the smiths are a tough one -
growing up people either loved them (and i mean LOVED) or loathed them (and i mean LOATHED...).
i think the hardest thing to 'get' is morrissey - his voice is one of a kind, and it either soothes you or grates on you. and his lyrics are pretty melodramatic. WAY over the top.
initially i hated them, but over the years i've come to really, really like them. the music in every song - EVERY song - is always spot on. johnny marr did some amazing things with the guitar, frantic rhythms, loads and loads and loads of hooks and melodies. the rhythm section was great, too (don't recall their names off hand). at any rate, the music was always produced magnificently, and i do think that they were (and always will be) one of the seminal bands to emerge from the ashes of new wave and into the first wave of 'alternative' music. straight up pop/rock music. they had fast songs and ballads, kept most of it in the 3 minute range, and consistently delivered their goods for their entire career. what did they SOUND like? i guess a reasonable comparison would be early REM - same type of instruments as on 'murmur', but a voice that was way, way different.
i agree that 'the queen is dead' is probably their masterpiece - especially the songs 'the boy with the thorn in his side', 'cemetery gates', and 'frankly mr. shankly'. and let's not forget 'there is a light that never goes out'.
if you'd rather check out a compilation, there are a few that do a reasonable job as introductions - 'louder than bombs' is great for this, and the collection 'singles' gets a lot of what that misses.
songs to track down (my 2 cents)
the ones i already mentioned
'this charmless man' (awesome)
'girlfriend in a coma'
'london'
'ask'
'is it really so strange?' (kind of a gay cowboy vibe going on here)
'panic' - i wouldn't be surprised if you recognized this song, it's been around
certainly worth looking into if you've never heard any.
same with me.
