The Smiths – Strangeways, Here We Come [Vinyl LP]

The Smiths – Strangeways, Here We Come [Vinyl LP]

Details

• Format: Vinyl LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo
• Catalogue Number: 2564665879
• Barcode: 825646658794
• Genre: Indie Rock / Alternative Rock / Post-Punk / New Wave
• Label: Rhino / Warner Music UK
• Originally Released: 28 September 1987
• Reissue Released: 2012
• Condition: New & Sealed

Description

Strangeways, Here We Come is the fourth and final studio album by The Smiths — Morrissey (vocals, piano), Johnny Marr (guitar, keyboards, harmonica), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (drums) — originally released on 28 September 1987 on Rough Trade Records. The album was recorded at The Wool Hall in Bath, Somerset during spring 1987, produced by Stephen Street — who had engineered The Queen Is Dead and co-produced Louder Than Bombs — working alongside the band in what would prove to be their final sessions together. The title refers to Strangeways Prison in Manchester, and the cover art features a photograph of American actor Richard Davalos, from the collection of David Loehr, continuing the band's established practice of sleeve imagery drawn from mid-century cinema. Marr's departure from the band was announced before the album's release, making Strangeways a posthumous statement from a group that had already ceased to exist.

The album represents a marked evolution in the band's sound: more expansive, more richly produced, and more willing to explore textures and arrangements that earlier Smiths records had avoided. Marr, who wrote all the music, drew on synthesized saxophone and string arrangements as well as programmed drum patterns — the latter appearing most prominently on the opening track — giving the album a lushness that contrasted with the sparse jangle of their debut. Morrissey, who wrote all the lyrics, produced what many consider his most emotionally varied and accomplished set of words for the band: the wry fatalism of "Paint a Vulgar Picture", the tender outro of "I Won't Share You", the black comedy of "Unhappy Birthday" and the cascading orchestration of "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" together constitute a body of writing without a weak entry. Both Morrissey and Marr have described Strangeways as the band's masterpiece.

The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart — the band's highest chart position — and spawned four singles, all of which charted in the UK top 30. "Girlfriend in a Coma" reached number 13, "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" reached number 23, "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" reached number 30, and "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" was controversially withdrawn following a BBC moratorium linked to its sample from a Dave Clark Five recording, having already reached number 2 on the indie charts. The album's enduring critical reputation has grown considerably across the decades: it consistently appears on lists of the greatest British albums ever made, and its influence on British guitar music of the 1990s and beyond is pervasive.

This 2012 reissue on Rhino / Warner Music UK presents the complete 10-track album in a faithful replica of the original sleeve, with "THE SMITHS" embossed on the front cover and a printed inner sleeve with lyrics and credits. Recorded at The Wool Hall, Bath, Spring 1987.

Tracklist

Side A

1. A 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

Side B

1. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
2. Unhappy Birthday
3. Paint a Vulgar Picture
4. Death at One's Elbow
5. I Won't Share You

Credits

• Morrissey – Vocals, Piano
• Johnny Marr – Guitar, Keyboards, Harmonica
• Andy Rourke – Bass
• Mike Joyce – Drums
• Stephen Street – Producer, Engineer
• Label – Rhino / Warner Music UK