With 23 years hindsight, was the 1st album...

[SouthpawGlamour]

...any good?

I love TCM, SI, WDDIM and HIG, otherwise I find it really dreary and don't listen to it, what say you?

I mean 'songs', don't just comment on the lyrics.

 

[timelessmelody]

It certainly has its flaws but it's still my 2nd favourite Smiths album.

 

[patten]

I think it's the best debut ever.

 

[TLOTFamousIP]

I don't listen to it nearly as much as the others, yet whenever I do put it on I'm reminded just how brilliant it actually it is. It certainly has a lot more of a sombre feel to it, but I think that's as much to do with the poor production, which is the only real negative. Otherwise, it's spot on for a first record.

Reel Around the Fountain and Suffer Little Children are fantastic.

 

[Albion]

The first album was better than good. Poor production, great songs.

 

[Comtesse]

Well, to be honest, I didn't think some of the songs were very good at the time either. Lyrically, I think it's consistently excellent, but musically, Johnny hadn't quite figured things out yet. Songs like "Miserable Lie," "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle," and "I Don't Owe You Anything" are minor league musically. I was never a huge fan of "Hand In Glove" or "What Difference Does It Make?" either.

But "Reel Around The Fountain," "You've Got Everything Now," "Pretty Girls Make Graves," "This Charming Man," "Still Ill," and "Suffer Little Children" are all top-notch. Especially "Reel Around The Fountain" and "Still Ill" which are worth the price of admission by themselves.

So, I'd say the first album was definitely flawed, but a worthy effort nonetheless.

 

[mozmal]

Ask most bands and they'd be very happy to make a debut album as good as this one. It's well documented that Morrissey was never happy with the production, and it is obvious why. That aside, it has some great songs on it and ends with the chilling, haunting Suffer Little Children, which has lost absolutely none of its power to this very day. I have the original review cutting somewhere - I'll scan it and post it one of these days.

 

[C.J.M]

i think the second half of the album is fantastic, but ive never been that keen on the first few tracks, ive always prefered the hatful of hollow versions of reel around the fountain and you've got everything now, i like the first 50 seconds or so of miserable lie then it just turns into a bit of a racket lol, pretty girls make graves is ok, nothing special, i think from the hand that rocks the cradle onwards it becomes a really good album, some great smiths tracks.

 

[PregnantForTheLastTime]

The songs plod a little- but only compared to the subsequent albums. Their sound got more clever and a little bit more open- I think that was because of Marr's evolution. I was always struck by the diversity of their songs- each song sounded really different, each one was allowed to have its own style. By the next album, they sounded so much more polished and smart.

 

[pandora_cocteau]

Hm, I see what you're saying. But did you like HDT BDK, JJKL? I kind of liked TTYLT and SSTFDG but other than that...

 

[robbo12345]

I love it. There is a kind of musical naivity about it which is simply beautiful! That raw kind of edge really, in my opinion, makes it my favourite album of all time...although tomorrow Meat is Murder might have overtaken it!

 

[Comtesse]

Hm, I see what you're saying. But did you like HDT BDK, JJKL? I kind of liked TTYLT and SSTFDG but other than that...

You speak in strange tongue.

 

[SNS22]

I still Like The First Album the best....

 

[raincoated lover]

i have never been a fan of the first album as a whole piece, i cant see past the awful production on it and i find morrissey's voice naive and whiney.
however, there are three or four of the smith's best songs on it:
this charming man
hand in glove
still ill
reel around the fountain

but as a whole observation id see the album was poor and i cannot listen to it today.
i find morrissey much more believable and authentic with his voice now as appose to this album, it sounds so much more experienced and knowledgeble.
although i love his voice on every album MINUS
the smiths
and
viva hate
and
kill uncle

god when morrissey is bad he really is awful.

why couldnt they have not done viva hate and just wated for bona drag?
its his best solo album yet just because it is a compilation album of sorts it frequently does not get the recognition it deserves.

in my opinion.

 

[Walkers Crisp]

It's still a great album, there are many of my favourites on it...
Too sad tho that they didn't use the Troy Tate version.

 

[HIM]

[...] as a whole piece [...]

oh god

 

[SNS22]

It's still a great album, there are many of my favourites on it...
Too sad tho that they didn't use the Troy Tate version.

even the "Decibel Demo" version of Suffer Little Children....Morrissey's voice sounds better than the Tate Demos

 

[Kuiper]

I think Porter and the production are unfairly blamed for the shortcomings of the first album. I think the answer is just that the songs simply weren't that good (by comparison to later Smiths efforts). Tate did Cradle better than Porter, and Porter did Pretty Girls better than Tate, but neither helped the (comparatively) weak batch of songs to be any stronger. Still Ill and Reel Around the Fountain are among The Smiths' best songs though, because the talent of Morrissey and Marr managed to shine through early on, even if in smaller and more fleeting glimpses. Miserable Lie has never sounded that good to me. People say Porter murdered it, but I don't care for it live either, or any radio sessions of it, or the Tate version. Suffer Little Children though could have benefited from the piano coda originally envisioned for it.

By the way, how many are familiar with the originally planned tracklisting for the first album produced by Troy Tate? I think the ordering here is very poorly arranged. Pretty Girls as the closer? Why are Accept Yourself and Miserable Lie so close to the end? And What Difference Does It Make seems to be placed too early to me, I thought it worked well towards the end of the album in the form it was released.
Side A
1: The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
2: You've Got Everything Now
3: These Things Take Time
4: What Difference Does It Make?
5: Reel Around the Fountain
6: Hand in Glove
7: Handsome Devil
Side B
8: Wonderful Woman
9: I Don't Owe You Anything
10: Suffer Little Children
11: Miserable Lie
12: Accept Yourself
13: Pretty Girls Make Graves

 

[SNS22]

It's still a great album, there are many of my favourites on it...
Too sad tho that they didn't use the Troy Tate version.

I think Porter and the production are unfairly blamed for the shortcomings of the first album. I think the answer is just that the songs simply weren't that good (by comparison to later Smiths efforts). Tate did Cradle better than Porter, and Porter did Pretty Girls better than Tate, but neither helped the (comparatively) weak batch of songs to be any stronger. Still Ill and Reel Around the Fountain are among The Smiths' best songs though, because the talent of Morrissey and Marr managed to shine through early on, even if in smaller and more fleeting glimpses. Miserable Lie has never sounded that good to me. People say Porter murdered it, but I don't care for it live either, or any radio sessions of it, or the Tate version. Suffer Little Children though could have benefited from the piano coda originally envisioned for it.

By the way, how many are familiar with the originally planned tracklisting for the first album produced by Troy Tate? I think the ordering here is very poorly arranged. Pretty Girls as the closer? Why are Accept Yourself and Miserable Lie so close to the end? And What Difference Does It Make seems to be placed too early to me, I thought it worked well towards the end of the album in the form it was released.
Side A
1: The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
2: You've Got Everything Now
3: These Things Take Time
4: What Difference Does It Make?
5: Reel Around the Fountain
6: Hand in Glove
7: Handsome Devil
Side B
8: Wonderful Woman
9: I Don't Owe You Anything
10: Suffer Little Children
11: Miserable Lie
12: Accept Yourself
13: Pretty Girls Make Graves

I think the all of these songs plus (Still Ill, This Charming Man, Jeane)...etc...all are amongst the best lyrics Morrissey has ever written

 

[SouthpawGlamour]

I think the all of these songs plus (Still Ill, This Charming Man, Jeane)...etc...all are amongst the best lyrics Morrissey has ever written

Slapped wrists for you, I said comment on songs not just lyrics.