Strangeways, Here We Come

In 1987, the Smiths released their final studio album, Strangeways, Here We Come. Named for a Manchester prison, the A-Side of the album is regarded as superb while the B-side is maligned as evidence of the breakdown within the group.

A-Side

The album starts off with the sublime "A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours," one of the few Smiths songs to feature no guitar. The track maintains the quality "The Queen Is Dead," the opening track on the last Smiths studio album.

The second track is the guitar-laden "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish," a single which hit #23 in the UK. Both it and the first track feature some strange new glottal growling from Morrissey, which would appear again on his solo song "Hairdresser on Fire" and then never be heard from again.

"Death of a Disco Dancer," ostensibly about AIDS, is both uncharacteristic of the Smiths and pleasantly surprising. The first half of the song is filled with bass and is extremely subdued for a Smiths song. The second half features Morrissey on piano and a riveting drum solo from Mike Joyce.

Track four, "Girlfriend in a Coma," is a tongue-in-cheek song that clocks in at a mere two minutes and two seconds. Though 'lightweight,' the song is extremely catchy and features some excellent guitar work from Johnny Marr. Because of this, it was able to reach #13 in the UK.

The fifth track is the excellent "Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before." A classic Smiths song, it is both quite funny and musically compelling.

B-Side

The B-Side of the album represents a dramatic, mostly negative change in terms of quality and style.

"Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" commences with two minutes of noise from a riot with intermittent piano chords. It the develops into an emotional and powerful song, which when released hit #30 in the United Kingdom.

This is followed by the largely by the books "Unhappy Birthday."

Next comes "Paint a Vulgar Picture," the standout track from the B-Side. Telling the story of a record company's attempt to make money off a dead star and a fan's reaction, it became ironic in the wake of multiple 'Best of' Smiths CDs being issued.

"Death at One's Elbow," though jangly, is musically bleak and repetitive and lyrically lacking.

The album concludes with the touching "I Won't Share You," a simple song featuring only vocals and acoustic guitar that is a fitting close to the career of the Smiths.