The Smiths: Every Album Ranked Worst To Best

5. The Smiths

The band’s first album is by no means a bad record - in fact, it’s very good indeed, one of the most assured debuts of the decade. So while this may seem like a lowly placing, we’re judging on a curve here, and compared to some of the rest of the catalogue, it drops points for a slightly stodgy pacing as well as the lack of variety found on the rest of the group’s releases.

Unusual for a debut particularly, The Smiths stacks most of its best tracks on the second side. After a bit of a languorous period, the album reaches its arguable peak three quarters of the way through - “What Difference Does It Make” is a much needed bolt of energy with one of Marr’s finest riffs and a charismatic performance from Morrissey.

Opener “Reel Around The Fountain”, while a great song, is a bit of a ponderous start to the record, and the succession of mid tempo tracks that follow makes The Smiths less immediate than the rest of the band’s work.

Loads of great songs here - “Hand In Glove” is another bonafide classic - but the band’s willingness to mix styles and genre later on means this album, while admirably cohesive, is the least engaging of the bunch.