Best I
Best…I is a
compilation album by
The Smiths. It was released in August, 1992 by the new owner of their back catalogue,
WEA (
Sire Records in the
United States). Its highest
British chart position was #1; it reached #139 on the U.S. charts.
|
The US sleeve for Best...I. |
WEA (now the
Warner Music Group) had acquired the entire Smiths back catalogue in early 1992. Along with the re-release of all original albums and compilations, they immediately set to work compiling a Best Of in two volumes. It was the first time a regular best-of compilation had ever been made of The Smiths material and the album effortlessly reached the top of the British charts. The British
press groaned about sell-out and low track selection coherence.
The material is more or less picked and sequenced at random, and consists of both
singles and album cuts. It was followed later the same year by its sibling,
...Best II. The first spin-off single, a re-release of "This Charming Man", reached #8 in the singles chart, the highest position a Smiths single had ever reached. A second single promoting
Best...I, an edited re-release of "How Soon Is Now?", got to #16 (the uncut version is featured on the compilation).
Cover
The UK and
European release of the record featured the left half of a
Sixties biker couple
photograph by
Dennis Hopper on its sleeve, with
...Best II completing the picture; the U.S. sleeve was designed by
singer Morrissey and features
Richard Davalos, co-star of
East of Eden.
All tracks written by Morrissey/Marr.
LP
Side A
#"This Charming Man"#"William, It Was Really Nothing"#"What Difference Does It Make?"
(album version)#"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"#"Girlfriend in a Coma"#"Half a Person"#"Rubber Ring"
Side B
#"How Soon Is Now?"
(full version)#"Hand in Glove"
(album version)#"Shoplifters of the World Unite"#"Sheila Take a Bow"#"Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others"#"Panic"#"Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want"
Compact disc
Same as
LP.
The band
*
Morrissey â€"
voice*
Johnny Marr â€"
guitars,
harmonica,
mandolins on "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want"
*
Andy Rourke â€"
bass guitar*
Mike Joyce â€"
drums*
Craig Gannon â€"
rhythm guitar on "Half a Person" and "Panic"
Additional musicians
*
John Porter â€"
slide guitar on "Sheila Take a Bow"
*
Stephen Street â€"
synthesized string arrangements on "Girlfriend in a Coma".
Technical staff
* John Porter â€"
producer (A1-A3, B1, B6-B7)
* Johnny Marr, Morrissey and Street â€" producers (A4-A6, B4)
* Morissey and Marr â€" producers (A7, B5)
* The Smiths â€" producers (B2)
* Johnny Marr â€" producer (B3)
