Will you please, either
release an album
and or
go on extended tour of the Eastern region of the United States

This goes for you too, Morrissey.

Andy, Mike, ditto.

In fact all former Smiths, please get a move on and release something new, and re-releases like this "Very Best of" won't even be relevant.

After all it’s only filling the void, you make, by not releasing new material.

Mucho gracias moo-cha-chos

Way ahead of you Johnny, it was forgotten about the second I heard of it's release!

Only people like my mother will buy that tripe. I hope for your sake there are not many of her.

I agree with johnny these best of.. compilations are getting out of hand i advise true smiths fans out there not to buy this album and to stick with the original lp's something like a bbc sessions would at least comfort most fans.

Does Johnny think Morrissey is less than pleased, or does he know? He should fix this album by getting all the members of the Smiths to do a press conference to clear their names of this awful album, followed by a live miniset.

Come on Johnny!

Thanks for letting us know!!! Thanks!!! Now, a question: is there anything that we, our humble yet dedicated fans can do for you two? We'd more than pleased to help, you know :) If there's a way, just let us know!!! :)))

hey, after reading this and knowing that moz and marr feel that the album should not be supported by fans, i suggest that none of us buy it so that the company cannot make a profit on something that the band did not agree on. besides, it would be like investing in a cheap imitation of our fav band. just a thought.

I actually fancy the cover. I bet that if Morrissey picked it, fans would love it. It is very similar to the Smiths style and you cannot deny that. Anyways, it is just plain stupid to release another greatest hits anyways. Maybe Moz will use the cover for his next disc.

I think that smiths fans are definetly very unlikely to buy this album, but mainly because they are bound to have the songs already. But I really don't think that the album is such a bad thing, it will at least introduce some new fans to the smiths, and that is surely a good thing. It has sold modestly well, with 2 weeks in the top 40, heck it even went up a place this week.

You bet your life I will ignore this.... With all the collection it is ENOUGH!

Geez... If I were Moz and Marr, I would demand those guys!!!!

That thing Rhino did is very nasty

I think its great that Johnny and Morrissey agree about one thing but I also think that they should bring out a..'Best of Cd'..so that we as fans can enjoy it and not have to put up with ones we shouldn't buy..PLEASE MORRISSEY AND JOHNNY..

A shameless cash-in certainly, but the track selection is above usual standard including some album only favourites such as Still Ill and I Know It's Over.

The digital remastering is horrendous, however, and completly submerges Johnny Marr's masterful guitar work and echoes a lot of Morrissey's lyrical masterpieces. The whole intro to Last Night I Dreamt... is missing and makes it sound a totally different song.

I am not surprised our heroes don't approve and would suggest new listeners pick up Louder Than Bombs as a intro to Smithdom.

For collectors only.

I completely agree with Johnny's comment on this very latest rip-off. I recently went to the Virgin Mega Store and saw the import CD and it does not look very appealing and the package does have mispelled songs and John Porter's name is spelled wrong too. I will not buy this and neither should anyone who supports Morrissey and The Smiths! WEA and WB should apologize to the entire bank for not asking for their input on this latest release.

I'm not even going to waste my time on this album. Remastered tracks? Uh, yeah, real necessary. This isn't even for the fact that both Morrissey and Marr opose it. I don't really care, all I know is that i'm not shelling out the benjamins to by stuff I already have. I say, Moz should do what he can to avoid these worthless re-issues by putting out a new album. You too Marr! C'mon guys, it's time to wake up. And another thing, there is no way in hell I would buy an album with a cover like that. Charles Hawtrey? Dude looks like Anne Robinson on crack!!

WAR misspelled re-issues printed on paper bags!!!

OUT!!!!

I think the turn of the century would be the smiths comeing together once again to play on a tour, i garuntee that every show would be sold out!!!!!! the crowd would go crazy and the music would kick ass!!!!! THE SMITHS! together would be the ultimate thing!!! !viva los smiths!

If Morrissey and Marr were singing this compilation's praises, would we all be agreeing how great it is? It's refreshing to see so many fans have moved beyond the "whatever Morrissey and Marr say is gospel" stage and are able to think for themselves. I hope that neither one of them wakes up some day and declares that the entire Smiths' catalog is rubbish.

I would like to add some views on this issue: What I think about it, is that at the time that many of these songs were originally released (and yes, I still remember having to queue for my 7 inches of pleasure from Cirles Records) the measure of a Smiths song was that it sounded so different. Smiths songs were recorded/produced written and sung in a very special kind of way - a n unusual method, which was so different to the other UK groups around the early 80's - namely, the Keyboard Groups et. al. Morrissey and Marr then, went to great lengths to distance themselves from over-produced records and weak songs. Both have recorded and released great songs since Smiths days. However, what is unusual, given there success, is that both care deeply for all the fans. Re-releasing these songs without input from the original musicians is clearly very stupid and a practise which grates with many who have also been put into similiar positions. The only people to come out of this issue with any credit and Morrissey and Marr - clearly annoyed, but the fans come first. Hazard.

Warning: rant ahead.

I'm not surprised, but a little disappointed at the reaction of the people on this board. I don't see how this release is a bad thing. The way I see it the release is good for the following reasons:

1) It exposes The Smiths to an audience that might not have heard them. I walked into two record stores at the weekend (I'm in London) and saw the album displayed prominently. This kind of prominence is good for both new and old Smiths fans, surely.

2) It has a track that was previously unavailable on CD and another which was rare on CD. Okay, so these releases aren't anything to get too excited about but as a collector I'm glad I have them. I didn't realise I was lacking a version of Ask until I heard this new one.

3) The engineer has attempted to recreate the original sound of the 12" releases rather than simply reusing old CD releases. Would people rather continue listening to recordings which sound less like the original release? Have people who have complained about the sound compared it against the vinyl recordings?

4) It could be the start of something bigger. Importantly Warner are paying for Rhino to dig up and remaster these Smiths recordings. If you look at Rhino's previous work you'll see that they are involved in releases such as box sets. How many people here would complain if they released a Smiths box set which included the complete Peel/Jensen, studio outtakes, alternate versions, new live releases? What if they uncovered an unreleased track? I see this release as a stepping stone to releasing something more interesting.

Ultimately if you don't want the CD don't buy it, but I think it's a bad idea to mailbomb the exec at WEA complaining about the release. I don't see what that serves to achieve. AOL Time Warner is a corporation out to make money so letting them know that they're moneygrabbing scum isn't likely to come as a surprise. If anything, the hostility is likely to get back to Morrissey and Marr and those comments might jeapordise further conversations between them and WEA regarding the release of something more interesting.

Do you think the people that have bought the CD have felt cheated? I'm guessing they're pretty pleased with it. Either they're new to The Smiths and they're probably pleased to buy a CD which is better than the the majority of the new releases, they're an old Smiths fan that have had their love of The Smiths re-kindled, or they're a collector pleased to hear the new sound. I don't believe the views of this board represent the consensus of people that have bought it.

I'm curious as to what makes most people so outraged. If you're spitting blood is it because Morrissey & Marr told you to? Because you don't think Warner should make more money out of The Smiths? Because you don't like the sound of it? Because a clerk made a couple of typos on the sleeve? I don't understand.

I bought the CD and I'm pleased with it.