It took a long time, but The Smiths fans finally get what they have been waiting for – the ULTIMATE, DEFINITIVE collection of the band’s beautiful music. Complete, on Rhino Records, includes all four of The Smiths’ studio albums – The Smiths, Meat Is Murder, The Queen Is Dead, Strangeways, Here We Come as well as its live album (Rank) and compilations (Hatful Of Hollow, The World Won’t Listen, Louder Than Bombs). Johnny Marr alongside Frankwright aka “England’s greatest mastering and remastering engineer for contemporary rock music” remastered every single track (110 in all) from original source tapes at the famed Metropolis Studios in London. As a result, the boxset, without doubt, offers the best-sounding studio songs, b-sides, and etc. fans have heard to date. Five single LPs, three double LPs (all 180g pressing), a 12″ booklet featuring new, expanded liner notes, and a 36″ x 24″ poster of cover artwork, limited to 10,000 copies worldwide, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

• music label: Warner Records UK

reviewed by nakinboots 11/2011