The actual covers of Smiths songs are crap, a travesty of the originals. But the artwork is pretty nice I think, alot better than Morrissey's current Quarry sleeves.

I'm looking forward to this - I've heard a bit about it recently. Aside from Morrissey I've always been a punk fan and our whole community of friends and bands near me is big into their emo and punk (although less their Morrissey - meh), so it should be interesting. And I think the Hundred Reasons cover of How Soon Is Now? is also one of the b-sides to their latest single, unless I'm mistaken. On the other hand, I've heard nothing of it yet, and it could turn out to be pants. If anyone does could they send in some opinions?

I hate when Emo bands cover Moz/Smiths songs, they just scream into the mic and absolutely butcher classics :( I think I've heard about 8 good covers of Moz/The Smiths in my time, including:

Low - Last night I dreamt...
The Lucksmitsh - There is a light..
Barenaked Ladies - Still Ill
Grant Lee Phillips - Every day is like Sunday
The Killers - Why don't you find out for yourself?
Moses - Shakespears Sister
Jeff Buckley - Boy with a thorn in his side/I know it's over

crap bands of the world unite.

Of all the tribute type covers of Smiths songs, my favourite is "Back To The Old House" by Lament on "The World Still Won't Listen", which also has a cracking cover of "Panic" by the Business. Most of the other covers I've heard miss by a country mile, IMHO.

I already bought the Hundred Reasons How Soon Is Now on blue vinyl in HMV in Manchester. I also bought the album on the internet through Amazon. The songs while being a long way short of being as good as the Smiths versions are still interesting . The versions are of course quite punky but still good. The artwork for the single is the same as the album and puts the re-released singles and Best of albums to shame. The art is very much in keeping with the original Smiths concepts. Worth a look but not near as good as the Queen Is Dead tribute album.

Is good if you are into these kind of bands. I already got it and just didn't like it.

MRT

This seems like the sort of thing we should rush out and buy but the truth is there's been too many Smiths cash-ins, some not even by members of the band, and having heard Hundred Reasons version of How Soon Is Now (released the same day as Let Me Kiss You according to my local HMV) that I'll be avoiding this release, as I'm sure the majority will.

God! Emo is such a J O K E!!! how dare these awful bands defile the art of music gods....ugh, this makes me sick. emo kids need to stop claiming Smiths' influence, frankly, they no nothing and show nothing for it.

I hope it is already sold here... and how much would it cost anyway?
This is a good gift to your friends to introduce the band, and after they heard this compilation, give them the Queen is Dead or the best... then, wait until they realized how great the band was....

...what the hell is emo?

these shitty compilations with unheard of emo bands jumping on the smiths bandwagon must stop.

my opinion is that no one should illegally download this new compilation because i have already given this a listen and it's not worth owning, even for free.

ive never heard of any of these bands.hmmmm.

if anyone has a version of 'how soon is now' by ''love spit love'' as used on the 'charmed' soundtrack PLEASE could they mail me the mp3 of it. would make my day.
i think its excellent.

The version of 'Bigmouth Strikes Again' by Read Yellow and Hundred Reasons of 'How Soon Is Now?', are the only decent covers on this album.

ok, we know you guys are sensitive but like to rock but stop butchering great songs! The version of Ask is good though

Look, covers aren't intended to contribute something great to the world, they are just musicians indulging themselves.. playing the music that inspired them to play in the first place. There are exceptions of course, sometimes a cover has been more successful and perhaps even greater than its original.

Some covers are plainly bland, uncreative and blasphemous but imitation is always done in art. What I think is interesting is the way that the songs are approached. Some are very faithful, yet some are completely unrelated and stylisitically distinct from the original recording..

Either way, the music has been an influence. You can't dismiss bands from wanting to play covers or stop it from happening altogether. How creatively limiting would that be??

2 things:

1) These bands are not emo. Rites of Spring and Native Nod = emo. Cursive = not emo.
Calling these bands emo is analogous to calling bands like Good Charlotte punk... it might be the common conception, but it's just not true.

2) Walter Walter(now known as Walking Concert) is a great band. I saw them last week and they were excellent, as is their new album Run To Be Born. I can't wait to hear their version of Ask.

that album called The Smiths Are Dead came out? That was awful, all of it. Brian Molko doing Bigmouth was heartbreaking, the acoustic intro to it sounded like a twelve year old playing Marr's beautiful riff, all flat and bum notes all over the place. In one sense these type of tribute albums do serve one purpose, which is to illustrate how technically inept and shite these bands are.

why are people covering the smiths? the smiths just shouldn't be covered...ever. right?