I gave this five stars completely based on the music within it, not the actual product itself. I adore The Smiths, so obviously I love these songs, but like many people have pointed out, this is a very weak collection. I took it upon myself to construct an actual Smiths "Best of" collection, because none of the ones actually released are satisfactory in my opinion. The "Singles" collection was okay, but there are more classic Smiths songs that weren't necessarily singles. The "Very Best Of Collection" was an import, and although was kinda more thorough than any other Smiths collection still left out songs and had sloppy song sequencing. And the two part "Best of Vol. 1 And 2" collection is basically a joke if you ask me (Sloppy song sequencing, Obvious exclusions, And many songs that shouldn't be on there.) The split two part collection feels very distant and random. If anything, it should have been released as a double album instead of two seperate albums, because neither of them seem very relevant to eachother, and not even just because of the uneven/flawed tracklists. It just doesn't work.

A definative Smiths collection would look like this:

[Disc 1]

01. This Charming Man

02. Panic

03. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side

04. How Soon Is Now?

05. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now

06. Hand In Glove

07. That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore

08. Ask

09. Shelia Take A Bow

10. I Started Something I Couldn't Finish

11. William, It Was Really Nothing

12. Cemetry Gates

13. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want

14. Asleep

15. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me

[Disc 2]

01. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before

02. I Know It's Over

03. Still Ill

04. Shoplifters Of The World Unite

05. Bigmouth Strikes Again

06. Nowhere Fast

07. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle

08. Girlfriend In A Coma

09. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others

10. What Difference Does It Make?

11. Rusholme Ruffians

12. The Queen Is Dead

13. Shakespeare's Sister

14. Rubber Ring

15. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

As one person pointed out, this compilation is an incoherent hodgepodge of Smiths tunes. But since every tune on the cd is good, there is no reason to pan the album, especially since it includes the greatest Smiths tune of all time... Panic. For hardcore Smiths fan this cd is a waste of money since every REAL Smiths fan has every album/cd already. But for those looking to see what the Smiths are all about, this cd is a great introduction.

Remember when you could watch MTV's 120 minutes and hear some good music along with the videos (remember when MTV HAD good videos? ) This is very similar, and the songs are awesome. It's an interesting combination of music, but for the most part, it's great. Like another reviewer stated, it reminds you of the times you sat in your bedroom contemplating the meaning of your teenage life...and wondering if your goth friends would really notice that your black shirt wasn't the exact same hue as your black pants. A fun trip back in time!

An incoherent hodgepodge. No logical track order on this or the related Smiths Best II. The songs are good, but for a two-CD set, Sire records has criminally overlooked some of their best tracks. Still, mediocre Smiths is still better than great Bon Jovi.

One thing I hate are "Greatest Hits" combos. Especially anyone that contain the power and pain of The Smiths. This band truly epitomized much of alernative 80's listening. They rarely toured and spent most of their existence in their core Manchester cubicles. Yet their songs touched much of the English-speaking indie world.

For those who have heard about The Smiths and would like a culled taste of what the revolution was all about, buy this CD. It will not dissappoint!