Out of 5: Reel Around The Fountain - 6 Miserable Lie - 2 You've Got Everything Now - 3 Pretty Girls Make Graves - 4 The Hand That Rocks The Cradle - 3 Still Ill - 5 Hand In Glove - 4 I like the fact that the 2nd half is better than the first half. Most of the time it's the other way around and you get tired during the 2nd half. With this lp, anticipation stays during the first half which makes me appreciate those songs more than I would have otherwise. If that makes sense. And of course the openre is the best thing they ever did, so that helps.
Hand in Glove is the first song here so far that I'm fairly familiar with. I didn't get into the Smiths right away; I think the first song I heard was This Charming Man but I'm not sure, and it wasn't until Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now that I really sat up and took notice. I have all their studio LPs including this debut but I may not have actually listened to it ... Anyway, I like Hand in Glove, I'd say it's tied with How Soon is Now just outside my top 10 Smiths tunes ...
Out of interest, what do people think of the Sandie Shaw version? A decent hit for her, but I wonder whether it was the best choice of song...
Of the three sandie shaw versions of smiths songs , hand in glove works the least for me, it’s too clunky imo.
"Hand In Glove" is one of the greatest debut singles of all time. It's also a song where the whole band is firing on all cylinders, in service of the song: the bass-line is active and those drum crashes every once in a while are a good hook in and of themselves. The lyrics sound defiant but there's a mournfulness in Morrissey's tone. Well, it's the same old tone he always would sing in, but it brings an extra dimension to a song -- with a different vocalist it might come off as angry given the music around it. It also shows the odd approach to melody that characterizes Morrissey. Soemtimes I feel like Morrissey's almost singing a different song from the rest of the band: here, the rest of the band are all densely packed punk anger and energy--sexy British male post-punk youth, the very tightness of their trousers coming across in the music itself; yet Morrissey's singing this defiant love song that somehow sounds sad. It's some kind of magic, whatever it is. 5/5
I think the Sandie Shaw version (which I've just heard now for the first time) is fine. somehow it sounds more conventionally 80s post-punk (if "conventional post-punk" is even a thing) than the Smiths version.
Love it! The Smiths version on the debut I will rank 4/5. The HOH version where it fades in AND fades out is terrible , what were they thinking!
I mentioned it in my post on "Hand in Glove" above, but I think the Sandie Shaw version is great. For me the definitive version will always be the original single recording/mix (which of course is also on HOH and Louder Than Bombs - and I LOVE the fade in and fade out!). But the Shaw version is really fun.
Today's song is What Difference Does It Make? There are obviously quite different arrangements to this song, but the strength of Morrissey's lyrics alone means that it is worth 4/5 in any form. "Heavy words are so lightly thrown" indeed... I guess the fact that the single became a sizeable hit, in spite of Morrissey hating it, is proof of John Porter's abilities and his productions are certainly more commercial than Troy Tate's. That said, I don't think this musically quite matches up to the very best songs that the group were creating at this time. The two early Tate recordings are both very solid, but whether either could have become a big chart hit is debatable. The BBC session fits in well on Hatful of Hollow.
What Difference Does It Make – Another undeniable signature song by the Smiths. One of Marr's finest moments. Love the main riff. This song sounds so urgent, energetic and vibrant. The lyrics are incredible. Everything comes together on this one for a true classic song. Not even an out of control Morrissey falsetto can stop this one. Ah ha ho. 5 out of 5 ranking.
"What Difference Does It Make" A safe and sensible choice for a follow-up to "This Charming Man", although for me an average song in Smiths terms. Two different approaches - the BBC session version relies on the pounding drums and bass to drive the rhythm along, while John Porter greatly simplified the drum and bass parts leaving Johnny's riff to carry the rhythm. Which is better? Well, what's the title of the song?! I could happily live with either version - the album version has the bonus of Johnny's excellent additional riff over the extended closing section, and a proper finish. Of the two Troy Tate versions, one sounds like a more drab version of the BBC version, while the other has what you might call a number of "gimmicky" effects added to try to perk the song up, but none of them work as well as what John Porter did. Overall it's a 3/5 effort. Point of order here...as we're nearing the end of The Smiths, are we going to go onto Hatful next and cover the songs which aren't on the debut?
Sure. There will be one day to discuss The Smiths as a whole before we move on to Handsome Devil, This Night has Opened My Eyes etc.
"What Difference Does It Make" is another great song, though for me it's not quite up there with "Hand in Glove" or "Still Ill." (To me "Still Ill" would have been a better single, and I believe it was almost released as a single, or even was outside the UK, but shelved at the last minute.) Once again, I prefer the rougher and rockier Hatful version. It's got a bigger, fuller sound, and more propulsive and muscular rhythm. The John Porter-produced version sounds too stiff and staid by comparison. The song is fundamentally good in any version, but a rocking song like this needs room to breathe and flex its muscles, and Porter's approach was too overproduced, IMO. Morrissey's falsetto, while silly on "Miserable Lie," is much more effective (and not nearly as drawn out) on this track (with the notable exception of one of the two Tate versions, in which he's doing a wordless falsetto as a backing vocal track in the verses). I suppose I'd give it a 4/5. Nevertheless, I feel that this song is overshadowed by the two b-sides that accompany it on the 12" single. Interestingly, I remember when figuring out the guitar for this track, I realized the Hatful version was played in a different key, with the guitar part done quite a bit higher up the neck.
What Diff.. is a monster of a song, huge youth club disco hit in the 80’s round our way, huge drums , wonderful riff. 7 inch slightly shorter edit is my fave , John porter production works a treat ..5/5 for me , Play it LOUD
Yes, 100% agree. That Morrissey vocal and Marr's gorgeous riff over the driving beat get me very excited, still. A classic that has aged SO well. 5/5
What Difference...? Classic Smiths, one of the first songs I loved by them, and still do. I prefer the album version.
I have to give WDDIM the full 5/5. My first exposure to The Smiths was seeing them do this on Top Of The Pops (I missed the appearance for "This Charming Man"). OK, I was just 10 years old but it hit me so hard. The thing that struck me more than anything else was the line "And now you make me feel so ashamed because I've only got two hands". At gut level, I knew EXACTLY what he meant, that feeling, not just that nothing I did was ever good enough but that I was never enough. Me. All of me. I got it in a flash and it flattened me. Someone out there understands!!! Within a matter of days, I had acquired the single (Terence Stamp sleeve) at the cost of £1.35 from the Virgin Megastore on Union Street in Glasgow. Like all of them, it is long gone. The unit is now a CEX store. I went in a couple of years ago. They hadn't really redecorated, just put in their shelving. In mu mind, I still mapped the Virgin store and how things had moved around it over the years as CDs took over from vinyl and singles became less and less profitable. Some other specific purchases remain vivid in my mind too. The place was full of ghosts, I left quickly. This record was the start of me wanting to play the guitar, something I eventually started aged 12 and did virtually every day until about 2013. Johnny Marr started all that and I'm forever grateful to him. We go on.
That's the kind of real story these song memories bring out, and why I keep coming back to SH forums, and threads like this. Thank you.
Today's song is I Don't Owe You Anything. I know that Morrissey has disowned this song (and would probably cut it from the album if he could), but I can only assume that is more down to it's links with Sandie Shaw and it having been written in her style rather than any issue with quality of the song itself. Based on the songwriting I would give this another 4/5. Again, only the 4 versions to discuss and I prefer the album release to either the Troy Tate or BBC recordings. Paul Carrack's contribution helps to add another element to the track. I think the Sandie Shaw b-side is the definitive rendition though. A great vocal from her (as the band members have said, she did have a much stronger voice than Morrissey at this time) and Andy's bassline really lifts the song as well. I think this maybe should have been chosen as the single.
