Awesome!!!

I highly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys listening to The Smiths. Even if you're not a hard-core fan, the songs on this CD will bring back some awesome memories of days gone by when 'must see TV' meant watching MTV's 120 minutes to see the videos that went along with these songs. You can't go wrong with this CD!!!!!!!

Forget what some Smiths fans might tell you...

... this Best of, along with Vol. I, represent the greatest of what the band has to offer. I own all of the original albums, yet keep coming back to the Best Of's. This is a great place to begin, then if you just gotta have more, delve into the back catalogue... there are a few more gems not represented in this collection. But hey, it's the Smiths... almost everything they released was fabulous. This set is pure gold, opening with my favorite Smiths single, "Boy With the Thorn in His Side." It combines all the elements that made the group special... Marr's spot-on rhythmic strumming, tasteful string swells, a gorgeous and yearning vocal turn from Morrisey, and melody that instantly hooks you. And look... my 2nd favorite Smiths single is also here... "Bigmouth Strikes Again!" The drumming and guitar work will take your breath away. This is a band working with tremendous drive and sense of purpose. My favorite non-single LP track is "Reel Around the Fountain," and its joys may be a little harder to define, but every time I hear it, I sink into a trance and hang onto every note. The key is somewhere in Morrisey's voice... he sounds frozen by emotion, overwhelmed and utterly sincere. Then a totally different vocal approach on "Headmaster's Ritual"... the way he spits out the words, "spineless swine, cemented minds" is classic. "Ask" is another wonderful single... a departure for the band and not one of Marr's favorites, but touched by magic. "Last Night I Dreamt" is the Smiths at their most over-the-top dramatic, but the grandeur of the track makes it work, as if Cecile B. DeMille were cutting a pop record! I won't analyze the rest, but only in interest of space and time... buy this album now!

How could you go wrong? It's The Smiths

This band put out so many great songs that one is hard pressed to pinpoint their best album. Purists will scorn that I picked this one, and instead refer to the individual albums this collection came from. I have all the individual albums, but I especially like this one. You get The Headmaster's Ritual, Big Mouth Strikes Again, Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now, and the dramatic "Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me," (I have a taste for Drama)and many other greats all on one disc. Another winning CD is "Louder Than Bombs."

In a decade known for big hair and cheesy corporate rock, the chemistry of Morrissey's witty lyrics paired w/Johnny Marr's great guitar, created a magical combination. They were great in the same way that the Beatles were great. I have often felt pity for any kid coming of age in the Reagan-Bush era, and I have looked on such kids as culturally deprived waifs. Thankfully, there were some true greats and even geniuses who emerged in the 80's. It proves that in the murky grays or even complete darkness, there will always be some bright lights somewhere if you look for them.