SummersRadio™ Music News! The Smiths! Part 1!

SummersRadio™ Music News! The Smiths - 'Paint A Vulgar Picture' Rhino Records in the U.K. has just announced that they're releasing three new limited edition Smiths boxed sets in October! The compilation is appropriately titled 'The Smiths Complete' and is released in the U.K. on October 3rd. It comes in three formats - a vinyl boxed set, a cd set, and a 'Deluxe Collector's Boxset' which combines both the vinyl and cd editions plus some more goodies.

Before I delve into further details I'm instantly reminded of one of my favorite Smiths songs - 'Paint A Vulgar Picture' from their 'Strangeways, Here We Come' album - which was their fourth and final studio album released in 1987. If you're not familiar the song it's a brilliant, brutally honest look at the music industry and how it keeps 'dead stars' alive. While all the members of The Smiths are alive and well - as is their music and it's influence - the fact is that the band hasn't recorded or performed together for 24 years! But then it is the music itself - and their fans - with some help from the record companies - that keeps them alive.

Allow me to quote a few lyrics from 'Paint A Vulgar Picture'...

"Re-issue ! Re-package ! Re-package !
Re-evaluate the songs
Double-pack with a photograph
Extra Track (and a tacky badge)"...

"Best of ! Most of !
Satiate the need
Slip them into different sleeves !
Buy both, and feel deceived"

And here is the full song in all its ironic glory - featuring a fan video collection of photographs. I love it when Morrissey croaks about 5:05 in... Enjoy!



And now onto the details of those boxed sets released on October 3rd - here's a blurb about their general contents:

'Rhino Records UK is proud to present ‘Complete’, eight albums by The Smiths lovingly reworked by Johnny Marr and Rhino UK and packaged together for the first time - the ultimate The Smiths remasters collection.

The collection includes all four of the band's studio albums – ‘The Smiths’ (1984), ‘Meat Is Murder’ (1985), ‘The Queen Is Dead’ (1986), ‘Strangeways, Here We Come’ (1987) and their sole live album ‘Rank’ (1988) as well as firm fan favourite compilations ‘Hatful Of Hollow’ (1984), ‘The World Won’t Listen’ (1987) and ‘Louder Than Bombs’ (1987). Each has been taken back to original tape sources and remastered by master-engineer Frank Arkwright, assisted by Johnny Marr at the world famous Metropolis Studios in London.'

This is the cover art:

This is what's included in the limited edtion vinyl boxed set version of 'The Smiths Complete':

- 8 x Vinyl LP (5 singles, 3 doubles)
- 12" booklet feat. expanded liner notes
- 36" x 24" Poster of cover artwork

And here's what you get in the limited edition cd boxed set:

- 8 x CD albums (Mini vinyl LP replicas)
- All albums newly remastered for 2011 by Johnny Marr
- Housed in a clamshell box
- New Liner notes

More details of the 'Deluxe Collector's Box Set' to come in Part 2!

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