Morrissey

Morrissey's early solo material almost matches the Smiths' grandeur, and these singles and B-sides outperform much of his subsequent album work. These are great tunes, balancing freaky melodramas with cheeky humor. The collection brims over with hits and fan faves, but the unheralded "He Knows I'd Love to See Him" may be the most beautiful song Moz has ever penned.

To Anglophiles, Anglos, and young alternative rockers who've never known another world, Morrissey's solo singles are fraught with paradigm, but to the rest of us they're a chapter in the life of a great twit. Less secure in his delusions of grandeur and worthlessness than when he was top of the pops, he hides behind the bitchy jokes his followers consider beneath him. At least half of these fizzle-prone chart charges will amuse and excite the curiosity-seeker. That any of them could be conceived as pop hits is why there are still Anglophiles. Inspirational Verse: "This is the last song I will ever sing (yay!)/No I've changed my mind again (boo!)." (Grade - B+)