885 GAAT - The Smiths, Hatful of Hollow
A friend once made this comparison: The Cure played depressing music to happy lyrics. Take for example the moodiness of the album Disintegration. On the other hand, The Smiths take depressing lyrics and make them sound incredibly happy and upbeat. Take for example "Girlfriend in a Coma" (I know it's serious). What a laugh. This point does capture some differences, but, at best, provides a shallow comparison at best. Both of these 80's / 90's alternative Brit rock bands have their share of emotional music and lyrics, both upbeat and down. Where I was into The Smiths, my wife was into The Cure- must be a girl / guy thing.
The partnership between Johnny Marr and Morrissey made for one of the most powerful indie rock songwriting duos for the 80's. Morrissey's talent for writing songs and crooning is self-evident. The lyrics are intelligent, revealing, often saying the unexpected. He can take lines that are off meter, that don't necessarily rhyme, and make it work within the context of the song. Give the music a second try, and listen more carefully to the guitar. Marr is amazingly versatile- utilizing several styles and adopts a wide range of guitar tones. The man knows how to get into the mix without being overbearing. As a rhythm guitarist he fills his space without stepping on the toes of his band mates. Marr's talent can be easily overlooked, as he isn't that in-your-face solo shredder guitarist. What a shame the career of this band ended before their time due to a fallout between these two greats.
Hatful of Hallow isn't a true studio album, but more of a compilation of singles, B-sides, and re-released songs from their first album, The Smiths. Even so, it has the right mix of songs and far exceeds as a second album release. Alongside my other nominations for greatest albums, every song is a gem, and the album brings them together cohesively. Nothing on the album sounds formulaic or contrived. Give it several listens- first for the overall feel of the songs, listen for the brilliance of the song lyrics, and another re-listen for Marr's guitar. There is enough here for repeated plays.
A review of my top 10 albums to date:
Violent Femmes, Violent Femmes
The Beatles, Abbey Road
The Smiths, Hatful of Hollow
The partnership between Johnny Marr and Morrissey made for one of the most powerful indie rock songwriting duos for the 80's. Morrissey's talent for writing songs and crooning is self-evident. The lyrics are intelligent, revealing, often saying the unexpected. He can take lines that are off meter, that don't necessarily rhyme, and make it work within the context of the song. Give the music a second try, and listen more carefully to the guitar. Marr is amazingly versatile- utilizing several styles and adopts a wide range of guitar tones. The man knows how to get into the mix without being overbearing. As a rhythm guitarist he fills his space without stepping on the toes of his band mates. Marr's talent can be easily overlooked, as he isn't that in-your-face solo shredder guitarist. What a shame the career of this band ended before their time due to a fallout between these two greats.
Hatful of Hallow isn't a true studio album, but more of a compilation of singles, B-sides, and re-released songs from their first album, The Smiths. Even so, it has the right mix of songs and far exceeds as a second album release. Alongside my other nominations for greatest albums, every song is a gem, and the album brings them together cohesively. Nothing on the album sounds formulaic or contrived. Give it several listens- first for the overall feel of the songs, listen for the brilliance of the song lyrics, and another re-listen for Marr's guitar. There is enough here for repeated plays.
A review of my top 10 albums to date:
Violent Femmes, Violent Femmes
The Beatles, Abbey Road
The Smiths, Hatful of Hollow
1 Comments:
dunno about violent femmes (never listened to them before) but your other 2 choices are excellent! the smiths and the beatles are 2 of the best bands ever! :-)
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