List item: Listen to the 250 greatest albums
Progress: 52/250
Title: The Smiths
Artist: The Smiths
Year: 1984
Position: #180
I had never listened to a full album by The Smiths before. I have listened to Vauxhall and I before, with me falling deeply for the track ‘Now My Heart Is Full’. Then I got a bit put off by how Morrissey is in the media and had not played an album with him in it for about six years. I decided to make The Smiths the next album that I looked at for my bucket list because of a friend at work who really likes Morrissey and can do an unsettlingly good impression of his distinctive singing voice.
One thing to say outright is that the version of The Smiths I listened to had ‘ This Charming Man’ included, despite the fact the original cut of the album came before this was released. As such, in order to try and be a bit more authentic, I just skipped this track during my playthroughs. I mean, it is probably their most famous song after all and it’s not like I haven’t heard it a number of times before.
The Smiths is one of those albums (much like Murmur) where I find it hard to talk much about as I know little about the band and, if I am being honest, I sometimes find it really hard to understand the lyrics because of the strange baritone that Morrissey possesses. All I know is that I enjoyed the album more than I expected to, especially after the maudlin start. The pairing of his vocals with Marr’s guitars is, at times, jarring which somehow makes the album all the more appealing and melodic. Maybe I’ll find more to say once I listen to The Queen Is Dead.
Before I Kick 