Album: Hatful of Hollow
Artist: The Smiths
Artist: The Smiths
Born: Stretford, Manchester
Released: November 1984
Genre: Indie Rock
Influenced: Low, Oasis, Suede, PJ Harvey, Belle & Sebastian, The National
So, although "best of" albums are excluded from this list, I'm including live and contemporary compilation records, which makes Hatful of Hollow the outstanding early Smiths album. When comparing their first studio album, The Smiths, with the John Peel live sessions on Hatful of Hollow, it's pretty obvious that this record best captures the excitement and energy of the band in 1983 and 1984. Not only does Hatful of Hollow have all the Smiths' brilliant early singles, but the B-sides too (which, during this fertile period for the Morrissey/Marr songwriting partnership, are equally dazzling). My wife can't stand the Smiths or Morrissey, and I can see her point; his whiny delivery and lyrics that best appeal to teenage boys; his strongly held views on vegetarianism and politics; his aloof demeanour and the way he screwed over his bandmates when it came to the royalty cheques. I'm a big believer in separating the art from the artist though and, for me, some of the 80s' finest pop moments were created by the Smiths. The band would go on to record more accomplished tracks like This Joke Isn't Funny Anymore (Meat Is Murder) and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (The Queen Is Dead) but this album captures their early genius, starting with the beautifully dark and emotional, Hand In Glove. The passionate and protective lyrics, Marr's harmonica and Morrissey's vocal acrobatics all make this a compelling statement of the band's early sound. Morrissey and Marr shared a love of 60s girl groups, manifested by their decision to perform Hand In Glove with Sandie Shaw in 1983. The version of this song on their debut LP is an inferior mix, making the Hatful of Hollow cut more definitive.
The reason I love the Smiths is the lyrical quality to the songs, at a time when mystical gobbledygook (REM, Cocteau Twins) was more in vogue. Like the best songwriters, Marr & Morrissey took the ordinary and made it extraordinary. Hand In Glove pays direct homage to one of pop's great lyricists, Leonard Cohen ("everything depends upon / how near you stand to me"). The timing of the Smiths' success was unlikely, in that Manchester was about to be gripped by a Haçienda-inspired dance music craze, while Morrissey had almost let life slip him by (he was still living at home with his Mum in his mid-20s when Marr invited him to join the band). Hatful of Hollow is Rough Trade's attempt to distill the band's high-quality output during this time and to reach a new audience, while also offering something new for the band's existing fan base, with live versions of early singles like This Charming Man and What Difference Does It Make? Many of the Peel sessions have a powerfully raw sound and, in some cases like Handsome Devil ("let me get my hands on your mammary glands"), I actually prefer the version here to the original B-side. Two other B-sides that stand out for me are Girl Afraid, which has Marr's trademark jangly guitar sound, and Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want, one of my favourite Smiths songs. Hatful of Hollow also has two essential Smiths singles, Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now and How Soon Is Now?, the latter pointing to how the band would develop its sound in later years, incorporating more psychedelia and dance music. Just as REM kickstarted indie (or alternative) rock in the States, the Smiths had a similar impact in Britain.
So, although "best of" albums are excluded from this list, I'm including live and contemporary compilation records, which makes Hatful of Hollow the outstanding early Smiths album. When comparing their first studio album, The Smiths, with the John Peel live sessions on Hatful of Hollow, it's pretty obvious that this record best captures the excitement and energy of the band in 1983 and 1984. Not only does Hatful of Hollow have all the Smiths' brilliant early singles, but the B-sides too (which, during this fertile period for the Morrissey/Marr songwriting partnership, are equally dazzling). My wife can't stand the Smiths or Morrissey, and I can see her point; his whiny delivery and lyrics that best appeal to teenage boys; his strongly held views on vegetarianism and politics; his aloof demeanour and the way he screwed over his bandmates when it came to the royalty cheques. I'm a big believer in separating the art from the artist though and, for me, some of the 80s' finest pop moments were created by the Smiths. The band would go on to record more accomplished tracks like This Joke Isn't Funny Anymore (Meat Is Murder) and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (The Queen Is Dead) but this album captures their early genius, starting with the beautifully dark and emotional, Hand In Glove. The passionate and protective lyrics, Marr's harmonica and Morrissey's vocal acrobatics all make this a compelling statement of the band's early sound. Morrissey and Marr shared a love of 60s girl groups, manifested by their decision to perform Hand In Glove with Sandie Shaw in 1983. The version of this song on their debut LP is an inferior mix, making the Hatful of Hollow cut more definitive.
The reason I love the Smiths is the lyrical quality to the songs, at a time when mystical gobbledygook (REM, Cocteau Twins) was more in vogue. Like the best songwriters, Marr & Morrissey took the ordinary and made it extraordinary. Hand In Glove pays direct homage to one of pop's great lyricists, Leonard Cohen ("everything depends upon / how near you stand to me"). The timing of the Smiths' success was unlikely, in that Manchester was about to be gripped by a Haçienda-inspired dance music craze, while Morrissey had almost let life slip him by (he was still living at home with his Mum in his mid-20s when Marr invited him to join the band). Hatful of Hollow is Rough Trade's attempt to distill the band's high-quality output during this time and to reach a new audience, while also offering something new for the band's existing fan base, with live versions of early singles like This Charming Man and What Difference Does It Make? Many of the Peel sessions have a powerfully raw sound and, in some cases like Handsome Devil ("let me get my hands on your mammary glands"), I actually prefer the version here to the original B-side. Two other B-sides that stand out for me are Girl Afraid, which has Marr's trademark jangly guitar sound, and Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want, one of my favourite Smiths songs. Hatful of Hollow also has two essential Smiths singles, Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now and How Soon Is Now?, the latter pointing to how the band would develop its sound in later years, incorporating more psychedelia and dance music. Just as REM kickstarted indie (or alternative) rock in the States, the Smiths had a similar impact in Britain.
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