After much consideration - Morrissey can swing his gladioli in my direction any time he likes! (The Smiths - The Smiths)

Member Name: DanielKemp

Product:	The Smiths - The Smiths
Date:	17/06/09 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic musicianship, the lyrics are second to none

Disadvantages: MY GOD THE PRODUCTION IS AWFUL!! Seriously, it is REALLY bad!

The Smiths (1984)

Producer: John Porter, The Smiths

Reel Around the Fountain
You've Got Everything Now
Miserable Lie
Pretty Girls Make Graves
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
This Charming Man (Not included on original UK release)
Still Ill
Hand in Glove
What Difference Does It Make?
I Don't Owe You Anything
Suffer Little Children

The Smiths was the partnership of lyricist/vocalist Steven Patrick Morrissey, guitarist John Maher (later to be changed to Johnny Marr), bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce. Although to be more accurate, the only partnership of any consequence within the band is that of Morrissey and Marr. With the former's self-deprecating, yet, witty lyrics, and the latter's discerning guitar work, they were to go down as one of the greatest song-writing duos in history. And this is where it all started, their self-titled debut album, The Smiths.

The first single to be released by The Smiths was Hand in Glove, which is featured here; although this version is recorded at a lower tone and features a shorter introduction than its single counterpart. "For the good life is out there somewhere, so stay on my arm you little charmer, but I know my luck too well and I'll probably never see you again", sings Morrissey, immediately presenting himself to be a most unique individual. You may be thinking, 'Since when was it advantageous to use such noticeably cheerless lyrics as this in your debut single?' Ha! But this is The Smiths and we are no longer playing things by the book my friend! The well arranged guitar work is buried somewhat under the awful production values, but the blasts on the harmonica fit into place perfectly on this firm favourite of British DJ John Peel.

Although not originally included on the UK release, This Charming Man is now available as standard on all copies of The Smiths. Unsurprisingly, it's one of the better songs on the album, mainly because the production isn't anywhere near as hideous as on some of the songs which feature on the original tracklisting. Johnny Marr's guitar work perfectly sums up why this band is one of the most important to ever walk the earth and Morrissey's incredibly introspective lyrics help turn it into a pop gem. This is how all indie music should sound.

As good as This Charming Man is, my favourite single is Still Ill. Johnny Marr's guitar is back to kick some serious rump and Morrissey is on top form both lyrically and vocally. He tries to reason, "Does the body rule the mind, or does the mind rule the body? I don't know..." It is without a doubt one of the best songs on the album.

Now, you've heard me mention the bad production on The Smiths a couple of times throughout my review so far, so allow me to elaborate on this a little further.

Imagine having a set of songs jam packed full of wonderful, cutting edge lyrics. Imagine having a band which features a rhythm section with the dexterity of an 8-armed Jimi Hendrix and a guitarist who is arguably as talented as said musician.

Then imagine that you fire the original producer of your debut album because you were unsatisfied with his work, and instead you hire a new producer to get the job done properly. Now, I haven't heard the original bootleg tapes of The Smiths, and neither do I want to, because if they are half as bad as this final product is I will leap from the roof of a ten-storey building.

I must reiterate just how bad the production is on this LP. It honestly sounds as if they were given a 50p budget and a tin shack to record the album in. You can still appreciate the songs on offer here because of the strength of the song writing, but you do have to work extra hard to get pleasure out of the album. Albums can either be made or broken by their production techniques and values, and the almost lackadaisical effort put into The Smiths is something which I cannot forgive. And accordingly, it loses a couple of brownie points right there.

Anyway, back to the songs, as there are still a couple of golden moments on the album.

The fantastic Pretty Girls Make Graves is on the first side of the LP and it lays a template for one of Morrissey's most featured lyrical themes - celibacy and/or genderless lyrics. Morrissey tells us of the temptation he was subjected to by the main protagonist of the song: "Upon the sand, upon the bay, there is a quick and easy way you say. Before you illustrate, I'd rather state, (that) I'm not the man you think I am." I don't know about you, but I find that Andy Rourke's curious bass line provides the main structure of this song and everything else is merely a nice addition.

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is rarely mentioned and is never shortlisted for compilation albums by The Smiths, which is a real shame, as it is one of the most demonstratively affectionate songs of Morrissey's entire career. In a standout vocal performance he comforts his afraid child, "My life down I shall lie if the bogeyman should try, to play tricks on your sacred mind. The trees torment and tantalise, wavering shadows loom and a piano plays in an empty room..." It is a very beautiful moment on the LP and once again I cannot stress the quality of this song enough.

The album closes with Suffer Little Children, a chilling account of the acts of the Moors' Murderers, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. If you're going to pick a subject matter which is quite so horrific, you have to make sure that you can do the area under discussion justice, so I am pleased to report that the music is nothing short of miraculous and comforting in its sentiments. While it pains me to admit it, it has to be said that the stripped bare production values work in this song's favour and manage to highlight another top-notch turn from Morrissey's vocal chords.

All things considered, there is a great album waiting to be found here, but as I said before, you really do have to work for it. I have no problems with the song-writing whatsoever, so after taking this into consideration, I feel that my score reflects both my feelings towards the lacklustre and unappealing production of The Smiths, and the recognised birth of an extraordinary band.

7/10

Daniel Kemp

Read more reviews at www.danielkempreviews.co.uk

Summary: Despite the rubbish production the strong song writing still shines!