The Smiths – Strangeways, Here We Come LP

Description

Recorded as the relationship betweenMorrisseyandJohnny Marrwas beginning to splinter, Strangeways, Here We Come is the most carefully considered and elaborately produced album in the group’s catalog. Though it aspires greatly to betterThe Queen Is Dead, it falls just short of its goals. With producerStephen Street, the Smiths created a subtly shaded and skilled album, one boasting a fuller production than before.MorrisseyandMarralso labored hard over the songs, working to expand the Smiths’ sound within their very real boundaries. For the most part, they succeed. “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish,” “Girlfriend in a Coma,” “Stop Me if You Think You’ve Heard This One Before,” and “I Won’t Share You” are classics, while “A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours,” “Death of a Disco Dancer,” and “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” aren’t far behind. However, the songs also have a tendency to be glib and forced, particularly on “Unhappy Birthday” and the anti-record company “Paint a Vulgar Picture,” which has grown increasingly ironic in the wake of the Smiths’ andMorrissey‘s love of repackaging the same material in new compilations. Still, Strangeways is a graceful way to bow out. While it doesn’t matchThe Queen Is DeadorThe Smiths, it is far from embarrassing and offers a summation of the group’s considerable strengths. -All Music Guide