Product Description

The Smiths' underrated and unjustly maligned swan song found the band experimenting with sound and arrangement more than ever before. From the epic instrumental introduction to "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" to the dark instrumentation of "Death Of A Disco Dancer", STRANGEWAYS HERE WECOME is a sonically rich album, filled with extremes and surprises. Among its many highlights are its signature tune "Girlfriend In A Coma", and the stingingly autobiographical "Paint A Vulgar Picture", which also happens to contain one ofthe most inspired, melodic guitar passages of Johnny Marr'slegendary career.
Produced by future Morrissey collaborator Stephen Street, STRANGEWAYS is a document of a band's "fierce last stand". An inner sleeve photo shows an exasperated studio shot of a lone figure (the cigarette suggests Marr)obviously at wit's end. The album's conceptual looseness, while not necessarily a bad thing ("Death At One's Elbow" notwithstanding), suggests that the band unit was probably not at its most cohesive. The album's finisher, however, "I Won't Share You", is as tender and graceful a thing as the groupever recorded, a fitting farewell to one of pop music's most engaging teams.

Track Listing

1. Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours
2. I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
3. Death Of A Disco Dancer
4. Girlfriend In A Coma
5. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
6. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
7. Unhappy Birthday
8. Paint A Vulgar Picture
9. Death At One's Elbow
10. I Won't Share You

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2084 in Music
• Released on: 1993-11-15
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Best band ever.
From the first time i saw them on top of the pops as a 13 year old singing What differance does it make i was hooked. I was the lonely youth, the outsider, no-one else liked them but that was the best thing cause they were all mine, and i loved 'em and still do now.
My favourite album was the debut album then Meat is murder, i had 'em all the same day they were released.There will never be another band like them and i am proud to say i was there.
God bless 'em.

Girlfriend in a Coda.
`The Queen is Dead' was regarded as the Smiths masterpiece and when `Strangeways Here We Come' was released the knives were out. `Sell Out' is the grossed insult a band can be accused of and with the radio friendly arrangements on this album coupled with the commercial success the singles preceding it were achieving they were really asking for it. As a casual rather than a die hard Smiths fan I thought it fantastic, easily there greatest LP.

Every song is a perfect slice of pop, the constraints of the `Indie Band' tag which was limiting arrangements on previous albums this one is produced to the songs strengths. Picking out best songs of such a collection is a complete waste however I'm still going to single out `Death of a Disco Dancer', `Girlfriend in a Coma' and `Paint a Vulgar Picture', I just can't help myself.

Egged on by the claims of `Selling Out' The Smiths then signed for a major, got the advance and then split up. `Re-issue, Re-package, Re-package, Re-evaluate the songs', you couldn't make this up.

The Smiths Final Offering
This was The Smiths final offering before Johnny Marr left the band. It was at the time when Thatcher was prime minister and it was such a miserable time in Britian and British music was on a downer and The Smiths were by far Britians best band of the 80s(not forgetting The Stone Roses) this is not the greatest record, but i love it non the less.
Rush and a Push is a great way to start the album, a dark song with a great opening line. 8/10

The single I started something is a great song, although not my favourite single off the album. 8/10

Death of a disco dancer is another wierd but yet wonderful song. 8/10

Girlfriend in a Coma was not an ideal choice for a single in my view, i don't like the song that much but its not bad. 7/10

Stop Me is my favourite song off the album, Mark Ronson used the song and used it well but i love this version, it should've been a single. 9/10

Last Night I Dreamt is another brilliant song, it takes a while to kick in but when it does its one of my favourite smiths songs. 9/10

Unhappy Birthday is like Girlfriend in a Coma its not band but not great 6/10

Paint a vulgar Picture is a great song that takes about record companies and bands and attacking that. 8/10

Death at ones elbow is a great classic smiths songs a fast paced indie dance record. 8/10

I won't share you is great way to end a historical record. 8/10