Suedehead - a minor hit?!
I don't know what it did Stateside, but it got higher up the British singles chart than any Smiths song.
And as for Morrissey fans being unable to help themselves buying repeated compilations - I didn't didn't buy either Smiths Best Of and won't be buying this his current Morrissey Best Of. Morrissey fans ARE capable of intelligent thought, that's why they're Morrissey fans.
Also, he gave a great concert in Boston in 97, so what's got the Globe so worked up?

Sad that Morrissey gets so little mainstream American press attention -- or any for that matter -- and now when he does, it is this utterly justified criticism.

steve greenlee... SHUT YOUR YAPPER! good night and thank you.

Are these people at the schitty Boston Globe kidding themselves?? who gave this jackmutt a job in the first place?? I think that ALL of morrissey'z stuff is way out coolie cool. I will agree that it is irritating that every album he seems to release has some sort of prior song(s) on it from past,but that's about it. I can also remember a few of his songz getting into the top 20 unless I'm wrong??? Mr.Proper thinkz that morrissey shoulf fly out there and strangle this guy by his knickerz,better yet still,I would be glad to do it. Can I??

Morrissey is old, is past, is tired. If the fans like to buy this stuff, leave them alone, buy it. Beautiful songs on new sleeve, and that's all, that's all, that's all.

The author may have a legit point about WORLD OF MORRISSEY, although Morrissey may have had other
reasons for that comp. As strange as that comp was, it does work pretty well from first track to last. I know, we can all make our own comp tapes. However, I don't think
the author is fair about the other albums.

For example, my understanding on BONA DRAG was
it came out when Morrissey was having troubles,
do I have that right? Kill Uncle came in the wake, remember, and he needed a band then. Also, most fans I know consider BONA to be one of his top releases.
Every Morrissey fan I know counts it as a fave.
Now, yes, it did compile songs which came out on EPs, but not everyone has cool stores which carried those. And those go out of print faster.
And, those are more expensive to collect. And, yes, it had songs from VIVA HATE, but it was a singles comp.

HAirdresser on Fire, technically, was not really part of VIVA HATE -- just the U.S. version. But okay, I think we all know he probably felt pressure to put something out so people wouldn't forget about him. And he probably felt he had those quirky singles that had no home on an album.

My only gripe about BONA was it had an editted version of Will Never MArry.

Now, what of MY EARLY BURGLRAY YEARS? Some of the songs, such as Reader MEet Author, may have been an attempt to prompt people to give them a second listen, because they had been unjustly rejected by some. That comp is great regardless though.

I'm not sure how the author is counting things up.
Apparently he is including both BEST OFs, even though one was a UK release and the other is a U.S. release.
Also, a BEST OF makes sense at this point, as there is a new generation of kids out there who weren't born with knowledge of the Morrissey catalog.

I'm still not sure how the author is counting things up though. I'll have to look over the albums again, because I can't think of 5 albums Suedehead is on. Maybe I'm forgetting one. Or, is the author mistaking BEETHOVEN WAS DEAF for a compilation, meaning he hasn't heard it to know it's a live album? And he should know that to the World OF Morrissey, almost a parallel music industry it can seem, Suedehead *was* as important as Hound Dog.

My main point, though, is I'm not sure why such *cynical* motives have to be attached to everything. I doubt Morrissey is sitting around thinking, "My fans are so loyal, they'll be easy suckers for this crap." It's not easy to exist in the pop music world. The media will quickly forget you if you don't keep putting stuff out. But as I feel only one of the comps is problematic (WORLD), I don't see the problem.
Pure speculation, but perhaps WORLD was just to fulfill some contract? I don't know. It gives a home to Moon River and Whatever Happens, at least.

"Paint a Vulgar Picture," btw, is about record labels exploiting an artist and his fans AFTER he's DEAD. Comps like BONA, MY EARLY were carefully put together by the artist himself. They have no tacky badges. They are the solo years' equivalent of LOUDER THAN BOMBS and so forth, and those similar SMiths comps are cherished, as these are. I don't think anyone bought BONA and MY EARLY BURGLRARY and felt "decieved," so that's two that are clear of the charges.
You saw how angry Morrissey got at the recent Smiths compilation which he had no role in and which remixed his songs without his consent and so forth. That's more what he was talking about.
And rather than wanting money from that, he asked his fans to ignore it.

Did anyone go to Fais Do Do last night for Moz/Smiths night in LA? It was very, very cool. Lot's of people and great music.

I love Morrissey, and...

that was a great little article, although I've never read one that doesn't contain at least one error...same goes for articles on my religion.

anyone going to see shakira at tower in hollywood on saturday?

Dear Mozster,
We have these songs already.
Are you behind payments on your Hollywood Hills home? Is the Porsche in danger of being repossessed? Why the need to recycle the same canisters of songs? Enough already! Sign a new deal or announce retirement. It's really that simple.

This deal is pretty sweet! Yes I do agree with alot of you, enough is enough, we want a new album not another friggin compilation!
But what I can affirm is that Rhino compilations have a wonderful fidelity and if I can get a liquider, louder and clearer sound of the Moz crooning "I will be in the bar with my head on the bar" I´m game partners! Hope he tours and sings the whole fucking 21 songs plus the new B-sides contained on the maxi-singles of the old songs released as new singles...just a bit of sarcasm fellars that the Moz probably won´t like.

Why don`t we all just give up on Morrissey, stop coming to this web site, and other ones which fawn over him. Why don`t we do the unthinkable and push Morrissey off his Gucci sofa and into a recording studio - maybe the impossible will come true, he will realize he is REALLY alone, and start making meaningful music again. Because every "Best of" compilation is another stab at memories I once thought were sacred.

Valid argument made by the article printed in the Boston newspaper. There is not too much there I can argue with.

I bought the new cd. What can I say? I love Morrissey. I like the pictures, the color of the sleeve, the commentary inside the sleeve, and I love to have all Morrissey cds. Call it a fetish. Call it love. Call it obsession. The cd looks good on my rack situated between other Morrissey cds as well.

I was actually upset that this same album was not put on cassette. I thought that would be fun to have for the car. But then I bought a 90 minute TDK tape and recorded all those songs plus three others on it. The funny thing is I cannot tell you how many times I have created one of these compilations for purposes of listening to Morrissey in the car. I am sure I made more than Morrissey and his record company. Oh well.

Let's pretend to take Morrissey out of the equation here, for he seems to be a touchy subject on this site for some reason. Let's focus on the Cure aspect of this article. Not for nothing I am sick of artists like the Cure spewing out a few half-assed Greatest hits albums with that 1 or 2 new track, which were most likely B-sides to some single. And even if they are not b-sides, really, are the Cure in a position to say, "Yep, no one's heard this song yet, but we're so sure it's one of our best tunes, it most certainly MUST be a greatest hit." Call me a rebel, but i like to hear new stuff by artists I like. (So I download those 1 or 2 tracks somewhere and let that greatest hits keep those store shelves cluttered).

      If Morrissey likes to do the whole depression / sadness thing, that's fine. I think most artist use those emotions to fuel a fire within that brings forth some of their most impressive works. It is what seperates an artist from a pop star wanker like Britney Spears. C'mon Morrissey, even the Cure had a "new" track on their greatest hits. 2 of 'em. (They sucked BTW)

Anyway with that said. Moz is still probably one of the best lyricists still around and i think the music industry as a whole could benefit from his work. So do some ^_^