Year 1984 1984 1985 1986 1987 1987 1987 1988 1992 1992 1995 2001

Album Title The Smiths Hatful of Hollow Meat is Murder The Queen is Dead The World Won't Listen Louder Than Bombs Strangeways, Here We Come Rank Best ... I Best ... II Singles The Very Best of The Smiths

United Kingdom #2 #8 #1 #2 #8 #38 #2 #2 #1 #29 #8 #31

Canada #65 #92 #40 #28 - #30 #27 #82 #36 - - -

United States #150 - #110 #70 - #62 #55 #77 #139 - - -

'The Queen is Dead' was the first Smiths album (on cassette) that I bought.  That was back in the mid 90s.  I'd seen the videos for 'Bigmouth Strikes Again' and 'The Boy With the Thorn in His Side' many times on TV, and eventually decided to get the album.  The only release I don't have is 'The Very Best of' which to me was a pointless release considering the 3 albums prior to that were all greatest hits collections

How many 'Best of' collections can one artist/group possibly have?  I don't think anyone will beat Boney M in that department ROFL

'The Queen is Dead' was the first Smiths album (on cassette) that I bought.  That was back in the mid 90s.  I'd seen the videos for 'Bigmouth Strikes Again' and 'The Boy With the Thorn in His Side' many times on TV, and eventually decided to get the album.  The only release I don't have is 'The Very Best of' which to me was a pointless release considering the 3 albums prior to that were all greatest hits collections

How many 'Best of' collections can one artist/group possibly have?  I don't think anyone will beat Boney M in that department ROFL

Interesting, in that my first Smiths album was The Queen is Dead and I too bought it on cassette just a few weeks after its release in 1986.
Never even having heard the Smiths before that time, went home listened to it and promptly feel asleep to it.  ::) :-[
Odd through that introduction that they would become one of my most favorite and life changing sounds that I'd hear at the time...

IMO, as far as a complete album within and upon itself, as a finished work that has a prevailing theme or mood, The Queen is Dead wins hands down. Strangeways comes up second.

Not that the other Smiths albums aren't great, but it seems as those (Smiths, Meat is Murder) came off as a collection of separately and earlier released singles collected as an album (as they were better known) than a album done at once. (Meat is Murder for example has some great songs (How Soon is Now) but is rather disjointed and doesn't flow very well as a whole piece.)

Its been said that Morrissey and The Smiths revived the single as it was dying a slow death back in the mid-80's and that the Smiths really was a singles/single track oriented band.
Having a poll of the Smiths albums kinda brings some support to that.

I too think the "Very Best of" and "Best of I and II" and all the other collections are pretty silly. If you have the four original (US) released albums, and/or purchased Hatful of Hollow/Louder Than Bombs, you had all that there really was (not overlooking the cool cover art of all the 12" singles that were released) 8).

"The Queen IS Dead" is my favorite and as you both have mentioned, was the first Smiths cassette I bought.

I too think the "Very Best of" and "Best of I and II" and all the other collections are pretty silly. If you have the four original (US) released albums, and/or purchased Hatful of Hollow/Louder Than Bombs, you had all that there really was (not overlooking the cool cover art of all the 12" singles that were released) 8).



I agree that the Best Of Albums (like most Best-of's IMO) are silly.  Actually, the first Smiths cassette I bought was Meat Is Murder in the early 90s, but I agree with everyone so far and my favorite album is The Queen Is Dead.    ::)

I still find it strange with all those charting albums they had in Canada and the US, not one single of theirs hit the charts in either country.  Guess they were more of an album band in North America

The Queen Is Dead.  I was able to find that album T-shirt last year. :)