Bigmouth Strikes Again (Singles - The Smiths)

Member Name: Jake Speed

Product:	Singles - The Smiths
Date:	20/09/07 (176 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Full of great tunes

Disadvantages: Not a lot

The Smiths (1982-1987) are widely seen as the last great British group. Over studio Albums, b-side collections, compilations and one-off singles, they produced an astonishing breadth of work with a consistently high standard of songwriting.

British music in the eighties can be summed up simply as: The Smiths and the rest. The partnership between the poetic and skilled Morrissey and the guitar genius Johnny Marr is one of the most important and influential in British music history. Like many people I got into The Smiths long after they'd split but the timeless quality of their songs and originality was unmistakable.

This review is of The Smiths' singles collection, released long after they'd split.


Sleeve

A picture of Diana Dors from the cult 1956 British film Yield To The Night.

Songs

Hand In Glove - The Smiths' first single introduces us to the distinctive worldview of the young Morrissey - "Hand in glove,
The sun shines out of our behinds, Yes, we may be hidden by rags, But we've something they'll never have." In The Smiths' landscape the outsider is celebrated through self-deprecation and drama and humour go side by side. The song is poppy and homemade sounding. 8/10

This Charming Man - Johnny Marr's jangling guitars and Andy Rourke's bass provide an instantly recognisable tune for Morrissey to work with. The single sounds like a fizzy wall of sound pop tune from the sixties but with typically Morrisseyesque lyrics:

"Punctured bicycle,
On a hillside desolate,
Will nature make a man of me yet?" 9/10

What Difference Does It Make - Another wall of sound guitar masterclass from Johnny Marr. This sound is quicker than a lot of Smiths' songs and has a great riff running through it. 9/10

Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - "I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour but heaven knows I'm miserable now." The Smiths' reputation as the patron Saint of gloomy misfits was probably enhanced by this song but it's got some funny lines and the air of resignation that runs through the lyric by Morrissey makes it more tender than downbeat. 8/10

William It Was Really Nothing - A short, fast single with Morrissey going a bit music hall with lyrics of marriage proposals and plump girls trying to get a ring on their finger. 8/10

How Soon Is Now - One of the most famous Smiths' songs ever - this has a legendary and unmistakable guitar riff from Johnny Marr that you'll probably know from somewhere even if you've never listened to the Smiths. This song is an epic and Morrissey gives one of his best vocal performances in full theatrical mode to do the music justice. 10/10

Shakespeare's Sister - The Smiths' go a bit rockabilly for this fast and slightly offbeat waltzer inspired by a Virginia Woolf essay. 7/10

That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore - An interesting reflective song with a slow, beatiful guitar fadeout. Morrissey seems to be singing about the gap between his public image and his private one. 8/10

Bigmouth Strikes Again - "Now I know how Joan of Arc felt," sings Morrissey. "As the flames rose to her roman nose and her hearing aid started to melt." He is probably the only person in the world who could come up lyrics like that. This is a very fast, catchy single with a fantastic opening intro by Johnny Marr. Morrissey's voice is speeded-up, distorted and used as his own backing vocals. A complex and unusual pop single. 9/10

Boy With The Thorn In His Side - A breezy, delicate single with a typically shimmering guitar riff driving everything along. Morrissey emphasises certain words and times his lyrics perfectly to gently subvert the pop song and make you interested in what might come next. 9/10

Panic - Inspired by DJ Steve Wright's insensitive playing of Wham's "I'm Your Man" directly after a news report of the Chernobyl disaster, Morrissey attacks the vaccous nature of music radio and DJs:

"Because the music that they constantly play,
IT SAYS NOTHING TO ME ABOUT MY LIFE."

The song is vey catchy and although Marr's composition is not one of his most complex the chorus is great and Morrissey's lyrics, as usual, are frequently very funny. 9/10

Ask - A light, sweet pop song with backing vocals by the late Kirsty Maccoll. Morrissey is even a tad upbeat here as he ruminates on shyness and love in a whimsical fashion. 8/10

Shoplifters Of The World Unite - Another great pop song with unique (and funny) Morrissey lyrics. A plaintive vocal meshes perfectly with Johnny Marr's neverending supply of great pop music. 10/10

Sheila Take A Bow - "Sheila take a bow, boot the grime of this world in the crotch, dear," sings Morrissey in Carry On mode. A very hummable song with silly and sexually ambigous lyrics. 8/10

Girlfriend In A Coma - One of The Smiths' most famous and memorable songs. This beatiful song is used by Morrissey to have a gentle dig at tabloid journalists who combed through his lyrics looking for something controversial. 10/10

I Started Something I Couldn't Finish - Not the best song The Smiths ever wrote. A bit more aggressive but not immediately arresting or mysterious like most other tunes they wrote. 6/10

Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me - An update of How Soon Is Now in a sense, this is an ambitious and unusual song with heart breaking lyrics. Starts off with a piano and then introduces strings. The song has a resigned jet-lagged air. 8/10

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - My favourite Smiths' song ever. A beautiful song with inspired lyrics:

"And in the darkened underpass
I thought Oh God, my chance has come at last
(But then a strange fear gripped me and I
Just couldn't ask)"

Morrissey heartbreakingly captures the feeling of a lost moment and loneliness but then says:

"And if a double-decker bus
Crashes into us
To die by your side
Is such a heavenly way to die
And if a ten-ton truck
Kills the both of us
To die by your side
Well, the pleasure - the privilege is mine"

In the space of one song you've gone from a feeling of melancholic empathy to laughing at some funny line. That was the strength of The Smiths. They could do it all.

Understandably, given that this is a singles collection, most (though not all) of the tunes here are poppy, jangly and radio friendly. I think some of the albums and other compilations are better but this is a good first introduction to the group if you've never listened to them before. And if even if you are familiar with the group this is a handy thing to have in your personal stereo for quick doses of pleasure.




Singing/Lyrics Morrissey
Guitars Johnny Marr
Bass Andy Rourke
Drums Mike Joyce


1. Hand In Glove
2. This Charming Man
3. What Difference Does It Make
4. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
5. William It Was Really Nothing
6. How Soon Is Now
7. Shakespeare's Sister
8. That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
9. Bigmouth Strikes Again
10. Boy With The Thorn In His Side
11. Panic
12. Ask
13. Shoplifters Of The World Unite
14. Sheila Take A Bow
15. Girlfriend In A Coma
16. I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
17. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
18. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

Summary: A good introduction to one of our greatest ever bands.