Louder Than Bombs The Smiths

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CD

  • Release Date: 10/25/1990
  • Original Release: 1987
  • Sales Rank: 8,075
  • Label: WARNER BROS / WEA
  • UPC: 075992556927

Listener Rating: (7 ratings)

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CD$38.99
 
  • Overview
  • Tracks
  • Editorial Reviews
  • Customer Reviews
  • Details & Credits
Track List
Click on LISTEN or link to hear an audio clip.
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Louder Than Bombs

1LISTENIs It Really So Strange? 3:02
2LISTENSheila Take a Bow 2:41
3LISTENShoplifters of the World Unite 2:57
4LISTENSweet and Tender Hooligan 3:33
5LISTENHalf a Person 3:35
6LISTENLondon 2:06
7LISTENPanic 2:17
8LISTENGirl Afraid 2:48
9LISTENShakespeare's Sister 2:08
10LISTENWilliam, It Was Really Nothing 2:10
11LISTENYou Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby 3:21
12LISTENHeaven Knows I'm Miserable Now 3:34
13LISTENAsk 3:15
14LISTENGolden Lights 2:38
15LISTENOscillate Wildly Instrumental 3:26
16LISTENThese Things Take Time 2:21
17LISTENRubber Ring 3:46
18LISTENBack to the Old House 3:04
19LISTENHand in Glove 3:10
20LISTENStretch out and Wait 2:37
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About this Artist

Editorial Reviews

A compilation of singles, B-sides, album tracks, and BBC sessions assembled for the American market, Louder Than Bombs is an overlong and unfocused collection that nevertheless boasts a wealth of brilliant material. Since Hatful of Hollow was unavailable in the U.S. at the time of the release of Louder Than Bombs, this compilation contains large chunks of that album, as well as several cuts from The Smiths, which makes the record a little redundant for most Smiths fans. Also, Louder Than Bombs contains some of the worst material the group ever recorded, including the bland instrumental "Oscillate Wildly" and a cover of Twinkle's "Golden Light." Excluding all of this material, the remainder of the record is brilliant. The singles "Shakespeare's Sister," "Panic," "Ask," "Shoplifters of the World Unite," and "Sheila Take a Bow" are all definitive, as are the elegiac "Unloveable," "Asleep," "Stretch Out and Wait," and "Half a Person," which are all unavailable anywhere else (excluding the British counterpart to Louder Than Bombs, The World Won't Listen). Furthermore, the sneering, bouncing pop of "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" and the bizarre travelogue of "Is It Really So Strange?" are two other essential songs not available anywhere else. Though The World Won't Listen is a more concise collection, Louder Than Bombs is a necessary purchase for any Smiths fan. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Get it if you need a comprehensive Smiths cdby Anonymous

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February 16, 2009: no, Oscillate Wildly is by far not bland. I love it actually. And I wouldn't say that "Golden Lights" is bad song, I think it just sounds very un-Smiths. It definitely sticks out. Sounds like the soundtrack to some TV show or something...
see for yourself.
That said, this is probably on my top 5 favorite albums of all time. nuff said.

This review was written about the CD edition.

Proof that everything they touched turned to gold! Except....by Anonymous

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September 26, 2004: ...their cover of Twinkle's 'Golden Lights'! Yuck! As Simon Goddard accurately put it in his 'Songs That Save Your Life' book, this song sounds like Morrissey's trying to sing whilst drinking a glass of water at the same time. Bafflingly remixed at the last minute (apparently the original mix was good stuff), it sticks out like a sore thumb in the Smiths canon. Why is it here, especially when two of the Smiths best B-sides, 'Jeane' and 'Wonderful Woman' are nowhere to be found (and are still unavailable on CD)? Anyway, the reason 'Golden Lights' is so conspicuously poor is because The Smiths were arguably the best band ever at creating B-sides, and are, in my opinion, the most relentlessly brilliant band ever. They split up too early, but what a legacy! It's scary how good they were, and it's even scarier when Louder Than Bombs proves just how good they were at creating moments of sheer magic to go on the flipside of their monumental singles. The Smiths really were believers in the power of the single: many of them weren't even on their albums. They were to be treated as entities in their own rights, not just an advert for the album. They believed in the power of the pop song, and they delivered absolutely everytime. Buy this and their wonderful 'Singles' compilation to find out why. Then buy the albums and realise that there's even more brilliance to be heard. 'William, It Was Really Nothing' does more in 2 minutes than most bands achieve in their lifetime. Ditto for the appallingly underrated and thrilling 'Shakespeare's Sister'. 'Sheila Take a Bow' is one of the best songs ever to be influenced by Bowie and is absolute proof that the band were not mere misery makers (the song is pure joy), 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' chimes and sparkles like a Christmas melody and is ridiculously enjoyable, 'London' is a total head rush, 'Shoplifters of the World' features a (!!!) Johnny Marr guitar solo (one of only two he performed, I believe, the other's in 'Paint a Vulgar Picture') and is all the better for it, 'Panic' and 'Ask' are classic Smiths singles, 'Girl Afraid' thrills with its impossibly tricky guitar line, 'Stretch Out and Wait' flutters beautifully, 'Oscillate Wildly' is the band's best instrumental and 'You Just Haven't Earned it Yet, Baby' is preposterously fine. Why on earth did Morrissey think that this wasn't good enough for release as a single? 'Back to the Old House' is melancholy squared, definitely one of the saddest songs ever and one of the most beautiful. 'Asleep' is undoubtedly one of the bleakest songs ever put to record, and ends the CD on a very sombre note. There's too many songs on this CD to mention, though special mention must go to the remarkable 'Rubber Ring', the best Smiths B-side ever and a total thrill. Louder Than Bombs is one of the most essential Smiths CDs are a great starting point for newcomers along with the 'Singles' CD.


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