Hatful of Hollow (1CD)

Emerging on the heels of the band’s self-titled debut, which had emerged earlier in 1984 and climbed all the way to the penultimate spot on the UK album charts, Hatful of Hollow was a stopgap measure suggested by Morrissey to make sure as many people as possible heard their new single, “How Soon Is Now?” By happy coincidence, however, it also kept The Smiths flying high in the public eye while the quartet worked on their sophomore studio effort, and – better yet – it proved to be a commercial success as well. Not as much of one as their debut, mind you, but making it to #7 is still pretty swell as chart placements go. Plus, it provided the band with the opportunity to formally release versions of some of the tracks from The Smiths that they felt better served the material, so it was both a commercial and a creative victory.

Hatful of Hollow reached number seven on the UK Albums Chart, and stayed on the chart for 46 weeks. In 2000, Q magazine placed the album at number 44 on its list of the "100 Greatest British Albums Ever".