The HMV/Parlophone Singles 1988-1995

It's good to see such a collection of work coming together for such a great price (compare what competitors charge for this and you'll snap it up from Amazon). It's a collection of the singles and B-sides (highlighted tracks on the sleeve are the A-sides, their B-sides follow them for great continuity). I've bought Morrissey 'best of' collections before, but they tend to be a bit hit-and-miss for me (some added that aren't the best, and some missing that are - and sometimes they lack flow or context). This, on the other hand, is a collection of really great tracks at a really great price, and some of the lesser known work is the best, as you might expect from such an artist (making this a necessary purchase for admirers of his work who haven't bought his singles before - you won't find many of these amazing tracks on other releases without buying these singles individually). The man is obviously a massive legend, both as a solo artist and with The Smiths, but finding a legendary collection was something that I, personally, had found tough until I got this. Morrissey was fighting a losing battle against The Smiths for my playlist space, but this album has turned it around! A highly recommended purchase.

Despite the fact that Morrissey doesn't want fans to purchase this is sad because this is such a fantastic collection. I have a couple of Morrissey compilations, but it is difficult to get all of the b-sides on these, because of so many constant repeats. These cds really have everything, and I don't feel particularly bad seeing as how I have several compilations, but I wanted to get these tracks as well. The only other way would be to buy the singles themselves, and I loathe singles because there are only three songs, so you have to constantly change the disc. This has everything. The 1st disk is my favourate, as it contains all of the tracks from the origional bona-drag, plus extras. The second disc wavers a little as it is partially from the 'Kill Uncle' era, which was full of mediocre (although not as bad as everyone thinks) songs. I especially liked the alternate version of 'There's a Place In Hell For Me and My Friends.' The Third Disk contains gems like 'Swallow on my neck,' and 'sunny,' the only downside being the various versions of Interlude and Moonriver, which although excellent, are right after one another, so its a little too repetitive for my taste. Still, there are no terrible numbers here and the package truly has it all, which cannot be faulted; hence the five stars.

Such an essential purchase for Mozza fans, old and new. If you were a fan 'back in the day', it'll be lovely to get these tracks all in one place and you'll possibly find a few great ones you'd never heard before. If you're a relative 'newbie' then, damn, you're in for a treat! This compilation, 62 tracks, goes to show how good much of Mozza's stuff was back then... I'm not a fan of his newer stuff but anyone who thinks that all he had to offer was in the days of The Smiths (my fave band ever) should investigate this wonderful compilation. £7.99? Bloody bargain! He might not want us to buy it, but he doesn't want to eat meat either and that never stopped me... ;o)

It has a lot of tracks on this CD for very good value and a lot of B-sides (especially in the early days) were album worthy. There's also a few duds as you'd expect, but overall this is a great compilation. Taken a star off because as you'd expect of an album of B-sides and singles the quality jumps around and as it's in chronological there's no real thread or order to the discs. It wouldn't be a 5 star album however you sequenced it, but you'd get 2 very good CDs out of this lot. It's great for those who don't have all the albums and don't want to buy several compilations to get all the tracks that weren't on albums. The price is exceptional too.

And yet in such a relatively short period of time. This compilation, which comes in an box version of a regular CD case, exposes just how rich a vein of form Morrissey was in between 1988 and 1995. Maybe he had some songs left over from The Smiths years, but the number of albums he released in this period merely reinforces how exemplary he was. Some of the songs that have gone on his countless greatest hits compilations are here such as 'Everyday Is Like Sunday'. 'Suedehead' & 'The More You Ignore Me...' are here, as are other standouts track like 'November Spawned A Monster' and the Jam cover, 'That's Entertainment'. This is a must have for Morrissey fans, especially those wish to have only the best material from this time period and as such aren't keen to purchase every album of his from said period.

I've already got the CD singles box sets, so I didn't really need to have this. However, getting all the tracks onto 3 discs is handy because I can play them in the car without having to change discs every 3 songs and crashing the car. As the previous reviewer says, Morrissey has urged people not to buy this set as he hasn't received royalties from EMI for many years. In that case then, Moz, get yourself some better lawyers and accountants. How can such a big artist not receive royalties from such a big label...? Bizarre. I'm sure his troubles will be sorted, so buy this collection. Some of these b-sides aren't available elsewhere and - let's face it - Morrissey is probably the best b-side act since the Beatles.

A great collection of Morrissey's solo work including some excellent b sides and rareties. Some of the b sides outrank the singles they were released with. Added to this the rareties which it's hard to find elsewhere and you've got a hands down winner. This is indeed a bargain, and if you only buy one Moz album, make sure it's this one. At this price it can't be beaten. Excuse me, a Moz marathon beckons...

Economical version of the collection of singles of the first years of the master. But the low price is great. I recommend everyone because the quality of the Bsides is wonderful, I have all the recordings on vinyl too.