The Sound of The Smiths

The Sound of The Smiths
Compilation album by The Smiths
Released 10 November 2008
Recorded 1983–1987
Genre Alternative rock, indie pop
Label Rhino Records UK
Producer John Porter, The Smiths, Roger Pusey, Dale "Buffin" Griffin and Stephen Street
The Smiths compilations chronology
The Very Best of The Smiths
(2001)		 The Sound of The Smiths
(2008)		 The Smiths Singles Box
(2008)
Alternative cover
Deluxe Edition cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Blender [2]
The Guardian [3]
Hot Press [4]
Pitchfork Media (7.5/10)[5]
Rolling Stone [6]

The Sound of The Smiths is a Smiths compilation released on 10 November 2008. It is available as both single and double disc editions. Morrissey is credited with having coined the compilation's title, while Johnny Marr was involved in the project's mastering.[7] Early promotional material for the album originally saw it entitled "Hang the DJ: The Very Best Of The Smiths", but this was changed for the final release.[8]

The album charts #21 in UK Album Charts and #98 in Billboard Album Charts

Contents

Track listing

CD 1

  1. "Hand in Glove" (7" version) – 3:17
  2. "This Charming Man" – 2:43
  3. "What Difference Does It Make?" (Peel Session) – 3:13
  4. "Still Ill" – 3:22
  5. "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" – 3:35
  6. "William, It Was Really Nothing" – 2:12
  7. "How Soon Is Now?" (12" version) – 6:47
  8. "Nowhere Fast" – 2:38
  9. "Shakespeare's Sister" – 2:09
  10. "Barbarism Begins at Home" (7" version) – 3:51
  11. "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" – 3:52
  12. "The Headmaster Ritual" – 4:54
  13. "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" – 3:18
  14. "Bigmouth Strikes Again" – 3:14
  15. "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" – 4:05
  16. "Panic" – 2:20
  17. "Ask" – 3:17
  18. "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" – 3:34
  19. "Shoplifters of the World Unite" – 2:58
  20. "Sheila Take a Bow" – 2:42
  21. "Girlfriend in a Coma" – 2:03
  22. "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" – 3:48
  23. "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" (Single edit) – 3:11

The iTunes release of the deluxe edition includes the bonus tracks "Rubber Ring" (as track 14) and "The Draize Train" (as track 18) on CD 1.

Additionally, the iTunes edition of the single-disc version includes "What She Said" (as track 10) as a bonus track plus "Hand in Glove" (Live at Brixton Ace 29/6/83) (as track 25).

On the exterior packaging, "Hand in Glove", "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side", "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" and "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" are not noted as being single versions or edits. Also, there are several errors regarding the lengths of certain songs (for example, "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" is listed as being 4:03 in length when it is actually 3:35).

"You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" is a slightly slower version than previously issued. According to an interview posted on Johnny Marr's homepage with mastering engineer Frank Arkwright, "[W]e removed the varispeed from the original release which I thought was too fast ..."[9]

CD 2: Deluxe Edition

Songs marked with an asterisk (*) are exclusive to this compilation (excluding releases as b-sides).

  1. "Jeane" (b-side of "This Charming Man") – 3:03*
  2. "Handsome Devil" (Live at The Haçienda, Manchester 4/2/83) (b-side of "Hand in Glove") – 2:55*
  3. "This Charming Man" (New York Vocal) (b-side of "This Charming Man") – 5:35*
  4. "Wonderful Woman" (b-side of "This Charming Man") – 3:08*
  5. "Back to the Old House" (b-side of "What Difference Does It Make?") – 3:04
  6. "These Things Take Time" (b-side of "What Difference Does It Make?") – 2:22
  7. "Girl Afraid" (b-side of "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now") – 2:45
  8. "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" (b-side of "William, It Was Really Nothing") – 1:50
  9. "Stretch Out and Wait" (alternate vocal version) (b-side of "Shakespeare's Sister") – 2:44*
  10. "Oscillate Wildly" (b-side of "How Soon Is Now?") – 3:26
  11. "Meat Is Murder" (Live at Oxford Apollo 18/3/85) (b-side of "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore") – 5:37*
  12. "Asleep" (b-side of "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side") – 4:10
  13. "Money Changes Everything" (b-side of "Bigmouth Strikes Again") – 4:39
  14. "The Queen Is Dead" (from The Queen Is Dead) – 6:23
  15. "Vicar In a Tutu" (from The Queen Is Dead and b-side of "Panic") – 2:22
  16. "Cemetery Gates" (from The Queen Is Dead and b-side of "Ask") – 2:38
  17. "Half a Person" (b-side of Shoplifters of the World Unite) – 3:34
  18. "Sweet and Tender Hooligan" (Peel Session 17/12/86) (b-side of "Sheila Take a Bow") – 3:34
  19. "Pretty Girls Make Graves" (Troy Tate demo) (b-side of "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish") – 3:32*
  20. "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" (from Strangeways, Here We Come) – 3:31
  21. "What's the World?" (Live at The Barrowlands, Glasgow 25/9/85) (b-side of "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish") – 2:05*
  22. "London" (Live at National Ballroom, Kilburn) (from Rank) – 2:36

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Blender review
  3. ^ The Guardian review
  4. ^ Hot Press review
  5. ^ Pitchfork Media review
  6. ^ Rolling Stone review
  7. ^ New Musical Express
  8. ^ http://www.morrissey-solo.com/article.pl?sid=08/08/18/1557246
  9. ^ Johnny Marr and Frank Arkwright on Mastering The Smiths (part 2)

External links

The Smiths
Studio albums
Extended plays
Live albums
Compilations
Singles
Other songs
Related articles