EP-iphanies: The Smiths’ “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” U.K. 12″

As you probably know by now, The Analog Kid lives for b-sides and non-album cuts. In this continuing series, I will share some of my favorite EPs and 12″ singles from over the years in their entirety. And since it’s digital, you don’t have to worry about correctly setting the turntable speed to  or 33⅓ or 45!

It’s Smiths/Morrissey week here on the Analog Kid blog! Why, you ask?

Because the pleasure– the privilege– is mine.

We’ll start out with the U.K. 12″ single for “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side,” one of my favorite Smiths singles. The song reached #23 on the British charts in the fall of 1985, and a slightly remixed version was also included on 1986’s The Queen Is Dead.

As much as I love “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side,” it’s the b-sides that make this single so special to me. Both “Rubber Ring” and “Asleep” are classic Smiths songs, and this 12″ is the only place you can hear the original mixes in which both songs are fused together on side two. Obviously the WordPress links won’t allow you to play the songs with no gap, but [HINT HINT] you can right-click [HINT HINT] the song titles [HINT HINT] and use save-as [HINT HINT] to transfer the songs locally [HINT HINT] and listen to them as The Smiths intended.

Can you guess the identity of the celebrity on the cover of “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” single? Hint: he lived at 22 Twain in a certain mid-’70s mystery movie spoof…

The Smiths: The Boy With The Thorn In His Side [U.K. 12″]

Rough Trade Records, 1985

1. “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” (Morrissey/Marr)

The Boy With The Thorn In His Side [Single Version]

2. “Rubber Ring” (Morrissey/Marr)

Rubber Ring

3. “Asleep” (Morrissey/Marr)

Asleep

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Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

The Smiths: “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” (Morrissey/Marr)

From the album The Queen Is Dead

Rough Trade Records, 1986

The Boy With The Thorn In His Side

The Smiths: “Rubber Ring” (Morrissey/Marr)

Rubber Ring

The Smiths: “Asleep” (Morrissey/Marr)

Asleep

From the compilation album The World Won’t Listen

Rough Trade Records, 1987

The Smiths: “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” (Morrissey/Marr)

From the album The Queen Is Dead

Rough Trade Records, 1986

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out