UK CD [Warner Music UK/Rhino 2564-69370-9]
There are two different versions of the 1-cd edition of "The Sound Of The Smiths". Most copies are packaged in a Super JewelBox (sturdy jewel case with round corners) but a certain number come in a regular jewel case. Both feature the pink variation of the front artwork (view left). The Super JewelBox edition features the back artwork displayed in the menu, while the standard edition features the same artwork, without the cut-out corners, and with the barcode moved to the bottom. The booklet features all 16 images shown under '1-cd edition booklet photos' in the menu. Some of these are also found in the deluxe edition's more extensive booklet (described below), but others are unique to this 1-cd edition. The booklet closes with two black and white pages of track listing and credits with "the sound of the smiths" printed in pink at the bottom. The back of the booklet inside the Super JewelBox case is all pink with only the album title at the bottom and the catalogue number in the top right corner. The back of the booklet inside the other edition shows an extra photo with the same text over it (view left). A partial illustrated singles discography can be seen through the transparent cd tray in both cases. The disc surface is pink with "the sound of" in light pink and "The Smiths" in white at the top, a white Rhino logo at the bottom, and white credits around the edge. Some copies have a pink sticker on the front of the case enticing potential buyers with praise for the band and the album's content.

UK 2-CD [Warner Music UK/Rhino 2564-69371-7]
Just like the one-disc edition above, the deluxe edition comes in two different forms of packaging. Most copies are sold in a double digipak but some copies in a double jewel case have been reported. The front artwork of each variation is displayed on the left. The digipak artwork is slightly cropped comparatively to the jewel case artwork (which is the front of the booklet). The album title is also positioned slightly differently. The back artwork appears to be exactly the same for both (confirmation needed).

• double digipak edition
  The double digipak unfolds into four panels. It opens down the middle, exposing two photos, Morrissey's jeans with flowers in back pocket on the left and a shot of Morrissey and Johnny with guitar on the right. Then each side unfolds again for another photo and a cd. The left side shows the band sitting in an escalator and the right side a live shot of Morrissey with Johnny in the background. An illustrated complete singles discography of the band is seen through the two adjacent transparent cd trays. The cds both have minimal blue surfaces with "the sound of" in pale blue and "The Smiths" in white at the top, "Disc One/Two" and a Rhino logo in white at the bottom, and white credits around the edge. The packaging's right panel has a thumb-sized cut-out opening inside to ease access to the booklet which features 22 images of the band from different stages of their career. Some of these images are also found in the booklet for the regular 1-cd edition, others are unique to this edition (see 'booklet photos' in the left menu). The booklet closes with four black and white pages of track listing and extensive credits with "the sound of the smiths" printed in blue at the bottom. The back of the booklet is all blue with only the album title in paler blue at the bottom. A card insert advertising the upcoming 7" Singles Box is found inside early copies (if it hasn't been lost). Some copies have a blue sticker on the front of the case enticing potential buyers with praise for the band and the album's content.
• double jewel case
  This edition comes in a double jewel case (the variety that is no thicker than a regular jewel case). The booklet appears to be identical to the one found in the digipak edition. The discs are very likely the same (confirmation needed). A partial illustrated singles discography can be seen through the transparent tray. Please write for any missing info, particularly about discrepancies between the two types of packaging.

UK badges
A set of three badges were given for free to people who bought the album through HMV.com at the time of release. According to their webpage the badges were a limited HMV exclusive. They are 1.5 inch in diameter: a black one with "The Smiths" in white, a white one with "Charming" in black and a black one with "Handsome" in white.

UK 2-CD promo
The album was promoted in the UK via a 2-cd set. The cds have plain silver surfaces with black text. They were distributed in a clear plastic envelope along with two folded inserts. One insert features the pink variation of the artwork on the front with the track listing for cd one, a promo warning, Rhino logo and URL, etc, in black and white on the back. The other insert features the blue variation of the artwork on the front with the track listing for cd two, a promo warning, Rhino logo and URL, etc, on the back. In both cases, the front artwork was slightly cropped in its width.

UK 4-track promo cd [Rhino R2008DJ]
A 4-track promo cd featuring the songs "This Charming Man", "How Soon Is Now?", "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" and "Panic" also served to promote this release (view left). The cd comes inside a white paper envelope die-cut to expose its surface which was made to look like the label of the "Still Ill" UK 7" promo for the band's debut album. This is the same cd which was given away to the first buyers of the "Singles Box", but in this case a promo/plugger sticker was added to the back of the paper envelope.

UK subway size poster
View here.

UK ads
Two different full-page ads for "The Sound Of The Smiths" have been seen for sale where collectors shop and trade. One features the blue variation of the artwork with a black section at the bottom giving the highlights of both editions as well as the release date. The upcoming release of the 7" Singles Box and the singles reissue campaign which preceded it are announced at the very bottom. View here.

More interesting to collectors is the other ad. It precedes the one described above by some time and features what may be an early version of the planned artwork. The photo is the same one used for the regular one-cd edition, but "The Smiths" appears in pink and the tentative title "Hang The DJ" in yellow. View here.

UK 2-CD-r acetate
Set of two acetate cd-r's featuring the same 45 tracks as the final product. These are blue and green discs slipped inside a gatefold card picture sleeve. More information is needed.

UK CD-r acetate of promo cd
This is the cd-r acetate of the 4-track promo cd described above. The disc is blue and green. More information is needed.

UK betacam videocassette
A 2-track betacam videocassette featuring the videos to "How Soon Is Now?" and "Panic", used in the making of the "Sound Of The Smiths" compilation, has made it on the collectors market. The videocassette is a grey Sony Digital with a white rectangular sticker on the top listing the two titles, their duration and "PAL". It comes in a blue clamshell case with insert in the display window. This insert is a generic colour one featuring the same track listing information as on the cassette's sticker label.

Argentina CD [Warner Music Argentina 2564-69370-9]
The regular Argentinean edition of "The Sound Of The Smiths" comes in a Super JewelBox (sturdy jewel case with round corners). The booklet (and therefore the front artwork) is the same as in the UK, some copies even bear the same pink sticker on the front of the case praising the band and the album's content to potential buyers. The back only differs in the sideways credits on the right which were adapted for Warner Music Argentina and are mostly in Spanish. A Warner Music Argentina logo was also added at the bottom to the right of the track listing. The disc differs in the credits around its edge and the additional Warner Music Argentina and Compact Disc logo beneath the Rhino logo at the bottom.

Argentina 2-CD [Warner Music Argentina 2564-69371-7]
The deluxe edition in Argentina comes in a double digipak. The front is the same as in the UK, it even has the same blue sticker praising the band and the album's content to potential buyers. The back looks the same at first glance, but the credits at the bottom include extra lines to account for the involvement of Warner Music Argentina and CADIF. The rest of the packaging is expected to be the same as its British counterpart except perhaps in the credits inside the booklet and on the cds (confirmation needed).

Argentina CD promo [Warner Music Argentina 2564-69370-9]
The release of this album was promoted with the distribution of the 1-disc edition of the album with a black Warner "Disco Promocional Prohibida Su Venta" stamp or print on the disc.

Australia CD [Warner Australia/Rhino 2564-69370-9]
The Australian 1-cd edition comes in a standard jewel case. The front is the same as in the UK, it even has the same pink sticker on the front of the case praising the band and the album's content to potential buyers. The rest of the packaging including the booklet is also exactly the same except for the licensing credits on the back and around the disc's edge.

Australia 2-CD [Warner Music Australia/Rhino 564-69371-7]
The Australian deluxe edition comes in a "2 Discs" double jewel case (the variety that is no thicker than a regular jewel case). The front artwork is the same as that of the British deluxe edition in double jewel case, it even has the same blue sticker on the front praising the band and the album's content to potential buyers. The back is the same except for the additional Warner Music Australia credits at the bottom. The booklet is identical to the UK booklet. A partial illustrated singles discography can be seen through the transparent cd tray. The cd surface is the same as in the UK except for the credits around the edges which were adapted to mention Warner Music Australia.

Canada CD [Rhino R2 516015]
The single Canadian cd edition comes in a regular jewel case. The packaging must be the same as the American edition described below except for minor corrections in the credits on the back, on the cd and perhaps inside the booklet. Confirmation/details needed.

Canada 2-CD [Rhino R2 516016]
The Canadian deluxe edition comes in a double digipak. The packaging must be the same as the American edition described below except for minor corrections in the credits on the back, on the cds and perhaps inside the booklet. Confirmation/details needed.

Chile CD [Warner Music Chile 2564-69370-9]
The regular Chilean edition of "The Sound Of The Smiths" comes in a Super JewelBox (sturdy jewel case with round corners). The front is the same as in the UK. The back only differs in the sideways credits on the right which were adapted for Warner Music Chile and are mostly in Spanish. A Warner Music Chile logo was also added at the bottom to the right of the track listing. Information on how the booklet and disc may differ from their UK edition counterpart is needed.

India CD [Rhino 2564-69370-9]
The Indian edition comes in a regular jewel case. The booklet is identical to the one found in the UK pressing. Despite being in a regular jewel case, the back was modelled on the back of the UK SuperJewel Box edition. The album title is in the top left corner, the track listing at the left while the barcode and credits are printed sideways to the right. Because there is no cut-out corner for this format, the barcode is actually in the top right corner. Lengthy additional credits are found beneath it, including the line "Marketed & Distributed in India under exclusive License from WEA International Inc by: Virgin Records (India)..." The disc looks just like the UK one but it also differs from its British counterpart by a "made in India" credit on it.

Japan CD [Warner Music WPCR-14033]
The standard Japanese edition was released in a regular jewel case, almost a year and a half after the deluxe edition. It features the usual pink variation of the artwork on the front. The obi is white with black and red text, gold graphics and a big blue "40th Anniversary" crest at the top. A white sticker on the front mentions Warner Music Japan's 40th Anniversary. This item must be a budget release because another sticker, this one orange, has white text and the number 1500, which appears to be the price in yens. Information is needed about the packaging and how it differs to the British 1-cd editions.

Japan 2-CD [Warner Music Japan WPCR-13281-2]
The Japanese deluxe edition comes in a double jewel case (the variety that is no thicker than a regular jewel case). It features the usual blue variation of the artwork on the front. The obi is blue with black and white text and a red Rhino logo. Information is needed about the packaging and how it differs to the British double jewel case edition on which it was modelled.

Japan in-house/reference 2-CD-r [Warner Music Japan WPCR-13281-2]
This is an advance double cd-r set which seems to have served early in-house purposes before the release of "The Sound Of The Smiths" in Japan. The two cd-r's have all-white labels with a typewritten sticker on each of them stating "The Smiths", "The Sound Of The Smiths" and "[Disc 1]" or "[Disc 2]". The set comes with a folded white paper insert the size of a cd booklet. One side shows the album artwork, release information and the track listing to disc 1. The other side has the track listing to disc 2. Also included is a large green Warner Music Japan "Advance Sheet" which seems to be filled with extensive technical information on the release, disc 1 on one side and disc 2 on the reverse.

Korea 2-CD [Rhino WKSD-0001]
"The Sound Of The Smiths" was only released in Korea as a 2-cd edition in a double digipak. The front artwork is identical to the front artwork of the British double digipak on which it was modelled. There is also a blue sticker on the front advertising the album's content but it differs to the sticker found on the British edition. When purchased sealed, the booklet is found wrapped to the back of the packaging instead of being slipped inside the back panel. Because of this, the usual back artwork with track listing and barcode was reproduced on the back side of the booklet. Information is needed on how the rest of the booklet, the cds and the rest of the box differ to their British counterparts.

USA CD [Rhino R2 516015]
The standard American edition was released in a traditional jewel case featuring on the front the pink variation of the artwork (view left). The back artwork was adapted from the Rhino UK back artwork and features additional Sire and Rhino logos and a "FBI Anti-Piracy Warning" crest (view left). The booklet features all 16 images shown under '1-cd edition booklet photos' in the menu. Some of these are also found in the deluxe edition's more extensive booklet (described below), but others are unique to this 1-cd edition. The booklet closes with two black and white pages of track listing and credits with "the sound of the smiths" printed in pink at the bottom. These credits were adapted from the ones found in the booklet of the UK 1-cd edition The back of the booklet is all pink with only the album title, the catalogue number and a Rhino copyright line at the bottom. A partial illustrated singles discography can be seen through the transparent cd tray. The cd surface is pink with "the sound of" in light pink and "The Smiths" in white at the top, white Sire and Rhino logos at the bottom, and white credits around the edge.

USA 2-CD [Rhino R2 516016]
The American deluxe edition comes in a double digipak featuring on the front the slightly cropped blue variation of the artwork (view left). The back artwork was adapted from the Rhino UK back artwork and features additional Sire and Rhino logos and a "FBI Anti-Piracy Warning" crest (view left). The box packaging is identical to the British double digipak packaging described above (four panels, transparent adjacent trays, etc). The cds both have minimal blue surfaces with "the sound of" in pale blue and "The Smiths" in white at the top, "Disc One/Two" and Sire and Rhino logos in white at the bottom, and white credits around the edge. The booklet features 22 images of the band from different stages of their career. Some of these images are also found in the booklet for the regular 1-cd edition, others are unique to this edition (scans needed). The booklet closes with four black and white pages of track listing and extensive credits with "the sound of the smiths" printed in blue at the bottom. The back of the booklet is all blue with only the album title, the catalogue number and a Rhino copyright line in paler blue at the bottom. Some copies have a blue sticker on the front of the case advertising the album's highlights.

USA 2-CD promo [Rhino]
The release of this compilation was promoted in the USA with the help of a 2-cd promo set featuring the same material found on the album's deluxe edition. The compact discs are both silver with black text printed onto them: band name, title and disc number on the left; copyright info, promo warning and logos on the right. They were distributed in a double jewel case (the variety that is no thicker than a regular jewel case and in which the tray is attached to the inner edge). There is no front artwork. The back artwork is red with white and black text (view left). It shows the covers for both editions, the track listing, a few credits, and the email addresses of Rhino personnel involved in the promotion and marketing of the album.

USA 2-CD promo [Rhino R2 516015]
Stock copies of the 2-cd edition with a mark through the barcode and custom press-stickered bio sticker on the back also served as promos.

USA CD promo [Rhino R2 516015]
Stock copies of the 1-cd edition with a hole punched out of the barcode and a gold promo stamp on the back of the booklet also served as promos.

USA PDF press release [Rhino]
This 2-page digital press release was sent to various forms of media ahead of the release of the album in the USA.