From 1983 - 1987 in an astonishing burst of creativity , The Smiths released these seventeen singles , with B-sides that most bands would die for ( the last song on this cd is an album track that was released as a single long after the demise of the band ) , and four classic albums .

The Smiths were anything but an orthodox rock band , thanks to the acrobatic vocal dynamics of their charismatic lead singer , their unusual song structures and the subjects touched upon in these songs , and above all Morrissey's lyrics that were a revelation to me in the 1980's . Up until that point I had never heard lyrics that were so unselfconsious about laying bare the singers troubled psyche to the public , but that was only part of it . Morrissey's disorientating language also blurred the boundaries between the genders , in some songs you are not sure if the protagonist is a man or woman , or even transexual . His early lyrics in particular had a dark , ambiguous undercurrent to them , songs such as " The Hand That Rocks The Cradle " could be about a loving parent , but if you read between the lines , the hand rocking the cradle might be a far more sinister figure . The unusual and sometimes taboo subjects dealt with in the Smiths songs were tempered by Morrissey's very funny , and self-deprecating wit , he had the knack of disturbing the listener and making them laugh at the same time ( not a comfortable feeling ) .

Throughout their brief but brilliant career The Smiths enjoyed a large underground following in the UK but never broke America , they were lionised by the British music press , but were constantly at odds with some of Britain's daily tabloids who would often try to whip up controversy by deliberatly misinterpreting Morrissey's lyrics , " Suffer Little Children " a song from their debut LP is a case in point , this haunting , beautiful lament to the victims of the moors murderers was portrayed by the press as a glorification of the murderers , the controversy only ended after one of the victims mothers publicly stated that the song was a moving tribute to the victims . Anyway , enough of that ...... all I really want to say is , if you like gorgeous melodies , fantastic guitar playing , subversive lyrics , and want to hear some of the most imaginative and exciting music ever written , you'll find eighteen prime examples on this CD . It's appropriate that the foldout booklet shows the picture covers to all of The Smiths singles and albums , as this was another integral part of their art , but that's another story .............. Essential !


the charming man   June 16, 2005
N. Chandran
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

i'm a very seasoned classic rock and jazz listener. i just do not know how this fantastic band escaped my eye for such a long time. this is simply the apex of pop music and when you listen to them you know there's something special here - it is just magic. morrissey's vocals, poetry and idealism are so rare in the music industry where talent and originality have become a byline. he catches your imagination with his art, wit, openness and compassion. johnny marr's shimmering fret work provides the able foil to his band leader's genius. if you fall in love with this album but still don't want to buy the other individual albums, check out the other great collection - louder than bombs. there're only seven overlaps between the two - you get some 16 odd extra songs there. great great great stuff!


Super -G- Says:   November 24, 1999
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

The Smiths' 1995 Singles collection is a posthumous release from a band that connected with a plethora of youths across the UK in the 1980's. Some of the most dazzling sonic compositions which were recorded by the band in the short period they were together are presented here. In chronological order from their first UK 45, 'Hand in Glove' to 'Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me' from the 'Strangeways Here We Come' album the album shows the full extent of the legacy Morrisey and Johnny Marr have left on British pop music. Morrisey's poetic but tragic warblings laced together with Marr's trademark jangly guitar licks provide a pairing between vocals and guitar which few bands have sucessfuly matched. The Album is a perfect introduction to those who have not encountered the Smiths' music as well as an erstwhile compendium of their hits for those of us who remember Morrisey dancing about on Top of The Pops with flowers up his arse. Most of all it reminds us what all the fuss was about...


Quality from start to finish   April 23, 2000
Spacegirl (England)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

As a 21 year old mad music fan, I only recently discovered The Smiths through this compilation album, and i am so glad I did. Singles hasn't been off my CD player for months now and it even prompted me to going and buying the band's back catalogue too (The Queen Is Dead being my fav album). There is just not one bad track on the entire Singles album, with my favourites being 'Boy With The Thorn In His Side', 'Ask', 'I Started Something' and the beautiful 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out' of which Morrissey's vocals are amazing.(Particularly the way he sings the "I don't care, I don't care, I don't care" bit). Each track is near enough perfect both musically and lyrically. I would recommend this to any true music fan, and the fact that they band split up ages ago is irrelevant. As a band they are still as important today as they were back in the 80's and a hell of a lot of better than any of the bands around at the moment.