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.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reel Around the FountainJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 05:56 | 13 MB | 40 MB |
| 2 | You've Got Everything NowJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 3 | Miserable LieJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 04:27 | 10 MB | 33 MB |
| 4 | Pretty Girls Make GravesJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 5 | The Hand That Rocks the CradleJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 04:38 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 6 | This Charming ManJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 02:43 | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| 7 | Still IllJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 02:51 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 8 | Hand in GloveJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 03:23 | 7 MB | 26 MB |
| 9 | I Don't Owe You AnythingJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 10 | Suffer Little ChildrenJohnny Marr, Morrissey | The Smiths | Play | 05:27 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 11 | What Difference Does It Make | The Smiths | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 45 mins | 103 MB | |||||
| 45 mins | 318 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phuil Bush | Engineer |
| 2 | Paul Carrack | Guest Artist, Organ, Piano |
| 3 | Andrew Catlin | Photography |
| 4 | Joélle Depónt | Photography |
| 5 | Annalisa Jablonska | Guest Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 6 | Mike Joyce | Drums |
| 7 | Neill King | Engineer |
| 8 | Johnny Marr | Composer, Guitar, Harmonica, Songwriter |
| 9 | Morrissey | Composer, Lyricist, Sleeve Art, Vocals |
| 10 | John Porter | Producer, Remixing |
| 11 | Andy Rourke | Bass, Guitar (Bass) |
| 12 | The Smiths | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |