Rating:  -
who or what are the smiths? an idiosyncratic, pop rock band from england. there will never be another band like them. just one of those bands whose sound is extremely hard to get right. one could go on endlessly about this band and its inscrutable leader and genius guitar playing. however, the smiths are really for people who enjoy good rock music. if you put aside all of the baggage and controversy over sexuality or the politics of morrissey, you will be doing yourself a favor. i was never a big smiths fan, but this album should turn the ears of critics because it is simply good rocknroll. it is not depressing in terms of its musical merits, because the rythm section plus mr. Marrs seem to gurantee that your toes are tapping.
hatful is distinctively lo-fi. it's a bare bones recording that leaves it all up to th band's musicianship which never misses a step. it actually makes for a very punky sound which is great, as it brings out the sounds of the band's influences.
musicians would be hard pressed to find a tighter ryhthm section in rock. unfortunately, these things get overlooked with some of the hoopla surrouding morrissey.
whatever you do, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. morrissey's lyrics can get a little heavy and english, but again the guy can just flat out sing. there's a lot of sinatra in there.
Rating:  -
I bought this album a year ago instead of 'Meat Is Murder', because I had heard 'How Soon Is Now' on the radio and I figured I should get the original album that it was released on rather than 'Meat Is Murder'. I was wrong. Although there are some witty lyrics and tricks of the tongue found here, very few of the tracks vary at all from one consistant vein of music, the same guitar riffs, the same vocal 'ah-ha-ha's. The album is very boring, I won't lie. I tried listening to it about a dozen times and every time I thought 'when will this side end?'. Now, I'm not completely putting down The Smiths. Get 'Meat Is Murder' if you like 'How Soon Is Now'. It blows this compilation out of the water. This compilation of B sides and outtakes of the first album should've stayed in the archives.
Rating:  -
Released in 1984, between the Smiths' self-titled debut and their second proper studio album (Meat Is Murder), Hatful Of Hollow is a sort of compilation, focusing on non-LP tracks recorded by the group in the earliest portion of their career. The album features two singles ("Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" and "William, It Was Really Nothing") that were released in '84 but didn't appear on the debut. Also on board are their accompanying B-Sides ("Girl Afraid" for the former, "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" and "How Soon Is Now" for the latter). The other featured studio track is the original single single version of "Hand In Glove," which is noticeably different to the more well-known album mix. The rest of the album is composed of live-in-the-studio recordings that the group made in 1983 for BBC radio.
Although it's a mere compilation, Hatful is often seen as one of the Smiths' finest records. Some fans even put it at the very top of their canon. This sort of thinking is understandable, since this album is one of the few places where listeners can experience the band's phenomenal power as a live act. The radio recordings are nervy and raw, allowing the group's emotional drive and sense of pop song-craft to shine through with blistering immediacy. On songs such as "What DIfference Does It Make" and "These Things Take Time," the music reaches a level of intensity that puts their studio counterparts to shame. Same goes for the annoyingly rare (and undeniably brilliant) "Handsome Devil," and the sullen roar of "You've Got Everything Now." "This Charming Man" isn't the flawless pop gem that its studio counterpart was, but it's still full of gorgeous, hypnotic urgency and yearning vocals.
The studio recordings are also fantastic- "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" is one of the group's very best singles, a wistful slice of emotive (and quietly sarcastic) self-pity, with a beautiful guitar line and majestic vocal arcs. "William, It Was Really Nothing" is a dark, shiny burst of 80s decadence. "How Is Now" is, deservedly, one of the group's best-known songs. It's an epic, apocalyptic anthem for shut-ins, outcasts, and loners the world over. "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" is painfully short and achingly sweet, while "Girl Afraid" features a really cool guitar part.
All in all, Hatful Of Hollow is an undeniable classic. The only real misfire is the awful version of "Hand In Glove." The song itself is brilliant, of course, but the bass-heavy mix and badly treated vocals taint the song beyond belief. Thankfully, there are plenty of places to get the vastly superior album version. Get this record for the other fifteen tracks.
Rating: -
This is my favorite Smiths album, hands down. Great songs, just the right amount of mope and wit. The only blemish is the presence of "How Soon is Now," but only because it was the closest the band came to a top 40 hit in America and got WAY overplayed. Although I'm sure the song's success helped keep the band clothed and fed, it also diminished their specialness somehow. The rest of the album is sublime.
Rating: -
In 1984, I went Licorce Pizza Record Store. There were two tapes for sale that were guaranteed to by amazing. First, was REM's Reckoning (and it was amazing). The other was the The Smith's first record. I'd never heard of them, but since it was guaranteed, I spent the $4.99 and got.
I was blow away. I listened to it non-stop. I could hardly wait for more Smiths. During Christmas Vacation 1984, I went to a music store and saw this for sale. It was an import, so it was $9.99, quite a bit of money. But I bought it.
The music was simply amazing. I could care less if the obviously gay songs (or maybe not obvious - maybe I'm wrong) were about gay love. This is a record about the human experience, about love and lonliness. This is record with amazing guitarwork. This is a record that when you get done listening to it you want to give each member a hug and say "It will be alright."
The feeling is of honesty. Nothing fancy...just perfect songs recorded in less then perfect conditions.
Of course the Queen is Dead is amazing, as is Meat is Murder, but this will always be my favorite. It is perfect.
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