so, Morrissey returns once more. after three "comeback" albums of arguably dimishing returns, he seems to be once again in a "reflective" mood to put it kindly; which is to say we're back to re-issuing former glories.
a little while ago the excellent Every Day Is Like Sunday was re-released, but alas i missed out on buying that one, probably down to a lack of funds. this month has seen Morrissey re-release Glamorous Glue, a song that is slightly less excellent than Sunday but ace all the same.
and, as i had the funds for it (and a more favourable exchange rate than usual) i purchased the bundle of two 7" singles and the CD single!
i was as delighted as usual when the contents all arrived in one piece, but somewhat annoyed that it did not include the signed print promised by the site Record Store. this isn't the first time they have neglected to include a signed item for me, i lost out on a Manics one a few years ago. never mind, as nice as it would be it was the music that i really wanted.
Glamorous Glue is a slice of The Moz in all out glam rock mode, as underlined by the reference to a poster of his beloved NY Dolls poster on the back of the single. it's a highlight off an album full of highlights, Your Arsenal, an album which perhaps ranks third only to Vauxhall & I and You Are The Quarry in terms of laying claim to his best album. this song, and indeed the album it heralds from, are worthy of any collection.
the same cannot, however, be said of the meagre two b-sides on the set. both are "previously unreleased demo" recordings, and as is so often the case with previously unreleased material, the songs never got released with good reason. Safe, Warm Lancashire Home and Treat Me Like A Human Being meander on to nowhere in particular for around two minutes each, noticeable only for the shockingly poor quality of the recordings. shocking as in sound like a tape off a tape off a tape copy poor, for those of you of my generation.
Morrissey is normally rather good with giving fans a decent deal for what they buy, but other than sheer curiosity to hear songs that he didn't particularly feel good enough to work on and release, this package is something of a let down.
it would seem that Glamorous Glue has been issued as a single now to promote yet another "best of Morrissey" set. out now is The Very Best Of Morrissey, which is the 10th (yes, tenth) compilation he has issued, excluding 2 live albums, repackaged versions of the compilations and a few DVD and video releases here and there. not bad off nine studio albums, and an interesting approach from a gent who recently declared the British Royal Family to be "benefit scroungers". ahem, methinks, as much as i love Morrissey, someone is getting to be more than a little guilty of being a "royalty scrounger". hope the glass house is comfortable, Mr Morrissey.
of course, i have ordered this most recent "very best of" set. whatever frustration there is about his very best apparently not stretching to cover material from his last three albums, it has the added bonus of a DVD with it, containing "most" of his ace promo videos all in one spot for a change.
a major plus in regards of this single bundle is the amazing quality of the 7". audio fanatics may be interested to hear that whereas i do not have an exact weight, the 7" single is really heavy. as in it weighs more than the average 12" single or album. quality buffs with an excellent stag to play it upon are thus encouraged to buy this; everyone else would be directed towards just getting the "best of" CD & DVD set.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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