sixteen, clumsy & shy: an introduction to the smiths

Artist Song
the smiths  "hand in glove" [single version] 
the smiths  "this charming man" 
the smiths  "reel around the fountain" 
the smiths  "pretty girls make graves" 
the smiths  "heaven knows i'm miserable now" 
the smiths  "william, it was really nothing" 
the smiths  "please please please let me get what i want" 
the smiths  "how soon is now?" 
the smiths  "handsome devil" [peel session] 
the smiths  "i want the one i can't have" 
the smiths  "shakespeare's sister" 
the smiths  "stretch out & wait" 
the smiths  "bigmouth strikes again" 
the smiths  "i know it's over" 
the smiths  "the boy with the thorn in his side" 
the smiths  "there is a light that never goes out" 
the smiths  "panic" 
the smiths  "ask" 
the smiths  "shoplifters of the world unite" 
the smiths  "half a person" 
the smiths  "sheila take a bow" 
the smiths  "girlfriend in a coma" 
the smiths  "last night i dreamt that somebody loved me" 

Comment:

first let me state for the record that the smiths are my second all-time favorite band (trailing only the beatles), & that johnny marr is my all-time favorite guitarist, & that morrissey is my all-time favorite lyricist.

a friend of mine -- actually, pretty much all my friends -- constantly poke fun at me for being the obsessive smiths fan that i am, most of them never having heard a single note off any of their albums. i'd been itching to make a single disc smiths intro mix for someone (anyone) for a while now (since i generally don't make single artist mixes for myself, i always prefer listening to the albums), so when a friend of mine was giving me the tiresome "morrissey is so whiney blah blah blah" routine, i decided to show them up with this proposal. i'm out to prove that the smiths (& especially morrissey) are not the gloom & doom band so many folks peg them as, & are actually incredibly witty, tongue-in-cheek & ironic in their "miserablism," & that they're a versatile & extraordinary band -- the best singles band since the beatles, in fact.

since this disc is meant to introduce a member of the uninitiated to the band, & it's not for me, there is a bit of a classicist bent here -- this does not contain all my personal favorite smiths songs, or even what i consider to be their absolute greatest songs. rather, this contains a cross-section of my favorite tracks, their prime singles & important/historically significant album tracks. i actually had to remake this disc several times to succeed -- i originally had nothing from meat is murder (in my opinion, their weakest effort) & lacked such pivotal singles as "bigmouth strikes again" at the expense of hidden gems like "this night has opened my eyes." is "this night has opened my eyes" a better song than "bigmouth strikes again"? definitely. is it more important in the smiths' catalogue? probably not. i also thought it would be better to contain at least some material from each of the band's releases. along with all the time spent compiling this disc (which, trust me, took a while), i'm also including extensive liner notes that i personally put together -- quotes from the band members & producers, track notes, original release date information, trivia, etc. -- to give context to the songs.

tracks it physically hurt to cut: "jeane," "what difference does it make?," "the hand that rocks the cradle," "suffer little children," "this night has opened my eyes," "back to the old house" [peel session], "the queen is dead," "cemetry gates," "is it really so strange?," "sweet & tender hooligan," "asleep."

on a final note, what's everybody's favorite smiths song(s)/album(s)? my favorite songs would be "ask," "please please please let me get what i want," "heaven knows i'm miserable now," "half a person" & "the boy with the thorn in his side"; my favorite album would be hatful of hollow followed closely by the queen is dead & the self-titled debut.

Feedback:

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ofthaltned
Date: 5/10/2007
I really really enjoyed your explanation, Anthony. My song selection would probably be a bit different - "The Queen is Dead" and "Cemetery Gates" would probably be my top choices for convincing someone that the Smiths are not just "the doom and gloom band so many people peg them as". Well, also, "Cemetery Gates" might, in fact, be my favourite Smiths song, expect on my more miserable days maybe.
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ofthaltned
Date: 5/10/2007
also, I just accidently clicked "submit", which goes to show that while I'm not sixteen anymore and maybe a little less shy than I used to be, I'm still as clumsy as ever. Oh well, I'll just take it as a sign to cut it short and say that I agree with most of your choices anyway. Are there really people out there who aren't familiar with "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out", though? Hard to imagine.
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hemizen
Date: 5/10/2007
My fave Smiths track is please, please...., no fave album because I don't share your passion. I do enjoy your passion though and this is very nice. However please add a second disc because I hate to have you "physically hurt".
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mahdishain
Date: 5/10/2007
i am the one that you should be sending this disc to because the smiths have somehow slipped past my radar, probably because i've been to busy being obsessed with tom waits. i understand and enjoy an obsession as well as the next person so i guess i need to check this out. no favorites ... yet.
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Mr. Mirage
Date: 5/10/2007
I have but one disc, "meat is murder" and it is the one I hand to folks that have never heard of the smiths. Of course, it is the U.S. release, which has "how soon is now?" on it, which I understand was on "hatful of hollow" in the U.K.That one song is probably my favorite.
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Mark Petruccelli
Date: 5/10/2007
once again it seems mahdishain and I are leading parallel lives. I, too, would benefit from exposure to Morrissey and company.
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natalyesaurus
Date: 5/10/2007
wonderful. although cemetry gates is indeed a painful cut i wouldn't have been able to make.
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Media Vixen: Radio Sally
Date: 5/10/2007
I'm right there with mahdishain ... I didn't quite get them at the time, although people I really respect LOVED them.
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brad32
Date: 5/10/2007
if i had to name one song : girl afraid - the first song i heard from them. not a huge fan - i have the singles disc, world won't listen and queen is dead. however, my old roommate in college was a huge fan. He had hatful of hollow, which remains a favorite relese of mine, even though i've never physically owned it...figure that one out
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brad32
Date: 5/10/2007
apparently, i can't spell, either...
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brad32
Date: 5/10/2007
also, i meant to put louder than bombs , not world won't listen - where did that come from? okay, i'll shut up now
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DJ Karen Adams
Date: 5/10/2007
#22 is a personal favourite.
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Mixxer
Date: 5/10/2007
Nice work Anthony. Don't know about favorite, but I perceive that their most covered song is "Bigmouth..." (just a guess).
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Mesh
Date: 5/11/2007
Ah, The Smiths.... I have to agree that Johnny Marr is one of my favorite guitarists, and Morrissey is a wonderful lyricist (although I don't think he ALWAYS succeeds). I've been a fan since high school, when a friend turned me onto "The Queen Is Dead." She liked them more for the "doom & gloom" of "I Know It's Over" and the like, but I was won by the wit and charm of "Cemetry Gates," et al. So much to choose from, but I think you've done a very admirable job of making a sampler for the uninitiated, and great comments to boot. I think I'll have to dust off "The Queen Is Dead" now...
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sammyg123
Date: 5/11/2007
Firstly can I mirror you and say the Smiths are my second favourite band ever after the Beatles, so great minds and all that...
My favourite Smiths album? Strangeways Here We Come. To choose a favourite track is more difficult, but were I to do a Single Disc mix The Queen Is Dead and Cemetry Gates would be certs along with 'That Joke..' 'This Night Has Opened My Eyes' & 'You've Got Everything Now'. But, you know, I love everything by them so......
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Barrydali
Date: 5/12/2007
Here comes Barry to be the fly in the ointment. I never loved the smiths, at times I never even liked them, Morrisey has a knack of leaving me cold. That said this is very listenable, Johnny Marr is a genius. The fact that the only album I own in CD format is Louder than Bombs says it all really, I never felt the need to update my cassettes and vinyl . Your passion and verve is infectious as always Ant.
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p the swede
Date: 5/13/2007
Can't go wrong with material like this
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deja_vu_all_over_again
Date: 5/13/2007
Excellent exploration of a band I feel I've only skimmed the surface of - and Barrydali's comment is correct - this mix has 'passion and verve' in spades.
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lo-fi jr.
Date: 5/13/2007
Glad to see I'm not the only casual fan of this band. Always seemed that people needed to have a strong reaction either way. Like most UK bands, I think the singles rule and the LP's are just okay. That said, I do think Morrissey's lyrics are a (intentional?) laff-riot and my fave tune not included here is Jeane.
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Dom1
Date: 5/13/2007
Good Job!
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arktical
Date: 5/14/2007
The Smiths are my second favorite band next to The Cure. Great selection and I can share your pain with the cuts that you were forced to make, although it may be a bit much to ask someone to listen to a two disk introduction. I would enjoy this disk for any occasion though.
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Rob Conroy
Date: 5/14/2007
Wow. I wish that my Smiths double-disc set attracted this kind of attention... ;-) A great collection that features a fair amount of my favorite Smiths tracks. The fact that you cut "Asleep" or "What Difference Does It Make?" is unfathomable to me, but hey, I can understand the pain of rough cuts. My favorite Smiths song (and one of my 20 favorite songs of all-time) is "This Charming Man." I don't count Hatful of Hollow or Louder Than Bombs as albums, so I'd probably vote The Queen is Dead their best album, although you're right--the debut gives it a run for its money.
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Rob Conroy
Date: 5/14/2007
Oh yeah, and there is no way I'd be able to cut "The Queen is Dead" (one of my four or five favorite Smiths tracks) from my first volume. Didn't notice that before.
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g.a.b. l@bs
Date: 5/14/2007
Someplace (I know not where, exactly) I have a copy of Meat is Murder. I play it only during my most morose moments as I gaze upon pictures of old, toothless girlfriends whilst simultaneously sobbing uncontrollably, wondering why (why, why, why?) life always tosses opportunity atop the rubbish bin, and contemplating suicide.

I'd go on, but I've already taken too long (in this comment) and all my hope is gone.

Fave tune: #8.
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Nomates
Date: 5/15/2007
The Smiths recorded my second all time favourite song. I love this band. In my opinion they made but one duff track in their entire repertoire; and as this compilation of yours wisely omits the offending ditty, I cannot, therefore, find any fault with it. Bravo! And Hussah! And, if I might vouchsafe - hooray for you!
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laura.witkowski
Date: 5/17/2007
I heart The Smiths and Morrissey (that might be the biggest understatement of my music-loving life)- this looks like a great intro...
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Thanks for your comments on my Talking Heads rarities set. The Smiths are in my top ten of all time or so, and I consider Morrissey one of my heroes. I agree with you that they are an impeccable singles band. In fact, their "Singles" comp is what completely sold me on them ten years ago. As much as I tend to hate compilation albums, I still think "Singles" is one of the best (if not THE best) of that genre. As for my favorite song...I tend to go with "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side," although "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" probably runs it a close second. Album? I'd probably have to go with "The Queen Is Dead," although I think "Strangeways Here We Come" is quite strong too. (I personally feel they got better as they went, and that their first two proper records are a bit scattershot.)
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joker und thief
Date: 6/11/2007
Between the pair of us we own "Louder Than Bombs" and "Meat Is Murder".
We both agree that "How Soon Is Now" is our fave not "Half A Person"!
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RHarp
Date: 6/30/2007
Some of my favorite Smiths songs are here. It's a shame "asleep" was cut... still, very solid comp!