IF IT'S NOT LOVE THEN IT'S THE POLL THAT WILL BRING US TOGETHER - ILM Artist Poll #72 - THE SMITHS - RESULTS THREAD

Non shocker #1 but still great album. MIM was mine with TQID second.

It always surprises me that MIM appears to be their worst album in terms of critical reception. Guess the title track (which I really like) irritates a lot of people.

QiD was pushed out of my ballot to make room for RANK - which I have a nostalgic soft-spot for that won't budge.

Struggling to comprehend how someone can pick a top 5 from a band that only has four studio albums, one of which is TQID, and not include that in their ballot.

there's always the strategic vote

Totally dig DavidM's description the debut. While I had Hatful at #1, there's not much in it. 1983-84 Smiths will likely always be the very best Smiths in my mind. (Even though I barely heard them until about the time they broke up!)

i have to say, though, coming at the smiths catalog years after it all happened, i don't really see TQID as a slam dunk #1 (although it was #1 on my ballot). i can see reasonable arguments for all four. and if someone happened to like the other three a little better, and also wanted to throw in a vote for a live album or hatful or one of the other collections, i could see that too

Yeah I agree about the sound of the first album - it fits the mood of the songs perfectly, it sounds like what I imagine rainy Manchester in the early '80s to feel like (xpost).

Can we get the results without compilations? Compilations are not albums.

Yes they are. They cohere and play as units.

I feel like I short-changed the debut on my tracks ballot. The voting window was a rough time for me, and the listening time I allocated to it was stuck being a few days prior to revisiting the rest of the catalogue en masse (I've got the 'Complete' box and The Sound of... at hand)., so stuff was forgotten.

It was impossible for me to hear Louder Than Bombs -- impossible now knowing all I know -- as anything except a unit.

There's only one comp in the list, isn't there? Just pretend it isn't there it it offends thee.

Ah, my mistake. I mistook the image of Louder Than Bombs and the entry for Louder than Bombs to be 2 different compilation entries. Still, you wouldn't call a Single and Album would you? Here are the actual album results, though it does appear that i'm the only person who cares, so i'll just let it go after this post.

4. Strangeways
3. The Smiths
2. Meat Is Murder
1. The Queen Is Dead

Favorite Compilation: Louder Than Bombs

STUDIO ALBUMS

1. THE QUEEN IS DEAD (studio album, 1986) 1821 points | 51 votes | 16 first place votes
2. MEAT IS MURDER (studio album, 1985) 1485 points | 45 votes | 8 first place votes
3. THE SMITHS (studio album, 1984) 1228 points | 39 votes | 4 first place votes
4. STRANGEWAYS, HERE WE COME (studio album, 1987) 1109 points | 35 votes | 4 first place votes

COMPS

1. LOUDER THAN BOMBS (compilation album, 1987) 1398 points | 40 votes | 11 first place votes
2. HATFUL OF HOLLOW (compilation album, 1984) 1009 points | 29 votes | 9 first place votes
3. THE WORLD WON'T LISTEN (compilation album, 1987) 201 points | 6 votes | 0 first place votes
4. SINGLES (compilation album, 1995) 104 points | 3 votes | 1 first place votes
5. THE SOUND OF THE SMITHS (compilation album, 2008) 33 points | 1 votes | 0 first place votes
6. ...BEST II (compilation album, 1992) 28 points | 1 votes | 0 first place votes

ALL ALBUMS

1. THE QUEEN IS DEAD (studio album, 1986) 1821 points | 51 votes | 16 first place votes
2. MEAT IS MURDER (studio album, 1985) 1485 points | 45 votes | 8 first place votes
3. LOUDER THAN BOMBS (compilation album, 1987) 1398 points | 40 votes | 11 first place votes
4. THE SMITHS (studio album, 1984) 1228 points | 39 votes | 4 first place votes
5. STRANGEWAYS, HERE WE COME (studio album, 1987) 1109 points | 35 votes | 4 first place votes
6. HATFUL OF HOLLOW (compilation album, 1984) 1009 points | 29 votes | 9 first place votes
7. THE WORLD WON'T LISTEN (compilation album, 1987) 201 points | 6 votes | 0 first place votes
8. RANK (live album, 1988) 174 points | 6 votes | 0 first place votes
9. SINGLES (compilation album, 1995) 104 points | 3 votes | 1 first place votes
10. THE SOUND OF THE SMITHS (compilation album, 2008) 33 points | 1 votes | 0 first place votes
11. ...BEST II (compilation album, 1992) 28 points | 1 votes | 0 first place votes

Having an issue with comps placing seems a bit weird in the case of a band like The Smiths where a bunch of most essential material where non-lp singles and BBC sessions that make up most of their tracklistings.

...and by "their" I mean Hatful and the two '87 sets.

So, what's the planned schedule?

I was the lone voter for Best II - I'd already heard most of the first volume (my brother had it) but getting that one out of the local library in 1995 was what really got me into the band. I don't own a copy anymore but I put it as a sentimental #5. Also nine of its 14 songs are on my ballot.

(xxpost) Somewhat related: when I moderated at a user-built music database site there were constant arguments about whether Hatful should even be classed as a 'compilation', given that a slight majority (IIRC) of the tracks (the BBC ones) hadn't even had a previous commercial release. :)

Hatful feels distinct from the other compilations in that all the songs are from the same period and none appear (in the same form) on any other album.

surprised Hatful of Hollow didn't do better, I thought it was more loved than that. The only reason it wasn't my #1 is some of the live versions being inferior, but it's probably their best collection of songs (and best sequenced) though not their best collection of recordings.

astonished this got 80 ballots and beat Steely Dan's 77 ballots.

i didn't even get a chance to vote despite listening to the Smiths catalog, real life got in the way.

BTW, nate here is the link to the Moderator Request Forum, they can help you with your mistakes: http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/NewAnswersControllerServlet?boardid=56

There's footage of them playing it at a gig in Germany on Youtube and when the track breaks down to just the bass and drums, Marr takes off his guitar and begins to shimmy around onstage, dancing with Moz.

at 26:07
https://youtu.be/2Y7YnL9SPjs

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, March 2, 2016 7:50 PM

There's footage of them playing it at a gig in Germany on Youtube and when the track breaks down to just the bass and drums, Marr takes off his guitar and begins to shimmy around onstage, dancing with Moz.

yeah, love that video. and the song. I wish there were more funky smiths tracks !

Most regrettable white man dancing I've seen in weeks

Interesting! I never thought to look up actual audio before now. (But probably old news for many.)
Surviving demo from Marr/Rourke's pre-Smiths funk-oriented outfit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s-vZtJ3SV8

Most regrettable white man dancing I've seen in weeks

The Dorks ! I'm even surprised Moz accepted to sing on a funky music, really...

Top 50 starting soon..

Big big thanks to Johnny Fever for providing the graphics for the rundown. He's done a brilliant job, far better than I could've done - pivot tables and vlookups I'm good with, graphics and designs not so much.

Kicking off the top 50 rundown with a cheery little number..

http://i.imgur.com/RFKA77Q.jpg

50. SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN (B-side of 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' | Album track from The Smiths)
258 points | 13 votes

suffer adult listeners

I kind of had the way that I hear this song upended earlier this week when I read a something that quotes this part:

But we will be, we will be, we will be, right by your side
Until the day you die
This is no easy ride
We will haunt you when you laugh
Yes, you could say we're a team
You might sleep
You might sleep
You might sleep
BUT YOU WILL NEVER DREAM !

and the writer seemed to think that the 'you' here refers to Brady and Hindley, but ever since I first heard the song I always assumed that the 'you' was the parents of the missing children, that it was a reference back to the 'A woman said : "I know my son is dead' line, and it never occurred to me that it could read a different way. I'd be interested to know how other people had heard it

always assumed brady/hindley

i like this song but it is in about the right place imo. but then on going through i realized there are only maybe 10 songs in the catalogue i would say i don't like.

I'm starting to think I'm wrong and that Brady/Hindley is the 'correct' reading, but I always took it to be about this immeasurable grief of a bereaved parent rather than the murderers being plagued by guilt

http://i.imgur.com/20DNMD4.jpg

49. I WANT THE ONE I CAN'T HAVE (Album track from Meat Is Murder)
262 points | 12 votes

I didn't end up voting for anything from Meat Is Murder. This and Well I Wonder were the only ones that made my long list.

i have this as the second worst song on MIM after the title track and this song is great so...pretty good album.

xp crazy talk

wow that's already two from my ballot

the images are great

re: the images...I was only able to get today's 10 done last night before my computer said "fuck you, I'm tired," but a lot of these are Roger Mayne photos (noted source of actual Smiths/Moz cover art). I'm gonna run out of usable Mayne material before long, though, so other post-war street photographer names are welcome.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=shirley+baker&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwikiZfA3KTLAhWLF5oKHbVsDIUQ_AUIBygB&biw=1280&bih=899

Perfect, thanks!!!

http://i.imgur.com/co0rZmc.jpg

48. THESE THINGS TAKE TIME (B-side of 'What Difference Does It Make?' 12")
285 points | 12 votes | 2 first place votes

0/3 so far

This is my first vote to place. I like their barnburner songs.