Search - The Smiths :: The Sound of the Smiths: The Very Best of the Smiths

Truly disappointed...

J. Sias | Kenwood, CA | 11/19/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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!"

CAUTION: new mix = new treatment

AKP | 02/26/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I had to get this. There are some great rarities, and as a career retrospective, I don't think the track-listing could be better. In my opinion, nothing is missing here. Also, every track is completely remixed and remastered, but therein lies a problem. They sound different.



I heard Marr "supervised" the production (i.e. - remixing and remastering), but when hearing this one wonders what happened to the magic from the original mixes. It is nice to hear a more modern sounding version of the songs, but I often find myself missing the original treatments. A lot of effects have been removed, leaving the old Mozzah out on a limb in some cases, and the instruments are more distinguishable, but not always as bright as you may be used to.



Unfortunately, nearly every track suffers from this problem and cannot be considered a definitive version. Where was Stephen Street?



Anyway, apart from all that, the discs contain some wonderful treasures like the live cut of "Meat Is Murder", interestingly in a different key, and "Jeane" which is hard to come by anymore and oddly sounds better than some of the other songs. I had never heard the instrumental, "Money Changes Everything" either so I'm pleased to have acquired some great new cuts. Never mind "What's The World". It still sounds like crap.



If you are trying to get into The Smiths, I recommend "The Queen is Dead" and "Louder Than Bombs" for starters and branching out from there, as you can't really go wrong, although the self-titled album and some of the tracks on "Hatful of Hollow" sound a bit raw to one who prefers their more polished work.



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