For October, the Mental Jukebox is dialing it way back to the eighties and going deep. Deep cuts have always been an important element of music listening to me because they’re often the songs that resonate with me most. Deep cuts are usually the ones that the true fans appreciate most. I like my singles and hits, but I love my deep cuts.

The U.K. had The World Won’t Listen. The U.S. had Louder Than Bombs, one of my all-time favorite compilations and albums, period. It might seem odd to call a track off a compilation as a deep cut – as compilations are often comprised of the hits or singles. However, just like New Order’s Substance, Louder Than Bombs contained a heavy dose of spectacular b-sides, including “Oscillate Wildly”.

More than any other song from the band, “Oscillate Wildly” demonstrated Johnny Marr’s musical intellect and diverse palette beyond traditional guitar riffs. It was the b-side to “How Soon is Now?” and sat quietly on the deep compilation album Louder Than Bombs. More notably, it was an instrumental. The subtle brilliance of “Oscillate Wildly” made me wish The Smiths recorded more instrumentals. To this day, it still remains one of my favorite Smiths tracks.