"The Sound Of The Smiths"
November 2008

 

Hand In Glove (single version)
This Charming Man
What Difference Does It Make? (Peel session version)
Still Ill
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
William, It Was Really Nothing
How Soon Is Now? (full length version)
Nowhere Fast
Shakespeare's Sister
Barbarism Begins At Home (single edit)
That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore (single edit)
The Headmaster Ritual
The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (album version)
Bigmouth Strikes Again
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
Panic
Ask (album version)
You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby (full length version)
Shoplifters Of The World Unite
Sheila Take A Bow
Girlfriend In A Coma
I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me (single edit)

UK CD [Warner Music UK/Rhino 2564-69370-9; Super JewelBox]
UK CD [Warner Music UK/Rhino 2564-69370-9; regular jewel case]
Argentina CD [Warner Music Argentina 2564-69370-9; Super JewelBox]
Australia CD [Warner Australia/Rhino 2564-69370-9; regular jewel case]
Canada CD [Rhino R2 516015; regular jewel case]
Chili CD [Warner Music Chile 2564-69370-9; Super JewelBox]
India CD [Rhino 2564-69370-9; regular jewel case]
Japan CD [Warner Music WPCR-14033; regular jewel case]
USA CD [Rhino R2 516015; regular jewel case]

 

The deluxe edition features the above plus
Jeane
Handsome Devil (live Manchester 4 Feb 1983)
This Charming Man (New York vocal mix)
Wonderful Woman
Back To The Old House
These Things Take Time
Girl Afraid
Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want
Stretch Out And Wait (alternate studio version)
Oscillate Wildly
Meat Is Murder (live Oxford 18 March 1985)
Asleep
Money Changes Everything
The Queen Is Dead/Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty
Vicar In A Tutu
Cemetry Gates
Half A Person
Sweet And Tender Hooligan (Peel session 1986)
Pretty Girls Make Graves (Troy Tate outtake)
Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
What's The World? (live Glasgow 25 Sep 1985)
London (live Kilburn 23 Oct 1986)

UK 2-CD [Warner Music UK/Rhino 2564-69371-7; double jewel case]
UK 2-CD [Warner Music UK/Rhino 2564-69371-7; double digipak]
Argentina 2-CD [Warner Music Argentina 2564-69371-7; double digipak]
Australia 2-CD [Warner Music Australia/Rhino 2564-69371-7; double jewel case]
Canada 2-CD [Rhino R2 516016; double digipak]
Japan 2-CD [Warner Music Japan WPCR-13281-2; double jewel case]
Japan 2-CD [Warner Music Japan WPCR-16029/30; double jewel case; 2014 reissue]
Korea 2-CD [Rhino WKSD-0001; double digipak]
USA 2-CD [Rhino R2 516016; double digipak]

 

The iTunes digital one-disc edition features as bonus
What She Said
Hand In Glove (live 29 June 1983)

iTunes UK and USA

 

The iTunes digital deluxe edition features as bonus
Rubber Ring
The Draize Train
The Queen Is Dead [video]

iTunes UK and USA
 

Additional information:
Besides the three bonus tracks mentioned above, iTunes UK customers who pre-ordered the deluxe edition of the album also received the video for "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before".

 

Artwork information:
Cover photo by Tom Sheehan, different variations for each format. For the 2-cd format, the digipak artwork is slightly cropped comparatively to the jewel case artwork. The original photo was edited to get the band members closer together. This album's artwork was supervised by Morrissey.

 

Additional release date information:
UK: 10 November 2008
Australia: 17 November 2008
Germany: 21 November 2008
Japan: 26 November 2008 (double edition)
Japan: 7 April 2010 (single edition)
USA: 11 November 2008

 

Chart peak information:
UK: 21
USA: 98

 

Certifications:

 

Promotion:
UK: A promo 2-cd set in clear plastic envelope was sent to media in the weeks preceding the release of this compilation. It came with two inserts showing the (slightly cropped) artwork of each edition on the front and the track listing of each disc on the back. 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 (Rhino R2008DJ; view left). 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.

Argentina: 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.

USA: A promotional 2-cd set with no front artwork was distributed to media at the time of release of the album. The track listings and credits were found on the red back insert (view from left menu). 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.