Comparisons to the Smiths are essentially irrelevant by the point of the Housemartins' underrated sophomore effort -- the melodies and arrangements move away from the upbeat guitar pop shimmer of London 0, Hull 4 to further explore the group's fascination with Motown and gospel, while P.D. Heaton's lyrics articulate a leftist anger and scathing social commentary the likes of which Morrissey's insularly personal lyrics only hint at. (Equally noteworthy is the defiantly British outloo...   [ read more ]

CD $8.51

A more succinct and straightforward anthology of the Housemartins than 1988's Now That's What I Call Quite Good!, 2004's The Best of the Housemartins is a 14-track overview that sticks to the basics. While it does not contain the significant BBC sessions, B-sides, and album cuts featured on Quite Good!, it does feature superior sound and all the material (such as "Happy Hour," "Sheep," "The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death," and their cover of the Isley Brothers' {&"Caravan...   [ read more ]

CD $13.28

A more succinct and straightforward anthology of the Housemartins than 1988's Now That's What I Call Quite Good!, 2004's The Best of the Housemartins is a 14-track overview that sticks to the basics. While it does not contain the significant BBC sessions, B-sides, and album cuts featured on Quite Good!, it does feature superior sound and all the material (such as "Happy Hour," "Sheep," "The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death," and their cover of the Isley Brothers' {&"Caravan...   [ read more ]

CD $23.73