The Smiths were the best musical moment of the 1980s -- I know, I lived through them. This album is probably my favourite, and must be in the canon of amazing debuts: nothing like it before, and nothing since. For one thing, there was the cover art. At at time when most bands favoured monochromatic "new wave" dots and blobs, the covers were sober, nostalgic, personal and iconic. Crushingly vivid colours and their signature style made it exciting just to *see* their albums. In this case, the murky photo of Joe Dellesandro gives a hint of the Morrissey world view and aestheticism, but it's ambiguous and out of context, meaning that the Smiths became very hard to "brand."

But of course the appeal of this record came from its musical beauty. Morrissey's plangent, steady voice was astonishing, but moreso were his lyrics. "I dreamt about you last night, and I fell out of bed twice/ you can pin and mount me, like a butterfly." Reel Around the Fountain still gives me goosebumps -- it's an anthem which evokes not just the usual teen angst, but what is unusual, and sad, and real about it as well.

I love every track, but most of all its wonderful beginning, the glorious insouciance of "Hand In Glove," and the mordant "Suffer Little Children" which evokes the grisly Moors Murders as a foundation myth for Mancusian angst, but also for all of us who were trying to sort out the sixties of our childhoods in the early eighties. Morrissey & Marr, along with Squeeze, were the poets of the eighties, and this cd will give you a rich sense of its virtues, rather than the gelled and synthesised excess most people know.

1984. The year I was supposed to graduate from high school but I did not. I had to make up a phys-ed class worth 1/16th of a credit. All because I got an "F" because I told the drunk and vile phys-ed teacher to F***off. I was in-the-closet in high-school, suicidal, lonely, and this phys-ed teacher made it clear that he hated fags. Back then teachers - any teacher - could get away with anti-gay remarks.

This album, with its unabashedly homo-erotic cover art and covertly gay references - was what saved me not only that year but became the essential soundtrack for the rest of my life. It has become the album I come back to always -- more than any other Smiths or Morrissey work. I use to think the other later works from the Smiths and Morrissey were my "favorite" but over time it is this album that I find is the most sharply-focused and has the most "soul".

The Village People, David Bowie, Boy George, and others toyed with and were coy about sexuality, androgyny, and homosexuality - but to me The Smiths and this album in particular was the first real honest, and unabashedly direct about being homosexual. Gay life whether it was laid out in romantic longings and sentiments, or pure outright lust, were given equal (i.e., to "straight" love) and forthright treatment for the first time in my musical experience. The directness of the music, the way the instruments were played, and the production were a perfect match.

If you can distill Morrissey's and the Smiths sound, this work would be 95% proof. Others may say the production is so-so but I disagree. The sound is crisp, the drums and cymbals are tight, the entire album appears to have been played with such an alacrity - no other Smiths or Morrisey work seems to have such a directness about it.

Put on a really good set of headphones and listen to this album, there is no muddiness at all on this work. You hear the guitars, bass, drums, and voice - all distinct yet oh-so-drop-dead-gorgeously intertwined. The music is played so head-on that you get a sense that there is no sense or room for pretense. There is something almost classically baroque about the over-all structure of the songs and melodies that I find gives this album a "classical" and enduring feel to it. The later Smiths/Morrissey works tend to have a more theatrical or orchestral feel to them that while beautiful and grand seems to somehow rely too much on electronic drapery ("How Soon Is Now" being a lead example) you go back and listen those songs and then go back this album, their most seminal work in my humble opinion.

Now I LOVE all of The Smiths/Morrisey's work but their debut album to me is lyrically, musically, rhythmically, vocally, politically, socially, romantically, sexually, and spiritually, their most honest, direct, and purest to who they are/were. I'm not a rock critic but to me this album never ceases to amaze me that every time I listen to it, I always think what a little miracle this album really is - dare I say it is one of the most brilliant and miraculous musical points in rock history.

I had a group of friends that were into the smiths in the mid 80's but I was never really a fan until someone got me to pay attention to thier lyrics. This is without a doubt my favorite albumn of thiers. It is not as slick as the later albumns but song for song this cd is GREAT. Alot of critics say this albumn does not live up to the Smiths' ability but the underproduction is one of the best things of the albumn. If you are looking for a hits albumn get one of the compilations but if you want to hear the beginnings of a sound still going strong today this is the one.

The Smiths have (and have had for as long as I can remember) such a bizarre following. I admit, I was once one of them, the followers. I, like them, had all the albums and singles on vinyl, and I memorized all the lyrics, I had an all too big poster of Morrissey on my wall, too big for a straight guy like me, etc. etc.

I still like this album, though I never upgraded to CD as I have with the obvious ones (The Queen Is Dead, Meat Is Murder, Strangeways Here We Come). But what I like so much about this album is the rawness. Especially on Miserable Lie. Miserable Lie is more seething and demanding than possibly anything they have ever done since as a band. In Miserable Lie (and Still Ill), one can hear the heavier influences that Morrissey and Marr were always so vocal about; New York Dolls, Warsaw (later, Joy Division), and Sparks.

A year later, The Smiths released a 45rpm with Sandie Shaw in Morrissey's place and The Smiths behind her, Hand In Glove b/w I Don't Owe You Anything. A fantastic rarity. But, here is where it all started. And, so should you if you don't quite know the Smiths yet.

I'll be honest and admit that I like "The Queen Is Dead" a lot more than this, but I can still understand why this is also a classic. Morrissey sounds as inspired and fresh as he did on their debut, and he even tries to be experimental in a couple tracks (see "Miserable Lie"). He's not immediately likable at first (like he was on "The Queen Is Dead"), but he'll definitely grow on you. The lyrics here are all very well-written, deep and sometimes quotable - you'll definitely like listening to them closely ("I would go out tonight, but I haven't got a stitch to wear" is a personal favorite). Musically it has a sound reminiscent of R.E.M.'s jangle pop, but they manage to sound different even with these kinds of similarities - the musicianship is very well done, interesting and well-produced here. Most people probably only know the hit "What Difference Does It Make?", but every track here is good - I would argue that one song people will most likely hate for a long time is "Miserable Lie" because of Morrissey's seemingly irritating wailing towards the end (I hated it for a LONG time). However, if you can look past his singing for a minute and listen to the lyrics and the music itself then one can see how fantastic "The Smiths" is. Absolutely recommended (along with "The Queen Is Dead")!

Highlights include:

"The Hand That Rocks The Cradle"

"This Charming Man"

"Still Ill"

"Hand In Glove"

"What Difference Does It Make?"

"I Don't Owe You Anything"

the rest are also good