Comparing this new version by Johnny Marr to the original version by Depeche Mode, which one do you think is better?
My opinion: Although I think this is one Marr's best vocal performances, David Gahan easily wins for best singing. However, I think the guitar and overall rhythm are a little better in this new version, so overall, I may like it the best.
What do you think?
I like the original better, but this one was ok. I think the vocals are better in original and the bridge. Also the original has some other beats going on that make the guitar rift not seem so repetitive to me.
ReplyDeleteI had a bad experience with Depeche Mode once and ever since then I can't stand their sound, so Johnny Marr wins for me.
ReplyDeleteKristi, yes I think it was this very song that was our bad concert experience, so that also sways my preference towards Johnny Marr's version. Kevin you make a good point about the DM version having a more complex production with more variety of sounds. It sounds to me like this version is intentionally making the main riff even more simple and repetitive, which could be interpreted as either more boring or more direct depending on preference.
ReplyDeleteThis version is being released on 7" vinyl with a live version of "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" (with Marr also singing of course, not Morrissey - they have never performed together since The Smiths' last concert) on the b-side for Record Store Day on April 18.
Depeche Mode wins, in my opinion. It may just be history for me, but I found the vocals and guitar less interesting for the new version.
ReplyDeleteI agree the Depeche Mode version remains the definative one. I have been on a real Johnny Marr listening kick lately, getting out all my old Electronic stuff. At the used cd store, I recently found two exciting Electronic releases I didn't have - the cd single of "Feel Every Beat", which has two great b-sides, "Lean To The Inside", which is a cool instrumental, and "Second To None", which is actually one of the best tracks Electronic ever made in my opinion. I also found a copy of the U.S. release of Twisted Tenderness which, unlike my UK import copy, included two extra b-sides "King For A Day" and "Warning Sign". I really like "Warning Sign". BTW, if anyone would like my old import cd copy that doesn't have the bonus tracks, let me know before I trade it in and I'll give it to you.
ReplyDeleteMark, I would take your old one. Do you want to sell it?
ReplyDeleteBrian, I will give it to you.
ReplyDeleteI have also been listening a lot to The Smiths, which of course is still Johnny Marr's best work. I have the Complete cd box with their 4 studio albums, 3 compilation albums that overlap each other a lot (Hatful of Hollow, The World Won't Listen, and Louder Than Bombs) and the live album Rank. I have been listening to it a lot lately, and the remastered cd's sound very good. I think the first self-titled album particularly is much better on the newer cd than it was on older versions. But, I have also realized how the title of this set is very misleading, as it is actually very incomplete in terms of collecting all of their work that was officially released. Here is a list of things that are missing:
ReplyDeleteHandsome Devil (live at the Hacienda) - b-side of Hand In Glove
Jeane - b-side of This Charming Man
Wonderful Woman - b-side of This Charming Man
Accept Yourself - b-side of This Charming Man (the David Jensen radio session version is on Hatful of Hollow, but not the original b-side studio version)
4 live tracks that were in the 12" single of That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore (Nowhere Fast, Stretch Out And Wait, Shakespeare's Sister, & Meat Is Murder)
The Draize Train - b-side of Panic (live version is on Rank)
Work Is A Four Letter Word - b-side of Girlfriend In A Coma (Cila Black cover)
I Keep Mine Hidden - b-side of Girlfriend In A Coma
Pretty Girls Make Graves Troy Tate version - b-side of I Started Something
Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others live - b-side of I Started Something
Rusholme Ruffians Peel session - b-side of Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me
Nowhere Fast Peel session - b-side of Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me
William It Was Really Nothing Peel session - b-side of Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me
Miserable Lie Peel session - included on The Peel Sessions cd (The other 3 Peel sessions tracks from this cd were all already on Hatful of Hollow)
I have been trying to track down cd versions of as many of these as I can to make my collection truly complete. I have managed to find a lot of these tracks for a reasonable price on various singles or collections that were released after the band broke up, but some are very expensive. For example, the cd single of Panic which is the only non-bootleg release to contain the studio version of The Draize Train on cd seems to cost at least $50 or so, which I'm not willing to pay for one track (and I you can find that track on iTunes version of Complete for $1.29, which I bought, but that is not cd quality of course).
Oh, I also forgot to list the London and New York versions of This Charming Man as songs not in the Complete cd box set. I really like both of these versions, though I would say the Manchester version, which appears on their debut album, is the best. The London version was the first version they recorded, but then didn't like it so re-recorded it, but the original 12" single also included the first version. The New York version is a remix, which Morrissey and Marr both were opposed to at the time, but which is actually pretty cool. Luckily the New York version appears on the deluxe 2cd version of the 2008 The Sound Of The Smiths collection, and all versions (including the radio session version from Hatful Of Hollow and an instrumental version of the New York remix) are found on the 1992 re-issue cd of This Charming Man, and versions of that release are pretty easy to track down on eBay. The 1992 cd re-issue single is also the cheapest way to get the studio version of Accept Yourself. The only other way I know to find that track is to buy a copy of the 2009 cd singles box that contains their first 10 singles with all b-sides. That box is also the only way I know to get the live b-sides of That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore on cd, but I haven't purchased a copy of that box because it goes for around $80 and I already have most of the other tracks. It would be cool just for the original artwork on each single though.
ReplyDeleteSo, for a total of about $48 including shipping, I've managed to order cd's from Amazon and Ebay that give me all of tracks mentioned above except for the following:
ReplyDelete3 of the live tracks from That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore 12" - Nowhere Fast, Stretch Out And Wait, and Shakespeare's Sister. Available for $85 in 2009 singles cd box from 3rd parties on Amazon. 12" vinyl can be found on Amazon or Ebay for $30 or so.
The Draize Train - available for $50-$60 on Panic cd single from Amazon or Ebay (But I do have an iTunes download of this)
Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others live - I can't find the any cd singles of I Started Something I Couldn't Finish for sale anywhere, but I have to say I don't really care much about this one anyway. 12" Vinyl copies can be found on Ebay for $30 - $60.
Miserable Lie (Peel Session version). Available on Peel Sessions cd from 3rd party on Amazon for $11, but I've listened on YouTube and I do want this track, but I'm not ready to pay $11 just for this.
There are several other BBC session tracks that have never been released officially but that can be found on bootleg cd's and streamed on YouTube. I wish that they would release an official BBC sessions cd that collected all the performances from Hatful Of Hollow and the Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me single, plus Miserable Lie, plus all the others that have never had an official release. That would be nice.