 84, and there are a lot of songs on there that weren't on the debut album, whereas most of the songs on Louder Than Bombs had already been on Hatful and The World Won't Listen.
"And don't forget the songs, that made you cry, and the songs that saved your life. Yes, you're older now, and you're a clever swine, but they were the only ones who ever stood by you.".
Thanks for the episode, it's a shame what has become of Morrissey, but The Smiths will be forever one of the greatest British pop bands of all time. I'd really like to see you do The Fall one day, Mark was from Manchester as well and he hated The Smiths. Julian Cope and The Teardrop Explodes would be nice as well, so would be Hüsker Dü and Bob Mould/Grant Hart. Enough of wishful thinking, bye bye from Germany.
7. _Strangeways, Here We Come_ Marr, exhausted
6. _Hatful Of Hollow_ Unmatched songs, not a fan of the song order
5. _The Smiths_ Simultaneously underrated & undercooked
4. _The Queen Is Dead_ A mix of crown jewels & toss aways
3. _Best...1_ A solid entry point
2. _Louder Than Bombs_ The collection that converted me
1. _Meat Is Murder_ Marr's finest moment, IMO (save for the title track). The Smiths' _Dark Side Of The Moon_
Agree with you on #2.....same thing happened to me. Interestingly, I'm not too impressed with Morrisey's solo stuff. I like a few songs no doubt....but "something" is missing...and I think we ALL know that.
Meat is murder is really fantastic and gets no love! That title track is terrible though. Nice order!
"The Headmaster Ritual" opening riff is the ring tone on my phone.
1- The Smiths
2- The Queen Is Dead
3- Louder Than Bombs
4- Meat Is Murder
5- Strangeways Here We Come
I discovered this band about a year ago and I listened to the albums in chronological order from the most part. And as Spotify was my way, I’m of course including This Charming Man and How Soon is Now in the records
ELO and the Smiths in 4 weeks?.... you guys are legends
Albums proper : 1.Strangeways 2. Queen Is Dead 3. Meat Is Murder 4.The Smiths . Then insert the compliations Hatful and Bombs between Queen and MIM.
Hatful of Hollow was a good place to get a quick overview of all their previously released singles and the Peel sessions. As far as I know, that record was the only place to hear Handsome Devil. The British release of the World Won’t Listen was a near track for track of Louder than Bombs, but the instrumental Money Changes Everything was included. That track later appears as Bryan Ferry’s the Right Stuff. Hearing them in the 80’s is much different. We now have access to all of their releases but if you didn’t live in town with a good record shop carrying all their import singles, getting all their releases was pretty damned difficult. Oh yeah, my favorite studio release is Louder than Bombs.
Here’s my ranking
1. The Smiths
2. Meat Is Murder
3. Hatful Of Hollow
4. Complete
5. Rank
6. Strangeways Here We Come
7. The Queen Is Dead (non-deluxe/deluxe)
8. Louder Than Bombs
9. The Sound Of The Smiths (non-deluxe/deluxe)
10. 12 inch singles (I forgot the actual name of it and it’s not really mentioned, very often)
11. The World Won’t Listen
(If there are any other albums, please tell me)
You guys should do a 'Resequencer' on 'The Queen is Dead'. Joe K. gets a lot wrong about that album, but he is right that the sequencing is just bizarre.
Agreed. Much like "Rumours, it's still a great album, but the sequencing kind of feels like an afterthought. I can't think of a weirder way to close an album than "Some Girls are Bigger than Others".
Smiths never appeared to be a real album band (except maybe Strangeways) but a song band. In a way, their albums all feel like compilations of the songs they had at a certain time - this is why it makes sense for me to treat the compilations that were released during their existence just like the albums. Their discography is more or less the best bulk of songs anyone released in the 80s (or any other decade to be honest).
I agree that the album is oddly sequenced, but I would not touch Some Girls, that beautiful guitar riff could go on forever and it's almost painful when it starts to fade away.
I think I would swap Frankly Mr Shankly and The Boy With The Thorn On His Side
time to do a Jehtro Tull or Mike Oldfield ranking folks ?!
I'll second you on a JT ranking
Me too, since JT is very much a ‘holiday season’ kinda band.
@@janpoelkamp4229 hopefully for christmas ;)
1. Strangeways
2. Queen is Dead
3. Meat is Murder
4. Louder than Bombs
5. S/T
6. Hatful
at 6 to 1
6) Hateful of Hollow (because I have Louder Than Bombs)
5) Strangways Here We Come (love the opener, but overall, Morrissey is too cynical )
4) Meat is Murder (some hidden gems 'What She Said', 'That Joke..., 'Well I Wonder' . Would have been better with How Soon Is Now)
3) The Smiths (classic debut with mostly listenable songs)
2) Louder Than Bombs (half of these on the double LP are fantastic. I have my own playlist)
1) The Queen is Dead (Classic LP with songs of despair and hope, Morrisey at his most sarcastic!) Excellent production. Standout songs Bigmouth, The Boy with the Thorn, There is a Light, Some Girls are Better than Others...
1. The Queen Is Dead * * * * *
2. The Smiths * * * * 1/2
3. Meat Is Murder * * * * 1/2
4. Strangeways, Here We Come * * * * 1/2
Hatful Of Hollow * * * *
I agree if a compilations is suffiently different and includes b sides etc it becomes an album in its own right.
I recall going to an 18 and under teen dance club where I grew up, must have been 1988, and when the DJ started playing “How Soon is Now” the crowd started going wild and rushing to the dance floor if they weren’t already on it. So yes, the Smiths were and are strangely danceable.
Great video. No one sounds like the Smiths. My list: 1. Strangeways Here We Come 2. The Queen is Dead 3. Meat is Murder 4. Hatful of Hollow 5. Louder than Bombs 6. The Smiths
Any plans to do a Morrissey listography?
A great band with both jangle and strings to love. My top 12 favorite Smiths songs:
1. Half a Person - 5 stars
2. Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before 5 stars
3. The Boy With the Thorn in His Side 5 stars
4. Girlfriend in a Coma 4.9 stars
5 "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" 4.9 stars
6 This Charming man 4.8
7. There is a light that never goes out 4.8
8. Panic 4.4
9 Shoplifters of the World Unite 4.7
10. Ask 4.7
11. Bigmouth Strikes Again 4.7
12. How Soon is Now? 4.6
I think it's a tie for best album between The Queen is Dead and Louder than Bombs .
Who cares what Morrissey has said about anything? So he is anti-immigrants Jay-Z is in the HoF and he is more racist. One more reason to see the buffoonery in the Rock Hall of Fame. Morrissey apologized in Big Mouth Strikes again. "Bengali in Platforms" is just some fashion advice to Bengali and letting him know life is difficult even when you belong. Ha. I don't have to agree at all with Morrissey but this is a frightening fascist world when the far Left tries to suppress free speech. And the far right has had it's fun there too.
Some would say it wasn't such a racist song. You need to see the cultural context in which it was written. Thatcherite England was a place where working-class communities were being ravaged by unemployment, crime, depression. The song is pointing out the true state of the country from Morrissey's perspective and it does so effectively by contrasting the 'western plans' of an outsider with the grim reality of England. What do you expect? A nuanced song without sarcasm from Morrissey?
Update: Maybe this is more about Morrisey refusing to be on stage with the Smith's drummer - all over a song lawsuit. But the Smiths' should be in without Morrissey being there.
Sure Frankly, Mr. Shankly is a corny annoying song. Joe is right about Meat is murder. The best songs are Headmaster Ritual and That joke isn't funny any more and How soon is now? is good but overrated.
Kramz is right about The debut album. Hand in Glove and What Difference Does It Make? and sometimes with This Charming Man.
Morrissey on his own I really don't know ? The debut is great. Later he did a tune Boy Racer that is good.
Jason's review of Louder than Bombs rings true. But don't you ever skip tracks, it's easy to do. OK some weak songs but a little higher than 5th best.
None of you seem to love any particular songs. I am not feeling the love. Don't you like Half a Person - does it chills you or sound very haunting? Stop Me is a great song! Don't You think Miserable Now is funny and edgy with a great melody. Boy with a Thorn is just brilliant. The only records I have are the BEST of .. I guess they didn't make a great record though but they were great. Marr's is one of the most underrated writers and guitarists.
Excellent choices. I am struggling in narrowing down my top 10, but I would have a lot of your choices in my top 20 for sure. They would just be moved around a bit. I am a fan of all of your picks including 'Half a Person'. I love the witty lyrics of that song. 'There is a light...' is my absolute favourite and I share your ranking of 'Stop Me...' Excellent choices
@@greghansell5115 Thanks. I would like to see your top 20! An early sneek preview before a ten ton truck ends it all. As I noted, I may have never listen to a full record but I got Best of I and II and then listen to youtube .. i like my music with video now. I wasn't really listening to music much when they were in their heyday, if that explains my situations.
Sure Light that Never Goes Out .. should have given it more that just 4.7 on the 1 to 5, rethinking it. "And if a double-decker bus Crashes into us
To die by your side Is such a heavenly way to die And if a ten ton truck
Kills the both of us To die by your side Well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine". Wonder if they took out those lines (which are great!) if they could have a bigger hit.
@@oppothumbs1 I can't quite firm up a top 20. Too difficult because so many songs are on fairly equal footing. But obviously you know 1 & 2 are firmed up, especially number 1. That song is perfect so I would be happy to give it a 5/5. Stop Me....maybe 4.75. After that, it gets tricky, but I would say that a few other songs off The Queen is Dead would probably make it (Boy with the thorn, Bigmouth, I know it's over). William it was really nothing, Last Night I dreamt...Please, please, please...are others that I really like and deserve to be in the top 10. I like Reel around the Fountain for some reason... and then there's a bunch on you list.
1. Strange Ways
2. Smiths
3. Louder than Bombs
4. Queen is Dead
5. Hatful of Hollow
Last night I Dreamt... Maybe one of the best recordings ever produced
While I don't think 'Ask' will pop up in anyone's top ten songs list, it does feature my favourite lyric - "spending warm summer days indoors, writing frightening verse to a buck toothed girl in Luxembourg"!
probably the same will happen to 'Half a Person'...."I like it here, can I stay...and do you have a vacancy for a back scrubber". Top 10 for me but probably not for most people....
1. The Queen Is Dead (4.5 stars)
2. The Smiths (4)
3. Hatful of Hollow (4)
4. Strangeways, Here We Come (4)
5. Louder Than Bombs (4)
6. Meat Is Murder (3.5)
It seems like I agree with Jason for a lot of this one, from Louder Than Bombs having that lull in the 3rd side that makes it drag a bit (I agree Hatful seems better as a start to finish cohesive listening experience) to The Queen Is Dead being a strong lyrical album and that Meat Is Murder seemingly missing something. I think Strangeways is a bit lower on my list because all the great tracks for me come in the first half of it and the second half feels merely pretty good, and I miss the more guitar oriented youthful rawness of the debut which I prefer. Very enjoyable studio discography overall, but I think top 10 songs is where they *really* shine for me.
Unless you're downgrading Hatful for containing previous released material I think you've underrated it by at least a 1/2 star. Just my opinion, though. Great list.
Pretty similar to my list with 2 & 3 swapped. I didn't grade mine, but I think those aren't too far off either.
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 It’s mainly for the versions of debut songs that I think are superior on that album. Really there’s very little separation at all between the 2-5 spots on my list (the debut would be a more solid #2 for me if “This Charming Man” was officially on it).
@@ThePhysicalillusion Gotcha. I go back-and-forth on which ones are better. Versions on the debut are produced better but I think the performances on Hatful might be stronger. All things being equal, I think the song lineup on Hatful is superior. Cheers!
Joe K was an awesome guest 🌟 ! 👏
1 The Smiths (1984) 9.5/10🏆 Miserable lie was the one misstep as it's a sore one to listen to- bit unsettling more than pleasing. The rest for me is one of those essential albums of the 80s ❤️🔥
Couple things:
1) yall are NUTS (said with a smile, not an attack - stupid internet!) ! The peel sessions versions are SO much better than the muddy/twangy records from the 1st album. HoH wasnt available in the states until around 1990 (believe me we TRIED to get it forever) and those Charming Man and What Difference versions blew us all away! to this today those 2 versions are still on my Smiths Apple Playlist & TCM version is in my top 5 Smith songs. Andy Rourke REALLY pops on TCM. Please take a listen to both again
2) Jason saying 73 minutes is too long for an album (IE should be tighter) was akin to my comment on the U2 album ranking video: shorter is easier on the audience. If I want to share your channel with people going over 30 min is daunting. They would most likely do your top 10 songs. I like your input but, as Jason feels about LTB, shorter can be more effective and hold attention more easily.
We like talking too much 😆 - Joe
Hmm. I'm a little shocked that Jason says the length of Louder than Bombs holds it back. I think it's amazing from start to finish. I believe he gave "All things must pass" five stars and that's an album I felt had far too much filler material and whose length was a big turnoff.
One thing that helps out All Things Must Pass is that pretty much all the ignorable stuff comes at the end, whereas the ignorable stuff on Louder Than Bombs is interspersed between the great songs. Still a 5 star album for me because it's best tracks are towering.
Louder than Bombs was initially only available in the USA. The tracks mosty taken from Hatful of Hollow ,and The World Won't Listen. Here in the UK I think most people tend to prefer the radio session versions of Hatfull to the debut album versions.
Fun video. I disagree with all your picks, but appreciate your explanations.
Well you gotta leave your ranking now…
I love the Smiths, I had other compilations for the Smith (most notably Singles and the Sound of the Smiths, both of which I rate 5 stars) than ever listening to Louder than Bombs, so I'll leave that one off.
5. Hatful of Hollow - despite having two of my favorite songs. The alternate versions of really kill it for me.
4. Meat is Murder - I hate the title track, and I don't think any song really stands out. (Maybe Joke), but still plenty of good stuff 3 1/2 stars
3. Strangeways Here We Come - A few more standout tracks than Meat.
2. The Smiths - "Reel" may be my favorite from that album but I still think it's a strange opener. 4 stars
1. Queen is Dead - The most solid album of theirs. 5 stars.
Joe 2, is a lovely addition. I very much look forward to tomorrow.
jason coming in clutch with strangeways at number 1, that genuinely hyped me up cause I was just waiting for the trifecta to ruin my hopes at this point.
I didnt listen to the compilations but without them jason and I have the same ranking surprisingly, usually i feel your taste is the most different from mine out of you three but apparently thats not the case with the smiths;
4. meat is murder
3. the smiths
2. the queen is dead
1. strangeways here we come
Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me is fantastic and Death of a Disco Dancer is one of my favorites as well, it just sounds so ahead of the curb, far more similar to early 90's rock imo.
As far as what is treated and considered as a studio album, on rateyourmusic they have Hatful of Hollow as a studio album, and Louder Than Bombs a compilation.
RYM is sometimes weird in this respect - they also have some live albums among regular albums for some artists (there are cases where I agree with that e.g. for cases where an artist decided to record new material with an audience). In the Smith case here, this is a pretty random decision, same with The World Won't Listen, which probably deserves equivalent treatment to Hatful.
Does it matter? Someone in the video said that there is no bad Smith song - and Smith albums were foremost just a format to get Smith songs.
This was a special episode. So the rules went out the window. - Joe
Am I the only person in the world for whom it took me years to decide how I felt about Morrissey's voice? He's basically like a Mancunian version of Bert from Sesame Street as the lead singer of a rock band. I just loved Marr's music (writing and arranging as well as playing) so much, as well as the wittiness of the lyrics, but I went back and forth on this band because of that. By the late '90s or so, I had resigned myself and admitted they were one of the all-time great bands. The fact that they produced such beautiful music in the mid-'80s seals it for me. The Cocteau Twins, pre-Document R.E.M., and The Smiths rule that time period for me.
6. Meat is Murder - My version does not have "How Soon is Now?" which obviously plummets it. Lots of very good tracks - "The Headmaster Ritual," "What She Said," "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore," "Barbarism Begins at Home," and "Well I Wonder (love the bass)," but the title track plummets it further. When you only have 9 tracks, you can't include something like that. 4 stars.
5. Strangeways, Here We Come - I like a lot of the material here, especially the glorious middle section of "Girlfriend," "Stop Me," "Last Night I Dreamt," and "Unhappy Birthday," but there are a lot of dogs on this album for me - "Death at One's Elbow," "Paint a Vulgar Picture (great lyrics, perhaps their single most boring musical track, outside of "Meat is Murder")," and "Death of a Disco Dancer." 4.5 stars.
4. Hatful of Hollow - Ah, those great early singles. Love the call on the acoustic version of "Back to the Old House." Also, the true home of "How Soon is Now." 4.5 stars.
3. The Smiths - To me, aside perhaps from TQID, this is the album that most exemplifies that "suburban guitar sound" that Kram referenced. Such pillowy chime from the 335 and the Ric 360. "Pretty Girls Make Graves" might be their most unsung gem. 4.5 stars.
Urgh, I hate having to parse the top two....
2. Louder Than Bombs. Okay, I have to admit that Jason is right - the third side is rather wanting. But those other three! The first seven tracks, plus "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" and "Ask," it's like a new album (pretty sure all of those were early '87 tracks for them), and one that happens to be better than Meat is Murder. Plus the reprise of all of those great singles (except for one, grrr) from Hatfull, and of course "Asleep." 5 stars.
1. The Queen is Dead. I discovered The Smiths just when Strangeways came out, and for a while it took me a while to get why so many people put it so far above their other three studio albums and even Louder Than Bombs. It took a while for the slower stuff to grow on me. I agree with Joe K. that I could do without "Frankly Mr. Shankly" and "Vicar in a Tutu," but the other eight tracks are so phenomenally great that it doesn't matter. Gorgeously produced.
I've always enjoyed Morrissey's voice, although I don't think he's anywhere close to being one of the greatest singers in rock history.
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 Don’t get me wrong, his phrasing, pitch, and expressiveness are good. It’s just the voice itself, particularly the unapologetic nasality in that high register.
@@scottanthonyweidner8692 His singing voice definitely improved throughout his career following The Smiths...I really enjoy his vocals on 'You are the Quarry' in particular.
Joe K made some very good points about the "dorky" songs on Queen Is Dead, but I still love them, dorkiness and all.
That's the album's charm! It's like criticizing The Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society for being too English. Sheesh.
The dorky songs are great. "Vicar in a Tutu" is a top 10 Smiths song.
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 It's perfectly fair to say a song or band is too british if it's a personal turn off. I feel that way about most Blur songs.
Nothing more fun than singing along with "Frankly, Mr Shankly".
@@Vanessa.P Yes! Undeniably great lyrics.
I love the way the pile of CDs behind Joe K magically grows right at the end of the video.
Only a casual Smiths fan. They have some great songs, but not a top 50 artist for me, which puts me in the minority, it looks like. I agree with Kram, including compilations in the ranking feels like cheating, I guess because they have such a small discography it gives you something else to talk about. And as good as Joe K. was, you don't need guests, the three of you are so insightful on your own, and have such good chemistry, it only becomes a small distraction. Just my two cents worth.
As much as I love 'em, I'm in agreement w/you that they're not top 50 all time. Just too short of a career. I also have the perspective of someone who grew up in America. It can be argued that The Smiths were a one-hit-wonder here in The States. "How Soon Is Now?" is their only song that made a real dent in the airwaves here.
I would agree on not being a top 50. I like the Smiths, but they aren't as important to me as other artists from this era, like R.E.M., the Replacements, or the Cure.
Totally disagree with you
I have never heard The Smiths; and now, grateful to have nothing but time to check them out; I go to do so...One interesting thing is that none of you guy's ranked the self titled debut higher than 3rd...most bands make their first album up of all the best songs they have written since they were born; then they have like 9 months to duplicate that life-time's worth of artistry for their second album; I can only think that, like in the case of Elvis Costello; they took the money that the first album made and then paid for a real professional studio with real professional engineering, etc...
I'm going to listen to Meat Is Murder first, because Joe has been my go-to guy in the past, as far as me agreeing with one of you the most; so, here we go;
"Alexa, play Meat Is Murder"
Alexa: "Dude, really? I can play The Queen is Dead; I already have it cued!"
"Alexa, what did I tell you about arguing with me?"
1. The Queen is Dead
2. Hatful of Hollow
3. The Smiths
4. Strangeways, Here We Come
5. Louder Than Bombs
6. Meat is Murder
Decent list except for that Louder Than Bombs placement. Sheila Take a Bow, Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want, and Asleep alone make this the second best in their discography IMO.
@@josejones Louder than Bombs is the one that I struggled the most with placing. It has some of my favorite songs on it, but as an album, you also have all the B-Sides, which are sort of a mixed bag. Not all their B-Sides are a "Rubber Ring" or a "Please Please Please". Some of the stuff is also on Hatful of Hollow, which feels more like a real album.
Also, I think all their albums are pretty consistent, so there's not that much difference between 1 and 6.
Decent picks for first and last. IMO 'There is a Light...' elevates number 1 a great deal and 'Meat is Murder' drags down number 6 a great deal.
Kramzer so right about Morrissey. Maybe Morrissey could start up a supergroup with similarly enlightened individuals like Nugent, Kid Rock and Clapton and Gary Barlow (he could make the tea).
....as long as they're all vegans I guess....
1.The queen is dead
2.louder than bombs
3.meat is murder
4.strangeways
5.smiths
6.hatful
my top 4 changes based off which one I have on but the bottom 2 get played the least.