Morrissey
This Is MorrisseyParlophone
2018
Rating: <insert
gif of a confused child shrugging their shoulders>
In the grand tradition of the classic Morrissey cash-grab ,
I present to you “This Is Morrissey.” No
one loves continually releasing and re-releasing his own music as much as he
does, and I guess why not if people keep buying it? I’m never entirely sure how to rate this
things – if it’s purely on music, it’s a 10 out of 10. A ton of his very best songs are here, including
a remastered version of what might be my favorite track of his, “Speedway” (it’s
at least top three with “Sing Your Life” and “Boyracer”). If instead you rate the release for its
necessity to exist, the number drops to almost zero. Maybe the biggest issue is I have no idea
what the theme is – there are some of his biggest hits like “Everyday Is Like
Sunday” and “The Last of the Famous International Playboys”; obscure cuts like
a live cover of Lou Reed’s “Satellite of Love” (really good, and probably the
best argument for actually buying this) and a remix of “Suedehead” (one of the
worst things I’ve ever heard); plus run-of-the-mill (but perfectly fine) album
tracks like “Have-A-Go Merchant” and “Whatever Happens I Love You.” It’s too pedestrian for the super fans, and
has too strange a tracklist to be recommended to someone new to the
curmudgeonly crooner. Plus the track
order is beyond bizarre – who puts “Everyday Is Like Sunday” as the last song
on anything? Honestly, I think the
compilation might have been created by just loading every Morrissey song into
iTunes, putting it on shuffle, and then taking the first random 12 songs and
calling it a new release. Good job by
all!
