I don't know what his name is but he was a member of the "Carry on" cast. I think he died a few years ago.

It is the star of many a "Carry on" Film.
His name is Charles Hawtrey, i recall Morrissey lamenting on his passing a few years ago, saying something along he lines of "another great bastion" of english decadence has passed on.
ME - Very camp, he was undoubtedly one of the great stars from the "carry on" series- if you haven't seen one , you should do!

I wouldn't be suprised if Reprise is still trying to make all they can off of them...

He's pretty scary looking if you ask me

another smiths compilation? does anyone else feel raped? cheated? etc? can't the record companies at least tack on a demo or live track? this is no better that those "best of" discs or the "singles" record. i know there are completists out there that will buy this latest ploy at our money, but i really hope the disc stays on the shelves in protest. reprise, next time give us a live lp or unheard demos, not another reassembly of past hits.

You MUST recognise this man from the Hulmerist Video\VCD, remember the man sunbathing at the start of November Spawned a Monster, or indeed the video the girl was watching on Everyday is like Sunday. He was also mentioned by inferrence on the Interesting Drug video (The school was Hawtrey High).
Hope this helps

Surely there's enough of this kind of thing already?
And, much as i'm sure he was a good chap, i can't see anyone who isn't a smithslover being brought into the fold by charles hawtrey leering out of the hmv shelves at them.

Thats fackin Charles Hawtry!

Doesn't everyone out there already have all these songs anyway? This compilation is only slightly different from the Singles album that cam out about 10 years ago. I'm with you all. Unless it's a live album, reunion album, or never before released demos, I don't want to see any more new smiths albums.

Speaking of reunion albums, anybody buy the new Go Go's? Is it any good?

I will go ahead and purchase the cd, even if it's only on import. Hopefully, if this sells well, the industry will see that there is still interest in Morrissey and The Smiths. This could help him in landing a new contract. Damn, I need to stop reading the Wall Street Journal.

Frankly, I don't understand the reasons for this cover... Charles Hawtrey guy... I assume that Moz likes him because those quaint childhood memories about Carry On show... But I 100% with discussant "Austere":

"i can't see anyone who isn't a smithslover being brought into the fold by charles hawtrey leering out of the hmv shelves at them."

Thanks, Mr or Mrs Austere for being honest... For me, I understand Moz reasoning, but for outsiders this guy looks like your neighborhood Bank of America's Home Loan's desk clerk. I doubt any 16-year-old girls (and artistically-inclined teen boys too), no matter how sophisticated and bright, would give this boring "accountant" on the cover a second glance..., unless they are already into Smiths... I wonder who made this decision... If Moz did it, then it is his way of saying that album is aimed exclusively to the insiders, and that's fine, however if this cover was chosen by Reprise without consulting Moz, I guess guy or gal responsible for his/her choice ought to be talked some sense into them... (I don't want to use a word "fired", cause I'm employee myself, but, hey, what the heck Reprise people were thinking while chosing this guy for the cover... What about sexy people, mysterious people, legendary people like Nico (Icon), Sandie Shaw (you know why!), poor late darling Kirstie McColl (spelling?), Gina Lollbriodgida, Katrin Deneve, even somebody exotic like late Israeli Yemenite singing babe Ofra Haza or this French hunk soccer goalkeeper Bartez... or this Algerian stud Zidane... (Oh, my, gay men like me ought to stay away from the soccer games :-) ) There are so many beautiful people around to grace this unnecessary and vain Smiths re-re-issue... My 50-year-old hard-drinking gay drama teacher at my underfunded Riga, Latvia high school looked way more handsome than this Hawtrey guy!!!

AFKA Bean

Did Morrissey have a hand in this cover? It reminds me of the American "Best"... covers from a few years ago. I don't know if they actually were approved by Morrissey, but they gave me the feeling that somebody was trying imitate him by creating what they *thought* a Smiths cover should be like...a sad girl on a bed--kind of a rock journalist cliche about the Smiths. This cover isn't quite so obvious, it's a cool photo(though a skinny white boy with glasses (speaking as one) might be cliche as well)...it's the overall layout i don't like. Well, it's the fact that they're again re-releasing the same music that I REALLY don't like.

No matter...I used to justify buying compilations of songs that I already own by saying that it put a bunch of songs i like on one convenient CD. In today's market, that argument doesn't work. Just burn your own compilation CD on your computer and put the cover star of *your* choice on the package. (Hurry, though-- you never know when the record companies will finally gain control of the technology and prevent us from ripping our own music. Then we *will* be forced to buy their compilations.)

Es el esposo de la Bruja del 71.

    Nicole

Isn't that noel coward?

For those of us who already have all the previous cds all we have to do is burn them on one or 2 cds to make our own compilation. Why waste our money on another best of? However.. for new fans it is GREAT. When i first got into the smiths i had only heard one or two songs and had no idea what cd to start with.. I saw the singles.. recognized a few songs and listened to that cd all summer. Hopefully this will reach new fans the same way.

Reissue, Re Package , Re Package
Re - evaluate the songs.
Double Pack and a Photograph
Extra Track and a Tacky badge.

I need say no more.

This amiable character was also mentioned in a Beatles song [can't remember the title, but I know the tune] .... from one of their latter albums ....

Starts with John Lennon speaking into a megaphone ..... "I dig a pigmy with Charles Hawtrey on the deaf aid .... chapter one, where Doris gets her oats"

True story!

cover looks too clean... needs a little noise a'la adobe photoshop.

but that's nothing compared to the title.

'the very best of the smiths'

something irks me about the 'very best of...' part. how "99¢-bin-esque"!

this isn't the smothers brothers or ringo starr we're talking about! it's the smiths! and their name and genre just doesn't warrant the 'very best of...' labeling. it's just as bad as saying 'the very best of black flag' or 'the timeless classics of the cure' or 'misfits - platinum pits'... it just doesn't fit.

something tells me 'whores in retirement' wasn't involved in this... then again, i could be wrong.

Must we take yet another trip to memory lane?

Tha track listing is so similar to previous Smiths very best of compilation.

Whoever put this package together should realize that there more great b-side-non-single tracks to consider instead of reciclying the same material over and over.

It is so sad so unimaginative people can be!

I find the picture chosen for this sleeve intriguing, it has an inane and perverse madness written all over it. The old mans sideways glare and creepy half smile spell something either dreadfully sinister or hysterical, I like the fine balance drawn between these seemingly incongruous extremes. The face is kind of unreal as well, almost plastic, and is that a glass eye? It's like an old ragged doll with loose sewing buttons for eyes, known, comforting and postively frightening. I love this photo. The funny old man has demons. Too bad its wasted on such a useless collection, certainly its only saving grace...

CRAP! I guess it's back to listening to my Britney cd (hubba hubba) or my favorite boy band.. N-sync!

At least I know I'm being cheated not fooled!

They will cut this track listing in half and call it "The most incredibly best that you will die of orgasm before the second track is over songs of the Smiths"

...is "Two Of Us." It is the first song on the "Let It Be" album. Anyone know if the inside has any photos? Or the usual one page insert with credits?

I just wanna know why all The Smiths covers have a whole shaznay of freaky peeps who AREN'T THE SMITHS!!! Since when is our vain Mozzer camera shy?!

On that note, I would just like to say that if yet 1 more compilation CD pops up.... Ah hell I dunno. JUST KNOCK THAT DAMN SHIT OFF!

Horribly annoyed
yet horribly devoted,
DeB of the West Sider Riders.

when you can just make the compilation cd at home if you have a cd burner, I am sure most people have all if not most of these songs on their hard drives or on cd. So why give up your cash to just another re-issue........

holy shit its michael jackson without make up

I just went to the Canadian hmv.com and I noticed a listing that read
   
Take Two/ 2set
Smiths - Release date 2000-08-07
CD Cdn$34.99 (US$23.02)

It currently says that it is Unavailable, but does anyone know what this was?

 

Just another false alarm! :(

Further to earlier answers, it's worth pointing out that Charles Hawtrey became an alcoholic during his ``Carry On'' years. He was acutely ashamed of being a homosexual and in later years he became a recluse with a serious mother fixation...he lived alone in a small house in a seaside town that they forgot to..( you know the rest)... there he would invite young sailors for drinking sessions and chats - maybe not much more...he wasn't considered to be predatory. He always thought he was never given the recognition he deserved for his talent and turned his back on many of his contemporaries in the business. He died a sad and lonely man.

NOW..if this isn't ringing any bells then it should (apart from the alcoholism)...And personally I don't think Morrissey chose this guy for the album...It's too obvious... I think this is some kind of in-joke among execs at the record company meeting..I really do...

charles hawtrey was extremely funny...

his camp presence and clumsiness lit up some very slow and mundane carry-on scripts.....morrissey has expressed his love of carry-on films and recognition of hawtrey many times.....'quintisentially english' was the description i believe.

but why, oh why, another jumble of 'the best of 1' added to 'the best of 2' with 'the singles' chucked in.

***fans would love and run to buy an lp of unreleased demo's, some rare live tracks, ok a few b-sides on top for flavour.......
this would simply fly off the shelves.

as for the album itself i believe its being released by WEA (in the u.k. anyway.)

the cover is ok but lacks a certain angle that mozz used to achieve with his designs.
from what i recall mozz was involved with the design on the best of's 1 & 2 but not on the singles compilation.

so WEA is having a stab at what they thought a smiths cover would look like....thats fair enough but the chioce of songs is annoyingly the same.....mozz would approve of hawtrey, no arguements there.

the comment that the cover isnt glamourous enough is ridiculous, the smiths were never about glamour.

not even 2 or 3 demo's tacked on the end, a poor affair indeed....

This cover star also appeared in the "Everyday is like Sunday" video, albeit in a clip from Carry On Abroad that appeared on a TV in shop window.

make profit?

Which are there more of - Smiths compilation albums or posthumous Tupac albums?

about time charles hawtrey was on a cover of moz's!apparently he used to toy around with photos of the guy to put on a sleeve back in the days of the smiths.but how many people will actually be buying this?we need something new!!

ok i like the cover but the order of the tracklisting really really really blows. ending with "Stop Me..."? i could use the same songs and make that damn thing more appealing. i mean there was that whole early concert that aired a month or two ago on the Rough Trade site why don't they release that?!?! and i'm surprised NOBODY has quoted Paint A Vulgar Picture. way to show restraint!

Dont Know about anyone else but i really enjoy the likes of ``Rank`` and ``Beethoven was Deaf``.Why not realease the Very Best of The Smiths LIVE? Napster was About the best place for me to get that sort of Stuff but i`d love a good copy. Any Slight fan will more than likely have all the stuff on offer here...
Oh yea, A bit more effort and tought on the Covers would be refreshing..

How can someone not know that its a picture of Charlie Hawtry, a man who, was according to Kenneth Williams, always very drunk and accompanied by young men.
Morrissey offered lots of money to interview him in the year shortly before Hawtry died.

argh, isn't it "Sheila Take a Bow"? i hope they don't sell it like that with such an ugly misprint.

oh come on that's enough with the best albums what a horrible sleeve i noticed that track 16 is different

This post is to reply to one of the comments above.Morrissey is not repressed one only has to listen to his songs to know this.There has been no other artist to have the courage to write and sing such beautiful,sensitive songs such as his.As we all know there is ambiguity to his songs he has said this is deliberate is so everybody male and female could relate to his words.The ambiguous nature of his songs are there to be inclusive to both genders and to gay and straight alike.And to quote The Moz himself"Life without ambiguity is boring.Don`t you agree?"(from as if you don`t know the Australian radio interview cd )Morrissey has also said that just singing from the male point of view would just be standard.And Morrissey has never been one to do things the conventional ,dull, boring way.Morrissey has also said that he does not want to be put in a category.And has also stated that he does not recognize the terms homosexual,hetrosexual or bisexual and those terms only serve to make people unhappy and he wants to eradicate them.You can read those statements if you have not already from an article entitled "Morrissey Answers 20 Questions" from "Star Hits" magazine(I just added this info because there not exact quotes but are similar so if you wish read it yourself).I just thought I would add my two cents there .And as always Good Day and Thank You,-Tibby

Should have involved Morrissey/Marr in the cover selection and "remastered" tracks. Could have asked anyone on the Morrissey-solo site for a real list of their very best songs. What a wasted opportunity...they could have at least got the track titles right. I say boycott this one and force them to collaborate with the Smiths and fans for a real "best of".

That's Moz himself, Yeah?

Perhaps most Smiths fans are not bothered by this, but the fact that these tracks are going to appear in remastered form already warrants purchase by this collector. The cover star is someone I was going to use for a home-made bootleg. Anyone English would understand this choice. Hearing these tracks for the thousandth time in clearer sharper sound will be amazing. Just compare the tenth anniversary reissue of 'The Stone Roses' with the original CD and you'll see what I mean. (Anne Dee). [email protected]

i believe there was a clip at the end of Everyday is like Sunday with Charles Hawtrey falling over backwards (on the beach) then getting up again as the film is reversed.....

Is'nt the same collection of 'best songs' that has been compiled before, ie- Louder than bombs(minus Strangeway tracks of which there are two), The Best of and The Singles. Why don't people buy the albums.

The Damn Cover star looks like a damn wooden puppet. It looks hideous, they should atleast change it before they release it, to make some appeal.

        I can understand why Morrissey objects, but he should think on, it could have been Hattie Jacques or even Bernard Bresslaw.