STUCK IN THE VINYL AGAIN - THE SMITHS - STRANGEWAYS, HERE WE COME

[maggot]

Good morning Sunday people and welcome back to Stuck In The Vinyl Again. Today we celebrate the 57th Birthday of English bassist, Andy Rourke, best known for his work in the 80s alternative rock band, The Smiths. Happy Birthday Andy! The Smiths' fourth and final record, Strangeways, Here We Come was released September 28,1987 on the Sire label and was produced by Johnny Marr, Morrissey, and Stephen Street. It peaked at #55 on the Billboard 200, while fairing much better in the UK at #2. It has been certified Gold in both countries. Four of the disc's 11 tracks were released as singles, as noted (*) below. Our copy came out of a dollar bin somewhere and did not have it's original album cover.

1. "A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours" 3:00

2. "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" 3:47 (*) (#23 UK, #13 Ireland)

3. "Death of a Disco Dancer" 5:26

4. "Girlfriend in a Coma" 2:03 (*) (#13 UK, #12 Ireland)

5. "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" 3:32 (*) (failed to chart)

Side two

6. "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" 5:03 (*) (#30 UK, #17 Ireland)

7. "Unhappy Birthday" 2:46

8. "Paint a Vulgar Picture" 5:35

9. "Death at One's Elbow" 2:01

10. "I Won't Share You" 2:48

The Smiths

Morrissey – vocals, piano (on "Death of a Disco Dancer"), handclaps (on "Paint a Vulgar Picture"), production

Johnny Marr – guitar, keyboards, harmonica, harmonium (on "Unhappy Birthday"), autoharp (on "I Won't Share You"), synthesised strings and saxophone arrangements, additional vocals (on "Death at One's Elbow"), handclaps (on "Paint a Vulgar Picture"), production

Andy Rourke – bass guitar, keyboards,[26] handclaps (on "Paint a Vulgar Picture")

Mike Joyce – drums, percussion, handclaps (on "Paint a Vulgar Picture")

Production

Stephen Street – producer, additional drum machine programming on "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish", "Paint a Vulgar Picture" and "Death at One's Elbow", strings arrangement for "Girlfriend in a Coma", sound effects on "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" and "Death at One's Elbow"

Steve Williams – engineering assistance