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I've never been particularly into Strangeways - although I do think the track 'Paint a Vulgar Picture' boasts some of Marr's best playing. On the whole though i don't think it quite lives up to The Smiths' middle two studio LPs: Meat is Murder and The Queen is Dead. To me, Strangeways sounds like an album made by a band in the process of splitting up. It has a certain gloominess and self obsession (lots of references to the band itself within a number of songs - not least 'Stop Me If You think that You've Heard this One Before' and the aforementioned 'Paint a Vulgar Picture'). In that sense it's interesting in terms of the band's own history but lacks the broader appeal of their earlier albums. For me, the band's creative peak came with The Queen is Dead.
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