'Strangeways, Here We Come' marked the death of a band that are still talked about day-in-day-out, both fondly and critically. Morrissey is still a figure to love or hate and talk of a reunion is still at the end of nearly every fan's breath, no matter how unlikely that is of happening. But they're still the talk of the town and therefore Warner Bros. have seen this as another opportunity to release another best-of in order to cash in at Christmas. 'Paint A Vulgar Picture', a song that featured on the band's final album, but doesn't make its way onto this compilation, sums this whole idea up in a nutshell; "Re-issue ! Re-package ! Re-package !" check. "Re-evaluate the songs," check. "Double-pack with a photograph," check. "Extra Track (and a tacky badge)," pretty much. You get the vulgar picture. This compilation may have been overseen by both Marr and Morrissey but that doesn't mean they enjoyed what they were seeing.
The problem with best-ofs is that they do give a newcomer to any band, access to their "best bits". And although it pains to say, Warner Bros. have done a reasonably good job of doing just that; you've got the fan favourites, the big hits, the live tracks. Job done. The weakness comes in the fact that this is identical to one of the other countless Smiths compilations, tracks that are announced as "rare" by the package are ridiculously easy to find in a record store or hype machine. Alongside this, there's the idea of giving us all a chronological order of every single that was ever released by the band, in order to commemorate the grand achievements. If you want to be a decent person, you'd be better off buying 'The Smiths', then 'Meat Is Murder', then 'The Queen Is Dead', then 'Strangeways, Here We Come'. With that option, you get a better idea of the progression the band experienced (and yes, there was an awful lot of progression) along with better value for money.
The second CD gives us a little more to gasp at. Lurking inside are the likes of the ironically chirpy-sounding 'Cemetery Gates', the breathtaking closing sounds of Shane Meadow's 2006 work 'This Is England': 'Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want', as well as the original and much superior take of Ronson's 'Stop Me if You Think You've Heard This One Before' (the expert knowledge of the compiler of this double CD is outlined when they get the title of this track wrong in the track listing in-front of me'). There may be room to acknowledge and take time to appreciate the glorious steps that the band took on this album but there is always, and I mean always, the temptation to chuck the damn thing on the floor and stamp on it until it's hardly visible.
It was always going to be the case though; the material, 5 stars, the concept, 0 stars. Some best-ofs are delightful, endorsed by the band and easy to enjoy but this compilation was dented from the moment it was announced. When it comes to most best ofs, as many a politician would put it, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it'll still be a pig.
by Jamie Milton
Tags: Morrissey
The Smiths - 'The Sound Of The Smiths' (Warner) Released 10/11/08
you can put lipstick on a pig, but it'll still be a pig...
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