Andy Rourke is secretly an MVP in this band. Obviously Marr and Morrissey are still the vital cogs in the band, but Rourke's bass playing is still crucial.

Easiest discography for me. Know this band’s music inside out. Remember buying the “ This Charming Man “ single in high school. Never, ever saw or perceived them as being a “depressing “ band . If you “got “ them ( and Morrissey in particular ) their catalogue is one of the most joyous, wonderful pop music experiences you’ll have. Thank you Morrissey for letting us into your head. Marr for providing the brilliant soundtrack . Underrated Rourke for his amazing bass work . (And even the outcast Mike Joyce ). My tribute to one of the greatest ever bands 👊🏻❤️ 1. The Queen is Dead: (5 stars) Most consistent, cohesive studio album One of the great guitar pop albums of all time . Standouts : Title Track , Boy with the Thorn in his side , Some Girls A Bigger than Others, There is a light that never goes out, Bigmouth Strikes Again 2. Meat is Murder. (5 stars) Never a fan of the sound on this album but doesn't matter .Great tunes , and Morrissey was never more cutting and brilliant lyrically . Standouts : Rusholme Ruffians, I Want the one I can't have, Headmasters Ritual, Nowhere Fast , That Joke isn't Funny Anymore 3. The Smiths : ( 5 stars) Brilliant Debut . Has This Charming Man on it . That's 5 stars immediately . Morrissey has a lot to say in his first broadcast to the world . Marr creates a new sound . Lives will change . Standouts : Hand that rocks the cradle, What Difference does it Make , Hand In Glove , Reel Around the Fountain, This Charming Man 4. Strangeways Here We come ( 5 stars) My favourite sounding record of theirs . Marr shines . Still magnificent songs on the record( even with reported disharmony in the band ) . Still sounding like no one else . Still the best pop band in the world at the time Standouts: Last Night I Dreamt that somebody loved me, I won't share you , Rush and a Push , Girlfriend in a Coma 5. Hatful of Hollow : ( 5 stars) I'm ranking the comps 5 and 6 because of course the band never intended for them to be artistic statements as such .Some great alternative recordings of Hand in Glove , What Difference etc. And some amazing b-sides , singles Standouts : Handsome Devil, William It Was Really Nothing, Accept Yourself , Back to the Old House 6. Louder than Bombs : ( 5 stars) Like " Hatful of Hollow" but with some of their later singles , b-sides Standouts : Panic, Unloveable , Shoplifters if the World Unite, Ask

1. The Queen Is Dead - All the tunes are great plus Morrissey at his wittiest 2. Hatful of Hollow - This felt like a new album when it came out. Contained several classics that had previously only been heard on John Peel's and Kid Jensen's radio shows (These Things Take Time, Back To The Old House, This Night Has Opened My Eyes) 3. Meat Is Murder - Slightly uneven but several brilliant songs: Headmaster Ritual, Nowhere Fast, Barbarism Begins At Home 4. Strangeways Here We Come - Stop Me, A Rush & A Push, I Won't Share You all great. But overall felt like the inspiration was ebbing. Probably best that they ended at this point 5. The Smiths - A fine debut, marked them out from the indie landfill of the time. The singles Hand in Glove and especially This Charming Man had already revealed their incipient genius. What a pity, as Kramz says, that Morrissey turned out to be such a jerk

A top five band of all time for me. Very consistent and prolific through their relatively short existence . Possibly along with the Kinks and the Jam , the most quintessentially English of all bands . Manchesters finest . My ranking : 1. Meat is Murder 5 stars 2. Queen is Dead 5 stars 3 Strangeways Here We Come 4.5 stars 4 . Hatful of Hollow 4.5 stars 5. The Smiths 4 stars 6. Louder than Bombs 4 stars

Re: Using Frankly Mr. Shankly as someone's introduction to The Smiths... well... the version of The Queen Is Dead I downloaded way back in the day somehow put the title track at the end, so that made Frankly Mr Shankly the first Smiths song I ever heard, haha. I was perplexed, cause of their reputation as a super depressing band, but then it was on to I Know Its Over, which hooked me. Oh yeah, and my ranking is: Queen Is Dead > Meat Is Murder > The Smiths s/t (> Hatful of Hollow) > Strangeways (> Louder Than Bombs)

I was looking for this list…then I found this list. And heaven knows I’m miserable now.

Everytime someone mentions John Peel...I just miss him more. Growing up he was always there promoting so many great artists and made essential radio listening back in the day. Says alot about the man that so many great artists made brilliant recordings in his sessions and kept going back again and again. Great man!❤️‍🔥

Even if it overlaps with later compilations, Hatful of Hollow is essential for the Peel and Jensen sessions, which include more spirited versions of songs the band had previously recorded.

In regards to the Smiths, their best album is usually "the one I'm listening to now." All are at least 4 star albums. Never listened to "Hatful of Hollow," but from what I do have, I'll rank 'em this way: 05) The Smiths T-2) Meat Is Murder T-2) Strangeways, Here We Come T-2) The Queen Is Dead 01) Louder Than Bombs

Wow FINALLY after trudging through ELO and Sloan and (God help us!) Iron Maiden and Boston (!!) we get to the best, my favourite band, The Smiths! Nearly through up over my pullover when I saw who you had lined up this week for the reviews. QBeen waiting for you guys to get to them. Enjoyed the video. My list: 1) The Queen is Dead (Kram and our Joe nailed this one with their comments: so intelligent and interesting and alive) 2) Meat is Murder (kudos to the new Joe for his enthusiasm for this one, such positive vibes in these groves) 3) Strangeways (Jason spoke very eloquently about the skill and presentation here) 4) The Smiths (one of the most brilliant and confident debuts, ever, by anyone) All 5 stars, who are you kidding? And it’s hard to include Hatful and Louder here, both also classics and essentials, but I like Hatful more for the radio sessions, very assured playing and approaches. Now you have to go all in and do the Morrisey solo catalogue, which is great, PC concerns be damned ! It’s the music and lyrics, fellas!

1. Meat Is Murder 2. The Queen Is Dead 3. Strangeways Here We Come 4. The Smiths Wow, I didn't know people don't like Meat Is Murder. I love it.

Best two lines I heard this week: 1) I dreamt about you last night, and I fell out of bed twice (he got it from somehwere but the way he sings it!) 2) Oh mother I can feel the soil falling over my head

This has been a great week. I was a huge Smiths fan as a teenager/early 20s but kinda fell off of listening to them for a few years. Revisiting them this week made me fall in love all over again. I had all of these albums except Meat Is Murder which I also used to not like (I got it in the last few weeks though). That did change this time around. My first album by them was Best...1 which I ordered when joining Columbia House at 15. That was definitely an odd compilation of somewhat random songs. Thankfully it didn't take me long to dive into everything else. 6. Hatful of Hollow - 4 (This one surprised me by how much it shrunk on me. I remember loving it a lot more. But like you all said, most of the songs that appear elsewhere are better in their other versions. My only exception is "Still Ill" because I've always preferred this version with the harmonica intro and outro. This compilation is still great but everything else is better) 5. Meat Is Murder - 4 (This was interesting to hear through fresh ears. I like it a lot better now than before and it could grow on me even more with time. It is a solid listen, it is weird to hear a Smiths album that is somewhat new to me because I mostly ignored it in the past after I decided I didn't like it. I can't put it above the others though.) 4. The Smiths - 4.5 (A really solid debut. Weirdly despite not being a huge production nerd I've always noticed the sound was off about this one and it did affect how I heard it. But the songs are strong enough to surpass that anyway. I especially love "Reel Around the Fountain". They weren't at their peak yet but it is a helluva way to start). 3. Louder Than Bombs - 5 (So long but so many great songs! I almost forgot over the years how great of a compilation this is but listening to it this week was just banger after banger. Most of the songs that introduced me to the band that I fell in love with on Best...1 are on here too which makes it even better.) 2. Strangeways, Here We Come - 5 (This is just a beautiful listen and great start to finish, I am a huge fan of the opener "A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours" and it just keeps going from there. I will never not get chills when Morrissey sings his first lines on "Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me".) 1. The Queen Is Dead - 5 (Always has been and always will be my number 1. There was never a doubt. I love everything about it. I listened to it a few weeks ago when you first announced you were covering The Smiths and I immediately felt the love for it again. Morrissey was on fire with his lyrics back then, I love all of this. I love the bouncy fun moments and the sad moments. It's all perfect). Great episode, great week. It was fun to hear another perspective as well but you're all irreplaceable so I'm glad that was a joke haha.

Thank you for ranking The Smiths’ albums. The Queen is Dead is my favorite album of all time.

I'm a new convert to this channel and it's excellent. The best of its type that I've seen and that's despite Jason and particularly Joe hating one of my favourite albums of all time (Unknown Pleasures). I'm ploughing my way through the back catalogue and have so far really enjoyed The Smiths ( I was 16 when This Charming Man came out and for me and my friends,The Smiths immediately became 'our band'), David Bowie, Neil Young, Echo and the Bunnymen and Radiohead. Some of the best videos are when the 3 (now 2) presenters disagree about the band/artist e.g. Blur. What makes this channel so much better than other music review channels, is the discussion format, the depth of musical knowledge and descriptions of why albums/tracks are good or bad. Not just someone saying 'this albums great' or 'this albums' poor, without saying why! Ideas for future discography reviews: a refresh of The Cure, The Chameleons, The Go-Betweens, Idles and for a real challenge, The Fall. Keep up the great work!

Basically a perfect discography. It made me very happy to hear all you guys love them as much as I do. 6. The Smiths 5. Hatful of Hollow 4. Meat is Murder 3. Strangeways, Here We Come 2. Louder than Bombs 1. The Queen is Dead (would be a great candidate for "resequencer")

Really looking forward to watching this. I’ll just add, though: as you’re opting to include Hatful of Hollow, I’d have included it’s follow-up compilation, The World Won’t Listen. Louder Than Bombs is a mesh of those two, if I recollect.

FYI the female vocals on Golden lights and all other smiths songs were done by Kirsty Maccoll who has a very good discography herself and often wrote songs with johnny marr. I would def recommend her albums too

Great episode, really enjoyed it. I'll admit hearing Joe Kwaczala call Hatful "not worthwhile" was like a knife in the heart, but apart from that he did great also.

6) The Smiths(1984) - 4 stars (US Version with this charming man) 5) Strangeways, Here We Come(1987) - 4 stars 4) The Queen Is Dead(1986) - 4.5 stars 3) Hatful of Hollow(1984) - 4.5 stars (compilation - some of the session versions just aren't as good) 2) Meat Is Murder(1985) - 5 stars 1) Louder than bombs(1987) - 5 stars (my favorite compilation of all time)

Only a casual Smiths fan. They have some great songs, but not a top 50 artist for me, which puts me in the minority, it looks like. I agree with Kram, including compilations in the ranking feels like cheating, I guess because they have such a small discography it gives you something else to talk about. And as good as Joe K. was, you don't need guests, the three of you are so insightful on your own, and have such good chemistry, it only becomes a small distraction. Just my two cents worth.

Back in the halcyon days of yore, l worked in a record store. The lovely Gina turned me onto The Smiths and thank goodness she did. Here’s my ranking: #6. The Queen is Dead #5. The Queen is Dead #4. The Queen is Dead #3. The Queen is Dead #2. The Queen is Dead #1. The Queen is Dead.

I refuse to let artists ruin their own art for me. I try not to pay much attention to what actors, musicians, fine artists, etc. say. Or said, because the further back you go the worse it gets. "If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am." - Andy Warhol

Hatful of Hollow has a special place in my heart because it's the first album I listened to by them. I got instantly hooked by the jangly guitar of Johnny Marr in This Charming Man and Still Ill. Soon I also noticed the incredible bass lines of Andy Rourke. When I begun to understand Morrissey's lyrics I became obsessed with them... That was 31 years ago... until now

My Ranking: 1. The Queen Is Dead (10/10) 2. Strangeways, Here We Come (9,5/10) 3. Meat is Murder (9/10) 4. The Smiths (8,5/10) 5. Louder Than Bombs (8,5/10) 6. Hatful of Hollow (8/10) Greetings From Canary Islands.

1. The Queen Is Dead * * * * * 2. The Smiths * * * * 1/2 3. Meat Is Murder * * * * 1/2 4. Strangeways, Here We Come * * * * 1/2 Hatful Of Hollow * * * *

My favorite band of all time. So glad you guys are doing their Listography. Here goes my ranking: 6. Meat is Murder 5. The Smiths 4. Hatful of Hollow 3. Louder than Bombs 2. Strangeways Here We Come 1. The Queen is Dead

1. Queen is Dead 2. The Smiths 3 Meat is Murder 4 Hatful of Hollow 5. Louder than Bombs 6. Strangeways Here We Come +Marr's solo stuff is excellent.

Can’t believe we’re doing compilations here, but okay, I’m in. 6. Hatful of Hollow 5. Meat Is Murder 4. The Smiths 3. Strangeways, Here We Come 2. Louder Than Bombs 1. The Queen Is Dead The two albums that have shifted the most for me over the last decade are the debut and Strangeways. And this never happens, but Jason actually convinced me to switch Louder Than Bombs and The Queen Is Dead. If I was allowing compilations in my little list on my channel, Louder Than Bombs might have bumped Queen Is Dead. But! When Jason talks about the length and listening experience, Queen Is Dead reigns. Louder Than Bombs has my two favorite Smiths songs though. Louder Than Bombs and Snap! by The Jam are the two greatest rock compilations ever - featuring a single band. Well done, chaps. Cheerio ✌🏻

As a first time in the history of the channel for me (and I've watched every listography), my list was exactly the same as Jason's. Cool to have Joe K. on as a guest, too. Great analysis, guys!

Great video. The Smiths were my favourite band back in the 80's. Louder Than Bombs was originally only meant for the American Market, but they released it in Europe to stop people having to buy expensive imports. 'The World Won't Listen' was basically the British version but with fewer tracks.

Excellent discussion! I’m from the UK and am old enough to have been there when The Smiths happened. I can’t begin to describe the impact they had on a lot of people. Some points: 1. Hatful of Hollow was a big thing when it came out as it was more Smiths product 2. Louder Than Bombs wasn’t released in the UK originally. We had a wonderful compilation called The World Won’t Listen. 3. The Queen Is Dead tour show at Wolverhampton Civic Hall was the greatest night of my life.

Albums proper : 1.Strangeways 2. Queen Is Dead 3. Meat Is Murder 4.The Smiths . Then insert the compliations Hatful and Bombs between Queen and MIM.

I think Meat Is Murder is the best Smiths album & note the original copies omitted How Soon Is Now which was a B-Side originally. The Headmaster Ritual & That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore are two of the top 5 Smiths songs ever. The Queen Is Dead is hot on its heals as second best with the debut third & Strangeways their flawed swan song fourth. Both compilations are excellent with Louder having more meaty songs. Smiths shows at The Hollywood Palladium in Summer of 1985 were two of the best I ever saw. The Meat Is Murder Tour.

I'm a lifelong Smiths / Morrissey fan. I could probably reel off every Smiths lyric and UK chart position from memory. They are absolutely my favourite band and pretty much an obsession. Here's my list; 01. Meat is Murder (5) - Dark and snarky, I love every song on it. I think this is Morrissey at his darkest and most intimate. Johnny Marr just thunders through so many styles; post punk, rockabilly, 50s ballads, funk, art pop. And the rhythm section is at it's best here. Joyce's thunderous drums on What She Said and That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore. Rourke on pretty much everything and twice as hard on Barbarism Begins At Home. 02. Hatful of Hollow (5) - Super cool underground indie vibe on this one. I hard disagree about weaker versions on this. I think the playing and more organic production make the tracks sing way more than the debut. I love every track on here and consider it to be the greatest compilation ever released. 03. The World Won't Listen (5) - Not on your list but it was released in the UK instead of Louder Than Bombs, which itself was a US amalgamation of Hatful & this compilation. Shorter and with no overlap from Hatful, this is the superior compilation imo. It makes for a cleaner discography run, while the US Bombs comp muddies the waters. Full of great tracks and great sequencing. 04. Strangeways, Here We Come (5) - Great production, great songs, Morrissey sounds better than ever, there's a feeling of finality to this album that seems very fitting as a final LP. Love it. 05. The Queen is Dead (4.5) - Bright, Kinks style vaudaville LP. I love the majority of this album but some tracks like Never Had No-one Ever and Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others would feature on my least favourite Smiths songs ranking if one existed. Still amazing, though. 06. The Smiths (4) - Inconsistent production muddies this one a bit. Morrissey is also a bit wobbly as a singer and Jonny rapidly developed as a writer after this. But it's still a great debut with lots of incredible songs and lyrics on it. 07. Louder Than Bombs (3.5) - Full of amazing material but redundant when compared to the earlier UK combo of Hatful of Hollow and The World Won't Listen. There's just too much overlap and it's too long. Here's my own ranking video for deeper analysis from myself: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rMlhf5OVu7y7pZ8.html

One of my top 5 favourite bands of all time, love every album! 1. The Queen Is Dead (Louder Than Bombs) 2. Meat Is Murder 3. The Smiths 4. Strangeways, Here We Come (Hatful Of Hollow)

“Which one of your children do you love the most?”Hmmm, let me think! I’ll get back to you.

"The Headmaster Ritual" opening riff is the ring tone on my phone.

Studio albums... 1: The Queen is Dead 2: The Smiths..... Bought it when it came out. HAve always loved it. 3: Strangeways, Here We Come 4: Meat Is Murder With compilations... 1: The Queen is Dead 2: Louder Than Bombs 3: The Smiths 4: Strangeways, Here We Come 5: Meat Is Murder 6: Hatful of Hollow

Notes and two cents (20 minutes in) - I personally prefer the Hatful of Hollow version of What Difference Does It Make? The original debut version like the rest of the album feels ‘washed out’ production wise, and the HFOH version really showcases the powerhouse brilliance of Rourke and Joyce. - The ‘cringey’ bits on the Queen is Dead such as the opening ‘take me back to dear old Blighty’ and Frankly Mr Shankley are on purpose - they are taking a swipe at the old school British nationalism that the album pokes fun at. It’s like a gentler satire of the ‘all these things are American dreams’ bit that satires American patriotism.

I remember being very disappointed by Strangeways. It felt like the inspiration was gone and they were going through the motions.

Definitely a top ten band for me but as mentioned as much as I like the 'Smiths and for the most part Morrissey solo I really have to be in the mood but that mood can last for weeks... As soon as I heard 'This Charming Man' I was both sold & hooked... 6. Meat is Murder 3'5 5. Hatful of Hollow 3.5 4. The Smiths 4.0 3. Louder than Bombs 4.5 2. Strangeways, Here We Come 4.5 1. The Queen is Dead 4.9

Awesome guys!!! Wow, those rankings were all over the place but that's to be expected with material this strong. Joe was a great guest!

people dont tend to like my Smith's list but here it goes: 1. Meat is Murder- I think that this record essentially has no bad tracks, and its brisk pace really makes it feel wholly worthwhile. As far as full band performance is concerned this is my personal favorite because of the speed of most of the songs, but also the composition of them. Johnny Marr's best guitar work is featured on this album, as well as Andy Rourke's best basslines. These two weave in and out of eachother and make these songs become as pretty as they are momentous. That being said the band always knows when to pull back and take a breath, which they do on the slower cuts from this record perfectly. This record is really "in your face" but never really to its detriment aside from the final track, which is a bit of an unfortunate misstep. Meat is Murder (the song) has too high of a tempo and thats my one gripe with this record. There is a bootleg floating around of them playing a show where this song was played much much slower and it captures the mood they were going for much more successfully than what was laid to tape here. Aside from that I really think this record is great; Morrissey stands out here to me as well, he's not as flashy or as clean in his performance as he would be on later releases but the lack of polish doesn't really take away from him because he is a very virtuosic performer. His lyrics also are quintessential morrissey bouncing between being darkly humorous and witty to morosely disheartened, often all at once. He has a skill for that that I think is present on essentially every Smiths release and it's no exception here. 2. Strangeways Here We Come- This is the smiths at their most naturally restrained, finely melodic, and subtly melancholic. This album sounds like a quiet divorce disguised as a happy ending. The melodrama is at an all time low for this group here, and is replaced with what could be considered more standard pop songs, or rather, pop-leaning material; and aside from Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me there isn't really a sign of the Smiths in their original incarnation, with all the bombast and emotional turmoil. The lyrics here are the best the Morrissey has ever written. His words stretch from blessed simplicity to decoratively Victorian, and slip past his previous capabilities and flashes of brilliance into being wholly and nakedly descriptive, derisive, hilarious, and sad in a way that he had not previously achieved. I think that Morrissey really carries this record over the simplicity of the instrumentals, but that is by design. The band has pulled back from the spotlight and restrained themselves without giving up the stunning melodicism they are known for, and opt into helping these songs paint the vivid imagery of heartbreak that gradually emerges as the tracklist carries on. What starts as something that can be misconstrued as relatively standard curls inwards to a rather mature portrait of loss and fatigue at love that "just doesn't do what it used to" anymore. By the time the record is over and you realize that you've heard the sound of a band falling apart, of its members reaching the start of their separate ways, you've already seen the worst of it, and you are ready to let go. That is the strength of this record, and really of this band, that they were able to find this delicate a way of saying goodbye. 3. The Queen is Dead- The fact that this album remains so emotionally relevant despite its shortcomings is amazing to me. That is a pretty cruel way to start off my writing here, especially considering this is a record that I actually like quite a bit, but its true. There are songs here that to me appear strikingly underwritten, but Morrissey is the worst offender here. Almost every song feels like a rough draft lyrically, and despite the brightspots (Vicar in a Tutu, There Is A Light) there are songs that stick out to me as rushed even on a band level which isn't an issue they have on any record but their first from 1984. I Know It's Over feels empty, and Never Had No One Ever is a bore; that being said, that the former can still punch tears and emotions out of me in the way that it does is still a testament to how powerful it is, and I wish it had gotten a second draft so I didn't always feel like I was questioning why I enjoyed it so much. There is also a surprising lack of distinctiveness in many of the guitar parts throughout this record, where a lot of the inventiveness of earlier releases and singles seems like its been stripped away. Most of the guitar parts feel like they are merely functional, with no sort of interesting flair about them in any way, and it takes what was a standout characteristic of this band and makes it feel negligible. The same goes for Rourke's bass, and it seems like this regression could have led to something beneficial for Morrissey, or beneficial for some wider arrangements involving other instruments but neither of these possibilities come to the surface and it leads to a lot of these songs feeling bare. Through all of these troubles, though, The Queen is Dead offers some of this band's truest and most pristine pop moments with the likes of Cemetry Gates (and the already mentioned There Is a Light,) and even though I myself am not the biggest fan of Bigmouth Strikes Again I can definitely see its appeal. Songs like Frankly Mr. Shankly and The Boy With the Thorn In His Side stand out because of the former's comically vicious character assassination and the latter's extreme earnestness. However, it's disheartening that for much of this record I feel like I am constantly pulled in and out of these songs, where they are almost all part of something special, but they can never fully capture me. The title track is a rush of snide snarls and critical eyes crossed atop a heavy and intimidating collage of the band creating its best take on chaos and yet it still feels tame, it still feels like it's being held back. It says little but does a lot, and I go back and forth between loving it and not really caring. And it is a similar fate with the final song Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others, which takes the shimmering chimes and pretty pace of Johnny Marr's best guitar work and weaves it into a mesmerizing, floating piece of pop music surrealism. It is hilarious and wryly, and its second-verse punchline involving Cleopatra and Marc Antony has to be one of the funniest lines ever put to record. That being said there are still times where it sticks in my mind as a sore spot, which makes me sad, and reveals what I think is the unfortunate truth about this record: The Queen is Dead is a mixed bag, but still it is full of wonderful surprises and sustaining classics but it also displays both the best and worst aspects of this band. Its emotional rawness keeps it essential, but I don't think I can overlook its flaws. It is remarkable, and yet it is also ordinary, which in terms of the Smiths, makes it a letdown. In spite of all of this, though, I still like this record.. there are even days when I LOVE this record, but I don't think that it is the record that demonstrates why the Smiths are such an important band. 4. The Smiths- From here there is a show of growth. This is the sound of a band in progress. They are notable, noteworthy, but not for very long. I think that the majority of this record does menial work in demonstrating the strengths of the band, but major steps are made towards being able to identify what they would be. This is best seen as a prelude to their career, giving hints to their greatness and their capability. Taken on its own I don't think that, had this been the only album they ever made, that they would be remembered. Without what followed this would be another one of the endless faces that get lost in the crowd in record stores still peeling through the leftovers of New Wave classics. This Charming Man is a necessity, but it was left off the original UK release, which leaves Still Ill as the only song that I think is really worth your time, and even then it feels like an average Smiths-cut at best. I find an appeal in the darkness of this record, both the aesthetics and the production, and the dispassionate manner of the lyrics, but it doesn't stick. After a while of listening it really just comes across as dull. I find Reel Around the Fountain to be dismal, Handsome Devil hilarious, and the rest of it just kind of drifts away as monotony. I have never been able to get into this record, but I am thankful for the people that did because we were given the rest of the Smith's career. I think we are fortunate that they were as gifted as everyone thought them to be, because for me, I can't see it. Not here.

Interesting lists. I don't know if it's different in America but here in the UK "hatful of hollow" is very highly rated.

6. The Smiths (4 stars) 5. Hatful of Hollow (4.5 stars) 4. Meat is Murder (4.5 stars) 3. Strangeways, Here We Comes (4.5 stars) 2. The Queen is Dead (5 stars) 1. Louder Than Bombs (5 stars)

You guys should do a 'Resequencer' on 'The Queen is Dead'. Joe K. gets a lot wrong about that album, but he is right that the sequencing is just bizarre.

1. The Queen is Dead 2. Louder than Bombs 3. Strangeways, Here We Come 4. Meat is Murder 5. Hatful of Hollow 6. The Smiths

06) Hatful of Hollow (5 stars) 05) The Smiths (5 stars) 04) Meat Is Murder (5 stars) 03) Strangeways, Here We Come (5 stars) 02) The Queen Is Dead (5 stars) 01) Louder Than Bombs (5 stars) 0 stars - irredeemably terrible/insultingly bad/the worst .5 stars - terrible 1 star - bad 1.5 stars - between bad and fair 2 stars - fair 2.5 stars - meh 3 stars - OK/decent 3.25 stars - pretty good 3.5 stars - good 4 stars - very good 4.5 stars - excellent 5 stars - The Acid Bird notes: * The almighty Smiths! What a bloody mess their discography is. For simplicity's sake I am rating these albums on their own merits, ignoring the fact that several songs are duplicated. * I was a huge Smiths fan in high school. The Smiths sort of made not being cool cool. Their music really spoke to me. * I recall buying The Queen Is Dead the day it came out. I also collected their 12" singles. * I saw The Smiths play the now defunct Bronco Bowl in Dallas on their Queen Is Dead Tour, September 5th, 1986. It was so great. My friends and I bribed an usher with $20 to let us on the floor. When the Smiths came on, this sort of a mosh pit developed in the front. But it wasn't a violent mosh pit. It was more like a writhing pile of love. Later, Morrissey took his shirt off and threw it in the audience. It was torn to pieces but I got a piece which I later pinned to a jacket (covered with a bunch of other stuff). It was possibly the most fun I've ever had at a concert. * With nearly every song in their catalogue rated 5 stars, the album ranking is pretty much a tossup. I put Hatful in last place because I like the more polished versions that appear on The Smiths a bit better. Louder Than Bombs wins by virtue of the sheer volume of killer Smiths songs in the form of a double album. It also has some of my very favorite Smiths tracks. * Listening back today, I have to say on the early songs Morrissey sounds a little bit flat at times and his singing is rather limited in the melodic department on occasion. Maybe that's being a bit nitpicky though. He's an incredibly unique singer and I love his humor and wit which he has in spades. For example, that line, "I still love you/ Only slightly, only slightly less than I used to/ My love" always cracks me up. And it must be said he has also made some of the most melancholy and depressing music ever although it never made me fully feel that way at the time (that would come later). That was long ago. I don't go back to them much anymore but I'm still a fan. Morrissey has had a great solo career despite some, er, questionable things he's said in public and so has Johnny Marr whose recent solo albums are really good.

1. Queen is dead 5/5 2. Debut 4.5/5 3. Meat is murder 4/5 4. Strangeways 2.5/5

1 - The Queen Is Dead 2 - Strangeways Here We Come 3 - Hatful of Hollow 4 - The Smiths 5 - Meat Is Murder 6 - Louder Than Bombs

In high school back in the 80s I was someone who had two sets of friends - in one group we listened to Metallica, Scorpions, Crue, Maiden, etc. And the other group listened to a lot of The Smiths, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure etc. Neither group had any interest in each other's music in the slightest, but I floated between the two and loved both genres. There is a surprising lack of "reaction" videos to them online, despite their cultural significance in the 80s. Not sure why.

The Smiths: memories of my misspent youth 🤪 Without any shadow of a doubt my favourite album is The Queen is Dead, one of my top 5 albums of all time. And yes Morrisey is a complete tool 😂 Cheers guys! 🇬🇧🇺🇸

5. The Queen is Dead (outside of track 1, never liked this one for some reason) 4. Strangeways, Here We Come 3. Meat is Murder 2. The Smiths 1. Louder than Bombs Not familiar with Hatful of Hollow

Hmm. I'm a little shocked that Jason says the length of Louder than Bombs holds it back. I think it's amazing from start to finish. I believe he gave "All things must pass" five stars and that's an album I felt had far too much filler material and whose length was a big turnoff.

1.The queen is dead 2.louder than bombs 3.meat is murder 4.strangeways 5.smiths 6.hatful my top 4 changes based off which one I have on but the bottom 2 get played the least.

I've been listening to Smiths for the last month 24 hours a day! For sure my top 5 maybe even top 3 band of all time My ranking: 6. The Smiths 5. Hatful Of Hollow 4. Louder Than Bombs 3,2,1. The Queen Is Dead, Strangeways, Meat Is Murder: i can't decide between these 3 perfect albums

time to do a Jehtro Tull or Mike Oldfield ranking folks ?!

“What difference does it make?” Every! Thank you for this! 💙 🎶

Maybe not the best place to post this but since I'm not a The Smiths fan at all, but I desperately want to comment ;) so here is my Christmas list(ography) for 2022..PLEASE Santa...I've been VERY good this year: Doves Athlete Genesis Phoenix Kansas Heart Phantogram (I'm out of one word bands) Linda Ronstadt The Monkees Hall and Oates The Psychedelic Furs

1. The Queen Is Dead (4.5 stars) 2. The Smiths (4) 3. Hatful of Hollow (4) 4. Strangeways, Here We Come (4) 5. Louder Than Bombs (4) 6. Meat Is Murder (3.5) It seems like I agree with Jason for a lot of this one, from Louder Than Bombs having that lull in the 3rd side that makes it drag a bit (I agree Hatful seems better as a start to finish cohesive listening experience) to The Queen Is Dead being a strong lyrical album and that Meat Is Murder seemingly missing something. I think Strangeways is a bit lower on my list because all the great tracks for me come in the first half of it and the second half feels merely pretty good, and I miss the more guitar oriented youthful rawness of the debut which I prefer. Very enjoyable studio discography overall, but I think top 10 songs is where they *really* shine for me.

The Smiths albums ranked: 1. The Queen Is Dead (1986) 2. Strangeways, Here We Come (1987) 3. Hatful of Hollow (1984) 4. Meat Is Murder (1985) 5. Louder Than Bombs (1987) 6. The Smiths (1984)

Am I the only person in the world for whom it took me years to decide how I felt about Morrissey's voice? He's basically like a Mancunian version of Bert from Sesame Street as the lead singer of a rock band. I just loved Marr's music (writing and arranging as well as playing) so much, as well as the wittiness of the lyrics, but I went back and forth on this band because of that. By the late '90s or so, I had resigned myself and admitted they were one of the all-time great bands. The fact that they produced such beautiful music in the mid-'80s seals it for me. The Cocteau Twins, pre-Document R.E.M., and The Smiths rule that time period for me. 6. Meat is Murder - My version does not have "How Soon is Now?" which obviously plummets it. Lots of very good tracks - "The Headmaster Ritual," "What She Said," "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore," "Barbarism Begins at Home," and "Well I Wonder (love the bass)," but the title track plummets it further. When you only have 9 tracks, you can't include something like that. 4 stars. 5. Strangeways, Here We Come - I like a lot of the material here, especially the glorious middle section of "Girlfriend," "Stop Me," "Last Night I Dreamt," and "Unhappy Birthday," but there are a lot of dogs on this album for me - "Death at One's Elbow," "Paint a Vulgar Picture (great lyrics, perhaps their single most boring musical track, outside of "Meat is Murder")," and "Death of a Disco Dancer." 4.5 stars. 4. Hatful of Hollow - Ah, those great early singles. Love the call on the acoustic version of "Back to the Old House." Also, the true home of "How Soon is Now." 4.5 stars. 3. The Smiths - To me, aside perhaps from TQID, this is the album that most exemplifies that "suburban guitar sound" that Kram referenced. Such pillowy chime from the 335 and the Ric 360. "Pretty Girls Make Graves" might be their most unsung gem. 4.5 stars. Urgh, I hate having to parse the top two.... 2. Louder Than Bombs. Okay, I have to admit that Jason is right - the third side is rather wanting. But those other three! The first seven tracks, plus "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" and "Ask," it's like a new album (pretty sure all of those were early '87 tracks for them), and one that happens to be better than Meat is Murder. Plus the reprise of all of those great singles (except for one, grrr) from Hatfull, and of course "Asleep." 5 stars. 1. The Queen is Dead. I discovered The Smiths just when Strangeways came out, and for a while it took me a while to get why so many people put it so far above their other three studio albums and even Louder Than Bombs. It took a while for the slower stuff to grow on me. I agree with Joe K. that I could do without "Frankly Mr. Shankly" and "Vicar in a Tutu," but the other eight tracks are so phenomenally great that it doesn't matter. Gorgeously produced.

I'm against compilations but if you are including 'Louder than bombs' that has to win because of the sheer amount of high quality material on it 24 songs........I would only rank studio albums 1. The Queen is dead 2. Strangeways here we come 3. Meat is murder 4. The Smiths

I’d much rather see a video for the band on Kram’s shirt. My favorite Smiths song “How Soon Is Now” partially rips off its sound from The Rolling Stones version of “Mona”. But everybody rips off Bo Diddley.

I like Joe's tree curtains. And Morrissey is the greatest lyricist of all time.

1. The Queen Is Dead 5/5 2. Louder Than Bombs 4.5/5 3. Strangeways, Here We Come 4/5 4. Hatful of Hollow 4/5 5. The Smiths 3.5/5 6. Meat Is Murder 3.5/5

Huge Smiths fan here. Johnny Marr is my favorite guitarist of all time, Mike Joyce is always great, Andy Rourke is their secret weapon, one of the best and underrated bassist for sure (and everyone agree that Morrissey is a tool but it's impossible for me to hate him). The Smiths is a top 10 of all time. 1) The Queen is Dead (★★★★★) 2) Louder Than Bombs (★★★★★) 3) The Smiths (★★★★½) 4) Meat is Murder (★★★★½) 5) Strangeways, Here We Come (★★★★½) 6) Hatful of Hollow (★★★★☆)

Ranking these isn’t helped by there being different versions released in UK and US as the 2 record companies, Rough Trade and Sire, couldn’t agree on content. Hatful wasn’t released in the US originally and Sire put How Soon is Now onto Meat. Louder than Bombs wasn’t meant for UK release as it overlaps with Hatful. I saw them live in 84 and 86 - brilliant gigs. The album I have played the most since then is easily Hatful, but I still put Queen is Dead first. Hatful 2nd, debut 3rd, Strangeways 4th and Meat 5th. Favourite song = What difference does it make - that riff gets me every time.

I Can't wait guys, to hear your thoughts on; the Cure, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Echo & the Bunnymen, or Cocteau Twins.

I saw them live in 1983 about 2 weeks before This Charming Man was released, playing the small bar at Sheffield Uni on a stage apparently made of tables shoved together!! Hand in Glove had been around for a while but hadn’t really broken through. They were still a bit rough but quite unlike the other indie bands of the time. A month later they were on Top of the Pops with Morrissey waving his gladioli on national tv. Fantastic stuff! Arguably the most important British band of the eighties and definitely one of the most important ever. Made so many fantastic records. Ranking the studio albums I would go 4 Meat is Murder 3 The Smiths 2 The Queen is Dead 1 Strangeways Here We Come To think Johnny Marr was just 23 when they broke up

While I don't think 'Ask' will pop up in anyone's top ten songs list, it does feature my favourite lyric - "spending warm summer days indoors, writing frightening verse to a buck toothed girl in Luxembourg"!

Theoretically, The World Won't Listen would have been a better inclusion than Louder than Bombs as it dovetails with Hatful of Hollow better.

1- The Queen is dead 2- Strangeways here we come 3- The World won't listen (Remove the album tracks on it and you'll still get an incredible album almost as good as #1 or #2) 4- Hatful of Hollow (totally feels like a real album more than a compilation) 5- Meat is murder 6- The Smiths I do consider Hatful of Hollow a 'real' album and not a compilation since most of the songs were not on the first album or were very different like the wonderful session of 'This charming man'. Same thing with 'The world won't listen' which could also almost be considered like a real album considering the quality and quantity of non-album tracks on it. Personally 'Louder than bombs' is the only one I would never treat as an album since it is pretty much an expanded version of 'The world won't listen' and initially an American-only compilation. Kind of redundant and unnecessary even if every song on it is obviously still amazing but it's a bit like having the same compilation twice and TWWL was first so yeah, quite unnecessary IMO.

7. _Strangeways, Here We Come_ Marr, exhausted 6. _Hatful Of Hollow_ Unmatched songs, not a fan of the song order 5. _The Smiths_ Simultaneously underrated & undercooked 4. _The Queen Is Dead_ A mix of crown jewels & toss aways 3. _Best...1_ A solid entry point 2. _Louder Than Bombs_ The collection that converted me 1. _Meat Is Murder_ Marr's finest moment, IMO (save for the title track). The Smiths' _Dark Side Of The Moon_

Here's my list: 1. Queen Is Dead ( TOP-10 all times favorite albums). 2. Louder Than Bombs ( my favorite compilation album of all time). 3. Hateful Of Hollow ( my second favorite compilation album of all time). 4. Strangeways, Here We Come ( TOP-50 favorite albums of all time). 5. The Smiths. 6. Meat Is Murder

1. Strangeways 2. Queen is Dead 3. Meat is Murder 4. Louder than Bombs 5. S/T 6. Hatful

A big one this week, The Smiths. I first got into them in 1990-when I was 15-well after they had already broken up. I was into The Cure and a friend suggested these guys. ‘Louder Than Bombs” was my first album I had of theirs. A Top-20 band for me. All of their studio albums are Top-5 for me in their respective years, with The Queen is Dead winning my Album of the Year for 1986. 1. The Queen is Dead. 5 Stars. In my Top-20 albums of all time. 2. Strangeways, Here We Come, 5 Stars 3. Hatful of Hallow. 5 Stars. Jason’s right, this is like a ‘Greatest Hits’ album. And I like the alternate versions here. How Soon is Now & Please, Please, Please are legendary. 4. Meat is Murder. 4.5 Stars old version, 5 Stars new version (with How Soon is Now) 5. Louder than Bombs 4.5 Stars. So many great tunes here. 6. The Smiths. 4.5 Stars US version.

Kramzer connecting the dots in guitar sounds between The Smiths and The Church, Echo and the Bunnymen, latter-day REM and early Radiohead is impressive.

I don’t hold Morrissey’s views or attitudes by any means but I never understood why it was such a big deal that he had them. Most people in the arts are very homogenized with their beliefs and cultural interests. Having a few transgressive assholes doesn’t bother me and if anything only makes their art more interesting. Same way I feel about the Gallagher brothers and Kanye. Lol anyways, 5. Meat is Murder 4. The Smiths 3. Hatful of Hollow 2. The Queen is Dead 1. Strangeways, Here We Come Somehow never got around to Louder Than Bombs. Always thought it was considered the lesser compilation.

Great video. No one sounds like the Smiths. My list: 1. Strangeways Here We Come 2. The Queen is Dead 3. Meat is Murder 4. Hatful of Hollow 5. Louder than Bombs 6. The Smiths Any plans to do a Morrissey listography?

Ranking you guys best to worse 1. Og joe 2. Kram 3. Jason 4. Guest star Joe

STUDIO ALBUMS ONLY: 1. The Queen Is Dead (1986) 5/5 2. The Smiths (1984) 4.5/5 3. Strangeways, Here We Come (1987) 4/5 4. Meat Is Murder (1985) 3.5/5 HATFUL/LOUDER COMPILATIONS INCLUDED: 1. Hatful Of Hollow (1984) 5/5 2. Louder Than Bombs (1987) 5/5 3. The Queen Is Dead (1986) 5/5 4. The Smiths (1984) 4.5/5 5. Strangeways, Here We Come (1987) 4/5 6. Meat Is Murder (1985) 3.5/5 CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER: 4.5 The Smiths (1984) 5.0 Hatful Of Hollow (1984) 3.5 Meat Is Murder (1985) 5.0 The Queen Is Dead (1986) 5.0 Louder Than Bombs (1987) 4.0 Strangeways, Here We Come (1987) "I want to go down in musical history," sang Morrissey in 1986 and- frankly, Mr. Shankly- he and The Smiths did precisely that. Morrissey's warped witticisms are a big reason why. Talk about relatable content, I feel like some of his lines are specifically addressed to me (and millions of other people feel the same way.) As an aficionado of the 6-string, I appreciate Johnny Marr's subtle guitar playing. Perpetually in the sweet spot, he embodies the adage "less is more." Andy Rourke is their secret weapon. His basslines can be as memorable as Morrissey's melodies. The Smiths' first album is one of those "fully formed" debuts without any real weak spots. Although, Hatful of Hollow (which was released later the same year) is arguably even better. Combining early singles with session outtakes, Hatful's best tracks can be described as "peak Smiths." IMO, the only slight blip in their discography comes with their second studio effort, Meat is Murder. I consider it something of a sophomore slump with only 4 or 5 songs worth revisiting. On the other hand, The Queen is Dead deserves its reputation as one of the best LPs of the 1980s. "Some Girls Are Bigger" is the only quasi-questionable track, everything else hits home. Louder Than Bombs, a double album compilation, features a particularly choice selection of cuts from entire their career up to that point. Two-thirds of it is fantastic. Their final studio album, Strangeways, is a step down from the heights of Queen is Dead but still packs plenty of punch. In total, I wouldn't say The Smiths' career was flawless- but it sure comes close. They're a top 5 band of the 1980s for me and a lock for my top 100 rock artists. However- like many other amazing bands with short lifespans- The Smiths probably won't appear in my all-time top 50. I wish they'd stayed together longer. If they'd made just a few more albums it would make a difference how I viewed them compared to other greats. Right now, my top 50 is dominated by artists from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. It's been difficult for artists from the 1980s (and after) to dislodge those legendary names. MY RATING SYSTEM: 5.0 = major classic 4.5 = minor classic 4.0 = great 3.5 = very good 3.0 = good 2.5 = fair 2.0 = poor 1.5 = awful 1.0 = historically awful I don't go below 1 star because once I'm in the realm of the truly terrible I don't care to differentiate anymore. Anything I rate 3.5 stars or higher is an album I'm enthusiastic about and would likely revisit at some point.

6. Meat Is Murder ★★★★ Used to think this was by far the worst in their catalogue but I’m not so sure anymore. I still put it last, not quite as jangly as you’d like and while I applaud the bravery of the sentiment of the title track in 1985, it’s not a good song. In fact it might be their worst, and it puts a real damper on an album with a lot of good stuff on it. 5. The Smiths ★★★★ More hit-and-miss than Meat Is Murder, but the heights are incredible. The three song run to open side B is truly incredible stuff. If you have the US release you get This Charming Man as the side A closer, making it four pretty much perfect songs in a row. That run carries an album that is not without flaws. Looking at what’s on Hatful, they had the material to make a five star debut, there’s no doubt in my mind about that. 4. Strangeways, Here We Come ★★★★½ An excellent album, but an album that I don’t connect with quite like I used to. General consensus seems to be it falters after Last Night I Dreamt, but I really like Unhappy Birthday and Paint A Vulgar Picture. At that point though, it does run out of gas. The last two songs does nothing for me, and the half star is lost. 3. Louder Than Bombs ★★★★½ I’ve gone back and forth on giving this the full five or not. It certainly has a lot of things going for it. The number is quality songs is incredible. Half this record is The Smiths at their brilliant best. However this does not play as an album the way Hatful does for me. If I didn’t know I couldn’t tell Hatful was a compilation album. I can tell with this. As great as this is, it gets a little clunky at times. Four and a half seems harsh though. Don’t hold me to that one. 2. The Queen Is Dead ★★★★★ The other side of the coin to Louder Than Bombs, I would not say this is a collection of the best songs the band ever did (although they are great, don’t get me wrong). But this plays wonderfully as an album. Funny, melancholic, satirical, lush, this is such a rich album that I think really awards multiple listens. 1. Hatful of Hollow ★★★★★ A tour de force of songwriting and musicianship, this is an incredible collection of songs that stays great the entire way through. Not a dull moment for me and likely among my five most listened to albums ever.

I listened to 'The Queen is Dead' and didn't like it. Probably around 2 Stars. Will come back to them at a later time, when I find the time. Currently concentrating on the SOTYs and AOTYs.

Couple things: 1) yall are NUTS (said with a smile, not an attack - stupid internet!) ! The peel sessions versions are SO much better than the muddy/twangy records from the 1st album. HoH wasnt available in the states until around 1990 (believe me we TRIED to get it forever) and those Charming Man and What Difference versions blew us all away! to this today those 2 versions are still on my Smiths Apple Playlist & TCM version is in my top 5 Smith songs. Andy Rourke REALLY pops on TCM. Please take a listen to both again 2) Jason saying 73 minutes is too long for an album (IE should be tighter) was akin to my comment on the U2 album ranking video: shorter is easier on the audience. If I want to share your channel with people going over 30 min is daunting. They would most likely do your top 10 songs. I like your input but, as Jason feels about LTB, shorter can be more effective and hold attention more easily.

Only studio albums: 1. Strangeways, Here We Come 2. The Queen Is Dead 3. The Smiths 4. Meat Is Murder

1) The Smiths 2) The Queen is Dead 3) Strangeways, here we come 4) Meat is murder 5) Hatful of hollow 6) The world won’t listen ( Louder than Bombs)

I have never heard The Smiths; and now, grateful to have nothing but time to check them out; I go to do so...One interesting thing is that none of you guy's ranked the self titled debut higher than 3rd...most bands make their first album up of all the best songs they have written since they were born; then they have like 9 months to duplicate that life-time's worth of artistry for their second album; I can only think that, like in the case of Elvis Costello; they took the money that the first album made and then paid for a real professional studio with real professional engineering, etc... I'm going to listen to Meat Is Murder first, because Joe has been my go-to guy in the past, as far as me agreeing with one of you the most; so, here we go; "Alexa, play Meat Is Murder" Alexa: "Dude, really? I can play The Queen is Dead; I already have it cued!" "Alexa, what did I tell you about arguing with me?"

Best Andy Rourke showcase song: This Night Has Opened My Eyes. What an incredible talent.

1.Meat is Murder 2.strangeways 3.Queen is dead 4.the Smiths

I agree if a compilations is suffiently different and includes b sides etc it becomes an album in its own right.

My best to worest 1.louder than bombs 2. Queen is dead 3.strangeway 4. Hateful hollow 5. The Smiths 6.meat is murder

To fully appreciate The Smiths it's crucial to understand british humor, which that guest guy clearly doesn't get.

I think Morrissey is frequently hilarious, intentionally so. The Smiths have a reputation for being this mopey, seriously sad and depressive band, but I think that they are among the funniest bands in the history of rock. Witty, clever, insightful. Frankly, it's their sense of humor that makes them such a vital band, imo, and it's what keeps me coming back to them long after the sad songs have lost their power over me.

1. THE QUEEN IS DEAD 2. LOUDER THAN BOMBS 3. THE SMITHS 4. STRANGEWAYS, HERE WE COME 5. MEAT IS MURDER (only listen single songs)

Agreed with you somewhat, Jason, on the length of Louder than Bombs being a reason to not rank it as high as others, but then you included Sweet and Tender Hooligan as a non-essential song. Bummer.

Joe K was an awesome guest 🌟 ! 👏

My favorite Smiths album reminds me of my favorite Replacements album (Pleased To Meet Me) in that the production is kinda muddy. The Queen Is Dead is the best IMO. Louder Than Bombs is a close 2nd

6- The Smiths (1984) 3.5/5 5- Meat is murder (1985) 4/5 4- Louder than bombs (1987) 4/5 3- Hatful of Hollow (1984) 4/5 2- Strangeways (1987) 4/5 1- The Queen is Dead (1986) 4.5/5