Lets disect Greatest Hits (2008) and "Suedehead" greatest hits (1997)

robbbi

New Member
Greatest Hits (2008)

1. First Of The Gang To Die
2. In The Future When All's Well
3. I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
4. Irish Blood, English Heart
5. You Have Killed Me
6. That's How People Grow Up
7. Everyday Is Like Sunday
8. Redondo Beach
9. Suedehead
10. The Youngest Was The Most Loved
11. The Last Of The Famous International Playboys
12. The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
13. All You Need Is Me
14. Let Me Kiss You
15. I Have Forgiven Jesus

I think the above should have been expanded to around 20 tracks. Not enough tracks on the disc containing Morrissey's earlier work like "Hairdresser on Fire", "Tommorow", "Hold onto your Friends", "November Spawned a Monster", "Piccadily Palare", You're the one for me Fatty", etc. And many others as well.

I'm not sure why "All you need is me" and "That's how people grow up" were included within last years greatest hits release when they're on the new album, which was released only last month.

Suedehead, The very best of Morrissey (1997)

1. Suedehead
2. Sunny
3. Boxers
4. Tomorrow
5. Interlude
6. Everyday Is Like Sunday
7. That's Entertainment
8. Hold on to Your Friends
9. My Love Life
10. Interesting Drug
11. Our Frank
12. Piccadilly Palare
13. Ouija Board, Ouija Board
14. You're the One for Me, Fatty
15. We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful
16. Last of the Famous International Playboys
17. Pregnant for the Last Time
18. November Spawned a Monster
19. More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get


I think the above is a better compilation. It simply includes most of his earlier work and better tracks. The 2008 greatest hits could have been better had it included more tracks from above and possibly expanded to 20 tracks or more.


Thoughts?
 
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This is the best Greatest Hits in my opinion!

...it has Lost so it must be good.

Love PTxx.
 
"Reissue, Repackage"! Could someone do the track listing for "The Best of Morrissey", please? Thanks everso.

1. "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" – 3:43
2. "Suedehead" – 3:54
3. "Everyday Is Like Sunday" – 3:32
4. "Glamorous Glue" – 4:08
5. "Do Your Best and Don't Worry" – 4:07
6. "November Spawned a Monster" – 5:23
7. "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" – 3:39
8. "Sing Your Life" – 3:26
9. "Hairdresser on Fire" – 3:50
10. "Interesting Drug" – 3:27
11. "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" – 2:30
12. "Certain People I Know" – 3:11
13. "Now My Heart Is Full" – 4:08
14. "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday" – 4:22
15. "Sunny" – 2:41
16. "Alma Matters" – 4:48
17. "Hold on to Your Friends" – 4:04
18. "Sister I'm a Poet" – 2:25
19. "Disappointed" – 3:05
20. "Tomorrow" (radio remix) – 3:54
21. "Lost" – 3:54

Lifted from Wiki!

Love PTxx.
 
Thoughts?

The tracklist for "Greatest Hits" was singles only and only the best-charting singles at that. The idea was to highlight Morrissey's chart success-- in the UK-- by collecting only "hits". Thus the sleeve proudly lists all the chart positions.

That the 1997 compilation features more of the early songs isn't a surprise. It came out in 1997.

No Morrissey compilation is ever going to get it right. There are too many "throwaway" B-sides and stellar album tracks for a singles compilation to be any good. The best compilations are those that compile the choicest A- and B-sides from a year or two of his career, such as "Hatful of Hollow" and "Bona Drag".
 
The tracklist for "Greatest Hits" was singles only and only the best-charting singles at that. The idea was to highlight Morrissey's chart success-- in the UK-- by collecting only "hits". Thus the sleeve proudly lists all the chart positions.

That the 1997 compilation features more of the early songs isn't a surprise. It came out in 1997.

No Morrissey compilation is ever going to get it right. There are too many "throwaway" B-sides and stellar album tracks for a singles compilation to be any good. The best compilations are those that compile the choicest A- and B-sides from a year or two of his career, such as "Hatful of Hollow" and "Bona Drag".

Agreed.

Love PTxx.
 
The tracklist for "Greatest Hits" was singles only and only the best-charting singles at that. The idea was to highlight Morrissey's chart success-- in the UK-- by collecting only "hits". Thus the sleeve proudly lists all the chart positions.

But it didn't even have all of the biggest singles. 'November Spawned a Monster', 'Alma Matters' and the top-10 single, 'Interesting Drug', should have all been there too. I really don't know what Morrissey was thinking with this collection. :crazy:

My favourite of his career-spanning collections is definitely the U.S. 'Best Of'. As well as featuring some later songs than 'Suedehead', I also feel that it's a lot more consistent in terms of the over all quality. 'Suedehead' had some real clunkers on it, IMO.
 
But it didn't even have all of the biggest singles. 'November Spawned a Monster', 'Alma Matters' and the top-10 single, 'Interesting Drug', should have all been there too. I really don't know what Morrissey was thinking with this collection. :crazy:

You're right, I forgot about those. That would seem to point to the tracklisting being chosen specifically to make it heavier on recent material, as if to prove he's still got it. Which I think was the idea behind the whole package, punctuated by the bare bottom he showed the world: "You thought I'd gone, but I'm better than ever".

Just shows that there are different reasons behind every GH compilation. Sometimes it's the record company out for a buck, sometimes it's the artist indulging his vanity, sometimes there's no sense to them whatsoever. Whatever the agenda, they are almost never about picking the very best tracks in an artist's body of work. It just reaffirms what we all probably knew anyway, which is that if GH compilations must exist to help bring new listeners into the fold, for that very reason they should be ignored by the fans.

Although that "cheeky" photo was probably worth the price of the album alone. :rolleyes:
 
i feel exactly the same.

I agree with you guys here, :)

I particularly liked the idea that this retro includes a little of every album Moz had released thus far, compilations included. :thumb:

BTW, this compilation was produced by Bill Inglot and re-mastered by Bill Inglot and Dan Hersch, the same team who mastered Years Of Refusal, :guitar:

The 1997 Suedehead Best Of is great but its missing Sing Your Life for whatever reason but from a collector's point of view, its a must have.
 
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First up re-issue re-package anyone?

Hope there aren't any more - please Moz don't do it.

I find any compilation based on chart success a bit rubbish for the reason it gives a very narrow insight into the artist. By definition, Morrissey isn't the sort you can get into casually, you either love him to bits or you just don't get it, so the 97 compilation for me is much better. 'Pregnant for the last time' was worth the money on its own.

PS - am I the only person who thinks this latest record is a bit rubbish? Just being objective...
 
First up re-issue re-package anyone?

Hope there aren't any more - please Moz don't do it.

I find any compilation based on chart success a bit rubbish for the reason it gives a very narrow insight into the artist. By definition, Morrissey isn't the sort you can get into casually, you either love him to bits or you just don't get it, so the 97 compilation for me is much better. 'Pregnant for the last time' was worth the money on its own.

PS - am I the only person who thinks this latest record is a bit rubbish? Just being objective...

Rubbish? And you like 'Pregnant for the Last Time'??
 
Made me smile - nice one...guess you don't like it then?

I don't actually mind it - I like the Rockabilly sound. I was just taking the mick.. sorry if I sounded arsey! I think the new album's pretty cool - I take it you don't agree? Fair enough, but I'm interested in your viewpoint..
 
Just shows that there are different reasons behind every GH compilation. Sometimes it's the record company out for a buck, sometimes it's the artist indulging his vanity, sometimes there's no sense to them whatsoever. Whatever the agenda, they are almost never about picking the very best tracks in an artist's body of work. It just reaffirms what we all probably knew anyway, which is that if GH compilations must exist to help bring new listeners into the fold, for that very reason they should be ignored by the fans.


If my memory's correct, the greatest hits thing was part of what Morrissey and Merck Mercuriadis used to increase label interest when they were shopping for a new label. I could be wrong, but didn't Merck once post something about how they were offering a compilation plus a new album to potential labels? So I suspect the whole thing was Merck's bad idea. Then Moz got mad at how Decca US promoted "Greatest Hits" and changed labels in America for "Refusal".

I have no idea why "Alma Matters" got snubbed, as it appeared on track lists in the press at one time. But I guess it depends on what Morrissey thinks the word "greatest" means in "greatest hits", and perhaps he doesn't think it was great enough? But certainly he still loves "November".....

I think it would've been better if it had just been a "Best Of" plus some obscurities from his Attack comeback period, with the years put in the title or something. If you put a few tracks from the early days and then everything else from recent albums, it's annoying to call it "Greatest Hits" even if they technically are his highest charting songs (to Americans, Morrissey never has any hits, and his greatest songs span his whole career with much more equal proportion).

But at least it had the Hollywood Bowl disc. :)

In the long run, the CD will probably be most remembered historically just for that certain pic on the inside.
 
BTW, "My Early Burglary Years" still stands as a very nice compilation, along with "Bona Drag", "Louder Than Bombs" and "Hatful of Hollow". Meanwhile, I dislike "Greatest Hits" (apart from the live disc) more than "World of Morrissey".

The Smiths' "Singles" and Morrissey's "The Best Of" are my fave greatest hits type deals from Moz. "Suedehead" is ok too.
 
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