The Smiths (LP) -- in depth, track by track

[neverhadnooneever]

hmmm someone most likely already posted this, but you seem to be very put off by the homoerotic nature of the first LP, i personally find it absolutely intriguing and it definitely adds to their unmatched originality.
i mean honestly, 'this charming man' wouldn't have been nearly as interesting if it was 'this charming girl' or 'this charming woman' i mean, surely it would've still been catchy, but not nearly as memorable. and 'this charming man' 'still ill' 'hand in glove', 'what difference does it make' are my favourite tracks on this cd, and they all have homosexual undertones ('under the iron bridge we kissed, and although i ended up with sore lips,it just wasn't like the old days anymore, am i still ill?' that line is absolutely masterful, wonderfully poetic)so i have to disagree with your point of view, i don't find the homoerotic nature of these songs off putting. it's just as fascinating as his later sexual ambiguity. and it's among the best debut cds by any band ever, in my mind. not quite up there with the other three studio cds, or the 'louder than bombs' album, but it's still quite undeniably wonderful, especially when compared to the mediocrity of most bands from the same era.

but again, that's just my personal opinion.

> Just in case others might be interested -- I posted this in the Readers
> Comments section of the current poll, but since probably lots of people
> don't see that, I'll post this here for good measure. I was responding to
> an Anonymous poster who had asked me if I REALLY thought the majority of
> The Smiths featured a monotonic-voiced Morrissey, when in his mind only
> Tracks 2 and 3 qualified for that tag.......

> OK, here goes with The Smiths....

> REEL AROUND THE FOUNTAIN -- pretty good, better than I remembered. It's
> melodic, and the "it's time the tale were told" stanza is
> memorable. His voice, especially coming on the heels of my having just
> heard Southpaw and Vauxhall.... is frighteningly thin. The guy is just
> starting out, I know, so that has to be taken into consideration. But it
> has a shrillness and a whine to it, and lacks the depth and fullness. At
> times, I can hardly tell this is even Moz. Kind of a plodding beat... but
> the guitars are charming. Production is awful. Nothing I'd seek out on my
> own, but it's pleasant enough.

> YOU'VE GOT EVERYTHING NOW -- Egads. But, then, you DID call this one out
> as one of the two bad ones. Forget monotonic, this is almost *a*tonic, as
> in WITHOUT tone. Bass is overprominent, and the production again blows.
> Moz's voice is not just monotonic, it is downright GRATING. Wow. As much
> as I'd forgotten how halfway-decent Reel was, I'd forgotten just how BAD
> this song is. The melody, if it could be called that, is a wisp, and the
> guitars are relegated to the background. Listening to the final 30 seconds
> or so... this is better than the rest of the song. Doesn't make up for the
> awful song as a whole, but the last 30 seconds is at least a SLIGHT
> improvement. Ditch this at all costs.

> MISERABLE LIE -- Ugh. Two in a row. But again, you called this one. Moz is
> seriously over-extending his syllables. The section where the beat picks
> up is just as bad, but in a different way. The one (and ONLY one) thing
> this song has going for it is mildly fascinating lyrics, although they're
> a bit odd. Zero melody on this one. With "MIserable" and now
> "You've Got" stacked up front at #2 and #3, it's a wonder people
> ever made it past them to the rest of the record. This high-pitched stuff
> isn't cutting it either. Easily one of Marr's worst songwriting efforts
> ever, whilst a middle-of-the-road lyric from Moz. Surprisingly
> unlistenable.

> PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES -- Excellent, but I knew this going in. Heads and
> shoulders above anything else on the album. The guitar moves around really
> nicely -- Moz's voice still isn't all that great, but somehow he makes it
> work. Excellent lyric. Still in this shrill voice, however, with the
> continued problem of extending his syllables over-long. Leave that to
> someone like Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull who excels at such things.
> Nonetheless, this is a keeper -- very memorable. AND, last but not least,
> the ending. OHHH yeah.. absolutely spellbinding outro, with the
> sinister-like acoustic guitar strumming.

> HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE -- Wow. I might be able to say that THIS song
> is perhaps the biggest LETDOWN of the entire Moz/Smiths canon. The first
> EIGHT SECONDS are sheer bliss, and the entire lyric to the song is VERY
> impressive. But -- you wanted monotone? This song is a bigger offender
> than tracks 2 and 3 combined -- in fact, I'm wondering if it's literally
> just one single note he sings the entire freakin' song. AWFUL. BLOODY
> AWFUL. And there is zero melody -- in fact, let me repeat that again --
> there is ZERO MELODY AT ALL. The first 8 seconds of music are so
> incredible, and then the song devolves into one of the absolute worst
> tracks ever that Moz has done. FRUSTRATING! The lyric sure is fascinating
> though. But the sheer unlistenability of this tune condemns it wholly and
> without condiion.

> THIS CHARMING MAN -- Yeah, ok It's damn catchy, I'll give it that.
> "It's gruesome that someone so handsome should care" -- that
> line really exposes Moz's voice for the immature and shrill quality that
> it is. Yikes. And let's not even touch upon the openly homosexual focus of
> Morrissey back in 1984.... it's really an era of Moz i'd sooner forget.
> But, this song remains in the upper echelon of _The Smiths_ songs because
> of the melody, and Marr's guitar. It's just damn catchy. But that
> shrillness of his voice.... god, let me get back to Now My Heart Is
> Full!!!

> STILL ILL -- Yeck. Is it just me, or is this upbeat Marr "music"
> just getting repetitive? It's not really melodic, it's just notes moving
> up and down at a jaunty pace, but nothing that sticks in your memory once
> the song is over. And yes, more shrillness and monotonicity (is that a
> word??) from Moz. This stuff just isn't good (yes, my opinion only). I
> like his little "I dunno..." line there in the middle. Another
> point to make... Moz's lyrics sure have a more conversational quality
> about them back in 1984 than what would develop throughout his solo
> career. He seems to be more interested in "talking" to other
> parties in these debut album songs. Still Ill? Yep, having heard this
> song, I'm afraid I am :-(

> HAND IN GLOVE -- Good god, more gay stuff. Maybe Moz really IS gay!??
> But... another catchy Marr melody Moz's voice remains the tuneless
> shrill shell of what it would later become, but Marr's melody, while
> rather facile, is at least catchy. Moz's voice, not only shrill, is also
> rather far back in the mix, not overly clear, playing more like another
> instrument than a lead vocal. Love that opening Marr riff..., and another
> solid outro.

> WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? -- Hmmm, another semi-decent Marr lick. And
> no, not really Monotone Moz here, he does move things around a bit, but
> the lyric is quite amateurish, surprisingly. It's actually one of the
> better cuts on this LP (not that that's saying very much, mind you)... so
> far, this, Pretty Girls, Reel, and Charming are the top picks. Beyond just
> seeing how Moz eventually improved in the voice front, we can really see
> how Marr, while clearly talented, has truly yet to even begin to blossom.
> But the seeds are here.

> I DON'T OWE YOU ANYTHING -- pleasant but very thin melody line. A rather
> pretty song, actually, and I'll admit i don't remember this one well at
> all, probably because it's near the end of the album, and i rarely make it
> this far. Another track in which the bass is pushed too far forward in the
> mix. Vacillates between "pretty" and "boring." I kind
> of like that extended instrument -- is it the harmonica? It just stays out
> there on one note, occasionally shifting tones, but very steady. I rather
> like it. This song is improving as i listen to it, but Moz's voice remains
> awful. It almost has a lazy, lethargic quality. Can't say I'd ever seek
> this song out again.

> SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN -- Another slow, dreary, unmelodic bass melody.
> Moz's voice moves around, but doesn't even begin to grab your attention.
> At least the lyric is interesting. Why is it that Moz's best lyrics in
> these early albums always get set to the worst music. I also just threw
> myself for a loop because, after well over a half hour of The Smiths, I
> just mentally listened ever-so-briefly to Paint a Vulgar Picture. My god.
> Is this the same Moz, the same band? What a difference 3 years makes. Back
> to Suffer Little Children... I think it's more like Suffer Little J.T.
> This album serves as such a stark contrast to Strangeways, wow.

> And now the album comes to a close. There's a few more rough, nay VERY
> rough, gems in there, but on the whole this is a DISMAL album. There were
> more songs that didn't quite fall into that "Monotonic" category
> that i had previously lumped the entire album in, but the point still
> stands as far as I'm concerned.

> Between the general lack of melodies (Marr just seems to write these
> generic, upbeat jaunty mixing around of notes), Moz's shrill, whiny, thin,
> and monotonic voice, the bass-heavy mix, and the thin, crappy
> production... this is BY FAR the worst Smiths album ever. The real
> question is, does it still beat Kill Uncle to avoid being the worst thing
> Morrissey has ever done? Not entirely sure... but I'm starting to think
> that it might. As bad as Kill Uncle is, i might be more liable to listen
> to IT all the way through than this LP.

> J.T.

 

[marie]

Do you actually like the smiths at all? Of course his voice is monotone, he couldn't sing to save his life in 1984. Actually, I think he can't sing that great even now(live), but I forgive his poor singing as on cd it's fine and the lyrics are all good.
All the songs on their first album are great I think. If a little boring at first. Only 'I don't owe you anything' is poor, as it isn't really about anything. And I really like 'miserable lie' and 'you've got everything now'.
I think this album represents (young)Morrissey the best, as these are the first songs he got to inflict upon the public, and therefore the stuff he really wanted to say. As with the 'meat is murder' album too. Less so with further work.
So it's strange you find it so repellant, being a Morrissey fan as I assume you are.

> Just in case others might be interested -- I posted this in the Readers
> Comments section of the current poll, but since probably lots of people
> don't see that, I'll post this here for good measure. I was responding to
> an Anonymous poster who had asked me if I REALLY thought the majority of
> The Smiths featured a monotonic-voiced Morrissey, when in his mind only
> Tracks 2 and 3 qualified for that tag.......

> OK, here goes with The Smiths....

> REEL AROUND THE FOUNTAIN -- pretty good, better than I remembered. It's
> melodic, and the "it's time the tale were told" stanza is
> memorable. His voice, especially coming on the heels of my having just
> heard Southpaw and Vauxhall.... is frighteningly thin. The guy is just
> starting out, I know, so that has to be taken into consideration. But it
> has a shrillness and a whine to it, and lacks the depth and fullness. At
> times, I can hardly tell this is even Moz. Kind of a plodding beat... but
> the guitars are charming. Production is awful. Nothing I'd seek out on my
> own, but it's pleasant enough.

> YOU'VE GOT EVERYTHING NOW -- Egads. But, then, you DID call this one out
> as one of the two bad ones. Forget monotonic, this is almost *a*tonic, as
> in WITHOUT tone. Bass is overprominent, and the production again blows.
> Moz's voice is not just monotonic, it is downright GRATING. Wow. As much
> as I'd forgotten how halfway-decent Reel was, I'd forgotten just how BAD
> this song is. The melody, if it could be called that, is a wisp, and the
> guitars are relegated to the background. Listening to the final 30 seconds
> or so... this is better than the rest of the song. Doesn't make up for the
> awful song as a whole, but the last 30 seconds is at least a SLIGHT
> improvement. Ditch this at all costs.

> MISERABLE LIE -- Ugh. Two in a row. But again, you called this one. Moz is
> seriously over-extending his syllables. The section where the beat picks
> up is just as bad, but in a different way. The one (and ONLY one) thing
> this song has going for it is mildly fascinating lyrics, although they're
> a bit odd. Zero melody on this one. With "MIserable" and now
> "You've Got" stacked up front at #2 and #3, it's a wonder people
> ever made it past them to the rest of the record. This high-pitched stuff
> isn't cutting it either. Easily one of Marr's worst songwriting efforts
> ever, whilst a middle-of-the-road lyric from Moz. Surprisingly
> unlistenable.

> PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES -- Excellent, but I knew this going in. Heads and
> shoulders above anything else on the album. The guitar moves around really
> nicely -- Moz's voice still isn't all that great, but somehow he makes it
> work. Excellent lyric. Still in this shrill voice, however, with the
> continued problem of extending his syllables over-long. Leave that to
> someone like Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull who excels at such things.
> Nonetheless, this is a keeper -- very memorable. AND, last but not least,
> the ending. OHHH yeah.. absolutely spellbinding outro, with the
> sinister-like acoustic guitar strumming.

> HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE -- Wow. I might be able to say that THIS song
> is perhaps the biggest LETDOWN of the entire Moz/Smiths canon. The first
> EIGHT SECONDS are sheer bliss, and the entire lyric to the song is VERY
> impressive. But -- you wanted monotone? This song is a bigger offender
> than tracks 2 and 3 combined -- in fact, I'm wondering if it's literally
> just one single note he sings the entire freakin' song. AWFUL. BLOODY
> AWFUL. And there is zero melody -- in fact, let me repeat that again --
> there is ZERO MELODY AT ALL. The first 8 seconds of music are so
> incredible, and then the song devolves into one of the absolute worst
> tracks ever that Moz has done. FRUSTRATING! The lyric sure is fascinating
> though. But the sheer unlistenability of this tune condemns it wholly and
> without condiion.

> THIS CHARMING MAN -- Yeah, ok It's damn catchy, I'll give it that.
> "It's gruesome that someone so handsome should care" -- that
> line really exposes Moz's voice for the immature and shrill quality that
> it is. Yikes. And let's not even touch upon the openly homosexual focus of
> Morrissey back in 1984.... it's really an era of Moz i'd sooner forget.
> But, this song remains in the upper echelon of _The Smiths_ songs because
> of the melody, and Marr's guitar. It's just damn catchy. But that
> shrillness of his voice.... god, let me get back to Now My Heart Is
> Full!!!

> STILL ILL -- Yeck. Is it just me, or is this upbeat Marr "music"
> just getting repetitive? It's not really melodic, it's just notes moving
> up and down at a jaunty pace, but nothing that sticks in your memory once
> the song is over. And yes, more shrillness and monotonicity (is that a
> word??) from Moz. This stuff just isn't good (yes, my opinion only). I
> like his little "I dunno..." line there in the middle. Another
> point to make... Moz's lyrics sure have a more conversational quality
> about them back in 1984 than what would develop throughout his solo
> career. He seems to be more interested in "talking" to other
> parties in these debut album songs. Still Ill? Yep, having heard this
> song, I'm afraid I am :-(

> HAND IN GLOVE -- Good god, more gay stuff. Maybe Moz really IS gay!??
> But... another catchy Marr melody Moz's voice remains the tuneless
> shrill shell of what it would later become, but Marr's melody, while
> rather facile, is at least catchy. Moz's voice, not only shrill, is also
> rather far back in the mix, not overly clear, playing more like another
> instrument than a lead vocal. Love that opening Marr riff..., and another
> solid outro.

> WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? -- Hmmm, another semi-decent Marr lick. And
> no, not really Monotone Moz here, he does move things around a bit, but
> the lyric is quite amateurish, surprisingly. It's actually one of the
> better cuts on this LP (not that that's saying very much, mind you)... so
> far, this, Pretty Girls, Reel, and Charming are the top picks. Beyond just
> seeing how Moz eventually improved in the voice front, we can really see
> how Marr, while clearly talented, has truly yet to even begin to blossom.
> But the seeds are here.

> I DON'T OWE YOU ANYTHING -- pleasant but very thin melody line. A rather
> pretty song, actually, and I'll admit i don't remember this one well at
> all, probably because it's near the end of the album, and i rarely make it
> this far. Another track in which the bass is pushed too far forward in the
> mix. Vacillates between "pretty" and "boring." I kind
> of like that extended instrument -- is it the harmonica? It just stays out
> there on one note, occasionally shifting tones, but very steady. I rather
> like it. This song is improving as i listen to it, but Moz's voice remains
> awful. It almost has a lazy, lethargic quality. Can't say I'd ever seek
> this song out again.

> SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN -- Another slow, dreary, unmelodic bass melody.
> Moz's voice moves around, but doesn't even begin to grab your attention.
> At least the lyric is interesting. Why is it that Moz's best lyrics in
> these early albums always get set to the worst music. I also just threw
> myself for a loop because, after well over a half hour of The Smiths, I
> just mentally listened ever-so-briefly to Paint a Vulgar Picture. My god.
> Is this the same Moz, the same band? What a difference 3 years makes. Back
> to Suffer Little Children... I think it's more like Suffer Little J.T.
> This album serves as such a stark contrast to Strangeways, wow.

> And now the album comes to a close. There's a few more rough, nay VERY
> rough, gems in there, but on the whole this is a DISMAL album. There were
> more songs that didn't quite fall into that "Monotonic" category
> that i had previously lumped the entire album in, but the point still
> stands as far as I'm concerned.

> Between the general lack of melodies (Marr just seems to write these
> generic, upbeat jaunty mixing around of notes), Moz's shrill, whiny, thin,
> and monotonic voice, the bass-heavy mix, and the thin, crappy
> production... this is BY FAR the worst Smiths album ever. The real
> question is, does it still beat Kill Uncle to avoid being the worst thing
> Morrissey has ever done? Not entirely sure... but I'm starting to think
> that it might. As bad as Kill Uncle is, i might be more liable to listen
> to IT all the way through than this LP.

> J.T.