"Strangeways, Here We Come" was the fourth and final studio album by The Smiths, and was released after the group had disbanded. I purchased it shortly after it came out, and the sticker shows I paid £5.49.
Although I thought there wasn't a bad song on the album, I didn't think it was nearly as good as either "The Queen Is Dead" or "Meat Is Murder". That said I really liked the two slow, gloomy ballads, "Girlfriend In A Coma" and "I Won't Share You, which are still two of my all time favourite The Smiths' songs. However, looking at the tracklisting now, the only other song I could remember was "A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours".
Side one opens with "A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours" which is piano driven and has a jaunty beat that is almost a tango. Morrissey produces an impressive growl before singing the chorus and interestingly it is a rare Smith's song without any guitar. "A rush and a push and the land that we stand on is ours. It has been before and it will be again".
" I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" begins with glam rock guitar, bass and drums similiar to "Panic". There are more growling vocals, saxophone and handclaps."Hair brushed and parted, typical me, typical me, typical me. I started something and now I'm not so sure."
"Death Of A Disco Dancer" is very slow and the guitar playing reminded me of The Beatles' "Dear Prudence". It has a long outro with synthesizer and rinky-dinky piano, heavy drumming and menacing guitars.
The tempo changes with the brilliant "Girlfriend In A Coma" which has a great bass intro, some pleasant plucked guitar, and big strings for the chorus. The music is gloriously upbeat despite the subject material and the lyrics are suitably cryptic in that the singer is either a genuinely concerned loving boyfriend, or an abusive one who put her in the coma and is about to finish her off. "There were times when I could have murdered her, but you know I would hate anything to happen to her" & "Do you really think she'll pull through, let me whisper my last goodbyes I know its serious".
The upbeat "Stop Me If You Think You Have Heard This Before" has a rare but short guitar solo at the end the end. "And so I drank one, it became four. And when I fell on the floor it became more".
Side two begins with crowd noises over a sad piano for the two minute intro of "Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me". Its a low-paced string-driven ballad about loneliness that drips emotion, and lyrically feels similar to "I Know It's Over".
"Unhappy Birthday" has a toe-tapping beat in the vein of "Frankly, Mr Shankly" with a lively bass and strummed acoustic guitar. "I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday, because your evil and you lie. And if you should die I might feel slightly sad but I won't cry"..."From the one you left behind".
"Paint A Vulgar Picture" has a jangly upbeat guitar and a whimiscal solo but the song is a cynical view on a record label's explotation of the death of one their stars. Ironically one of the major topics that Morrissey brings up here is the repackaging of old material and selling it off to make more money off the fans, something The Smiths became renowned for doing after their split ! "At the record company meeting, on their hands a dead star. And, oh, the plans they weave. An, oh, the sickening greed".
"Death At One's Elbow" is the only rockabilly track on the album, with more great bass, harmonica and train-like drumming. "Oh Glenn, don't come to the house tonight".
"I Won't Share You" is a beautiful song to end the album and as a sign-off for The Smiths, with just a gentle lyre, sounding a lot like an acoustic guitar, and the vocal, which is one of Morrissey's finest. There is a hint of harmonica right at the death, "Has the Perrier gone straight to my head, or is life sick and cruel instead ? Yes ! No, no, no, no, no, no".
Overall, "Strangeways, Here We Come" sounded much better than I was expecting but remains my least favourite of the their four studio albums.
Track Listing :
Side One :
1. A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours
2. I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
3. Death Of A Disco Dancer
4. Girlfriend In A Coma
5. Stop Me If You Think You Have Heard This Before
1. Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me
2. Unhappy Birthday
3. Paint A Vulgar Picture
4. Death At One's Elbow
5. I Won't Share You
Released 1987
UK Chart Position : 2
Singles :
Girlfriend In A Coma ( No 13 - 1987 )
I Started Something I Couldn't Finish ( No 23 - 1987 )
Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me ( No 30 - 1987 )
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