Hammersmith Palais, London
Miserable LieBack to London on their first major trek around England, the Smiths decided to expand the setlist by three songs including "Miserable Lie", which had been dropped one date into this tour to spare Morrissey's vocal chords, and "These Things Take Time". "I Don't Owe You Anything" was also performed for the first time since the first date of this tour, but Sandie Shaw took care of vocals for that number.
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
This Charming Man
Girl Afraid
Pretty Girls Make Graves
Still Ill
This Night Has Opened My Eyes
Barbarism Begins At Home
Back To The Old House
What Difference Does It Make?
/I Don't Owe You Anything (with Sandie Shaw)
/Reel Around The Fountain
/Hand In Glove
/You've Got Everything Now
/Handsome Devil
///These Things Take Time
After set opener "Miserable Lie" Morrissey greeted the audience and introduced the next song: "Hello! This is our new single and it's called 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now'!" However that song was not to be released as a single for two more months. The band was actually still doing the early version of that song, with slight lyrical and musical differences. Recent single "This Charming Man" was introduced with "This song is number 86 in the National 100".
"Pretty Girls Make Graves" was quite different to the album version or even to the way it had been performed thus far. At the start of the second part of the song, as Morrissey sang "I could have been wild and I could have been free", the rhythm switched to a reggae-ish one. The song would be performed that way until the end of its live life in November 1984. Before "This Night Has Opened My Eyes" Morrissey simply asked "Well?". The following song was introduced with the words "It's called 'Barbarism Begins At Home'."
Song titles were constantly shouted from the audience so right before "Back To The Old House" Morrissey answered one request with "No..." Recent single "What Difference Does It Make?" was introduced with "What! Does! Make!" After that number, which was the final one of the main set, Morrissey shouted "Thank you! Goodbye!... Goodbye, thank you..." and the band left stage to rapturous applause.
After a short break the crowd was surprised when Johnny, Mike and Andy returned with Sandie Shaw instead of Morrissey who remained backstage. Sandie was wearing a blue t-shirt showing the Morrissey mock-up version of the artwork for the "What Difference Does It Make?" single and sang "I Don't Owe You Anything". She was to release the latter title as a single a month later but those plans had meanwhile been changed and "Hand In Glove" would instead end up as the a-side (perhaps because Morrissey wanted to give that favourite song of his a second chance to make it up the charts) while "I Don't Owe You Anything" was pushed to the b-side. Johnny stood alongside a nervous Sandie to reassure her as it was probably the first time in her life she'd faced a crowd like that.
After Sandie's performance, Morrissey came back on stage and announced "I knew I'd get dethroned eventually... This song is called 'There's Always Something There To Remind Me'." However the Smiths didn't play that Sandie Shaw song, but their own "Reel Around the Fountain". Then the following planned number "Hand In Glove" was introduced with "And now... a little chestnut... 'Hand In Glove'." The band ended up playing a total of six encore songs, including "These Things Take Time" which was reinstated in the setlist for the first time since late 1983. After this date it would be maintained in the set on and off until the end of this tour.
The Red Guitars and the Frank Chickens were the support bands. Tickets were £3.50.
This concert appears in excellent mixing desk quality (although it supposedly is an audience recording and not soundboard) on a few bootlegs, the best of which being "Last Of The English Roses" (rumoured recorder: BigAl). It is actually the best bootleg from 1984 altogether. The same recording is also available on "The Smiths Live - Unlicensed Recording" (available on cd and cassette) and the cd edition of "Misery Loves Company".
The latter titles were probably reissues of the double LP sets "Misery Loves Company" LP (available in translucent green or black vinyl) or "Hammersmith", both of which also featuring the complete concert. "Merry X-Mas" only has a re-sequenced selection of tracks on a single picture LP: "I Don't Owe You Anything (Sandie Shaw)", "Reel Around The Fountain", "Hand In Glove", "You've Got Everything Now", "Handsome Devil", "These Things Take Time", "This Charming Man", "Girl Afraid", "Pretty Girls Make Graves", "Still Ill" and "This Night Has Opened My Eyes".
"Wilde About Morrissey", a bootleg LP occasionally found on fanmade cd-r's, has an even smaller selection: "I Don't Owe You Anything (Sandie Shaw)", "Reel Around The Fountain", "You've Got Everything Now", "These Things Take Time", "This Charming Man", "Still Ill" and "Pretty Girls Make Graves". These songs are paired with a complete show from 4 February 1983.
"Shoplifters From Manchester", a manufactured bootleg cd, features "Girl Afraid" along with Troy Tate outtakes, radio sessions as well as live material from 4 February 1983, 6 December 1983, 21 April 1984, 4 May 1984 and 26 August 1986.
"Boyfriend In A Coma", a LP reissue of "Shoplifters From Manchester" with fewer tracks, features "Girl Afraid" along with Troy Tate outtakes, radio sessions as well as live material from 4 February 1983, 6 December 1983, 21 April 1984, 4 May 1984 and 26 August 1986.
Digital transfers of "Last Of The English Roses" are easily found on the internet.
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