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 Truly disappointed... Nov 19, 2009
I'll skip the track-by-track, in-depth analysis and just make my points. Firstly, to my ears anyway, this definitely sounds MUCH different than the tracks on the original LPs (or CDs). And I hate to say it, but not for the better. I was excited that the somewhat muddled sound of the earlier albums might have been cleaned up with taste and subtlety, and mostly the tracks would be left alone except for the odd tweak here and there, but what greeted me in my headphones was a bit of a shock. Overly spacious and loud, yet also compressed in the ranges which matter, as if they were mastering it for FM radio. I wanted more true dynamic range; all this offers is that faux "roominess" (boominess is the better word) that some liberally applied digital reverb and spatialising offers. These were gee-whiz items in the early 90s when all of pop music was jumping on the effect for its ability to resonate even from cheap speakers, such as those on a computer or in a car, or where there was lots of ambient noise, such as in a club. But when *I* listen to music on headphones, or on a good system in an acoustically neutral room, I don't want all that bassy reverb - I'd go listen to the CDs in a big cave if I did. I want an intimate, upfront sound with a proper soundstage. To quote Mozzer, "Is that too much to ask?"
Sadly, I can't recommend this repackaging of songs from my favourite band. It's ok to have if you're a completist or just want to hear some spacy effects on your most cherished tracks (a bit like the way Depeche Mode or Bjork release tonnes of remixes of most of their songs)... it gives you another option, and options are a good thing. The songs themselves of course remain brilliant, I just personally don't like the new mastering. Fortunately it's not as though the original versions are being discontinued, otherwise I'd have to be even harsher on this set. Go ahead and try it out or even purchase it if you're keen - but don't say I didn't warn you if you find yourself shelving it very soon for the original John Porter / Stephen Street sound that was good enough for the majority of us in the 80s, and still sounds great to my ears in 2009. Although having said that, I'd *still* buy a "correctly" cleaned up remastering, something akin to the new Beatles releases... Thanks for reading my review!
1 of 26 found the following review helpful:
 Like an embarrassing uncle turning up at a family function May 25, 2009
This album is an embarrassing anachronism - a tribute to pretentious luddite music of the 1980s. Occasionally hearing the odd song or two from The Smiths on radio once in a while is fine, but who would buy an entire album of this junk?
Here's the deal: the song titles are amusing and amongst the best ever written, the actual lyrics are so-so and range from maudlin to bleedin' obvious. The music is stock-standard unremarkable guitar-based Pop/Rock.
Overall, an album to play when guests stay too long or if one can't bring one's self to admit that one would really prefer listening to Karen Carpenter, but one still harbours the risible pretence that one is "cool".
 Sounds Fine to Me May 01, 2009
First a disclaimer: Since I was mostly into jazz in the 1980s when The Smiths were in their prime, I have no idea how most of the songs here sounded before Rhino Records' hot masters were produced under the supervision of Johnny Marr for The Sound of the Smiths. Because of that, I can't participate in the disputes over sound quality. But I have prior familiarity with about a third of the songs here and the hot masters sound just fine to me.
My experience with the music of The Smiths was quite limited as previously implied before I acquired this set. I was introduced to their music back in the 1980s and liked what I heard, but never got around to doing anything about it until I saw this recommended on amazon. So I took the opportunity to hear more of them and voila, a new Smiths fan was born.
One of the aspects of this CD set I enjoy most is that it shows the many musical moods of the Marr/Morrissey collaboration. I enjoy most everything here but my favorites are as follows:
Disc 1) Still Ill; Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now; How Soon is Now, which is one of my overall favorites; the energetic, howling Barbarism Begins at Home; The Headmaster Ritual; Bigmouth Strikes Again; the mopey There Is a Light That Never Goes Out; Panic, a hilarious song that mocks commercial music; and Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me.
Disc 2) This Charming Man, a version better than that presented on disc 1; Girl Afraid; Oscillate Wildly; the preachy but powerful Meat is Murder; the instrumental Money Changes Everything; Sweet and Tender Hooligan; and London.
If you already own most of The Smiths' prodigious output, then probably this set will not be for you. But if you are looking for a well-selected representative sample of the band's work, then The Sound of the Smiths may be just the thing. As for whether or not the selections meet your definition of "the very best" is for you to decide, but Rhino has given it a good shot. The CDs are housed in a quadrifold digipak and come with an attractive booklet featuring lots of pictures and song information, but alas no lyrics.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Doubleplusungood Mar 27, 2009
The problem with this collection, aside form the hideous cover, is that the songs are taken out of context. It plays like a mediocre mix tape. I like listening to albums by The Smiths, not random singles on shuffle play. A boxed set would be nice as would a concise collection of B-sides and rarities. If you haven't bought this yet, skip it. It's neither for the curious nor the hardcore fan.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Backtrack Jan 19, 2009
I picked this up with the sole intention of deciding for myself if they truly lived up to their reputation as one of the premier British bands of the 80s, having miraculously missed them on the airwaves completely back when they were still active in the music scene.
Being a huge EBTG fan, my interest was stoked by constant references from critics to the Smiths' influence on Thorn and Watt's flirtation with New Wave on the 1985 album, 'Love Not Money'.
From the first song on 'The Sound of...' I began to hear for myself the distinct sonic quality of the jangly guitars and Morissey's plaintive yet emotive vocals that EBTG aimed for in those early days, with all due respect to both bands. I was also elated to find 'Shakespeare's Sister' in the mix, having learnt that the name of Siobhan Fahey's power group (expertly spelled as 'Shakespears Sister') was inspired by that song.
Along the way, I also heard that familiar 'Charmed' tune, 'How Soon Is Now?" (arguably popularised again by Russian girlgroup Tatu in the noughties), as well as 'Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me' (which I first heard on the single by Eddi Reader, Boo Hewerdine and Clive Gregson in the 90s), and all that was only on Disc 1. How did I miss this superb music growing up?
Am so spooked by this release I'm gonna check out New Order's reissues and finally get acquainted with Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' as part of my re-education of the 80s music that I missed.
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