The Smiths added a few excellent singles to the import collection Hatful of Hollow (“William, It Was Really Nothing,” “How Soon Is Now”), with a first few glimmers of wit. Morrissey sings, “You’ve been in the house too long, she said/And I naturally fled,” probably the first time he... 

 The Smiths’ debut was an instant sensation, thanks to gems like “Reel Around the Fountain” and “This Charming Man.” Tonally and emotionally, it’s a little skimpy, with Morrissey chasing tropes such as “dig a shallow grave and I’ll lay me down” over Marr’s thin guitar jangle. B... 

 Meat Is Murder was tuneless cow-humping self-parody, hammering away at the lyrical messages: meat is murder, love is larceny, girls are gruesome, etc. Fans sadly figured that the Smiths had moped their last mope.  

 So it may be hard for latter-day Smiths fans to appreciate how shocking The Queen Is Dead was in the summer of 1986. Johnny Marr suddenly discovered that he was born to rock, while Morrissey turned into rock’s dishiest wit, playing around with rough boys in cemeteries and “writing” poetry d... 

 The Smiths were on a truly historic roll by now, dropping unbelievably great singles and b-sides faster than fans could absorb them. “Half a Person” may be their most moving song, as Morrissey leaves his humdrum town and runs away to London, where he volunteers to be a backscrubber at the YWC... 

 Morrissey and Marr severed their alliance during the making of Strangeways, and the band broke up just as it was released. It drags quite a bit, though there are still some great songs, especially the one that begins “Last night I dreamt that somebody loved me” and the one that begins “I’... 

 Rank is a live album memorable for a strange rendition of Elvis Presley’s “Marie’s The Name (His Latest Flame).”  

 The Sound of the Smiths, which was overseen by Marr and Morrissey, is available in a single-disc version (which collects everything from Singles and adds five cuts) as well as a deluxe version, with a second disc that includes album tracks, b-sides and rarities. But you’d probably be better off...