it does sound re-mastered to some extent but you only really notice this at the beginning of a song then it just sounds like the same old usual stuff which i've already got over and over again but all in all it is a slight improvement sound quality wise but worth it ...i dunno. i like the last night i dreamt that somebody loved me edit and the fact that the booklet contains words to "that joke.." which i've always wanted to know.

I notice that this time there's been no single released from this album. I do seem to remember "ask" was reissued with "singles", in the uk at least. Can anyone remember where that got to in the chart?

is the sleeve. I'm into collecting the sleeves even if I could care less for the contents of the disk. But, I doubt I will actually go and spend $17 bucks on a sleeve that doesn't really seem very appealing at all.

So what I'm just gonna do is wait till eventually the disk shows up at one of my local used cd record stores (and it will show up, stuff like that always does), and just snatch the sleeve, shove it in my pocket, walk out through the door after purchasing a record by the Pharcyde, and hope noone notices anything.

Yeah, I know, i'm a jerk and i'm a crook, but that's just the way it goes.

I don't know how someone could say they can't hear any difference... Does everybody just listen to music off their computers these days ??? It is the first Smiths CD that comes ANYWHERE close to the sound of the original Rough Trade 12" and LP's and is usually Better! First off,"Ask" (which is Finally the right mix and the right speed that matches the RT 12") is unbelievable! so are "Shoplifters" and "How Soon is Now" and" I know its over" will change your life! The biggest difference in quality is on the later recorded tracks. I think the sequence really works and closing with "Stop Me" is brilliant. This is really a well thought out single disc comp and you have to remember the last one "Singles" came out in in 95,almost 7!!! years ago. We're all getting old.... I can't wait to hear new versions of the original albums. I'm am sure there will be some great things coming out in the future and everyone should stop ragging on this record. Its a great improvement on the previous 3 comps and obviously put together by people that made a good effort ,but keep in mind they have Bosses too! And if people don't buy it for themselves(and they should!) anyone who has no Smiths CD's should be forced to get it. Nothing will make everyone happy but this is a Good Job.

I can't help but be cynical about this.. especially being a lifelong fan and a 'collector' from the eighties.. But why they should continue flogging compilations.. It's the stuff of 'bargain Baucket' legend and demeans the Smiths into caricatures... I am disappointed in its release.

The artwork is good on the cover.. the inside picture is awful in my opinion.. But this doesn't justify it.

..And this term 'remasters' is just another marketing buzzword to make people buy it. Stick with the originals. There's better songs on those albums anyway..

..It trivialises the Smiths in a way I never wanted, and won't accept.

Are any of the tracks edits or alternate versions? Someone mentioned that one of the tracks had been appropriately sped up. Is that really true? If it is, has the pitch been upped or has the whole track, i.e. are they still the same length in seconds? If you dump the CD to a .wav file, is it the same length in bytes as the tracks from existing versions?

I've ordered my copy so I'll be finding out for myself in time. Sounds of SUCKER! can faintly be heard coming from the direction of the Warner building. Ah well.

Apparently cdnow.com also saw the uselessness of this CD. Has anyone else noticed that they have opted not to stock it? It's good to know cdnow.com is on the consumer's side.

In my opinion, anything that might get the Smiths' music out to more people, however it's done, is a good thing. If you don't want it, don't buy it. But shut up already!

Oh, a long, long time ago I resloved never to buy a 'best of' or compilation record or CD. The reason being that when artists (esp Morrissey) put out albums they want them to be heard as complete works. Morrissey took great care with the songs and artwork and names so it is completely wrong that some record company puts out this 'pick of teh pops'. 'The Smiths' was a great collection of songs, so was 'Meat is Murder' (where is 'Meat is Murder'? not on 'Very best of', too challenging). The 'Very best of' stinks.

Am i the only one who remembers Morrissey singing "reissue, repackage repackage, re-evaluate the song.... double track with a photograph, extra track and a tacky badge". Is yet another compilation just another example of what he was speaking in about in his song--- bands who are not creating anything new but just making money hocking the same stuff in "different" ways (lmtd editions, w/tacky badges, etc.). "Sadly, this was your life, but you could've said no, if you wanted to...u could have walked away, couldn't you?"