The Smiths - The Best of the Smiths, Vol. 1

The Best Of The Smiths, Vol. 1

The Smiths-The Best Of, Vol. 1 *****

Serving as a personal introduction to Morrisey and Marr, The Best Of The Smiths, Vol. 1 was simply one of the very best musical purchases I had ever made. Admittedly I only bought it for 'How Soon Is Now,' but that was about three years ago when I was a junior in high school, so it is redeemable. Besides, since then I have created quite the collection of Smiths/Morriesy/post-smiths-solo Marr work.

As I have looked through the rest of the best of and singles collections for the band this is really the only one that is satisfactory. The rest have the 'single' version as it is a singles collection or edits, or just not enough of the bands best work. 'Asleep' is the only track that I feel should have been included on the collection but was not.

Morrisey's melodramatic vocals serve as the focal point of any Smiths track, that is with out argument. But Johnny Marr's great, and severely underrated guitar work serves as the back-bone for the entire Smiths sound and that is all covered here. Whether it be the full album version of Morrisey's angry, loner-lament 'How Soon Is Now' or pro-homosexual relation 'This Charming Man' and my personal favorite 'Hand In Glove' The Best Of The Smiths, Vol. 1 essentially covers the ground work for your Smiths collection.

As stated before this serves as a great introduction to one of the great British bands of the eighties. But even if you plan to begin and end your collection with this it is sufficient enough that the casual fan could do so. Recommended as this is one of the few compilations of an eighties group that is worth and merritt. July 6, 2008

finally

I have looked for the song how soon is now for a while not knowing that the Smiths sing it. Bought the cd love it, I remember most of these songs, this was a time for great music. June 10, 2008

The best of The Smiths

I have to admit I am not a diehard fan of Morrissey and The Smiths but I do like a good deal of their music, particularly The Smiths. The Smiths' BEST OF...Vol. 1 is ideal for a casual listener like myself. I love all of the songs on the album. The songs are chockful of catchy pop hooks without sounding disgustingly syrupy. I love Morrissey's distinctive vocals. That is what makes The Smiths' music stands out so much from their peers back in the post punk era of the '80s. My favorite Smiths song has to be "Girlfriend in a Coma". "Girlfriend in a Coma" is two minutes of pure pop bliss. I am also a big fan of "How Soon is Now" which is a pretty popular song to cover. Very few artists can match the original version. Every song on the cd is a gem. Alternative music today doesn't hold a candle to bands like The Smiths. November 7, 2007

absolutely perfect vol. 1

This compilation together w/ vol. 2 completely got me into The Smiths. Is it a somewhat odd choice? Yes, but highly recommended (as opposed to the single disc very best of or the single-disc singles compilations).

You'll find different songs become your favorites at different times. Songs you dismiss at first as merely filler (Rubber Ring) show you their beauty after repeated listens. This is the warmest, most beautfiul and melodic collection of songs.

This collection caused me to get all of The Smiths records. If you're even just thinking about it, go for it. It's absolutely fantastic. October 27, 2007

Great Music, Bad Collection(s).

I gave this five stars completely based on the music within it, not the actual product itself. I adore The Smiths, so obviously I love these songs, but like many people have pointed out, this is a very weak collection. I took it upon myself to construct an actual Smiths "Best of" collection, because none of the ones actually released are satisfactory in my opinion. The "Singles" collection was okay, but there are more classic Smiths songs that weren't necessarily singles. The "Very Best Of Collection" was an import, and although was kinda more thorough than any other Smiths collection still left out songs and had sloppy song sequencing. And the two part "Best of Vol. 1 And 2" collection is basically a joke if you ask me (Sloppy song sequencing, Obvious exclusions, And many songs that shouldn't be on there.) The split two part collection feels very distant and random. If anything, it should have been released as a double album instead of two seperate albums, because neither of them seem very relevant to eachother, and not even just because of the uneven/flawed tracklists. It just doesn't work.

A definative Smiths collection would look like this:

[Disc 1]
01. This Charming Man
02. Panic
03. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
04. How Soon Is Now?
05. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
06. Hand In Glove
07. That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
08. Ask
09. Shelia Take A Bow
10. I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
11. William, It Was Really Nothing
12. Cemetry Gates
13. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
14. Asleep
15. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me

[Disc 2]
01. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
02. I Know It's Over
03. Still Ill
04. Shoplifters Of The World Unite
05. Bigmouth Strikes Again
06. Nowhere Fast
07. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
08. Girlfriend In A Coma
09. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
10. What Difference Does It Make?
11. Rusholme Ruffians
12. The Queen Is Dead
13. Shakespeare's Sister
14. Rubber Ring
15. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out December 19, 2005

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