Product Description

A composite of radio sessions and sundry early singles, HATFUL OF HOLLOW provides an alternative snapshot of the Smiths' early career. Compiled in the wake of their debut album, it exhibited all of their considerable strengths, in particular Johnny Marr's ringing, expressive guitarwork. The riff hecreates on 'How Soon Is Now' is thoroughly captivating. Vocalist Morrissey's distinctive croon and solipsistic lyrics are already unique and give the group its originality. At times ironic, at others wistful (as on 'Back To The Old House'), he takes the Smiths into new areas of expression and his contrasting visions are fully expressed herein.

Track Listing

1. William It Was Really Nothing
2. What Difference Does It Make
3. These Things Take Time
4. This Charming Man
5. How Soon Is Now
6. Handsome Devil
7. Hand In Glove
8. Still Ill
9. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
10. This Night Has Opened My Eyes
11. You've Got Everything Now
12. Accept Yourself
13. Girl Afraid
14. Back To The Old House
15. Reel Around The Fountain
16. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4614 in Music
• Released on: 1993-11-15
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Hatful Of Hollow presents the raw and yearning performances of the early Smiths at their best, with Morrissey singing "'the sun shines out of our behinds" on the iconic "Hand In Glove", his tongue firmly in his cheek. For many Smiths devotees, this is the band's alternative debut album, containing vital Smiths recordings like the John Porter produced "How Soon is Now?". Other less well-known delights include a beautifully mordant acoustic rendition of "Back to the Old House" and the kitchen sink melancholy of "This Night Has Opened My Eyes". Hatful Of Hollow is a sixteen track collection that is taken in the main from BBC Radio 1's cutting edge John Peel and David Jensen evening shows in 1984. Like The Beatles at The BBC, The Smiths radio sessions sound both timeless and epoch defining, and there is no better introduction to the band's beguiling talent than on Hatful Of Hollow. --James Littlewood

Customer Reviews

Still Ill After all These Years
The Smiths debut album `The Smiths' was not popular with the critics, this was down to the quality of their early singles and the sessions they had recorded for radio sessions being so high that expectations were running high, they could only fail. Their record company, Rough Trade, had a solution, they hastily collected the singles, some b-sides and some choice session versions of the album tracks and put it on sale as `Hatful of Hollow'. Genius.

The songs collected here are fantastic and picking any out as highlights is virtually impossible, however I'm going to go single out `Still Ill' which still sounds as fresh as it did over twenty five years ago.

Most song writers on being compared to Lennon-McCartney get all embarrassed but Morrissey and Marr just got on and lived up to it.

Life-changing
Some albums pass the time, some provide pleasant background noise at dinner parties, but only an elite few bands/albums have the potential to change lives, and this is one of them.

'Hatful Of Hollow', amongst other Smiths releases, must have changed thousands, if not millions of lives all over the world, including this reviewer's. From the moment Morrissey's vocals kicked in during the opening bars of 'William It Was Really Nothing', I knew that this band would change my life, and that it would be a long time indeed before I heard anything as authentic and charismatic as this.

It was the meeting of two geniuses: Morrissey and Marr. Marr was a young virtuoso of guitar, Morrissey was a young writer with an almost scholarly passion for authenticity and creativity. The result was unique, influential beyond measure. Ode to sexuality 'What Difference Does it Make' boasts vocals, lyrics, guitar and a rhythm section most bands would weep over, whilst 'These Things Take Time' ponders more matters of the heart, and the groin, in Morrissey's trademark knowingly salacious way. The album then goes from excellent to jaw-dropping with tracks four and five. Four being 'This Charming Man', which brought the Smiths to the masses and simultaneously revealed Morrissey's distinctive shirt, beads and gladioli garb. Then track five, the song which has probably changed more lives than any other, that flawless anthem of disaffection 'How Soon Is Now?' In this, Morrissey speaks directly to anyone who ever felt lonely, or alienated, or a lack of affinity with their fellow human beings, whilst also, in a stunningly articulate way, commenting on the hollow, vapid, soulless quality of club culture and the lack of romantic opportunities it provides to anyone with a shred of individuality.

'Handsome Devil' provides yet more sexually-charged moments as Morrissey proclaims: 'I know what hands are for, and I'd like to help myself!" 'Hand In Glove', meanwhile, provides yet another moment of perfectly sculpted guitar pop from the guitar pop masters of that era, whilst 'Still Ill' and 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' brilliantly explore the intoxicating fusion of introspection and black humour that has always been one of Morrissey's strongest qualities.

Exploration of Kitchen Sink set-pieces have always been yet another of Morrissey's many lyrical talents, explored to great effect on the likes of 'This Night Has Opened My Eyes', 'Accept Yourself', and 'Girl Afraid', all of which aptly show Morrissey's ability to describe real life in a way which is interesting and engaging to the listener.

The final three songs, 'Back To The Old House', 'Reel Around The Fountain' and 'Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want' are all musically beautiful, whilst lyrically touching and provocative in turn. The more I listen to 'Back To The Old House', the more I appreciate it's beauty, and the poignancy of Marr's arrangement, which rarely fails to bring a tear to my eye.

Listening to this album reminds me that there is virtually nothing around nowadays which is in any way comparable, nothing which is given any attention anyway. Furthermore, I dont even think most lyricists nowadays even attempt to push themselves as far as Morrissey did, consuming art en masse in an attempt to become a better writer. The lyricists of the twenty-first century do not seem to realise that to be a unique artist, one must be a rabid consumer of art. Perhaps it doesn't matter to them, which just makes Morrissey even more of an example. He's almost lost in this dire age of mediocrity, a discarded genius who has almost been pulled into the sea of dullness by the business which seems to breed dullards. There should never be a day goes by, however, that Morrissey and Marr both should not look back on this album and swell with pride.

The most precious of all shiny discs!
Quite honestly this is the greatest collection of recordings ever .

The Smiths, during their brief but glorious career, never released a poor track (other than the mistake that was the B side twinkle cover) but this is really the collection everyone with ears should own.

I recall buying this album on vinyl on it's initial release for two shillings and sixpence. I was already the proud owner of their debut album so i had an inkling of what to expect when i walked out of the shop with this under my arm.

I played this album none stop for three weeks untill i had memorised every detail. I would, without fear, stop people in the street and quote lyrics at them at any given opportunity such was my love for these songs. I became, in 1984, a fully fledged Smiths apostle sporting an enormous quiff that required scaffolding to maintain it's gravity defying height. I hung on every syllabale uttered by Morrissey for the next five years or so.

The songs on this album are sublime but I simply do not have the creative ability to describe their awesome beauty and power here.

If you are new to the Smiths buy this album first and then rush to their other 5 star works (everything they ever released!)How i envy you this experience you lucky lucky people!