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Album Description
Vinyl LP pressing. Digitally remastered edition of this 1984 compilation from the legendary British quartet. Several months after releasing their first album, The Smiths issued this collection of singles and rarities, several of which are BBC versions of songs from their debut. The Smiths treated singles as individual entities, not just ways to promote an album, and therefore many of their finest songs were never issued on their studio albums. As if this wasn't enough, this compilation contains the first appearance of what may be the band's finest moment. "How Soon Is Now" captures encapsulates everything good about the Smiths; Morrissey's mocking lyrics, Marr's stunning vibrato guitar and a rhythm section you could set your watch to.
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The Smiths tend to be thought of as a band one grows out of--music you listened to as a depressed adolescent and then abandoned when you overcame it all. Such a notion denies them their place in the rock pantheon, not only as an inspiration to countless indie-rock outfits but also as the band that challenged the received wisdom of rock & roll machismo. Fronted by the fey, sexually ambiguous Steven Patrick Morrissey, who married painfully honest lyrics--almost embarrassing in their self-effacement--with arch humor and a melancholic delivery, the British band was quite an anomaly to an America still emerging from the bloated-rock tyranny of the likes of Journey and REO Speedwagon. Hatful of Hollow, released as an import in 1984 and domestically in 1993, is a collection of singles, many recorded live for various radio shows. More-muscular versions of most of the tracks here can be found on the collection Louder Than Bombs, but Hatful has a vitality to it that the studio-bound, somewhat antiseptic Bombs lacks. Check out Johnny Marr's delicate acoustic guitar on the aching "Back to the Old House" or the band's looser workouts of such now-classics as "This Charming Man" and "Still Ill." Two songs not found on other albums make this a must for fans: "Handsome Devil" and "Accept Yourself," a bouncy, jangly number on which Morrissey croons convincingly, "Others conquered love, but I ran / I sat in my room and I drew up a plan." Perfect music for your awkward inner child. --Steve Landau
Hatful of Hollow Reviews
Hatful of Hollow Reviews
| 33 of 34 people found the following review helpful  A landmark for eighties music, This review is from: Hatful of Hollow (Audio CD) Much of what the Smiths represent has already been addressed in these reviews, so I will share only a few other things in addition to personal recollections of the band.The Smiths were all too brief a force in music, but what they lacked in time, they made up for in fecundous output. Few groups recorded as much or as brilliantly as the Smiths did in their four year tenure as kings of british pop. Musically, no one even came close to the sheer beauty of what Johnny Marr created. Any guitarist worth his salt will admit as much, but music was only half of the equation. Morrissey is, like Robert Smith and Ian McCullough, a wordsmith of the highest order, creating rarely seen literary parallels between himself and the writers he so often championed. As for the man's sexuality.... well, for all of the press it has received over the years, it was simply irrelevant to his craft, and he only underscored that notion by remaining aloof and deliberately ambiguous on the... Read more 27 of 29 people found the following review helpful The Smiths: Hatful Of Hollow, By Moz Marr "Smith" (Mt. Laurel, NJ USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Hatful of Hollow (Audio CD) The Smiths released their second album, Hatful Of Hollow, in November of 1984. The album is basically a compilation, consisting of two BBC sessions (John Peel, 9/21/83 and 4/7/83),as well as singles released from the previous album and unreleased tracks. The album is worth it simply because of guitarist Johnny Marr's stunning guitar work alone. 1. William, It Was Really Nothing: The album kicks off with one of The Smiths' new singles. A short and upbeat song, it contains the funny "fat girl" verse. 2. What Difference Does It Make (BBC): This song doesn't differ too much of the album version, but it is still a great song. 3. These Things Take Time (BBC): A song that was left off of the debut album in favour of Still Ill, it is a fast song with tight lyrics. 4. This Charming Man (BBC): The BBC version of this single is fantastic. Everything runs well in this song, it is one of the best of this album. 5. How Soon Is Now?:... Read more 19 of 21 people found the following review helpful AN ALL-TIME ESSENTIAL ALBUM, By Coleen "frankie-machine" (Down in the alley) - See all my reviews This review is from: Hatful of Hollow (Audio CD) One of the greatest albums of all-time...extra appealing because most of it is lo-fi, but beautifully lo-fi. Every song is a masterpiece of intelligent vulnerable British pop music. The music, written by Johnny Marr, is brilliantly melodic. The words are worthy of Oscar Wilde, one of lyricist Morrissey's major influences, along with early 60's black and white British working class films like Taste of Honey (snatches of dialogue from this film can be found in the lyrics to This Night Has Opened My Eyes, an extremely powerful song). This album is the greatest Smiths album, and that's saying a LOT, since every Smiths album was BRILLIANT. The Smiths recording career lasted from 1984-1987, but they were extremely prolific. This was their second release, technically a collection of radio recordings and singles, but it works perfectly as an album with its own theme. |
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