The Smiths were one of the U.K.’s brightest pop acts of the ’80s, with singer Morrissey setting his witty and emotionally honest lyrics against Johnny Marr’s serpentine, arpeggiated guitar lines. This tribute smartly avoids trying to mimic the band’s singular charm, aiming to redefine the songs as if they’d always been part of each performer’s catalog. Trespassers William slow down “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” until it purrs with sweetness. Solvents turn “Is It Really So Strange” into a campfire clap-along. Elk City interprets “I Know It’s Over” as a skipping piece of Chamber pop. Belly’s Tanya Donelly finds an intimacy to “Shoplifters of the World Unite.” Kitten retains the firepower of “Panic” with a Eurodisco sound resembling Blondie. Greg Laswell sits at the piano for a dramatic take on “Half A Person.” William Fitzsimmons whispers the lullaby “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want,” and the legendary Wedding Present adds a muscular power to “Hand in Glove.” It’s a worthwhile tribute that reinvents the songs while retaining The Smiths‘ glorious spirit.
Praise for Please, Please, Please…
“An awesome cover-compilation!”
“Morrissey and his (charming) men get the sweet-and-tender treatment from alt-pop types, including Sixpence None the Richer and Mandy Moore pal Mike Viola, who classes up “How Soon Is Now?” with movie-score strings.”
“An outstanding and highly varied assortment of Smiths covers… listing every track’s merits would take too long — there’s hardly a dud among the two-disc set’s 20 tracks.”
CD Track List:
Panic – Kitten
Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before – The Rest
What Difference Does It Make? – Joy Zipper
Shoplifters of the World Unite – Tanya Donelly w/ Dylan in the Movies
Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want – William Fitzsimmons
I Won’t Share You – Sixpence None the Richer
Well I Wonder – Sara Lov
Half a Person – Greg Laswell
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me – Dala
Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others – Chikita Violenta
Sheila Take A Bow – Telekinesis
Is It Really So Strange? – Solvents
Hand In Glove – The Wedding Present
How Soon Is Now? – Mike Viola and The Section Quartet
There Is a Light That Never Goes Out – Trespassers William
Rubber Ring – Girl in a Coma
I Know It’s Over – Elk City
What She Said – Katy Goodman (La Sera, Vivian Girls)
London – Cinerama
Reel Around the Fountain – Doug Martsch (Built To Spill)
The Ltd Ed 7″ Bronze Colored Vinyl Single was pressed in collaboration with our good friends at Turntable Kitchen as part of their Sounds Delicious series. Only 525 bronze colored copies were pressed, of which we have 100. Side A features Kitten covering “Panic”, and Doug Martsch (Built To Spill) covering “Reel Around The Fountain.” Side B features Katy Goodman (La Sera) covering “What She Said”, and Girl in a Coma covering “Rubber Ring.”
The Fat Angel Sings 