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 The Sound Of The Smiths: The Very Best o the Smiths(2 CD Deluxe Edition)Sales Rank:814List Price: $29.98 Lowest New Price: $19.31 Lowest Used Price: $19.25 Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 Total Reviews: 13 Customer Reviews:Rating: 5 some people are only good at complaining "hot mastered rubbish"? well, mr marr remastered the project himself, and despite what some of the relentlessly unhappy folk may say, it sounds truly amazing (perhaps they're listening to it on an aged sony discman). miss morrissey "approved" the cover, and the colour choices are nice, buy beyond that, the packaging isn't exceptional. but the music! it's never sounded better. and if you're foolish enough to advise others not to buy simply because your own personal favourite song isn't on it - well, i'm sure if you write johnny an angry letter, he'll be sure to address your concerns most urgently. buy it. go for the double-disc. it's a wonderful collection for fans old and new... Rating: 3 Stretch Out and Wait for Another One Yeah, so you all knew it was coming. So here we have yet another Smiths hits release and yet again this collection is not a perfect fit for either newcomers, casual fans, or hardcore completists. Newcomers and casual fans are simply seeking the bands biggest hits in their original versions. You're not going to be able to appreciate the subtle changes present in the Peel Sessions unless you're wholly familiar with the originals. The superiority of those and the originals are entirely subjective anyway, and the inclusion of these seeming randomly selected rare cuts here are confusing at best. This newest collection is roughly half originals and half live/peel session/alternate takes etc. Some of which is labeled here, some isn't (for instance, the version of "Stretch Out and Wait" here is an alternate take with different lyrics than the one found on LOUDER THAN BOMBS). The completists, such as myself, find it awfully irritating to have to sift through the material we already have to get to the rare tracks. Most of which are already available by other means, but never so nicely restored in sound quality. A more logical release would entail a two-pronged approach in which one version featured all The Smiths hits as they originally appeared on their studio albums and singles. The other release would only contain the rarities, live cuts, demos, and all the related miscellany. As it stands, this is a collection that tries vainly to be everything to everyone and succeeds at nothing. I'll pass. Rating: 3 Another reminder that a box set is overdue Is this the best 2-disc Smiths compilation available? Yes, but the fact that REEL AROUND THE FOUNTAIN is not included is reason enough to avoid purchasing this package. The 2-disc THE BEST OF THE SMITHS has been much-maligned - and rightfully so - but at least it contains this essential song, not to mention one or two others missing from this collection. A box set for this seminal band is long overdue. Rhino or Sire ought to look at the terrific example set by Polydor when they put together the PEEL SLOWLY AND SEE box for the Velvet Underground, a group that has a similarly sized discography to The Smiths. That package successfully presented the original albums alongside demos and unreleased tracks. The Smiths are equally deserving of such a comprehensive set and until they receive such, I'll hang on to THE BEST OF THE SMITHS, warts and all. Rating: 4 (another) note about the sound ... for those who don't notice much difference compared to the earlier releases, i beg to differ. to my two ears, the bottom end has been brought to the fore. Andy Rourke's bass has never sounded so clear or present in the mix. now I can truly appreciate his amazing talent. as for the songs? most fans will already have most (if not all) of them. but there are a few omissions which bug me, most specifically the lack of inclusion of 'the draize train'. regardless, i'm pretty happy with my purchase. just wish they had used a more interesting photo for the sleeve. putting the band on there front and center is just wrong! Rating: 4 Sounds good I know coming in to any "best of" CD that there will be songs I like left out and that I would have done things a bit differently if I were in charge (they left off "I Know It's Over"?!). I am not a Smiths expert and it had been several years since I'd heard most of these songs. I like this CD a lot. It had escaped my mind how good, catchy and moving their songs were. The remastering engineer has said of the songs "They are mastered louder so they will sit better alongside current releases" so I think the buyer needs to be aware that like a review on here says they might be too loud could be true. Boosting the loudness needs to be subtly done, as U2 did on the remastered Joshua Tree, and it's always debatable what the results are. Personally, I don't think older records need to compete with Britney Spears, they just need to bring out all the sounds on the tapes and sound good. Nowhere Fast seems too bright to me but other songs sound really good. I guess buyer beware on this issue. The songs themselves? Fantastic from beginning to end. One more thing - if Morrissey and Marr could get it together to work on this, they could have come up with an essay or a song commentary and not just a booklet full of pictures. |