The Sound of The Smiths

The Sound of The Smiths
Compilation album by
the Smiths
Released10 November 2008
GenreIndie pop
Length74:04
LabelRhino Records UK
Producer
CompilerRick Conrad
The Smiths chronology
The Very Best of The Smiths
(2001) 		The Sound of The Smiths
(2008) 		The Smiths Singles Box
(2008)
Alternative cover
Deluxe edition cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[2]
The Guardian[3]
Hot Press[4]
Pitchfork7.5/10[5]
Rolling Stone[6]

The Sound of The Smiths is a Smiths compilation released on 10 November 2008. It is available as both single and double disc editions. Morrissey is credited with having coined the compilation's title, while Johnny Marr was involved in the project's mastering.[7] Early promotional material for the album originally saw it titled Hang the DJ: The Very Best of the Smiths, but this was changed for the final release.[8][9]

The album charted No. 21 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 98 on the Billboard 200. The pictures on the covers of the original and deluxe editions were taken by Tom Sheehan. It is their only album featuring the band members on the artwork.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Morrissey/Marr

CD 1
No.TitleSourceLength
1."Hand in Glove" (Single version)Single A-side3:17
2."This Charming Man"Single A-side2:44
3."What Difference Does It Make?" (Peel Session 18/5/83)Hatful of Hollow3:14
4."Still Ill"The Smiths3:22
5."Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"Single A-side3:35
6."William, It Was Really Nothing"Single A-side2:13
7."How Soon Is Now?" (12" Version)B-side of "William, It Was Really Nothing" 12"6:47
8."Nowhere Fast"Meat Is Murder2:38
9."Shakespeare's Sister"Single A-side2:09
10."Barbarism Begins at Home" (7" edit Version)Meat Is Murder/Single A-side3:51
11."That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" (Single Edit)Meat Is Murder/Single A-side3:53
12."The Headmaster Ritual"Meat Is Murder4:56
13."The Boy with the Thorn in His Side"The Queen Is Dead3:18
14."Bigmouth Strikes Again"Single A-side/The Queen Is Dead3:15
15."There Is a Light That Never Goes Out"The Queen Is Dead4:05
16."Panic"Single A-side2:20
17."Ask" (Album Version)Louder Than Bombs3:17
18."You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" (U.S. Mix)Louder Than Bombs3:35
19."Shoplifters of the World Unite"Single A-side2:58
20."Sheila Take a Bow"Single A-side/ Louder Than Bombs2:42
21."Girlfriend in a Coma"Single A-side/Strangeways, Here We Come2:03
22."I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"Single A-side/ Strangeways, Here We Come3:49
23."Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" (Single Edit)Strangeways, Here We Come/Single A-side3:11
  • The iTunes release of the deluxe edition includes the bonus tracks "Rubber Ring" (as track 14) and "The Draize Train" (as track 18) on CD 1.
  • Additionally, the iTunes edition of the single-disc version includes "What She Said" (as track 10) as a bonus track plus "Hand in Glove" (Live at Brixton Ace 29/6/83) (as track 25).
  • "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" is a slightly slower version than previously issued. According to an interview posted on Johnny Marr's homepage with mastering engineer Frank Arkwright, "[W]e removed the varispeed from the original release which I thought was too fast ..."[10]

All tracks are written by Morrissey/Marr, except "What's the World?," by James, and "Oscillate Wildly", by Johnny Marr.

CD 2: deluxe edition
No.TitleSourceLength
1."Jeane"B-side of "This Charming Man"3:03
2."Handsome Devil" (Live at The Haçienda, Manchester, 4/2/83)B-side of "Hand in Glove"2:55
3."This Charming Man" (New York Vocal)B-side of "This Charming Man" 12"5:35
4."Wonderful Woman"B-side of "This Charming Man"3:11
5."Back to the Old House"B-side of "What Difference Does it Make?"3:04
6."These Things Take Time"B-side of "What Difference Does It Make?"2:22
7."Girl Afraid"B-side of "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"2:47
8."Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want"B-side of "William, It Was Really Nothing"1:50
9."Stretch Out and Wait" (Alternate Vocal Version)The World Won't Listen2:44
10."Oscillate Wildly"B-side of "How Soon Is Now?" 12"3:29
11."Meat Is Murder" (Live at Oxford Apollo 18/3/85)B-side of "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore"5:37
12."Asleep"B-side of "The Boy With the Thorn in His Side"4:10
13."Money Changes Everything"B-side of "Bigmouth Strikes Again"4:39
14."The Queen Is Dead"The Queen Is Dead6:23
15."Vicar in a Tutu"B-side of "Panic" /The Queen Is Dead2:22
16."Cemetry Gates"B-side of "Ask" / The Queen Is Dead2:41
17."Half a Person"B-side of "Shoplifters of the World Unite"3:38
18."Sweet and Tender Hooligan" (Peel Session 2/12/86)Louder Than Bombs3:34
19."Pretty Girls Make Graves" (Troy Tate Demo)B-side of "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"3:32
20."Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"Strangeways, Here We Come3:31
21."What's the World?" (Live at the Barrowlands, Glasgow 25/9/85)B-side of "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"2:06
22."London" (Live at National Ballroom, Kilburn)Rank2:40

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for The Sound of The Smiths
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[21] Gold 35,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] 3× Platinum 900,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "The Smiths – The Sounds of the Smiths". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Blender review[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ The Smiths – The Sounds Of The Smiths Review at The Guardian
  4. ^ The Smiths – The Sounds Of The Smiths (Album Review) at Hot Press
  5. ^ The Smiths – The Sounds Of The Smiths (Album Review)
  6. ^ The Sound Of The Smiths – The Smiths (Album Review) at Rolling Stone
  7. ^ New Musical Express
  8. ^ "'Hang The DJ: The Very Best Of' – The Smiths tracklist (UK, Sep. 15)". Morrissey-solo. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  9. ^ The Smiths – The Sounds Of The Smiths (Album Review) at PopMatters
  10. ^ Johnny Marr and Frank Arkwright on Mastering The Smiths (part 2)
  11. ^ "The Smiths chart history, received from ARIA on 27 May 2021". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 July 2024 – via Imgur. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column indicates the release's peak on the national chart.
  12. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Smiths – The Sound of the Smiths" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Italiancharts.com – The Smiths – The Sound of the Smiths". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Smiths". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – The Smiths – The Sound of the Smiths". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  18. ^ "The Smiths Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  19. ^ "End of Year Albums Chart – 2023". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  20. ^ "End of Year Albums Chart – 2024". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  21. ^ "Italian album certifications – The Smiths – The Sound of the Smiths" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 11 November 2021. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "The Sound of the Smiths" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  22. ^ "British album certifications – The Smiths – The Sound of". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 March 2021.