ALBUM REVIEWS

Morrissey
GREATEST HITS
POLYDOR / DECCA 11.02.08
@www.vanguard-online.co.uk

 Good music tends to stimulate one of four areas of the body. 1) The brain – intelligent and perceptive lyrics can make you think about life and the human condition. 2) The heart – a melancholic note or an uplifting tune can make your heart flutter as it somehow reminds you of a loved one. 3) The groin – sexy music can make you wanna get down ‘n’ dirty with a partner of your choice. 4) The legs – certain music can make you want to dance your until your legs fall off. Some music pulls together to provide a combination of two; sometimes three of these stimulations. Great artists have the vision to somehow invigorate all fours of these areas – Morrissey is one such artist.

However, over a twenty year solo career a fifteen track greatest hits (of which two are new and one a cover version of a Patti Smith song) somehow feels like being short-changed. Indeed the ‘best of’ compilation released over 10 years ago contained 19 tracks – you do the math.

Of course the classics are also here – ‘Everyday is Like Sunday’ and Suedehead’ still sound as resonant as anything from the Smith’s back catalogue arsenal. But much of the tracks are culled from the two most recent albums. I guess these are the albums that have spawned the ‘hits’; so there shouldn’t be any issues relating to the Trades description act. After spending much of his solo career still as an outsider; the chart success of these recent albums has contributed to Morrissey’s rise to iconic status. But you can’t help feeling that there have been other factors in this change of public perception. His triumphant (but seemingly never-ending) return to the UK’s live arenas has helped - these gigs have seen classic Smiths songs being given a new lease of life. Could it be that the 80’s music generation’s blood-lust for nostalgia has aided Morrissey’s rise in the public’s affection?

There’s no doubting the fact that Morrissey (and The Smiths) have in the past made me think, made my heart ache, made me want to have sex, and made me dance my arse off. But this compilation just doesn’t seem to do justice to that history of activity that I and thousands of other fans must have experienced.

www.itsmorrisseysworld.com


Steve Claire