Morrissey - 2008 - Greatest Hits - By the Numbers

[Zenith Nadir]

The rest, no "Greatest Hits" choices featured.

31) At Last I Am Born - 5,875
32) Hold on to Your Friends - 5,780
33) Tomorrow - 5,671
34) I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now - 5,376
35) Piccadilly Palare - 5,307
36) Now My Heart Is Full - 4,877
37) Ouija Board, Ouija Board - 4,773
38) Certain People I Know - 4,699
39) You're the One for Me, Fatty - 4,600
40) Disappointed - 4,515
41) I Don't Mind If You Forget Me - 4,381
42) Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together - 4,372
43) Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself - 4,363
44) Alsatian Cousin - 4,336
45) Glamorous Glue - 4,303
46) Sunny - 4,264
47) Boxers - 4,171
48) Bengali in Platforms - 4,108
49) Will Never Marry - 4,009
50) Billy Budd - 3,920
51) Break Up the Family - 3,894
52) The Ordinary Boys - 3,817
53) Late Night, Maudlin Street - 3,802
54) Our Frank - 3,799
55) Such a Little Thing Makes Such a Big Difference - 3,791
56) Sing Your Life - 3,707
57) My Love Life - 3,660
58) I Am Hated for Loving - 3,637
59) He Knows I'd Love to See Him - 3,603
60) We'll Let You Know - 3,557
61) Speedway - 3,542
62) I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday - 3,505
63) Seasick, Yet Still Docked - 3,444
64) Margaret on the Guillotine - 3,420
65) You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side - 3,402
66) Alma Matters - 3,363
67) The National Front Disco - 3,320
68) Used to Be a Sweet Boy - 3,301
69) Little Man, What Now? - 3,270
70) Yes, I Am Blind - 3,250
71) The Lazy Sunbathers - 3,246
72) Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning - 3,176
73) Spring-Heeled Jim - 3,145
74) Lucky Lisp - 3,078
75) That's Entertainment - 2,969
76) I've Changed My Plea to Guilty - 2,537
77) Sister I'm a Poet - 2,533
78) Pregnant for the Last Time - 2,490
79) At Amber - 2,488
80) Girl Least Likely To - 2,480
81) Pashernate Love - 2,446
82) Do Your Best and Don't Worry - 2,406
83) Friday Mourning - 2,341
84) Don't Make Fun of Daddy's Voice - 2,294
85) Jack the Ripper - 2,291
86) The Boy Racer - 2,276
87) I'd Love To - 2,247
88) Driving Your Girlfriend Home - 2,238
89) Michael's Bones - 2,210
90) Satan Rejected My Soul - 2,161
91) Bigmouth Strikes Again - 2,139
92) Mute Witness - 2,138
93) King Leer - 2,112
94) Reader Meet Author - 2,054

 

[justme]

If this is of vague interest to anyone, here are the last.fm listeners' charts for Moz. Only Redondo Beach doesn't feature in the top 100. Rest bolded. I fixed some dupes, eg song counted with and without a comma.

1) Irish Blood, English Heart - 17,142
2) First of the Gang to Die - 16,912
3) You Have Killed Me - 16,780
4) Everyday Is Like Sunday - 14,474
5) Suedehead - 13,913
6) Let Me Kiss You - 13,172
7) I Have Forgiven Jesus - 11,280
8) I Like You - 9,630
9) America Is Not the World - 9,228
10) The Youngest Was The Most Loved - 8,701
11) Come Back to Camden - 8,615
12) I'm Not Sorry - 8,588
13) Dear God Please Help Me - 8,478
14) How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel? - 8,385
15) The World Is Full of Crashing Bores - 8,332
16) All the Lazy Dykes - 7,706
17) The Last of the Famous International Playboys - 7,523
18) You Know I Couldn't Last - 7,487
19) Life Is A Pigsty - 7,430
20) In The Future When All's Well - 7,350
21) November Spawned a Monster - 7,265
22) I Will See You In Far Off Places - 7,084
23) The Father Who Must Be Killed - 6,706
24) I Just Want To See The Boy Happy - 6,537
25) Interesting Drug - 6,534
26) Hairdresser on Fire - 6,523
27) The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get - 6,489
28) To Me You Are A Work Of Art - 6,412
29) On The Streets I Ran - 6,285
30) We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful - 6,092

That's interesting. We have been following his career for so long that we tend to forget that his most recent work did introduce him to a whole new generation. Also, a lot of the older work was included in past compilations. Somehow this GH is starting to make a lot of sense to me

 

[Vauxhall95]

That's interesting. We have been following his career for so long that we tend to forget that his most recent work did introduce him to a whole new generation. Also, a lot of the older work was included in past compilations. Somehow this GH is starting to make a lot of sense to me

So more people have listened to The Father Who Must Be Killed - 6,706
than the following:
I Just Want To See The Boy Happy - 6,537
Interesting Drug - 6,534
Hairdresser on Fire - 6,523
The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get - 6,489

That seems odd, and troubling. I guess the GH's is a good idea. God forbid this new generation of Morrissey fans actually research the back catalog. I think I read somewhere music was recorded prior to the year 2000, but I cannot confirm this.

 

[justme]

So more people have listened to The Father Who Must Be Killed - 6,706
than the following:
I Just Want To See The Boy Happy - 6,537
Interesting Drug - 6,534
Hairdresser on Fire - 6,523
The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get - 6,489

That seems odd, and troubling. I guess the GH's is a good idea. God forbid this new generation of Morrissey fans actually research the back catalog. I think I read somewhere music was recorded prior to the year 2000, but I cannot confirm this.

Well, I suppose they will research the back catalog (at least I hope so),and who knows...they may even pick one or two past compilations of his

 

[Vauxhall95]

You write about music as if it is a commodity. There has always been something more visceral, more spiritual about it for me. Sadly, I suspect you are right. Just look no further than today's boy/girl band groups. It's the dreck that sells; the lowest common denominator that moves through the inventory. It makes me sad to see Morrissey playing the game; but to quote Billy Bragg, "I hate the compromises life forces me to make."

Ha, well to answer your question I'm going to get even more cynical!

(My answer is also extremely arbitrary and subjective-- but that's never stopped any of us before!)

There are no casual fans, you're right. But there are plenty of casual buyers. One group is shrinking and the other is expanding.

As I said above I don't think people buy and listen to music the same way anymore. My observation is that everything you find in a store (whether it's iTunes or a physical retailer) is presented as an undifferentiated hodgepodge of product. The focus is on two big segments: new "hot" artists (disposable pop) and the huge and ever-expanding back catalogs of established artists. In the latter category, a band or artist's history becomes a kind of trademark or guarantee of quality that casual buyers--and I'm only talking about casual buyers here-- look for when they shop. (In books the equivalent are any "Classics" series like Penguin or Oxford.) Look no further than six year old kids in Ramones t-shirts for proof. You see the same thing going on in iTunes only it's much more pronounced-- they are selling songs in special iTunes compilations by year. Not so much individual bands but the history of rock and roll is being sold back to consumers as a brand.

Thus, in Morrissey's case, it's enough that he falls into the brand category of "established singer". It almost doesn't matter anymore whether he is thought of as an appealing artist with a distinguished history or half-disdainfully as "one of those Eighties guys". His product shows off a comforting level of market viability to casual buyers who are distracted and half asleep as they fill up their hard drives with the history of rock and roll. He's got the necessary cultural clout to guarantee a safe purchase, and what's a better value than a "Greatest Hits" package?

Polarization occurs when people actually care enough about one band or one genre enough to despise other bands or genres. I don't see much of that anymore. Music still matters but not enough to provoke extreme reactions in people. The rainbow spectrum of artists from Elvis to Eminem has been merged into one color and that color is the color of your country's currency. For casual music buyers love and hate don't enter into the mix. Morrissey is no more or less appealing than Duran Duran or The Cure or Debbie Gibson or George Michael or Warrant: a couple of choice songs to round out their iPod's "Eighties" Playlist.

 

[justme]

You write about music as if it is a commodity. There has always been something more visceral, more spiritual about it for me. Sadly, I suspect you are right. Just look no further than today's boy/girl band groups. It's the dreck that sells; the lowest common denominator that moves through the inventory. It makes me sad to see Morrissey playing the game; but to quote Billy Bragg, "I hate the compromises life forces me to make."

Well, don't get me wrong. Music is a very important part of me and the artists I love also define who I am - and I Love Morrissey above everyone else...I love him for his obvious talent and genius, I love his music and have been following his career since the early 90's and I also love him because he survived this industry while not "playing the game". After all he spent 7 years without a record deal and came back on his own terms. However I see this GH as a small compromise he has to make in order to be able to release new album in 2008. As Worm says, this album is not targeted to us and keeping that in mind, it makes sense. My only hope is that the casual buyer may turn into a fan- and we (fans) do research everything the man has ever done in his life! - musically speaking, of course

I do not plan to buy this record, as I already have all the previously released songs (unless the live concert is included, there is ) . I will buy "all you need is me" though - I do like that one

 

[Worm]

You write about music as if it is a commodity. There has always been something more visceral, more spiritual about it for me. Sadly, I suspect you are right. Just look no further than today's boy/girl band groups. It's the dreck that sells; the lowest common denominator that moves through the inventory. It makes me sad to see Morrissey playing the game; but to quote Billy Bragg, "I hate the compromises life forces me to make."

It makes me sad too but I don't think he's got much of a choice.

I wrote about it as a commodity only from the standpoint of the general music-buying public. Of course we all know that there are genuine artists making good music that's much more than mere "product". But in today's world, with music (as with most commodities), there are fewer, bigger companies selling a smaller selection of products to the mainstream and this, coupled with the fact that marketers are very skilled at masking this problem by creating the illusion of choice, means that it's more difficult than ever to step off the beaten path. You really have to make an effort.

 

[celibate]

just stop moaning

we've been spoiled rotten since quarry, we got a live CD/DVD, 2 studio
albums, 8 singles [or even more] and that album where Morrissey chooses
his favourites [writersblockhead, it's on the tip of me tongue, but
not going to search]

so I say, give it a rest, buy it nor not, POINT.

I'm more interested in the Smiths box set [release 2008?,] and the
new studio album [release late 2008?]

if you are a collecter you buy it, if you have al those other songs already,
just buy the single, and the next [all you need is me, I guess], simple.

and if yer broke , you wait till you can buy it.

can we now go on where Morrissey lives

 

[Disappointed]

While I agree that there isn't really such a thing as a "casual Morrissey fan", I have to say that there definitely is such a thing as a "potential Morrissey fan". For the potential Morrissey fan, a Greatest Hits or Best Of collection might be exactly what he or she needs before delving into the back catalogue. Some potential Morrissey fans will start right off with a bang with "Vauxhall and I", but most will probably begin with a Greatest Hits, instead.

I know that I can say that it was "Singles" by The Smiths that made me fall in love with them. After that, I went on to "The Queen Is Dead" and "The Smiths". And the rest, as they say, is history.

 

[Vauxhall95]

just stop moaning

we've been spoiled rotten since quarry, we got a live CD/DVD, 2 studio
albums, 8 singles [or even more] and that album where Morrissey chooses
his favourites [writersblockhead, it's on the tip of me tongue, but
not going to search]

so I say, give it a rest, buy it nor not, POINT.

I'm more interested in the Smiths box set [release 2008?,] and the
new studio album [release late 2008?]

if you are a collecter you buy it, if you have al those other songs already,
just buy the single, and the next [all you need is me, I guess], simple.

and if yer broke , you wait till you can buy it.

can we now go on where Morrissey lives

Guess that's the end of that conversation...

 

[Buzzetta]

Speaking of.... any more updates on that Smiths Boxed Set?

 

[bogdana]

i would just like to say DMB has produced at least one album that is worthwhile. Its the acoustic, 2 guitar, live version of most of their 'earlier' hits. I dont even know who the other guy is. but its a 2 disc set and one is yellow, the other blue.
I really want it again. I had the blue one bc i borrowed it from a friend and never returned it.

 

[Buzzetta]

i would just like to say DMB has produced at least one album that is worthwhile. Its the acoustic, 2 guitar, live version of most of their 'earlier' hits. I dont even know who the other guy is. but its a 2 disc set and one is yellow, the other blue.
I really want it again. I had the blue one bc i borrowed it from a friend and never returned it.

When I get home I will send it to you. (Right now I am at work finishing some research and things) That disc was Dave and Tim Live at Luther College.

I will also send you the show that they did earlier this year at Radio City. The guy whose name you are looking for is named Tim Reynolds. Reynolds is one of the most prolific and accomplished guitarists around.

 

[bogdana]

When I get home I will send it to you. (Right now I am at work finishing some research and things) That disc was Dave and Tim Live at Luther College.

I will also send you the show that they did earlier this year at Radio City. The guy whose name you are looking for is named Tim Reynolds. Reynolds is one of the most prolific and accomplished guitarists around.

awesome, thank you! I wish people didn't skewer us for liking DMB. ITs not like we're in a VW bus following them around with smoke wafting out of our windows. We're accomplished and smart adults for chrissakes... I mean, we ARE moz fans, after all!
It probably has a lot to do w/our age too. you're my age right? They were the apex of music for us in the late 90s, we didn't have many other rivers to drink from, at least not from current musicians!