The Smiths “The Many Faces of The Smiths” 2019. Today, October 31st, is Johnny Marr’s birthday (b. John Martin Maher, 1963) so I’m spinning this double-LP limited edition on marbled vinyl live/tribute European release, a relatively new acquisition (I think we may have picked it up in London but we bought so many damn records there I can’t remember for sure). The first album is live, a Smiths concert from 1984 recorded just before the release of their debut record The Smiths. It’s really really great: Morrissey sounds fantastic and Marr’s guitar is jangly perfection. It has many of my favorite Smiths songs including “Hand in Glove,” “This Charming Man,” “What Difference Does It Make?,” “Pretty Girls Make Graves” and “Handsome Devil” among other Smiths classics.

The second album is a tribute to the Smiths, recorded by various artists and first released on American Laundromat Records as Please Please Please: A Tribute to The Smiths in 2011. As one reviewer states (from the website American Songwriter) it’s “a somewhat obscure but skilled collection of artists draws out the dreariness of the ‘80s alt-rockers. Without the glitter, sexiness and flamboyancy of The Smiths’ sound, and the charm and slight arrogance of Morrissey’s voice, there’s nothing left but the wry, sometimes pitiful lyrics of a sensitive guy. And they sound downright heavy.” I’ve never heard of any of the artists on the tribute but for the most part they do a good job at interpreting The Smiths to what I suppose are their own styles. “There is a Light That Never Goes Out” (performed by Trespassers William) has a subtle alt-country vibe and is even more sad than the original. “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” by Chikita Violenta has a really cool shoegaze goes heavy electronica vibe, a completely different way of hearing that song. And Mike Viola & The Section Quartet’s version of “How Soon Is Now?” is really haunting, the music completely on strings: violin, cello, etc. and takes an amazing song (one of my favorites by The Smiths) and, while not making it better (that would be impossible), adds some lushness that only an orchestral arrangement can do. I’m on the fence about one of my other Smiths faves, “What Difference Does It Make” by Joy Zipper who have made the song really slow and somehow super-creepy and surreal, but I’m leaning toward liking it. I also quite like the noisy and dense interpretation of “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard this Before” by The Rest, who do an admirable job with Morrissey’s lyrical calisthenics. I’m not overly fond of Tanya Donnelly’s whispery vocals on “Shoplifters of the World Unite” but the acoustic guitar, violin solo and harmonies are alright (actually I think I have heard of Tanya Donnelly but I’ve never listened to her music). I don’t care for “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” by Dala at all, total yawn-fest, ie if I heard this at a coffee shop performance – its perfect venue – I’d be face-down snoring in my cappuccino.