Suedehead: The Best of Morrissey is a compilation album by Morrissey containing material released during his EMI period. It was released on September 8, 1997.
Material ranges from 1988's Viva Hate to his 1994's Vauxhall and I album, also containing his 1995 single "Sunny". Although Suedehead predominantly contains singles, it also has several rarities including a cover of "That's Entertainment" originally by The Jam and the complete version of "Interlude", a duet with Siouxsie Sioux. It has since been deleted from the EMI catalogue as of December 14, 2010 alongside Beethoven Was Deaf & World Of Morrissey.
Suedehead: The Best of Morrissey
1997
MORRISSEY Steven Patrick Morrisey
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Track listing
1. "Suedehead" – 3:56 2. "Sunny" – 2:44 3. "Boxers" – 3:30 4. "Tomorrow" (album version) – 4:04 5. "Interlude" Featuring Siouxsie Sioux – 5:48 6. "Everyday Is Like Sunday" – 3:34 7. "That's Entertainment" – 3:57 8. "Hold on to Your Friends" – 4:03 9. "My Love Life" – 4:26 10. "Interesting Drug" – 3:27 11. "Our Frank" – 3:26 12. "Piccadilly Palare" – 3:25 13. "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" – 4:25 14. "You're the One for Me, Fatty" – 3:00 15. "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" – 2:30 16. "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" – 3:39 17. "Pregnant for the Last Time" – 2:41 18. "November Spawned a Monster" – 5:25 19. "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" – 3:43
Morrissey (Vocal) Johnny Marr Andy Rourke Mike Joyce
Formed in the spring of 1982 in Manchester, England when guitarist Johnny Marr (John Maher, October 31, 1963) author of reviews for Record Mirror and former guitarist in unsuccessful bands was looking for a lyricist and suggested the idea of forming a band to Morrissey (Stephen Patrick Morrissey, May 22, 1959).
The Smiths Discography [bxA]By September, the duo had settled on the name "The Smiths" as a reaction against all bands who chose complicated names to emphasise their music, and recruited Marr's schoolmate Andy Rourke as their bass player and Mike Joyce as their drummer. The Smiths made their live debut late in 1982 and their live appearances were sporadic. At this time they had already rejected a record deal with the Mancunian Factory Records. At the seventh Smiths gig ever in the University of London Union, a group of Rough Trade Records watch the band and invited them to sign a one-off single, "Hand In Glove". "Hand in Glove" became an underground sensation in the UK, topping the independent charts, which critics referred to Morrissey and Marr as the finest love song in recent years. When they released the second single "This Charming Man," in October 1983, the Smiths had already been the subjects of controversy and scandal over their songs "Reel Around The Fountain," and "Handsome Devil" as possible vehicles for the diffusion of child abuse.
In February of 1984 the Smiths released their eponymous debut "The Smiths" the album became a best seller acclaimed by critics and reached number 2. A couple of months later, the band invited a veteran sixties popstar, Sandie Shaw, to sing some of the smiths songs "Hand In Glove" which reached number 27, "Jeane" and "I Don't Owe You Anything". The second single "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" reached number 10. At the end of the year, "William It Was Really Nothing" became a Top 20 hit and the compilation "Hatful of Hollow", a collection of B-sides, BBC sessions and non-LP singles went to number 7. Meat is Murder, the band's second proper studio album, entered the British charts at number one in February the smiths of 1985. By the time the non-LP "Shakespeare's Sister" reached number 26 in March 1985. "The Boy With the Thorn In His Side" reached number 23 was followed in June of 1986 by their third album, "The Queen Is Dead". Considered by the critic as one of masterpieces of the decade peaked at number two on the UK charts, "The Queen Is Dead" also expanded their cult in the US, cracking the Top 100. Shortly before the album was completed, the band's line-up goes through a rather unstable stage, Andy Rourke quits for drug addiction and Craig Gannon, an ex Aztec Camera joins the band and became the rhythm guitarist. After a short time, Rourke returns and Gannon was fired.
In latte's 1986 the singles Panic and Ask are released. Johnny Marr begins his extra Smiths collaborations, taking part in Billy Braggs' album "Talking With The Taxman About Poetry". The Smiths may have been at the height of their popularity in early 1987, with the singles "Shoplifters of the World" and "Sheila Take A Bow" reaching number 12 and 10 morrissey respectively and the singles and B-sides compilation The World Won't Listen for the English market and "Louder Than Bombs" for the American one. Marr was growing increasingly disenchanted with the band and the music industry, over the course of the year, Morrissey and Marr became increasingly irritated with each other.
The new album "Strangeways Here We Come" is the band's last. In August, Johnny Marr confesses to have abandoned the band, the official split is however in September, Morrissey disbanded the group shortly afterward and began an inconstant solo career. Marr played as a sideman with a variety of artists, including The The and Electronic with New Order front man Bernard Summer. Andy Rourke retired from recording has played with Sinead O'Connor and Joyce became a member of the reunited Buzzcocks in 1991. The live album "Rank" recorded on the Queen is Dead tour, was released in the fall of 1988. It debuted at number two in the UK top. A much criticized, two-part Best of compilation was released in 1 992; the praised Singles compilation was released in 1995. Despite this short history, "The Smiths" were and will be one of the best bands ever.
Steven Patrick Morrissey (Born 22 May 1959), known primarily as Morrissey, is a British singer-songwriter. After a short stint in the punk rock band The Nosebleeds in the late 1970s, he rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. After the band's breakup in 1987, Morrissey began a solo career, in which he continued the jangle pop sound of The Smiths. Morrissey's solo albums have garnered ten Top 10 singles in the United Kingdom. Music magazine NME has described Morrissey as "one of the most influential artists ever", and The Independent has stated that "most pop stars have to be dead before they reach the iconic status that he has reached in his lifetime." Pitchfork Media has called him "one of the most singular figures in Westernpop culture from the last 20 years." [bxA]
Morrissey's sardonic, literate lyrics tend to be "dramatic...bleak, funny vignettes about doomed relationships, lonely nightclubs, the burden of the past and the prison of the home." His "forthright, often contrary opinions" led to a number of media controversies, and he has also attracted media attention from his advocacy of vegetarianism and animal rights.
Biography
Steven Patrick Morrissey was born at Park Hospital (now known as Trafford General Hospital) in Davyhulme, Urmston, Lancashire, on 22 May 1959 to IrishCatholicimmigrants. His father, Peter Morrissey, was a hospital porter, and his mother, Elizabeth Dwyer, was a librarian. His parents had emigrated to England just before Morrissey's birth and, along with his only sibling (elder sister Jackie), Morrissey was raised in Harper Street in Hulme, Manchester. In 1965, the family moved to Queens Square in Hulme near Moss Side. The family moved to 384 Kings Road in the suburb of Stretford in 1969, when many of the old terraced streets were being demolished. He has maintained a strong attachment to his mother throughout his life. His relationship with his father, however, suffered much strain over the years.
In adolescence, Morrissey's athletic ability saved him to a large degree from bullying. Nevertheless, he has described this period as a time when he was often lonely and depressed. As a teenager, he began taking prescription drugs to help combat the depression that would later follow him throughout his life. He attended St Mary's Secondary Modern School and Stretford Technical School, where he passed three O levels, including English Literature. He then worked briefly for the Inland Revenue, but ultimately decided to "go on the dole".
Of his youth, Morrissey said, "Pop music was all I ever had, and it was completely entwined with the image of the pop star. I remember feeling that the person singing was actually with me and understood me and my predicament." As of 1974, he regularly wrote letters to music magazines such as Melody Maker and the NME, giving his forthright opinions on various bands. Morrissey would sometimes venture out to see bands at local Manchester venues; the first such occasion being T.Rex at Belle Vue in 1972. He was taken there by his father, fearing for his safety in the notoriously rough district. Morrissey has described the occasion as "messianic and complete chaos".
In early 1982 Morrissey met Johnny Marr, a guitarist and songwriter; the two began a songwriting partnership. Marr, whose real name is John Maher, changed his name to avoid confusion with the Buzzcocks drummer, and Morrissey performed solely under his surname. After recording several demo tapes with future FalldrummerSimon Wolstencroft, they recruited drummer Mike Joyce in the autumn of 1982. As well, they added bass player Dale Hibbert, who also provided the group with demo recording facilities at the studio where he worked as a factotum. However, after two gigs, Marr's friend Andy Rourke replaced Hibbert on bass, because neither Hibbert's bass playing or personality fit in with the group. Signing to independent record labelRough Trade Records, they released their first single, "Hand in Glove", in May 1983. The record was championed by DJ John Peel, as were all of their later singles, but failed to chart. The follow-up singles "This Charming Man" and "What Difference Does It Make?" fared better when they reached numbers 25 and 12 respectively on the UK Singles Chart.[15] Aided by praise from the music press and a series of studio sessions for John Peel and David Jensen at BBC Radio 1, The Smiths began to acquire a dedicated fan base. In February 1984, the group released their debut album The Smiths, which reached number two on the UK Albums Chart.
In 1984, the band released two non-album singles: "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" (the band's first UK top-ten hit) and "William, It Was Really Nothing" (which featured "How Soon Is Now?" as a B-side). The year ended with the compilation album Hatful of Hollow. This collected singles, B-sides and the versions of songs that had been recorded throughout the previous year for the Peel and Jensen shows. Early in 1985 the band released their second album, Meat Is Murder. Meat Is Murder was the band's only album (barring compilations) to reach number one in the UK charts. The single-only release "Shakespeare's Sister" reached number 26 on the UK Singles Chart, although the only single taken from the album, "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore", was less successful barely making the top 50.
During 1985 the band completed lengthy tours of the UK and the US while recording the next studio record, The Queen Is Dead. The album was released in June 1986, shortly after the single "Bigmouth Strikes Again". The record reached number two in the UK charts. However, all was not well within the group. A legal dispute with Rough Trade had delayed the album by almost seven months (it had been completed in November 1985), and Marr was beginning to feel the stress of the band's exhausting touring and recording schedule. Meanwhile, Rourke was fired from the band in early 1986 due to his use of heroin. Rourke was temporarily replaced on bass by Craig Gannon, but he was reinstated after only a fortnight. Gannon stayed in the band, switching to rhythm guitar. This five-piece recorded the singles "Panic" and "Ask" (with Kirsty MacColl on backing vocals) which reached numbers 11 and 14 respectively on the UK Singles Chart, and toured the UK. After the tour ended in October 1986, Gannon left the band. The group had become frustrated with Rough Trade and sought a record deal with a major label. The band ultimately signed with EMI, which drew criticism from the band's fanbase.
In early 1987 the single "Shoplifters of the World Unite" was released and reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. It was followed by a second compilation, The World Won't Listen, which reached number two in the charts – and the single "Sheila Take a Bow", the band's second (and last during the band's lifetime) UK top-10 hit. Despite their continued success, personal differences within the band – including the increasingly strained relationship between Morrissey and Marr – saw them on the verge of splitting. In July 1987, Marr left the group, and auditions to find a replacement for him proved fruitless.
By the time the group's fourth album Strangeways, Here We Come was released in September, the band had split up. The breakdown in the relationship has been primarily attributed to Morrissey's annoyance with Marr's work with other artists and to Marr's growing frustration with Morrissey's musical inflexibility. Strangeways peaked at number two in the UK but was only a minor US hit, although it was more successful there than the band's previous albums.
1984 January What Difference Does it Make (Single)
1984 February The Smiths (Album)
Tracks Reel Around The Fountain You've Got Everything Now Miserable Lie Pretty Girls Make Graves The Hand That Rocks The Cradle This Charming Man Still Ill Hand In Glove What Difference Does It Make I Don't Owe You Anything Suffer Little Children
1984 May Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now (Single)
1984 August William (Single)
1984 November Hatful of Hollow (Album)
1985 February How Soon Is Now (Single)
1985 February Meat is Murder (Album)
1985 March Shakespeares Sister (Single)
1985 July That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore (Single)
1985 September The Boy with the Thorn in his Side (Single)
1986 May Bigmouth Strikes Again (Single)
1986 June The Queen is Dead (Album)
1986 July Panic (Single)
1986 October Ask (Single)
1987 January Shoplifters of the World (Single)
1987 February The World Won't Listen (Album)
1987 March Louder Than Bombs (Album)
1987 April Sheila Take a Bow (Single)
1987 August Girlfriend in a Coma (Single)
1987 September Strangeways Here We Come (Album)
1987 November I Started Something (Single)
1987 December Last Night I Dreamt (Single)
1988 September Rank (Rank)
1992 August This Charming Man (Re-release Single)
1992 September Best I (Album)
1982 September How Soon is Now (Re-release Single)
