General Article name: Smiths
Genre: Pop englischsprachig Product type: LP (Vinyl) Label: Warner Music International Number of tracks: 16 Tracklist LP - 1 1. The Smiths - Reel Around the Fountain 2. The Smiths - You've Got Everything Now 3. The Smiths - Miserable Lie 4. The Smiths - Pretty Girls Make Graves 5. The Smiths - The Hand That Rocks the Cradle 6. The Smiths - This Charming Man 7. The Smiths - Still Ill 8. The Smiths - Hand in Glove 9. The Smiths - What Difference Does It Make? 10. The Smiths - I Don't Owe You Anything 11. The Smiths - Suffer Little Children   Tracklist - 2 Smiths, The - Still ill 3:19 Smiths, The - Hand in glove 3:23 Smiths, The - What difference does it make? 3:49 Smiths, The - I don't owe you anything 4:04 Smiths, The - Suffer little children 5:29   Description Description

Arriving in an era dominated by synth pop and gloomy post-punk, the Smiths' eponymous debut was the bracing beginning of a new era. On the surface, the Smiths' sound wasn't radically different from traditional British guitar pop -- Johnny Marr's ringing, layered guitars were catchy and melodic -- but it was actually an astonishing subversion of the form, turning the structure inside out. Very few of the songs followed conventional verse-chorus structure, yet they were quite melodic within their own right. Marr's inventive songwriting was made all the more original and innovative by Morrissey's crooning and lyrics. Writing about unconventional topics, from homosexuality ("Hand in Glove") to child molestation and murder, Morrissey had a distinctively ironic, witty, and literate viewpoint whose strangeness was accentuated by his off-kilter voice, which would move from a croon to a yelp in a matter of seconds. While the production of The Smiths is a little pristine, the songs are vital and alive, developing a new, unique voice within pop music. Though the Smiths continued to improve over the course of their career, their debut remains startling and exciting. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Contributors Artist: The Smiths Record Label: Warner Bros. Record Label: Rhino Guest Artist: Paul Carrack Guest Artist: Annalisa Jablonska