The Smiths “How Soon Is Now?” 1985. Rough Trade Records. I’m still riding high from Johnny Marr’s concert at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee earlier this week, where one of the highlights was his performance of this song, one of my favorites. It’s one of those songs that instantly transports me back to 1985/86, all teenage angst and emo. “How Soon Is Now?” originally appeared as the b-side to “William, It Was Really Nothing” in 1984. After its inclusion on Hatful of Hollow, “How Soon Is Now” got its own single release in 1985 and it went to #24 in the UK (it did not chart in the US, much to The Smiths’ and their label’s – Rough Trade – execs surprise and frustration: Sire Records in the US did little to promote it). This 12″ single is backed with “Well I Wonder” (which appears on the 1984 LP Meat is Murder) and “Oscillate Wildly.”

Marr’s performance on Tuesday night was filled with many many other great moments as he flawlessly mixed old Smith songs  (“The Headmaster Ritual,” “Bigmouth Strikes Again,” “There is a Light That Never Goes Out,” “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me”), new solo material (“Hi Hello,” “Easy Money”) and some covers (most especially one of the encores, his amazing rendition of Depeche Mode’s “I Feel You”).