The Smiths- Louder Than Bombs (1987) MP3 & FLAC

"Because the music that they constantly play, it says nothing to me about my life."

Louder Than Bombs, originally a U.S.-only hodgepodge of stray singles, b-sides, Peel sessions, and tracks culled from both The Smiths' debut and the UK-only compilation, Hatful of Hollow, is an unwieldy, unfocused, and still somehow mostly brilliant reminder of how peerless The Smiths were in their mid-eighties heyday. The album's true riches are the singles (and their b-sides) that were not included on The Smiths' four studio albums. Chief among these is "Shoplifters of the World Unite," a bludgeoning, lo-fi paean to stepping out of the closet, which features a seductively glum vocal from Morrissey and some nice multi-layered guitar work from Johnny Marr. The b-side of this single, the brilliant "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby," while being one of the most traditionally structured rock songs The Smiths ever recorded, is a wonderfully acerbic send-up of a record exec's dismissive attitude toward promoting the band. Louder Than Bombs' finest moment is arguably "Panic," a sarcastic yet sincere indictment of the banality of commercial radio, complete with a children's chorus chanting "Hang the DJ!"  If not the finest moment in The Smith's justly legendary discography, Louder Than Bombs is no less essential for it.

The Smiths- S/T (1984) MP3 & FLAC -For Jo Jo-

"It's time the tale were told of how you took a child and you made him old."

Simply put, The Smiths were the most important band of the eighties, and there is no better place to find out why than their eponymous debut, a raw and intensely beautiful album that brilliantly combines highly melodic guitar-pop with many of the hallmarks of the Post-Punk movement. The Smiths had initially recorded many of these tracks with Troy Tate (former guitarist for The Teardrop Explodes) in the production seat, but were convinced by John Porter, who had production credits with Japan and Roxy Music, that the sessions were unsalvageable. Under the auspices of Porter, The Smiths proceeded to record a stunner that would signal a sea change on the British music scene. The Smiths is nothing if not doggedly unconventional, and I can remember hearing "What Difference Does It Make?" for the first time back in 1984, thinking how strange Morrissey's disaffected vocals and Johnny Marr's charging guitar sounded in amongst all the synth-pop pablum dominating alt-rock radio in those days. From Marr's inventive song-structures to Morrissey's distinctive croon to the strangely literate lyrics to the band's unblinking willingness to explore the darkest recesses of alienation, The Smiths were simultaneously the crowning achievement of British Post-Punk and the harbinger of its demise. An absolute classic.

The Smiths- "Panic" Video (1986)

An eloquent diatribe on the fluff that passes for mainstream music, then and now. More Smiths to come...