Zzzzzzzz. Art is subjective there are no absolutes: nobody is "right" and nobody is "wrong" it's all a question of personal taste. I have been a fan since the 1980's and I find The Smiths very samey and predictable - once you've heard one or two songs, you've basically heard them all. And while Morrissey's solo career is patchy (and let's face it, whose isn't - Bowie, anyone?), I listen to his solo stuff FAR more than The Smiths. I find those people who obsess over The Smiths to be somewhat stuck in the 1980's, unable to move on and forever blaming Morrissey for the fact that human beings age and that he's not in his 20's and not connecting with their teenage selves like he did back then when they were alone in their bedrooms. If Morrissey and Marr were still trotting out that formulaic Smiths material, would they still be going? Probably not. Would The Smiths enjoy the same reputation if they had put out 30 studio albums rather than just four? Unlikely. And even if they were still going, this website would be full of people identifying the law of diminishing returns, comparing them to the Rolling Stones and lambasting the indignity and lack of imagination. So no difference there then.
Re-releases and deluxe editions rarely chart. And unless you've just won American Idol or you're under 35 and have a video featuring naked women or you have massive blanket promotional coverage (non-existent here), you don't have a shot at the charts these days. Are we really saying that chart placings are a measure of "quality"? Or that chart positions in 2014 mean the same as they did 1973? Of course not - we're just saying that few artists are wrapped up in the *nostalgia* of chart positions the way Morrissey is. To criticise him for that would be like criticising him for his stage backdrops or for all those resurrected labels (Major Minor, Harvest etc) - it's all part and parcel of the Morrissey aesthetic. And if you don't realise that, then frankly it's a wonder that you're here at all. If I were Harvest I would take the view that a spending millions on promotion just for the sake of chart positions is money down the toilet as Morrissey tends not to have casual fans: they are either die-hards or they despise him and would never buy his records on principle. Rather like this site, in fact - apart from the fact that those who come here every day to say they hate him and to publicly insist they will never buy concert tickets ever again aren't fooling anyone.
But Hours is pretty darn good. "Something in The Air", "The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell", "Survive". Give it another try - and yes - the cover art is rubbish.
