A friend of mine from college was really into The Smiths when they started out, and I was so blown away by how brilliant the single "This Charming Man" was, that I rushed out and bought it !
Whilst I liked the subsequent singles, it was only when their third album, "The Queen Is Dead" was released that I started buying The Smiths' records again. I only purchased the debut album "The Smiths" on CD in the mid-1990s, instead preferring to buy the "Hatful Of Hollow" compliation album, which contained different versions of some of the songs previously released on the debut album, or as singles or B-sides, mostly coming from studio sessions recorded for John Peel or David "Kid" Jensen. The sticker on the cover shows I paid £3.49 in Our Price Records.
I thought this album was terrific, and having heard these versions first, preferred them to the more polished versions when I subsequently heard them !
Several of my other friends thought, like The Cure, The Smiths were depressing, but I really liked the joyous music, especially the guitar playing of Johnny Marr, which more than compensated for Morissey's often monotone crooning, with the occasion falsetto.
Side One opens with the non-album single "William, It Was Really Nothing". Despite the uplifting guitar playing it is one of their most insubstantial songs. "Would you like to marry me, and if you like you can buy a ring. I don't dream about anyone - except myself !"
"What Difference Does It Make ?" is taken from the Peel session rather than the single version included on "The Smiths". There is a menacing guitar line and the song is quite dark, but it is one of my favourites. "The devil will find work for idle hands to do. I stole and I lied, and why? Because you asked me to. But now you make me feel so ashamed, because I've only got two hands. Well, I'm still fond of you, oh-ho-oh".
"These Things Take Time" is from the Jenson session rather than the B-side to "What Difference Does It Make ?". It is a fast paced number but the chorus is melodic. "These things take time, I know that I'm the most inept that ever stepped", and "I'm spellbound, but a woman divides. And the hills arе alive with celibate cries".
"This Charming Man" is from a Peel session and lacks the blistering guitar intro on the single, instead being driven by Rourke's bass lines. With a slower tempo it has an almost motown or country-rock feel to it. I love both versions ! "I would go out tonight but I haven't got a stitch to wear. This man said, "It's gruеsome that someone so handsome should care".
"How Soon Is Now ?" was originally the B-Side to "William It Was Really Nothing" but was later re-released in its own right and became one of their most popular songs. Personally it is probably my least favourite of all of their catelogue. It is dominated by a Bo Diddley/Hamilton Bohannon riff and features a slide guitar.
"Handsome Devil" is from a Peel session rather than the live version on the B-side to "Hand In Glove". It's perhaps the most punkish song from The Smiths with some of their sharpest lyrics. "Let me get my hands on your mammary glands, and let me get your head on the conjugal bed", "And when we're in your scholarly room, who will swallow whom", and "a boy in the bush is worth two in the hand, I think I can help you get through your exams".
"Hand In Glove" is the original single version rather than the re-recorded effort on "The Smiths". The guitar fades in before a harmonica intro. The song was later recorded with Sandie Shaw backed by The Smiths and reached number 27 in the UK Charts. "Hand in glove, the sun shines out of our behinds. Yes, we may be hidden by rags but we've something they'll never have".
"Still Ill" is another from a Peel session rather than "The Smiths". It opens and closes with some R&B harmonica, but overall is a more gentle version than on the studio album. "Under the iron bridge we kissed, and although I ended up with sore lips. It just wasn't like the old days anymore. No, it wasn't like those days. Am I still ill ?", "Does the body rule the mind? Or does the mind rule the body? I dunno".
"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" is the non-album single. It is probably the song that did the most to give the band a reputation for being a miserable bunch, but those with that view are totally missing the inspiring music alongside Morissey's mournful vocal ! The outro is particularly beautiful. "What she asked of me Caligula would have blushed. Oh you've been in the house too long, so I naturally fled".
"This Night Has Opened My Eyes" is another song from a Peel session but had not been previously available anywhere. Slow and sad, there are tender guitar and bass lines. "The dream has gone but the baby is real. Oh, you did a good thing. She could have been a poet or she could have been a fool. Oh, you did a bad thing. I'm not happy and I'm not sad"
"You've Got Everything Now" is from the Jensen session rather than the re-recording for "The Smiths". A mid paced stomp with some Morrisey falsetto here and there. "As merry as the days were long, I am right and you were wrong. Back at the old grey school, I would win and you would lose" and "No, I've never had a job because I've never wanted one. I've seen you smile, but I've never heard you laugh. So who is rich and who is poor? I cannot say, oh"
"Accept Yourself" is another song from the Jensen session rather than the B-side of 12 inch single version of "This Charming Man". It has a jerky R&B riff but the melody is probably the weakest on the album and "Girl Afraid" is the B-side of "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" and is a lightweight up tempo toe-tapper.
"Back To The Old House" is from a Peel session rather than the B-side of "What Difference Does It Make" and has just a gentle acoustic guitar and a tender vocal. "When you cycled by, here began all my dreams. The saddest thing I've ever seen, and you never knew, how much I really liked you. Because I never even told you. Oh, and I meant to. Are you still there, or have you moved away?
"Reel Around The Fountain" is from a Peel session rather than the version on "The Smiths" and lacks the piano played by Paul Carrick so the drumming is more prominent. But either way it remains a classic and I love the big finish. "Fifteen minutes with you. Well, I wouldn't say no. Oh, people said that you were virtually dead. And they were so wrong" and "I dreamt about you last night, and I fell out of bed twice. You can pin and mount me like a butterfly, but "Take me to the haven of your bed" was something that you never said"
"Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" is the B-side if "William It Was Really Nothing". It is another song with just acoustic guitar and vocal until a mandolin instrumental outro. It is short at under two minutes, but is quite beautiful. It was later covered by Dream Academy and was a minor hit for them
Overall, "Hatful Of Hollow" remains an outstanding album, and is a good introduction to The Smiths.
Track Listing :
Side One :
1. William, It Was Really Nothing
2. What Difference Does It Make ?
3. These Things Take Time
4. This Charming Man
5. How Soon Is Now ?
6. Handsome Devil
7. Hand In Glove
8. Still Ill
1. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
2. This Night Has Opened My Eyes
3. You've Got Everything Now
4. Accept Yourself
5. Girl Afraid
6. Back To The Old House
7. Reel Around The Fountain
8. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
Released : 1984
UK Chart Position : 7
Singles :
Hand In Glove ( - 1983 )
This Charming Man ( No 25 - 1983 )
What Difference Does It Make ? ( No 12 - 1984 )
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now ( No 10 - 1984 )
William, It Was Really Nothing ( No 17 - 1984 )
How Soon Is Now ( No 24 - 1985 )
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