Yet another Warner release to milk cash from the legacy of The Smiths? Or perhaps a collection of unreleased demos and b-sides and the long awaited release of that mystery "Matter of Opinion" song that was featured in Songs That Saved Your Life. Hate to say it but it's more than likely going to be the former rather than the latter. Still, new artwork, new tracklistings. I for one will probably buy it.

How many times have we seen these types of reissues? Yet we still buy it?

Hopefully it will be the regular, non-compilation CDs...

The Smiths (1984)
Meat is Murder (1985)
The Queen is Dead (1986)
Strangeways Here We Come (1987)

That would be nice since I (and I am sure I am not the only one) have to replace most of my Smiths CDs at this time...

I wouldn't suggest holding your breath on thinking that there might be some sort of bonus though, ie, an unreleased track or two...

Reissue, Repackage?

But it's true: I need to replace all my Smith's cd's. They're all scratched and sticky.

I'd love another "best of" of the Smiths with no new songs and another gay/ugly cover like the last one. Who wouldn't wanna pay for the same old stuff again?

The 4 CD boxed sets will feature exclusive liner notes as well as nude photography of all the band members. A parental advisory sticker will be placed on the boxed set since photos of fully aroused genitalia will be featured.

In addition, all the CDs will be 'vintage'- the CDs will be scratched and sticky in worn sleeves.

Sexual encounters with Pete Burns will be featured on a bonus CD-ROM.

Commentaries by fans, such as Fiona Apple, will also be on the CD-ROM.

Maybe one CD will be the Troy Tate album?

I'm sure it will be nothing new that we all don't own already.

I imagine that Warner have already released all the Smiths music they own the rights to. I doubt if they own the rights to any demos or rare live stuff.

Same old same old....

Actually, new to me, probably old to everyone else, I was in New York this weekend just gone and came across a Smiths CD called 'Sign Here', and I guess it features early Smiths demos, or the Troy Tate sessions, I don't know which, as the CD doesn't say. Pretty good though.

Boring, boring, boring.

Dear Friends,

I am almost certain that, if we do see a Boxed Set (4 CDs), that it will be almost *identical* to that put out by Joy Division and New Order.

The New Order boxed set *does* contain live rarities and re-mix rarities, however.

I feel confident that a Smiths boxed set would contain *no* new or lost tracks whatsoever.

I think that a boxed set would be the last compilation truly that the Smiths fans will tolerate. The last hurrah to Paint a Vulgar Picture.

Don't forget that the Cranberries re-mastered and re-released all of their albums, too- and they are not as old as the Smiths! Echo and the Bunnymen are to do the same, too. It is a bit frustrating to completists like myself.

By the way, the Joy Division and New Order boxed sets are worth the money.

Sincerely,
Ken

The Smiths back catalogue has been underminded by the endless re-issuing which gives them twice the amount of albums they should have and must be confusing for newcomers who want to buy one of them.

The first mistake was the 'World Won't Listen'/'Louder Than Bombs' fiasco. Rough Trade must've known that 'Louder Than Bombs' would be a big seller on import, so they should've just released that instead of the inferior' World Won't Listen' or given a belated release for 'Hatful Of Hollow' in America - the reason they put out '..Bombs' in the first place.

The situation got even worse at the dreadful Warners - though Marr and Moz say they hate what they've done, I bet they don't hate the million pounds they got for selling them the back catalogue, they should've got a better contract that stipulated their involvment in reissues. 'Best Of 1'/'Best Of 2' was an appalling rip-off - 'Singles' should've been the only compilation, possibly with more classic tracks like 'I know it's over' to fill out the running time. 'The Very Best Of' was the last straw, surely taking the piss. Also, 'How Soon Is Now' shouldn't have been released as a single - it got a poor chart position because it was available previously and 'There Is A Light' and others should not have got a posthumous single release from WBRs, and 'Rank' did not capture the Smiths at their live best. Then again, if there weren't all these poorly conceived cash-cow releases we would never have got 'Paint A Vulgar Picture' so perhaps it's a blessing in disguise.

I am so disappointed with the lack of risk anyone is willing to take with Morrissey at this point, I don't even believe this. He has been written off so much by the industry, and they know they have absorbed our buying tolerance with re-packages, I can't belive they would even do it. It must be some kind of company policy to rerelease items on this dvd format or something.

...please don't buy this

You can get the Smiths's entire oeuvre onto 4CDs you know. I own all the original CDs, but because I hate repetitions of tracks (making 'The World Won't Listen' and 'Hatful' practically unlistenable) I have compiled them onto four 80 minute CDs. You can get the 'best' studio/session version of each track on there, plus room for about 40-odd minutes of 'extra' tracks (like live versions, session versions, etc). You can even retain the running order for the 4 'proper' albums, although you have to use the original UK tracklistings. I have one CD with 'The Smiths' on it followed by 'Strangeways, Here We Come' and another with 'Meat Is Murder' followed by 'The Queen Is Dead'. The other two CDs comprise the non-album As and Bs, in chronological order.

They won't be so bold as to do something like that I doubt, but it would be amazing if they did.

Why's everyone getting up in arms over this already? At the moment it's just a rumour, but if it is true, Rhino will probably put it together and if their Echo & The Bunnymen Box Set is anything to go by, they will get it right. I, for one, will be pleased to get all the B-sides in one place, rather than having to pull out an old 7" or a CD single to play a song or 2 at a time.

Also, everybody is quite quick to scream, 'Re-issue, Re-package!", whenever there is talk of a new compilation, but the song specifically refers to record companies cashing in on the deaths of stars, not to compilations per se. In fact, I've heard interviews with Johnny Marr recently stating that he would definitely get involved with any re-issue program to make sure that it was done right! He certainly didn't come across as being anti any kind of re-issue or compilations, just anti poorly done ones.... and The Smiths certainly weren't shy when it came to putting out compilations DURING their lifetime (Hatful Of Hollow, The World Won't Listen, Louder Than Bombs.)

Anyway, I'm looking forward to it - if it's done right.

micmij

You'd think that with last year's successful tour, an unofficial website with an unprecedented 7.5 million hits (and countless other sites) and massive audiences for his radio and TV appearances last year, that some bright spark in the record industry would realise that there is an audience out there that wants Morrissey's new music and not MORE rehashes of past 'glories' (which in any event are inferior to Vauxhall & I and Your Arsenal and arguably Viva Hate as well).

I would rather hack off what remains of my genitalia than buy another re-packaged set.
Same old same old.

I have a cool promotional idea-

How about a package that contains pressed gladiola petals?

Or at least emulate the Bjork boxed set. Let's face it, fans are suckers for boxed sets.

Or how about the Style Council? You gotta love 'em. Their *awesome* boxed set contains a high-quality book inside!

Tori Amos put little toys inside her latest limited edition boxed CD, although it was not a compilation.

Just fantasizing!

Love,
KEN

The Dwight Yoakam box set which is mentioned in the same article is already out I believe and it contains about 3 CDs worth of got it already stuff and one CD of bits and pieces - many already available, but hard to find. There are a few unreleased bits on there, eg, duets with Kelly Willis. If the Smiths' box set follows a similar pattern, there may be interesting revelations yet.

there is nothing more to be heard / had from the smiths. this box set will have nothing of value to most of us hard core smiths fans. save your money friends. if you have any self control.

Maybe Morrissey and Marr (and the 2 other ones) have been writing/recording new smiths tracks for the past 6 years and now releasing the best of the songs on a new 4CD album.

I don't see how we can immediately assume it will be botched up. Most box sets contain some rarities, and I'm sure this will do the same.

At the least, I imagine they'll remaster the CDs. While the sound quality of the Smiths CDs isn't as bad as many older CDs, they could probably stand a little remastering.

I find it hard to believe they would go to the trouble of putting together a box set only to slap the same old CDs into it.

I heard this was going to include an alternate take of Meat is Murder where Moz sings "Death for no reason is a burger..."

When Rhino put together The Very Best Of they took the opportunity to archive everything off the original master tapes. On the master tapes was unreleased versions of tracks, although if memory serves there weren't any unheard tracks.

I think the box set will include some rarities, but then I'm an optimist. I would gladly hand over money for the longer version of 'Queen is Dead'.