Reviews (page 9 of 15)
3.5
In terms of Smiths album covers this is definitely the worst… it’s just a beige, vomity looking floating head. In sonic terms it’s definitely a downturn from their previous - very flabby and overproduced and not enough Marr-inspired guitar jangle. The best melodies like Girlfriend In A Coma are ones you’d hear on a best of anyway and tunes like Stop Me Stop Me Oh Stop Me and I Started Something I etcetera are not in their best produced form or as great as they could have been. Death Of A Disco Dancer and Unhappy Birthday are maybe worth checking out but in general the first half is patches of greatness and the second half is a total letdown.
Pretty good
Queen is Dead is better
Heard an earlier album by TheSmiths that I found pretty non-descript, but I really enjoyed this one, although some of it is a little soft around the edges for me
I usually like the smiths despite controversy but this kinda sucked
I think I just can’t do morrissey sorry
I think it's a standard record. The "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" track grabbed my attention for the groove. Kind of an ironic title, if I consider my first comment about this album. I think "Unhappy Birthday" was cleaver. The happy sounding melody with the sad/dark lyrics. This track I actually listed to it a few times.
I like that one Smiths song but I find the rest of their stuff soooo boring, I do not like how slow and dragged on the lyrics are in every song.
Tycker denna är rätt mycket värre an alla smiths förespår morrissey solo karriär. Fortfarande charmig och har alrdrig riktigt lyssna smiths för mig utan för tjejer jag gillat så eftersom jag inte har den motiveringen nu gör detta till inget speciellt
Minus a point because Morrissey
Quite nice. Morrissey simply has a super catchy and unique voice. All the controversy that seems to surround him has passed me by anyway, so that won't be part of the rating. If I was a child of the 80s, The Smiths would probably be in my regular rotation. However, the album itself has little character. Perhaps it stands out in comparison to other Smiths albums, but on its own it has few stand-out qualities. I couldn't name or even clearly remember a single song after listening. 2.5/5
Right on time. Dating emo
Très rythmé, des mélodies accrocheuses. La voix, c'est un acquired taste, mais ça le fait. 7.5/10
Musically strong, some amazing compositions. I am slightly more emotionally connected to their previous works, but this is also a masterpiece.
I was wondering when I was going to receive either: 1) Another Smiths album (I received "The Queen Is Dead" nearly a year ago), or... 2) My first Morrissey album Despite the general disdain 1001AlbumsGenerator has for The Smiths in general, I 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 The Smiths: I possess all their studio and compilation albums on vinyl, I've a Morrissey poster above my bed, and—gah, I'm gushing again! As I ponder about it, my infatuation for The Smiths is probably the reason why I haven't been asked out in the past two years, although I am funny, clever, entertaining and good looking. Anyways, from the lush and intense "A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours", to the swaggering "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish", and the devastatingly melancholic "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me", this album pushed me lower when I was an already lonely 16-year-old. Do I still recommend it? 𝘈𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺. Morrissey may be a pretentious prick, but he is my pretentious prick.
The Smiths have lyrics that are sad while the song is upbeat and it’s very effective
7/10
i saiD I LOVE THE SMITHS
3.5/5
Album is good, but is nothing special to me.
I would like to describe it as "ethereal indie-rock", even if that makes me sound very pretentious. Very interesting instrumentally, with unusual melodies and sounds. Unfortunately not quite enough to lift it above 4 stars, so I go with 3.5/5, rounding to 3 in the vote.
Bit depressing but ok
7/10 Favorite Tracks: Death of a Disco Dancer, Last Night I Dreamt that Somebody Loved Me Least Favorite Tracks: Unhappy Birthday, Stop Me if You Think you’ve Heard This Before, A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours
Pleasant listening experience. However, no song really stood out to me, so I feel like I probably won't be listening to it again.
'Do you really think she'll pull through?' 'And the pain was enough to make / A shy, bald Buddhist reflect / And plan a mass murder.' 'And if you should die / I may feel slightly sad, but I won't cry.' That's Morrissey alright - that's his invention, of which I can't think of a proper imitator/reverential copycat. How'd you do it? I had, for some reason, evaded The Smiths's final album. Shame on me - tho not quite their best, b/c it's not their most definitive, it might be their most consistently colorful and vigorous, even approaching something soulful at times: Morrissey finds his growl ('A Rush and a Push,' 'I Started Something'); I find myself chuffed, snaring this thing that's theirs, that only they've ever done.
A very plain album - I prefer Morrissey's solo work, though neither are that interesting. Unhappy Birthday was a kind of funny. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
I don’t care for this type of music. It’s like the cure which I was never a fan of.
I just listened to the first track. Liked it a lot. I've heard of The Smiths but never knew much about them. Looking forward to rest of album.
4.5 stars. Loses 12 a star for Morrisey being an utterly repulsive human being.
3 stars
No, just no. Boring I just don't get the hype around the band
more my style, too long intros tho and just about not fit my playlist, if I could 4.5 stars
I'm rather partial to the Smiths, but this is an album of theirs I had barely listened to and only know about two songs on there. It's off to a pretty good start. Quite upbeat and general Smiths schtick. The songs are a little repetitive, but now I think about it, a lot of their songs tend to be, they just cover it up with flowery language. It's what I expected, but I enjoyed it a lot.
its fine. i think Morrisseys energy repels me from enjoying anything attached to his name. idk im just bored by this album
Whatever genre this is is kinda growing on me by being forced down my throat from the algorithm
really weird choice putting this one on the list, almost everyone i know says its their worst by quite a bit. feels closer to solo morrissey than anything else, as johnny marr’s contributions are fairly minimal - the band were basically falling apart at this point. that said, it’s still a great album. even though it’s lacking in the more jangly and detailed guitar parts, there’s a lot to like. “last night i dreamt that somebody loved me”, “girlfriend in a coma” and “death of a disco dancer” were always standouts to me, and hearing “unhappy birthday” for the first time while i was 13 was what introduced me to the band - i thought it was funny. so to that one person in the top reviews who somehow thinks everything they’ve done sounds the same, you’re either lying or just wrong. this sounds nothing like their previous releases, and it’s what lets the record down if anything. 3.5/5
Interesting
6.7 Many good moments… a lot of morrissey bullshit. But some very cool grooves and overall very nice.
3 out of 5. Not a bad album but The Smiths have better entries than this one (That being said, Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before is a banger)
Didn’t know much about them but some of the songs scream Manchester and the 1975. Decent but the voice doesn’t hit me right.
Cool
The critics are right this is their best album.
Excellent - funnier than I remembered it!
Classic Smiths.
Enjoyed listening to the whole album.
Strangeways, Here We Come is a pretty decent album. I wouldn't really say it does anything super special or original or things that it's contemporaries does not do but for what it does do, it does a well enough job. The music was all pretty nice to listen to as were Morissey's vocals and the lyrics felt on brand for him and were pretty interesting just like the other Smiths songs and the album went at a brisk pace meaning it didn't get too tedious. This album i feel is probably in the middle ground of Smiths albums, not as cool sounding as The Queen Is Dead but not as iffy sounding as Meat Is Murder, it's just right. Best Song: Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me Worst Song: Death at One's Elbow Side note: i also find it pretty interesting that i have now done every Smiths album on this project but none of Morissey's solo stuff yet but anyways, here is my ranking of them 1.The Queen Is Dead 2.Strangeways, Here We Come 3.Meat Is Murder
3.75/5
solid album
obv the weakest smiths album but that's still pretty good
ugh. I wish johnny marr was in a different band
Really liked it. Saved three songs.
Even with the Smiths, Morrisey is unbearable.
6.5/10 So a Smiths album I quite liked! This was less of the jangly guitar and more of the indulgent production of a late period Very Important Band. For good and bad. Very well put together, nice use of brass and strings here and there. I could look past the Morrissey of it all for once. Lyrics were sometimes fun but very often almost a parody of how I perceive arch smiths lyrics to be written. Best: Stop Me if you’ve heard this one before
seee 8/10
Great album
if you can death-of-the-author this and ignore some of the other silliness. this is a REALLY good album
Interesting listen, good sequence of songs. Lyricism is central, though hard to understand at times.
I feel The Smiths as The Cure, are bands you either need to be in the mood for them or you like them that much. There’s a limit of how much The Smiths i can listen. And as much as i understand their importance, i would not even consider this album in this list. However, it is a solid one, displaying who are they and being them all the time. Well done, well written, but nothing special to me. It felt always like a long song.
Good but not their best work. 7/10
I did listen while writing. I'm not sure did I hear anything. That describes this experience.
The Smiths hasn't been part of my music listening life ever. And when I listen to this album I really understand why. I need more distorted heavy guitars and Morriseys singing has never been my cup of anything.
I've only fairly recently become able to stomach Morrisseys style of singing and listened to his later albums for a few times with enjoyment. This one however was quite horrible, his manners are multiples more annoying, the music is rather thin and lo-fi and feels like they've added some unusual instrument just because they happened to be around. I had hard time to find a song that would be better that the others, which usually isn't a problem for me.
Some incel type ish. Go touch grass Morrissey.
Better than expected
Huge drop-off after The Queen is Dead.
Not good. At all.
Really? More Smiths? I listened to this anyway. It seemed that musically, the band tried to do something different, play some stuff that wasn’t just the same old Smiths music. But if you put that voice over anything, it’s going to sound like a Smiths song. That’s not exactly a good thing. Morissey has the vocal range of a gnat. It’s one tone, all the time. And not a very pleasant one, either. Sounds like it’s coming from the back of the throat and the back of the sinuses at the same time. Or something. I can’t put my finger on it. But I know I don’t like it. To sum up, Morrisey’s awful and he drags the band down with him.
Smiths er alveg fínasta band og ég er alveg til í að hlusta á þá en mér fonnst þeir samt eiginlega alltaf eins. Ég myndi mæla með að hafa bara eina Smiths plötu sem maður setur í spilun reglulega og gleyma bara hinum sem eru mikið til alveg eins. Þessi yrði ekki fyrir valinu hjá mér
It might be just today, but this sounds better than The Queen is Dead today, and I know its not, but it sounds great. Really like the pianos going wild at the end of Disco Dancer mixed with the jangly guitars
Not bad, feels like one big song? Maybe morissey’s vocals are just a bit distinct.
No, def not their best
Sehr sehr nice, irgendwas zwischen Rock und Pop. Lässt sich entspannt hören.
鼓好吵
I preferred listening to The Queen is Dead, and that one got four stars, so I have to give this one three.
solid 4, i’ll let the smiths have this one
Pre-listening thoughts: morrissey can suck my nards Post/during listening thoughts: The album is catchy though 😞 If a prick like Morrissey wasn’t at the forefront of this I’d enjoy it a lot more. However despite Morrissey’s more recent comments I am going to give this a real rating bc the other members of the band (and the band when they were active) didn’t do anything to my knowledge. Hate to say it… this was kind of baller. I’ll dock a star for morrissey. 5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: oh most definitely not Fav tracks: I Started Something…, Stop Me If You Think…, Girlfriend in a Coma Least fav tracks: any time Morrissey opens his mouth
7/10 Soft, british, gay, soothing, aka morrisey in one sentence.
4.5 stars really. This is terrific, melodic music.
Первая песня понравилась. Остальное мимо ушей пролетело
Vintage rock 2-3/5
не мое
Actually kinda liked this one. Might be worth another look.
Yep. Smiths still mid.
At last a dead star
Not a huge fan but hey they can’t all be winners
the most ehh album from this band
The Smiths had already imploded by the time this album was released, but they just might have saved their best for last. Johnny Marr puts in some incredible work here.
заебись
7/10 The first few songs were great but it turned back to The Smiths that i hate towards the end Favourite Song=I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish Least Favourite Song=Unhappy Birthday
This album was fine. I do not like Morrissey's voice 7 times out of 10 lol. I think the first half of this album is strong and then they lose me in the second half. Actually a 2.5. Liked Songs: "...I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" , "Girlfriend in a Coma" , "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"
liked songs: I Started Something I Couldn't Finish, Girlfriend in a Coma, Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me, Unhappy Birthday Fantastic. Give me 14 of em right now. 4.5
Never been a fan of theirs
Thoroughly engrossing with superb lyrics, inspired instrumentation and flawless composition
Lovely album
I’ve always heard about the Smiths but have never actually listened to any of them. I can see returning to the Smiths in the future.
General impression: lush and moody Detailed review: I’ve started to fall in love with the sound of The Smiths. There was some major bias to overcome, because most of what I’ve read about Morrissey has just annoyed me. But come on, he’s obviously not the main driver behind this band’s good material. His voice fits the music really well, and his wistful delivery works for me. But it’s really all about the composition and performance of the music. Johnny Marr, baby. I feel like I could live in these songs. The guitar tones. The chord progressions. I’d have been way way into this if I was a teenager in the 80s. This must be what the “emo kids” of that time listened to. Deeper thoughts (context): I should probably revisit Meat is Murder because I think I only gave it a 3. I’d give it a 4 at least now just because I’m starting to love what they do. Score: 4 Number of albums left to review: 932 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 41 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 28
4/5 for the smiths 1/5 for morrisey
The Smiths go out on a high. Maybe not as strong overall as The Queen is Dead, but still many memorable songs e.g. Unhappy Birthday, Stop Me..., Death of a Disco Dancer.
This album is pure 80s depression. I honestly was not that familiar with the Smiths. I think I’d only ever heard How Soon is Now Before. These tracks have a similar melancholy sound to that song. Many of the tracks would not be out of place in a David Lynch movie. Last Night I Dreamt that Somebody Loved Me is odd. Two minutes of people yelling before the track really starts. Morrisey also makes some weird noises on a lot of these tracks. Overall I was not impressed. I did not favorite any tracks nor would I listen to this again. 2
Was prepared to hate it but rather liked it. Morrissey is an asshat but as far as I know has done nothing more than spout a bunch of ill-informed opinions. If anyone takes note of the opinions of a musician on anything but music that is really their problem.
I like the songs and general feel of the album but the vocals just don't do it for me. I feel sorry for Morrissey in that there is nothing wrong with his voice, it is actually quite pleasant, but there is nothing there; no passion, no feeling, no emotion, nothing but words. Comes over as a pleasant listen but nothing more yet it could be so much more.
I don’t really know what it is but there is something about their style that I find entertaining but not enough to want to listen to more.
Some of it was decent.
Je redoutais cet album, n’ayant pas aimé les derniers albums des Smiths générés, mais en vrai c’était correct
Not a very interesting album
Ah, Mr Morrissey. We meet again. Just so you know for future reference. I really don't like you
Good- but not their best
Ahead of their time. Still palatable.
only liked a couple of songs
Very nice moody album for overcast and rainy weather.
I’m not listening to more 80s British music
Shitty 80s British music
Meh. 1/5
Great.
Nice melodies and hooks. Morrissey suckz
Good album second most favourite by smiths
The Smiths can be pretty hit and miss for me. Same goes for this album.
Stop Me If is the only song I enjoyed. Weird combination of bouncy rhythm and melodramatic vocals. I did like the way the layered guitars sounded throughout.
I know many people who are fans of The Smiths style of music I'm not one of them I need a little more rock and less whine
Absolutely fantastic!
God i hate Morrissey. I didnt always and have danced my little heart out to the smiths in my indie disco days. But once you learn about his views then his whiney histrionic singing and lyrics really grate and even Mr Marr cant save it. Im giving me marr a bonus star but this still only gets 1 as without it i would have burnt my phone and cur my ears off
Objectively it's probably closer to a three, but I didn't fully jive with it and I don't see myself listening to the album again. Some of the songs did cheer me up and make me laugh in traffic this morning which is quite the feat. I'm intrigued to listen to other albums by The Smiths.
what am i gonna do not love the smiths? so im such a singles girlie when it comes to them & haven't sat through this album in full like this. i ended up listening to this on repeat more than any of the other albums, really wanted to absorb it just realized i do know more songs that i thought like "stop me if you think you've heard this before" lol so need to update my usual rotation last night i dreamt that somebody loved me - cool little build up to a great climax overall good & fun album, even if its not their best, v smiths nonetheless
I've not listened to this whole album until now. It doesn't make my short list of favorite smiths albums but still really enjoyed listening to it front to back
I need to give this another listen + get deeper in to The Smiths discography. It didn't do it for me the first listen, but I get the feeling I need to try harder.
I remember listening to Girlfriend in a Coma when I was 13 and fell in love with the Smiths. I loved the dark themes set to jangly guitars. I didn't listen to this full album until much later and there are some great songs here. Definitely not the best Smiths album in my opinion, and not a great album to start with if you dont know the Smiths. (That would be The Queen is Dead). It gets a little too "Morrissy" in some parts like "Unhappy Birthday" lol. But overall it's a solid album.
Never liked The Smiths and this album does nothing to change that. Some nice guitar sounds and Johnny Marr is great but it’s all ruined by Morrissey. Dull vocal delivery as always, accompanied by the smarmy, pseudo-intellectual moaning. He maybe has 3 lines of remotely interesting lyric or melody on the whole album. Here’s hoping I avoid any more of this dross.
Perus hyvä smiths..
Favorite track: Stop me if you think you've heard this one before other picks: a rush and a push, death of a disco dancer, girlfriend in a coma
I’ve realised the problem I have with The Smiths is that my introduction to them was The Queen Is Dead and nothing comes close to that This came much closer than Meat Is Murder though which I had little time for.
I pretty much ignored the Smiths for years. I was never exposed to them and never went out of my way to explore them. I will say, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Maybe I just anticipated something worse? I know there’s a lot more Smiths / Morrissey on this list, so I’ll be exposed to more and maybe I’ll enjoy that even more. But as of now I’m still kind of ignoring them.
I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, yet I don't think it's an album worthy of the hype. I would say it's decent. I like the instrumentation on a lot of this, but the singer wears out his welcome pretty fast.
I never managed to get into The Smiths when I was a teenager. And I've never really mangled to do so on the odd occasion that I might have listened to some of their music since. Partly it's that it was just so cool to like them back then. Partly it's because Morrissey is clearly a bit of a cunt at times. But I can never really manage to listen on a regular basis – despite Marr being astonishing. I knew a couple of the songs here, although I imagine I've heard Girlfriend in a Coma more on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue than anywhere else. It was OK, and maybe I might listen to this again occasionally. Despite Morrissey.
Ugh i still can't stand Morissey. The music was okay. Reminded me of Radiohead...not in a good way
This is a 'strange' one for me. I love every minute of it, but it suffers a bit having listened to it after the White Album. I would rate a 4.5 and I think I'm tipping down to 4 over going up to 5. Super tough, it's an awesome album.
This was OK. I don't think I can fully appreciate the sound for some reason. Instrumentals were good, but the vocals felt a bit wispy at times. 'Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me' takes my fave.
The worst Smiths studio album I've heard, and I've heard most. Still decent.
Fine, but there is definitely too much Morrissey on this list.
Possibly the best Smiths album?
Not bad, but I will be probably not return to this.
Lempparit: Girlfriend in a Coma ja I Won’t Share You Vähiten lemppari: Unhappy Birthday
A few good lyric but nothing stood out to me. Favourite track: Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before.
4.5/5. Definitely a great album but not their best as much as the band members like to think so. It was a bold effort of them to try and break away from their jangle pop sound, would have been fascinating to see how their music would have evolved had they stayed together.
I enjoy a few songs on this album. A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours, Girlfriend in a Coma and Stop Me if You Think You've Heard This One Before. The album feels good and as cliche as it sounds, brings me back to retro nights in my carefree university days.
And this is my #1 fav Smiths album. Just the platonic ideal of their vibe for me, this is what I always come to when I need a fix of Smiths tbh. Again..fuck morrissey…but divorced from that, I think this is so catchy and moody and sardonic and I really love it tbh!
Sadly I can't get over the Morrissey of it all. I don't particularly like his musical persona let alone his real life persona so I get an ick while listening. Good though.
i love the smiths and this is a fun last album for them!! its kinda weird compared to their other stuff and i like that they tried some stuff ...
Fall and Winter listening. Clear cool day, warm sun. Wandering in a city or in the woods? I think a city. I can only take so much Morrissey, but this album is perfect. His melancholic voice and lyrics have a nice balance with Johnny Marr's light cheerful guitar. This album played prominently in my teen years and opened my mind to what music can do and where it can take you. The bass comes through well, always a strong counterbalance. All sorts of interesting accompaniment at just the right times. Good blend of upbeat and mellow. Original and unique in so many ways when it was released, and still sounds fresh. A definite keeper in my catalog.
I have a feeling this is one of those albums that means a lot to those who first got it as a teenager in the 80s and listened to it a million times. As an adult first-timer it didn’t quite hit that way. Decent songs and playing with a kind of dreamy indie-pop sound and 80s production sensibility. Lots of jangly chimey guitars and gated reverb snares. The singing is very limited and one dimensional and most of the music is ultimately pretty flat and forgettable. Best song by far is Death of a Disco Dancer.
All 4 of The Smiths' studio albums are great, which is really quite an accomplishment when they also released a bunch of fantastic non-album singles during their relatively short run. Shame Morrissey and Marr's relationship eventually broke down after Strangeways, Here We Come. As mentioned I love all of their albums and this is a belter. Girlfriend in a Coma might be one of the most archetypal Smiths songs - jangly guitars combined with catchy vocals and morbid lyrics. It's a consistent album though, no bad songs at all so easy 5*
Let’s be real, no matter how much you gush about Morrissey, there are simply too many Smiths/Morrissey albums that are considered essential. I’ve enjoyed some, but today’s album just felt very middle of the road, and could definitely have been excluded. There is nothing on this album that his others don’t do better. That’s not to say that it’s bad, but it certainly didn’t leave me wanting to hear more.
This is closer to solo Morrissey. Louder than bombs would've been a better choice.
Amazing album. Fucking slaps. Love the smiths
Very good album!
7,10
I’m not that big of a Smiths fan but you can’t in all honesty say that this is shit. This might be my favorite album from them and I’ll probably come back to it in the future, which is more than I can say about some other albums on this list
I feel like i moved past The Smiths, but it's still good music, thx to Rourke & Marr. Morrissey is still an arsehole. Girlfriend in a coma is without a doubt the best song.
Interesting. I only know one song (Girlfriend in a Coma). After listening, I can say I have added 3/4th of this album to my playlist. Great album! Love the cynical lyrics. "Unhappy birthday" really is a summary of the entire discography of the Smiths. 4.7
Not as good as their previous records, with generally weaker songs and too much Morrissey and not enough Marr.
Try as I might, I really don't enjoy The Smiths, and that's not even accounting for Morrissey's horribleness. Consequently, I'm more than a little annoyed to see that we somehow managed to get three of their four albums in this collection, and then four Morrissey albums as well. Good for diehard fans of Morrissey, excruciating for everyone else (or at least me). I guess this album belongs in this collection more than the previously heard "The queen is dead", given all the radio hits on this album, but I just can't get into *any* of the music, I'm afraid, and what wasn't a radio hit is eminently forgettable. Or I hope I can forget it...
Solid album; not really my taste but I appreciate the throwback to the 80s
Just not my cup of tea. I gave a listen, but could not get into it. Musically, very good. Lyrically not a fan. With the exception of Unhappy Birthday. I did enjoy that one.
IT was OK. The Smiths are a decent band, even if Morrisseyis a complete AH. Songs were good. Worth a listen
Not a horrible album. No idea how it made this list though.
Just okay.
Another band that, for me, just doesn’t live up to the hype. I don’t understand the adoration, this album is boring as fuck.
I feel like I should like the smiths... And i bloody do, big fan! I don't think this is their strongest album but I can merrily listen to it
I love the Smiths, and especially Morrissey's voice, but I wasn't in love with every song on this album. Some songs were outstanding and some showcased the things I like the least about the Smiths.
Considering how much I claim to like The Smiths, I don't think I've listened to many whole albums. I liked this though!
As always with The Smiths, Johnny Marr is the star of the show for me on this record. Some really amazing, versatile guitar work here. "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish", "Death of a Disco Dancer", and "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" are probably the main highlights. I honestly liked this a little less than last time, though. I want to like them more; I remember liking The Queen Is Dead fine enough when I was growing up, I was pleasantly surprised by Vauxhall and I when I got it early on in my personal project, and I thoroughly enjoyed the last two Ducks Ltd. records, which I realize are essentially musical love letters to The Smiths. But in recent years, whenever I've sat down with them, they've consistently fallen into that cursed category of "this is totally fine, I just don't care much about it." I'll have more chances to fall in love with them throughout this project, though, so fingers crossed. 3.5/5
Not sure if this is their best album but another solid album. 4 stars.
A couple bangers a couple slower ones
3/10
I mean it's the smiths, always good. I really enjoyed the song unhappy birthday, great lyrics
Not my first time listening to it, has one of my favourite Smith's songs. I've never felt so optimistic listening to a song about a comatose girlfriend.
Early punk is the best. If you like it at all then it’s a must listen.
Liked it but not their best album 7/10
Mainio levy! Hyvin sopi maanantain aamufiiliksiin. 4/5
Ei yllä esim. The Queen is Dead:n tasolle. 3/5
This was a good one. This band has grown on me a lot in the last decade
This album slaps; less melancholic than Bauhaus, less pumping than Siouxie and the Banshees; love it. 36min in total Very short
One of my favorite bands, with some of my favorite songs.
Хороший альбом с осенним вайбом
Not my favorite album by The Smiths but I can't give them any less than a 4
One of my alltime favourites. It just has everything cynical lyrics, perfect Melodie’s and just hits, hits, hits!
i love the smiths man
No me gustó, pero es considerada una de las mejores bandas inglesas de esa década. En el mundo la música parece que iba en otra dirección, así lo podemos ver en los éxitos de 1985 y The Smiths no aparecen en esa locura. Jackson, Aha, Bon Jovi, REM, Lauper, Blondie, ni se asemejan a algo de los Smiths que seguramente eran referente en su ciudad. No hay vinculos
I actually hate this.
A solid album across the board, there is really ain't much hate about this. This is what you should expect above average 80's music to sound like. 3.75-4.00/5
Ok
More sad bastard whining from the king of it
What is there to even enjoy about this? 1.5
Lovely, gentle, quite short
eternally underrated smiths album - but what wouldn't shrink in the shadow of meat is murder and queen is dead? more bangers than you remember!
Enjoyed. 4/5
Not really my thing but one of the better albums that isn't really my thing.
First time listening to a full Smiths album and I was pleasantly surprised. Morrisey's singing is the signature of this band, but I found listening to this that it also distracted from the great progressions and instrumentation in general. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This Before rocks and I've been playing it on repeat.
Wasn’t sure how I felt on first listen. Had always thought the smiths, and morrisey specifically, were one of those bands I just didn’t get. But this album made me want to relisten a few times. Though only a few standouts (the disco one and happy birthday because you’re evil) to me - on the whole I have to say this sounds both unique and familiar, the lyrics are witty and fun, and there’s really a lot to like on the whole
Not that I dont like this, there were just very few times where I was super interested and focused on the tune. My favorite two tracks were Death Of A Disco Dancer and I Wont Share you. The popular songs were boring to me and the melodies weren’t as pleasant All that said, I liked my second time through a lot more than the first. Ill give them three stars for that
Foundational band for a lot of other stuff I like today. Have listened to a lot of their other albums. Most of these songs were super solid, I just think I prefer them in slightly smaller doses. Love the A side. Stars for Morrissey’s growling on track one. Johnny Marr is such a classic rockstar too - impressive range of projects since the Smiths.
Eh. When I hear the Smiths I think what have they done that another band hasn't done better. That's a sign that I don't like the music, can't connect enough to understand the value underneath. The music is full of mid-tones and low on contrast, and covered in talk-singing. Honestly the album cover sums up my lukewarm feelings on the Smiths in general
Great album from The Smiths discography. Not as many memorable moments as TQID and Meat is Murder, but still a very worth listen in my opinion. Highlights: I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish, Girlfriend In a Coma, Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me, Paint a Vulgar Picture.
This was a big surprise. Mych more upbeat than anticipated. M7sically and lyrically strong!
More 80's rock with the typical UK sound. not for me
Was never really a Smiths fan, but now I can appreciate the band musically. I still think that Morrisey is one of most overated singers of all time though. 3⭐️
Oh man what a whiny asdhlle - a whole record of snark and sneer with barely any songwriting out in there. At this point Morrissey wasn’t even trying to- and while the music is good, the words entertaining - it’s rather a transient album - nothing too memorable besides Girlfrkend in a Coma. And I’m not even applying the Morrissey penalty score of -1 star.
Enjoyable to me, although I understand the people that don’t like the Smiths so much. 3.5/5
Jag vill gilla The Smiths mer än vad jag faktiskt gillar The Smiths
Blind album, know know the artist by name. Nothing in particular stood out to me and shocked me. Just another basic album that doesn't appeal to me much but isn't awful in anyway.
Already forgot all about it, so probably not great
Not the most happiest of listenings but I really enjoyed it. Great lyrics and great instrumentation. Will be listening to more Smiths.
Catchy melodies with rare lyrics.
3/5 Also alright
I am a mixed fan of The Smiths, they have some captivating songs to their name however there are many more songs that I cannot quite get behind. This album is one of those. With songs like "Girlfriend in a Coma" and "Paint a Vulgar Picture" for example; it seems as though the band had a track quota and these is what they came up with. I can imagine the creative process as picking 2-3 chords to create a repeating riff then add libbing the lyrics and printing it. The only two songs I enjoyed were "Death of a Disco Dancer" and "Last Night I Dreamt that Somebody Loved Me".
Not the best album from the Smiths
I think I am just surprised by how many British songs are here! Like, wow. I felt this was very similar to led Zeppelin. I don't think it was anything too special? Maybe it's just the 80's vibes.
classic but not my fave work of them
Not really listened to The Smiths before. Something I’ll be exploring some more. Relaxed.
There's something nice, a bit too sad not sure.
Boring compared to The Smiths and The Queen is Dead.
Without a strong sense of who Morrisey is, it's hard to understand this project as anything other than a decent kind of pop punk act. I don't think they do anything special here but its all competent and there are some tracks that stand out I would relisten. I had this on in the background for most of the weekend and there are some catchy moments but mostly it just filled the space just fine. I could see it inspiring other bands like Panic! and in that way I think that this band is better than what came after. Overall it's not all that memorable but I kinda liked it.
I don't think this is as good as the previous Smiths album we had, but maybe it has better individual tracks. "Stop me if you think you've heard this one before" is my favorite of the lot, but "Death of a Disco Dancer" is also really good. Morrissey does the thing where he says too many words per line a few times, but for whatever reason it comes off better on this album. The song themes are all typical Smiths depressing, sad, and mopey thematically, but the music is surprisingly upbeat. This is pretty much their whole deal and they don't deviate too much from it. I liked it, less than Meat Is Murder, but still pretty good.
If I had been born a little earlier this would have been my shit. The Pope of Mope keeps me swaying with the tunes and realizing that emo wasn't a phase.
love the smiths but this isn’t great, they sound tired
Not as good as The Queen is Dead, but still a 5
I gave this one two passes, a few months apart. I enjoyed it more musically the second time, but it never really caught me. It was still a good listen.
It's a bit miserable
I like Johnny Marr but not Morrissey. His voice gets annoying. Kills the vibes in the music.
this is the smiths album i’ve listened to the least for whatever reason. well you know me i always cry at endings…anyway i kinda like that there’s something a little bit more melodic/traditional sing-y sounding (omfg hopefully i can explain this later lol) on here compared to most other smiths songs. maybe it’s morrissey singing in a slightly higher register? i don't KNOW his voice just sounds more pop here. i like it. fav tracks: a rush and a push…; girlfriend in a coma; stop me if…; paint a vulgar picture; last night i dreamt…; i won’t share you
awwww I really like this album. i don't know a lot of the smiths but this is the only one I've heard before and I do think it's very pretty and melancholic and evokes a really specific kind feeling that i can't describe....
Conocía varias canciones, pero las que no conocía me sorprendieron porque no eran del sonido típico de The Smiths.
This is The Smith's second album that I've gotten on here, and their fourth and final album as a band. I really feel like I should like The Smiths sound ('80s indie rock!), but it hasn't quite hit for me yet. Basically everything on here I find perfectly enjoyable, but a bit unexceptional. The front half of this one is also quite a bit stronger than the back half. "Death of a Disco Dancer" does not seem to be one of their bigger hits, but it was the real standout on here for me. It was really striking in kind of a beautiful-but-haunting way. Apparently it's also the only song on any of their albums where Morrissey plays an instrument (piano). "Girlfriend in a Coma" is the hit on this one, and it's catchy as hell but the lyrics are kind of hilarious. "Unhappy Birthday" is also pretty hilarious. "I Won't Share You" is a strong closer. I really like to think that one day The Smiths are just going to click for me, but until then this is solid but nothing more. Favorite song: Death of a Disco Dancer Other: A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours, I Started Something I Couldn't Finish, Girlfriend in a Coma, Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before, Unhappy Birthday, I Won't Share You 10/8/24
i kinda like the music
My least favorite Smiths album here, but it’s still fine.
Morrissey must have really pissed a lot of people off because all of The Smiths reviews are full of haters. And maybe that makes me pretentious becuase I loved all of them, especially this one. It was all new to me and it was awesome from the very first song. A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours is excellent. I started Something I Couldn't Finish was also quirete strong. Girlfriend in a Coma is a bit disturbing, and I'm sure it's meant to be funny, but it's not quite ironic enough to nail that tone. The only blenish for me on this album.
could i write poetry to this? y
Decent album with some good songs. I could listen to it some more. 3.5/5
Well, on the 1 year anniversary of me listening to my first ever album by The Smiths, we have another album by The Smiths. HOW?! How does this happen?! This may genuinely be the craziest coincidence I've had in regards to this generator, and I've encountered some weird coincidences. Am I going to have to wait until October 6, 2025 to get The Queen is Dead? Maybe? I don't know. Let's move on and talk about Strangeways, Here We Come. I liked Meat is Murder quite a bit. I initially gave it a 3/5 but that was because it was the second album I ever got and I didn't like at as much as the first one I got. Since then I have gotten that rating bumped up to a 4 because I realized that the album is quite good actually. However, it's not the best Smiths album. To be fair, I don't know if Strangeways is the best one either, but it's at least better than Meat is Murder. Everything that I liked about that album is here, but it seems that the band really improved on their style in the two years after that album's release. The sound is still very unique and pleasant to listen to. Johnny Marr's guitar work is just as great as ever, as are Morrissey's vocals and writing. Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce also do great playing the bass and drums respectively. I don't have much to say about them, but I figured that I might as well give them praise since I'm doing so for the other members. There's some wonderful songs on here. "A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours" is strong opener. It really sets up a different feel for this album. "Girlfriend in a Coma" is a pretty similar song that has this weird blend between being very fun to listen to and having very sad lyrics that I kind of really like. I think "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" might be my favorite on the album. It's great. Overall, this is a strong album that really goes to show just how much talent there was in the Smiths. It's a shame that this was their last album. At least they ended strongly. High 4/5.
This was ok. Not my favorite Smiths album. Makes for good background music.
I love this. I've heard of the smiths before, but I've never really listened to them. I definitely want to listen to their back catalogue now.
Not as bad as I thought it would be
8.9
Strangeways, Here We Come - The Smiths (1987) post-mortem Último álbum do grupo lançado pós fim da banda, e o clima não poderia ser outro, é um álbum onde há um claro conflito entre os integrantes e muitas músicas são desarmoniosas ou então parecem uma batalha de ego. Mais para o final do disco as músicas voltam a ter certa harmonia e encerram a história da lendária banda em uma toada menos confusa e conflituosa, mas muito longe do auge musical que viveram nos anos anteriores. Melhores músicas: Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me, Paint a Vulgar Picture. Piores músicas: 2.5/5
The last studio album by The Smiths. You can hear the break down of the band in the music and lyrics. Every musician is playing at their best. Strong drums, Great Bass, Amazing Guitar and melancholic lyrics and vocals are all clearly apparent. It has amazing singles, hidden gems and a birthday song for anyone you don't like.
Might be good
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me is a truly exceptional song and I have a soft spot for Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before. The first couple of tracks are bland as hell though (sorry, but I don’t get why Girlfriend In A Coma gets so much love) and the last few are hit and miss at best.
just not as good as the smiths other stuff and i’m pretty off them. eh. 4/10
Funny guy, that Smith
I liked this album. Lots of pretty solid songs and one stand out for me (Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before). I'll probably listen to this one again. I'd give it 3.5 stars.
I like how consistent the sound is across the album Death of a Disco Dancer is my least favourite song on the album and it's one of these longest songs there Not the biggest fan of the growling in earlier songs either Overall decent album
Easy to listen to. Reminds me that I just really like 80s music. Dark story telling, deceptively soothing vocals. I would listen to this again! Girlfriend in a Coma is such a weird song, but GREAT story telling. I took it as him having nearly killed her but failed, and now wanting to be alone to finish the job (in case she wakes up and tells on him). Which would be a very dark turn for a song that sounds deceptively uplifting. Last Night I Dreamt that Somebody Loved Me is a great song.
First of all, too damn much Morrisey on this list - His Mopiness doesn’t warrant this kind of over representation. Especially not for such a weak final record as Strangeways. The magic was gone. Give me their debut, and Queen, and I will continue to think of them fondly. Strangeways did not wow me when it was released, nor has the passage of time brightened my dim view of this album.
I like other smiths better but I enjoyed this
It took me a while to learn to appreciate the Smiths, but now that I do I find their music to be quite enjoyable. 3.5/5
I hate Morrrissey and the Smiths.
De band begint lekker te spelen, ome Morrissey begint er wat omheen te zwammen en heeft vast weer een hele hoop te vertellen met z'n hoge stem die alle kanten op schiet. We kennen deze gang van zaken inmiddels wel. Ik merk weinig zin om hier weer heel veel bij te gaan typen, maar ik kan dit nog steeds goed hebben.
I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it as much as some people. I get that he sounds the same and kinda whiney throughout, but I still kinda dug it.
3/5
..
Oh boy….what a messy album. Some of best songs The Smiths ever made, especially “Death of a Disco Dancer,” but also, some of the absolute worst songs The Smiths ever made. And the thing about it is, what makes one song so fucking phenomenal also makes another downright deplorable. Morrisey’s weird vocal choices work on some songs here and ruin others, like “A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours.” Marr trying to get away from jangle pop clicks on “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish” but fails miserably on “Death at One’s Elbow.” The strings and piano sometimes fit, sometimes feel messy. Rourke and Joyce feel as locked in as ever, but some of the material just straight up doesn’t work. Sometimes it’s too spacey, sometimes it’s too minimal, sometimes it just sounds like the band is running out of steam, like on the single, “Girlfriend in a Coma,” which is good, but far from their best single, that’s for sure. And I know that if you lined up 500 nerds and asked them their favorite cuts on Strangeways, you’d get 500 different answers, but I would still safely bet that none of them prefer Strangeways to literally *any* other album by The Smiths, compilations included. If you really like The Smiths, their discography is 4 albums long and some extra singles – you should take 30ish minutes to listen to Strangeways to be complete, but that is not a requirement by any means. It’s sad that they couldn’t go out with a final bang considering the rest of their discography, but Strangeways is too chaotic and too all-over-the-place to be anyone’s favorite child, even if it’s the last breath of an otherwise truly great band. Thankfully, because The Smiths were a truly great band, there’s still a good chunk of material here to salvage, but I say, take what you need and send the rest to the body shop.
it's their worst album
I never really warmed to this one before, despite being a fan of The Queen is Dead and Meat is Murder. I'm surprised that this one was chosen over their first to be honest. I'd say 2 albums would have been sufficient really, but this isn't too bad. There are some good songs on here, but a lot of them feel a bit like throwaways, which makes sense given the band were pretty much at the end of their rope. I enjoyed A Rush and a Push, Death of a Disco Dancer, Stop Me, and Last Night. Never got the appeal of Girlfriend in a Coma, but maybe it's popularity was due to the timing of it's release with the news of the band splitting. Paint a Vulgar Picture could be quite cutting if it wasn't immediately invalidated by the countless reissues and compilations of The Smiths' own work subsequently released. Would be a very fitting takedown of the industry today, with the padded deluxe albums on streaming sites and never ending vinyl variants.
I've always thought this one was the best Smiths album. It's just the most complete in my opinion. The closer "I Won't Share You" is just beautiful. Not quite deserving of 5 stars though. But definitely the Smiths best work!
One of those albums that I don’t really know what to say. Not bad, not great. Changes it up enough. Right about average.
I wasn’t having a very good day today but when I saw The Smiths on my phone, my eyes lit up. Something about Morrisey’s ability to make any remotely happy song feel like the ending of a Greek tragedy is almost so peculiar that it makes you smile. I adore the smiths but I feel their high standing in my heart can’t quite get them to the 5/5 mark
Not their best album, but still a brilliant epilogue to the best UK band in the 80s.
This album is decent. It's not as good as The Queen Is Dead. But it's pretty middle of the road Smiths. A fantastic album lyrically, like all Smiths records. I do really like how big this album sounds - there are a lot of things going on but it never sounds busy or out of control. It's also a very clear sounding album, like you can focus in easily on each individual instrument and follow along with just that the whole time. It's maybe not as cohesive as The Queen Is Dead, each song seems more of a standalone effort towards a whole if that makes sense. I don't know that I would really seek this album out to listen to again. I probably wouldn't even pick it up at the record shop if I saw it there. It's good, but it's not one I feel I need to own and play frequently. 3/5
I had this cd when I was younger so know it quite well but definitely had not listened in a long time. It’s probably the worst of the smiths 4 albums, but is by no means bad. You can tell it was later in their career by the variety of instrumentation and song types, which works well on certain songs but makes some songs sound a bit silly.
least favourite Smiths album. Still pretty enjoyable background music
Fun and Melodic
eh
What an incredibly fun and moody album. First listen through I really dug every song, and also the first album in this project (4th album I've come to) where I really wanted to re-listen to everything instead of just a couple of songs here or there (sorry Joy Division, you didn't get a single perma-like on anything). Fun production on almost every song, the vocals and the lyrics tell some compelling stuff. I think, maybe "Unhappy Birthday" was the one that made me cringe a little first time through, but, honestly, the three song streak of Girlfriend in a Coma, Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before, and Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me was an absolute overture, so I give "Unhappy Birthday"'s out-of-place cuteness a pass. Really good. Listening again now, not because I feel like I need to (again sorry Joy Division, I gave you a fair shake), but because I really want to. Between 4 and 5. Would probably be 5 after a little more time.
I listened to The Smiths a lot in my early 20's, pretty good stuff in my opinion. We always made fun of it for being super depressing and causing bouts of crying. Very chilled out, maybe depressing but I like it.
alternative Rock, 1987 -> 3
9/20/24. The Smiths are very consistent. For sure you can hear their influence carried on by newer bands in the indie or post punk scene, especially in songwriting and vocals. Veyr enjoyable listen.
Really did not enjoy just not my style of music
Girlfriend in a Coma Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
least fave of the smiths
Can you believe this is their weakest album? Unbelievable band
Alright
mopier than I remembered
So close to a 5. Every year I used to send unhappy birthday on Facebook to my friend Jon who hated the smiths. What a wrong un
Girlfriend in a coma is wretched guff but the rest of it is pretty good
ok
they actually have a song called "Unhappy Birthday" is this self-parody?
I really like the music in this but something about this guys voice buys me. He sounds aloof and dispassionate most of the time. Some songs break through but on the whole I can’t get over the vocals
So here we are again; the Smiths. Either they are way more popular in the UK or the people making the list happen to love them some Morrissey. 3 Smiths and 4 Morrissey albums on the list. And to me, they all sound the same and mostly blend into the background. There’s very little I think is bad but there not a whole lot more that really stands out.
I've been a fan of The Smiths for a long time, and a fan of Radiohead for a long time. But listening to this album tonight was the first time it really hit me how influential The Smiths were on them and like, it's VERY obvious and I cannot believe I never put it together until the end of this evenings listen of "Death of a Disco Dancer".
Solid album. In my experience, you have to listen to a Smiths album at least five times to get it, and then it's great. I remember when it came out, so I know this one well...and it is great. For the guitar players who don't like The Smiths, I would suggest focusing on the guitar playing. Johnny Marr plays like nobody else. If you don't believe me, try playing along with him. It's not easy, and it will make you appreciate what he's actually doing. "I crashed down on the crossbar and the pain was enough to make a shy bald Buddhist reflect." That's a solid lyric. Liked Songs Added: - Death Of A Disco Dancer - Girlfriend In A Coma - Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before - Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me - Unhappy Birthday - Paint A Vulger Picture - I Won't Share You
A collection of songs that made me feel a lot of nothing in particular 2/5
A weak 3.
Dull.
Early them but good
Do we need two Smiths albums? Is it any different to Meat Is Murder?
Standout Tracks- Girlfriend in a Coma, Paint a Vulgar Picture
2.5☆/5 09.09.2024
What an Arrogant prick....
love the instrumental music, vocals not so much
Not as bad as expected given, you know, it’s fucking Morrisey. Last night I dreamt and I won’t share you both decent. Early Radiohead might have taken a bit of something from this. 5/10