"The Sound Of The Smiths" by THE SMITHS – Compilation Covering Thirty-Eight UK and European 7" and 12" Single A&B-side Rarities Alongside Seven LP Tracks released between May 1983 to November 1988 on Rough Trade Records (UK) and Sire Records (USA) - featuring Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce (November 2008 UK Rhino 2CD 45-Track Compilation with Johnny Marr Remasters) – A Review by Mark Barry...

 

 

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I'm likely to get swamped just doing the track list on this rather cool little compilation brute, but here's looking at the Charming Manchester Men - flowers on stage boyo's with their hands in gloves, thorns in their sides, girlfriends in comas, ritualistic headmasters and vicars in tutus - off we go then (whose miserable now Mozza). 

 

"The Sound Of The Smiths" 2CD 45-Track compilation offers you 7 album cuts and 38 seven and twelve-inch single sides that include some Promo-only goodies too (most are UK issues, but there are Italian and Dutch rarities as well). CD1 features the A's and CD2 the B's. Here are the heavenly/miserable details...

 

UK released 10 November 2008 - "The Sound Of The Smiths" by THE SMITHS on Rhino Records 2564-69371-2 (Barcode 825646937172) is a 2CD 45-Track compilation with Johnny Marr Remasters (Sire/Rhino R2 516016 - Barcode 081227988890 in the USA) that plays out as follows: 

 

CD1 (77:14 minutes):

1. Hand In Glove - May 1983, Rough Trade RT 131, A-side 45-single

2. This Charming Man - October 1983, Rough Trade RT 136, A-side 45-single

3. What Difference Does It Make? - Peel Sessions Version, originally released on the November 1984 compilation LP "Hatful Of Sorrow" on Rough Trade 76

4. Still Ill - Scheduled as the fourth UK 45-single, released February 1984 as a Promo-only 7" single on Rough Trade R 61 DJ, A-side ("You've Got Everything Now" is the B-side)

5. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - May 1984, Rough Trade RT 156, A-side 45-single

6. William, It Was Really Nothing - August 1984, Rough Trade RT 166, A-side 45-single

7. How Soon Is Now? (12" Version, 6:45 minutes) - February 1985, Rough Trade RTT 176, A-side of 12" Single

8. Nowhere Fast - From the February 1985 UK LP "Meat Is Murder", Rough Trade 81

9. Shakespeare's Sister - March 1985, Rough Trade RT 181, A-side 45-single

10. Barbarism Begins At Home - 1985 Italian 7" Single Mix Version on Virgin/Rough Trade  45148, A-side (no UK single)

11. That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore - July 1985, Rough Trade RT 186, A-side 45-single

12. The Headmaster Ritual - 1985 Dutch/Netherlands 7" Single on Megadisc MD 5290, A-side

13. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side - September 1985, Rough Trade RT 191, A-side 45

14. Bigmouth Strikes Again - May 1986, Rough Trade RT 192, A-side 45-single

15. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - From the June 1986 UK LP "The Queen Is Dead" on Rough Trade 86

16. Panic - July 1986, Rough Trade RT 193, A-side 45-single

17. Ask - October 1986, Rough Trade RT 194, A-side 45-single 

18. You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby - Withdrawn UK 45-single on RT 195 but released on the February 1987 UK LP compilation "The World Won't Listen" on Rough Trade ROUGH 101

19. Shoplifters Of The World Unite - January 1987, Rough Trade RT 195, A-side 45-single

20. Sheila Take A Bow - April 1987, Rough Trade RT 196, A-side 45-single

21. Girlfriend In A Coma - August 1987, Rough Trade RT 197, A-side 45-single

22. I Started Something I Couldn't Finish - October 1987, Rough Trade RT 198, A-side 45

23. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me - December 1987, Rough Trade RT 200, A

CD2 (76:18 minutes):

1. Jeane - B-side of "This Charming Man" 45-single RT 136

2. Handsome Devil - B-side of "Hand In Glove" 45-single RT 131

3. This Charming Man (New York Vocal) - B-side of "This Charming Man" 12" Single on Rough Trade RTT 136 (NY)

4. Wonderful Woman - B-side of "This Charming Man" 12" Single on Rough Trade RTT 136

5. Back To The Old House - B-side of "What Difference Does It Make?" 45-single RT 146

6. These Things Take Time - B-side of "What A Difference Does It Make?" 12" Single on Rough Trade RTT 146

7. Girl Afraid - B-side of "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" 12" Single on Rough Trade RTT 156

8. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want - B-side of "William, It Was Really Nothing" 45-single RT 166

9. Stretch Out And Wait - Incorrectly listed as the B-side to the "Shakespeare's Sister" UK 12" Single, but is the Alternate Lyrics Version that turned up on the
February 1987 UK LP compilation "The World Won't Listen" on Rough Trade ROUGH 101

10. Oscillate Wildly - B-side to the "How Soon Is Now?" 12" Single on Rough Trade RTT 176 

11. Meat Is Murder (Live) - B-side of "This Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" 45-single on RT 186

12. Asleep - B-side of "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side" 45-single on RT 191

13. Money Changes Everything - B-side of "Bigmouth Strikes Again" 45-single RT 192

14. The Queen Is Dead/Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty (Medley) - From the June 1986 UK LP "The Queen Is Dead" on Rough Trade 86

15. Vicar In A Tutu - B-side of "Panic" 45-single RT 193

16. Cemetry Gates - B-side of "Ask" 45-single RT 194

17. Half A Person - B-side of "Shoplifters Of The World Unite" 45-single RT 195

18. Sweet And Tender Hooligan - B-side of "Sheila Take A Bow" 12"-single RTT 196

19. Pretty Girls Make Graves (Troy Tate Demo) - B-side of "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" 45-single RT 198

20. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before - From the September 1987 UK LP "Strangeways, Here We Come" on Rough Trade ROUGH 106

21. What's The World? (Live) - B-side of "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" Cassette-Single RTT 198C

22. London (Live) - From the August 1988 Live LP "Rank" on Rough Trade ROUGH 126

The four-way foldout card Digipak sleeve offers photos of the boys in varying live and studio poses with a collage-photo beneath the CD trays of all those distinctive single sleeves with photos of actors, actresses, musicians and writers they liked - Terence Stamp, June Whitfield, Yootha Joyce, Pat Phoenix, Candy Darling, Alain Delon, Joe Dallesandro, Elvis Presley, Truman Capote and more. But the booklet is a strange thing of beauty and lacking - across its 28-pages you first get nearly 24-glossy pages of colour/black and white pictures with no text? Then there's 4-pages of detailed track-by-track discography info (few mistakes in there that are noted above), but there's no history, no liner notes, no new interviews. At least old champions of the band are mentioned - John Peel and his Producer John Walters - Walters being a gent I once had the privilege of being able to buy his fantastic record collection (took me three days to pack). Tom Sheehan took the cool photo for the front sleeve - and of course there's the JOHNNY MARR approved Remasters. To the tunes...   

 

Clever choices include replacing the more commonly available seven-inch single mix of "What Difference Does It Make?" with the Peel Sessions Version that showed up on the 1984 "Hatful Of Sorrow" compilation LP and that stunning guitar magic of "How Soon Is Now?" extended to 6:45 minutes for the 12" Single Version - a tune fans adore and Rock guys admire.  I must admit I went to CD2 thereafter to get access to those lesser-heard B-side gems like the whack guitar of "Jeane" (tired of walking these streets), the Francis Kervorkian remix of "This Charming Man" that extends that famous melody to 5:33 minutes and the surprisingly pretty "Back To The Old House" (too many bad memories). There can't be too many Smiths fans who wouldn't groove to the disused railway line stunner that is "These Things Take Times" - a B-side I think should have been on an album. 

 

Good old Morrissey makes a good man turn bad in the acoustic strum of "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" and again you're taken by the prettiness of the Eskimo running in its sexy veins "Stretch Out And Wait" (ly down puny body). Great audio on the piano of "Oscillate Wildly" - a twelve-inch single instrumental B-side you feel would have been a smash with some biting Morrissey words to give it Indie chart potential. Recorded live 18 March 1985 at The Oxford Apollo - the strained moo's of the live version of "Meat Is Murder" is an eerie one - Morrissey singing dead for no reason with a venom. Loving those faded in guitar treatments for "Money Changes Everything" - the flipside to "Bigmouth Strikes Again" - another John Porter produced instrumental groove that many Eighties bands would have killed for (you can hear how close it was to "How Soon Is Now?"). And on it goes...

 

For sure England's The Smiths were and still are an acquired taste (I know ho can't abide them or Morrissey or any of the politics surrounding the band) - but their Indie uniqueness, sound and cult endures. And on the strength of this chockers-twofer, you can absolutely so hear why...