The Smiths - Hand In Glove (Rough Trade)

The ridiculously pretentious press release could be enough to put you off The Smiths for life but this record is a dense and lyrical delight. Gorgeous guitar and emotive vocals make this an unusual release that's worth seeking out. (Karen Swayne, No 1, May 28, 1983)

The Smiths are even better at spouting spurious nonsense than the stuff you'll find on the back of Respond Records. 'The group attacks the depersonalised sterility of 'modern' groups whose clinical synthesised rhythms have left audiences feeling non-human and petrified'. I don't know about that, but I do know that the Smiths aren't very crisp. (Robin Smith, Record Mirror, June 18, 1983)