However long a major band lasts, there is something ineffably alluring about their first photographs. Paul Slattery was on hand for The Smiths'infancy and his new book:The Smiths:The Early Years, presents edited but copious highlights.It covers 1983 and 1984, years when Slattery photographed the group on eight separate occasions. There are handsome live shots in abundance from Glastonbury, Paris and London-Morrissey's quiff, you notice,has yet to come to full glory at the May 1983 show at the University of London-and numerous posed group shots, including this cheery image of Morrissey and Johnny Marr at the Manchester Central station, also from May 1983.An extended sequence of The Smiths backstage at The University of East Anglia in February 1984, meanwhile, shows uncommon scenes of the band pre and post-gig.

Also stirring up the band's meteoric but brief lifetime are indications that a 4-CD box set of rarities and remastered albums may at least be appearing. Rumoured since 2001, and reputedly held up by in-band disagreement, the box set has now been approved by Morrissey and Marr.

"There isn't really that much unreleased music", Marr told Mojo, "but there's good versions of songs, of golden oldies, stripped down original takes before lots of overdubs went on-just the three of us putting down the take and the vocal and that's it.Those things sound really, really good. And there's a lot of great live stuff' cos we were a phenomenal live band".

A source from Warner said that, contrary to popular belief, the label is keen to see the remastered albums available again and that plans also include releasing 2-CD editions of The Smiths' albums and all of their singles on vinyl, in 7- and 12-inch formats."

The Smiths: The Early Years by Paul Slattery is published by Omnibus at £19.95.