Hatful of Hollow

Last updated

Hatful of Hollow
HatfulofHollow84.jpg
Compilation album by
Released2 November 1984
Recorded1983–1984
Genre
Length56:11
Label Rough Trade
Producer
The Smiths chronology
The Smiths
(1984)
Hatful of Hollow
(1984)
Meat Is Murder
(1985)
Singles from Hatful of Hollow
  1. "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"
    Released: 21 May 1984
  2. "William, It Was Really Nothing"
    Released: 20 August 1984
  3. "How Soon Is Now?"
    Released: 28 January 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [1]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [3]
Pitchfork 10/10 [4]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [5]
Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Select 5/5 [8]
Sounds Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [10]

Hatful of Hollow is a compilation album by the English rock band the Smiths, released on 2 November 1984 in the United Kingdom, by Rough Trade Records. [11] The album features tracks from BBC Radio 1 sessions, their first single "Hand in Glove" (a different mix of which had been included on the band's debut album released earlier in the year) and two new singles and their B-sides. It was eventually released in the United States on 9 November 1993 by Sire Records, which had initially declined to release the album in the country. Sire instead released Louder Than Bombs in the US in 1987, which is effectively a hybrid of Hatful of Hollow and a subsequent UK compilation album The World Won't Listen , along with additional songs that do not appear on either.

Contents

Hatful of Hollow reached No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart, remaining on the chart for 46 weeks. [12] In 2000, Q magazine placed the album at No. 44 on its list of the "100 Greatest British Albums Ever".

Composition

The album consists mainly of songs recorded over several BBC Radio 1 sessions in 1983. Tracks shown in bold were included on the album. [13]

  1. For John Peel on 18 May 1983 (broadcast 1 June): "What Difference Does It Make?", "Miserable Lie", "Reel Around the Fountain", "Handsome Devil" (all four songs were later released as the Peel Sessions EP) [14]
  2. For David Jensen on 26 June 1983 (broadcast 4 July): "These Things Take Time", "You've Got Everything Now", "Wonderful Woman"
  3. For Jensen on 25 August 1983 (broadcast 5 September): "Accept Yourself", "I Don't Owe You Anything", "Pretty Girls Make Graves", "Reel Around the Fountain"
  4. For Peel on 14 September 1983 (broadcast 21 September): "This Charming Man", "Back to the Old House", "This Night Has Opened My Eyes", "Still Ill" [14]

When first broadcast, these radio sessions featured songs which were otherwise unavailable, with the exception of "Handsome Devil", a version of which had already appeared as the B-side to the "Hand in Glove" single. [15] All were subsequently re-recorded for singles or for the band's debut album the following year. "This Night Has Opened My Eyes" was recorded in the studio in June 1984,[ citation needed ] but the only version ever released was the September Peel session. [13]

"This Charming Man" was specifically written for the band's second Peel session. [14] [15] It was an attempt by Johnny Marr to emulate both the work of labelmates Aztec Camera and the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love". [15]

Hatful of Hollow also features the band's debut single "Hand in Glove", as well as their two most recent singles prior to the album's release, "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" and "William, It Was Really Nothing", along with their respective B-sides, "Girl Afraid", "How Soon Is Now?" and "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want". [13]

"How Soon Is Now?" would receive a separate single release in 1985 in both the UK and the US. It reached No. 24 in the British charts, but failed to chart in the US. Morrissey and Marr lamented the lack of chart success of what they considered their strongest song thus far.

Song differences

The radio session versions of songs differ from other studio recordings. Some of the major differences include:

In addition, the original single version of "Hand in Glove" is included, as opposed to the remixed version by John Porter that appears on The Smiths. It features a fade-in and fade-out and more prominent bass from Andy Rourke. [13]

Cover and artwork

The cover was photographed by Gilles Decroix and features model Fabrice Colette, adorned with a tattoo inspired by a drawing by Jean Cocteau. [16] The photograph was taken from a July 1983 special edition of the French newspaper Libération . [17] [ better source needed ] In 1987, the album cover was redesigned and the photograph was cropped, which removed the tattoo. [16]

Additionally, the old cover had a large sky-blue frame with the legends "The Smiths" and "Hatful of Hollow" above and striking through the picture. Editions after 1987 feature the cropped version with the text superimposed, although the 2011 vinyl re-issue reinstated the original sleeve.

"THE IMPOTENCE OF ERNEST" is etched into the runout groove of side A. As well as being a pun on Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest , it is an allusion to the impotence that Ernest Hemingway suffered in his final years. "Ian (EIRE)", etched on side B, refers to Marr's younger brother.

Track listing

Track source information adapted from Dig!. [13]

All lyrics are written by Morrissey; all music is composed by Johnny Marr.

Side one
No.TitleSourceLength
1."William, It Was Really Nothing"Single A-side2:09
2."What Difference Does It Make?" John Peel session, 18 May 19833:11
3."These Things Take Time" David Jensen session, 26 June 19832:32
4."This Charming Man"Peel session, 14 September 19832:42
5."How Soon Is Now?"B-side of "William, It Was Really Nothing"6:44
6."Handsome Devil"Peel session, 18 May 19832:47
7."Hand in Glove"Single A-side mix3:13
8."Still Ill"Peel session, 14 September 19833:32
Side two
No.TitleSourceLength
1."Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"Single A-side3:33
2."This Night Has Opened My Eyes"Peel session, 14 September 19833:39
3."You've Got Everything Now"Jensen session, 26 June 19834:18
4."Accept Yourself"Jensen session, 25 August 19834:01
5."Girl Afraid"B-side of "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"2:48
6."Back to the Old House"Peel session, 14 September 19833:02
7."Reel Around the Fountain"Peel session, 18 May 19835:51
8."Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want"B-side of "William, It Was Really Nothing"1:50

Personnel

Credits adapted from LP liner notes, [18] except where otherwise noted.

The Smiths

Additional musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for Hatful of Hollow
Chart (1984–1985)Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [23] 91
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [24] 21
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [25] 28
UK Albums Chart [26] 7

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Hatful of Hollow
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [27] Platinum300,000^
United States133,809 [28]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hatful of Hollow – The Smiths". AllMusic . Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  2. Power, Tony (October 2004). "The Smiths: Hatful of Hollow". Blender . Vol. 3, no. 8. Archived from the original on 30 June 2006. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  3. Kot, Greg (7 July 1991). "The Smiths And Solo". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  4. Wolk, Douglas (18 November 2011). "The Smiths: The Smiths Complete". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  5. "Radio Ga Ga". Q . No. 401. August 2019. p. 119.
  6. Jones, Dylan (10 November 1984). "The Smiths: Hatful of Hollow". Record Mirror . p. 17.
  7. Sheffield, Rob (2004). "The Smiths". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  753–754. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  8. Harrison, Andrew (May 1993). "Buy the Big Reissue...". Select . No. 35. pp. 104–105.
  9. Black, Bill (17 November 1984). "It's a Fair Cap!". Sounds .
  10. Dalton, Stephen (August 1998). "The Smiths Discography". Uncut . No. 15. p. 67.
  11. "News" (PDF). Record Mirror. 20 October 1984. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022. The Smiths release a bargain price special album on November 2. 'Hatful Of Hollow'
  12. David Roberts British Hit Singles and Albums, Guinness World Records Limited
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 York, Alan (12 November 2024). "'Hatful Of Hollow' At 40: A Guide To Every Song On The Smiths' Classic Rarities Collection". Dig!. Archived from the original on 15 November 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  14. 1 2 3 York, Alan (18 May 2023). "The Smiths' Peel Sessions: A Guide To Every Legendary Radio Appearance". Dig!. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Hann, Michael (31 May 2023). "'An astounding rush of real-time creativity': 40 years of the Smiths' Peel Sessions". The Guardian . Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  16. 1 2 3 4 York, Alan (2 April 2021). "The Smiths Artworks: All 27 Album And Single Covers, Ranked And Reviewed". Dig!. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  17. Hatful Of Hollow sleeve source (Liberation, July 1983)
  18. The Smiths (1984). Hatful of Hollow (LP liner notes). London: Rough Trade Records. ROUGH 76.
  19. Goddard, Simon (2013). Songs That Saved Your Life – The Art of The Smiths 1982–87 (2nd ed.). London: Titan Books. p. 121.
  20. Cavanagh, David (1 December 1993). "Irreproachable: The Smiths: the very best of British?". Q .
  21. Fletcher, Tony (2012). A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of the Smiths (1st ed.). New York City: Crown. p. 355.
  22. 1 2 The Smiths (2011). Hatful of Hollow (CD liner notes). London: WEA. 2564660487.
  23. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 9662". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  24. "Charts.nz – The Smiths – Hatful of Hollow". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  25. "Swedishcharts.com – The Smiths – Hatful of Hollow". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  26. "SMITHS | Artist". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  27. "British album certifications – The Smiths – Hatful of Hollow". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  28. "Morrissey/Smiths US album sales in 2007 and total sales since 1992 – Morrissey-solo".