Strangeways, Here We Come by The Smiths
But they can never taint you in my eyes / No, they can never touch you now
I’ve never been able to get into The Smiths. I remember them being really popular with the “cool kids” in college; the ones who scoffed at and ridiculed almost all the bands I was into. So, maybe my disdain for the closed-mindedness of fans of The Smiths colored my attitude toward them. Upon listening for the first time, I have to conclude that this record is quite good. Loaded with strong songwriting. Morrisey really does know how to craft a lyric. I’ll probably never be a fan of The Smiths, but I can appreciate the artistry of Johnny Marr and Morrisey.
My Rating:
In a retrospective review, PK White wrote, “Strangeways, Here We Come was a great and largely underappreciated record at a time when the alternative rock world was very malleable.” And, “The legacy of The Smiths lives on today in the indie world, and is not going anywhere anytime soon. Just as most of what The Smiths have released, the songs hold up today as strong as ever.”1
Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, “Strangeways is a graceful way to bow out. While it doesn't match The Queen Is Dead or The Smiths, it is far from embarrassing and offers a summation of the group's considerable strengths.”2
In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Chris Shade wrote:
“Although less highly regarded than their previous two albums, it remains a noble epitaph to one of Britain’s greatest bands.”3
Charts
• Peak on Billboard album chart: #554
• Singles on Billboard charts: no singles from this album made the Billboard Hot 100
• RIAA certification: Gold | September 19, 19905
Released on September 28, 1987. Here’s what else was happening:
Pop Culture
• Number one song: Didn't We Almost Have It All by Whitney Houston6
• Number one album: Bad by Michael Jackson7
• Number one movie: Fatal Attraction by Adrian Lyne8
• Most watched TV program: The Cosby Show9
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow10
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Spycatcher by Peter Wright with Paul Greengrass11
Other albums released that month
• A Momentary Lapse of Reason by Pink Floyd
• Actually by Pet Shop Boys
• The Last One to Know by Reba McEntire
• Hold Your Fire by Rush
• Go On... by Mr. Mister
• Crest of a Knave by Jethro Tull
• Together Again by The Temptations
• Primitive Cool by Mick Jagger
• Always Guaranteed by Cliff Richard
• Bridge of Spies by T'Pau
• Happy? by Public Image Ltd
• All Systems Go by Donna Summer
• Halfway to Sanity by Ramones
• Tiffany by Tiffany
• Visual Lies by Lizzy Borden
• London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. II by Frank Zappa
• Wonderful Life by Black
• Crazy Nights by Kiss
• Man of Colours by Icehouse
• The Hunger by Michael Bolton
• The Right Night & Barry White by Barry White
• Big Generator by Yes
• Come On Pilgrim by Pixies
• Hall of the Mountain King by Savatage
• Music for the Masses by Depeche Mode
• The Uplift Mofo Party Plan by Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Triumph and Agony by Warlock
• Contagious by Y&T
• Raising Fear by Armored Saint
• Rock You to Hell by Grim Reaper
• Babylon and On by Squeeze
• Vital Idol by Billy Idol
• Just Us by Alabama
• Poetic Champions Compose by Van Morrison
• Wildside by Loverboy
• Wow! by Bananarama12
Sport
• Sep 5 2nd World Championships in Athletics: Carl Lewis wins gold in Men's Long Jump.
• Sep 5 Carlton Fisk clubs his 300th career HR off Danny Jackson.
• Sep 9 MLB pitcher Nolan Ryan strikes out his 4,500th batter.
• Sep 13 US Open Women's Tennis: Martina Navratilova retains her title; beats Steffi Graf of Germany 7-6, 6-1.
• Sep 14 Cal Ripken Jr.'s record streak of 8,243 consecutive innings (908 games) is finally broken.
• Sep 14 US Open Men's Tennis: Czech star Ivan Lendl wins 3rd straight US title; beats Sweden's Mats Wilander 6-7, 6-0, 7-6, 6-4.
• Sep 16 Calif's Bob Boone catches record 1,919th major league game.
• Sep 18 Detroit first baseman Darrell Evans hits home run #30 off Bill Wegman in 5th inning of Tigers' 7-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers; first 40-year-old to hit 30 MLB HRs in a season.
• Sep 20 Chicago running back Walter Payton scores his NFL record 107th rushing touchdown in the Bears' 20-3 victory over Tampa Bay.
• Sep 20 San Francisco wide receiver Dwight Clark's NFL record streak of 105 consecutive games with a reception ends in 49ers 27-26 victory in Cincinnati.
• Sep 22 Boston Red Sox Wade Boggs ties AL record of 200 hits for 5 straight seasons.
• Sep 22 NFL players go on strike for 24 days (2nd regular-season strike).
• Sep 26 Padres Benito Santiago sets rookie hitting streak to 28 games.
• Sep 27 Ryder Cup Golf, Muirfield Village GC: Europe beats US, 15-13; after 13-0 unbeaten record spanning 60 years, US loses for first time on home soil.
• Sep 29 New York Yankees Don Mattingly hits record 6th grand slam of year.13
Notable Births
• Sep 2 Spencer Smith, American rock drummer (Panic! at the Disco), born in Denver, Colorado.
• Sep 7 Evan Rachel Wood, American actress (Thirteen; Westworld), born in Raleigh, North Carolina.
• Sep 19 Danielle Panabaker, American actress (Stuck in the Suburbs), born in Augusta, Georgia.
• Sep 20 Jack Lawless, American drummer (Jonas Brothers), born in Middletown Township, New Jersey.
• Sep 22 Tom Felton, English Actor (Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter films), born in Epsom, England.
• Sep 28 Hilary Duff, American actress and singer (Lizzie McGuire), born in Houston, Texas.14
Historical Events
• Sep 2 Philips introduces CD-video.
• Sep 6 Conjoined twins Benjamin & Patrick Binder separated at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
• Sep 9 Gary Hart admits on "Nightline" to cheating on his wife.
• Sep 11 4th MTV Video Music Awards: Peter Gabriel wins (many times).
• Sep 15 Pope John Paul II arrives in Los Angeles for a two-day papal visit.
• Sep 17 Philadelphia celebrates 200th anniversary of Constitution.
• Sep 17 Pope John Paul II arrives in San Francisco, meets with AIDS patients, and embraces an AIDS infected child.
• Sep 18 US & USSR sign accord to remove mid range missiles.
• Sep 19 12th Toronto International Film Festival: "The Princess Bride" directed by Rob Reiner wins the People's Choice Award.
• Sep 19 Farm Aid III held in Lincoln, Nebraska.
• Sep 20 39th Emmy Awards: LA Law, Bruce Willis & Sharon Gless win.
• Sep 22 Dow-Jones index rises record 75.23 points.
• Sep 25 Major General Sitiveni Rabuka stages a second Fijian coup and declares Fiji a republic.
• Sep 28 "Star Trek: The Next Generation," starring Patrick Stewart debuts on syndicated TV.15
Notable Deaths
• Sep 5 Quinn Martin [Irwin Martin Cohn], American television producer (The Fugitive; Cannon; The Streets of San Francisco; Barnaby Jones), dies of a heart attack at 65.
• Sep 11 Lorne Greene [Lyon Chaim Green], Canadian actor (Bonanza - "Ben Cartwright"; Battlestar Galactica), dies of pneumonia following heart surgery at 72.
• Sep 11 Peter Tosh [Winston Hubert McIntosh], Jamaican reggae musician (The Wailers -"Get Up Stand Up"; "Mystic Man"; "Legalize It"), shot dead at his home in Jamaica at 42.
• Sep 12 John Qualen, Canadian actor (Casablanca, The Grapes of Wrath, The Searchers), dies at 87.
• Sep 21 Jaco Pastorius, American jazz-fusion musician and bass guitarist (Weather Report; Joni Mitchell; Word of Mouth), dies from injuries sustained in a bar fight at 35.
• Sep 22 Dan Rowan, American comedian (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), dies at 65.
• Sep 23 Bob Fosse, American choreographer, film and stage director (All the Jazz, Cabaret, Damn Yankees), dies of a heart attack at 62.
• Sep 25 Mary Astor, American Academy Award-winning actress (The Great Lie; Meet Me In St Louis; The Maltese Falcon), dies of emphysema at 81.
• Sep 29 Henry Ford II, American automotive industry businessman, grandson of Henry Ford, and son of Edsel Ford (Ford Motor Company President, 1945-60 and CEO, 1947-79), dies of pneumonia at 70.16
Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!
All the videos: You're Welcome 114; Strangeways, Here We Come by The Smiths
Prime: 114. Strangeways, Here We Come by The Smiths
Shade Chris; 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die; ed by Robert Dimmery; p. 573.
Ibid.