Morrissey
Album: Kill Uncle
Label: Parlophone
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.itsmorrisseysworld.com

Back in the news with some no doubt heartfelt but ill-becoming comments about the demise of Margaret - not to mention his own on-going health problems - here comes a new version of perhaps his most confused and least distinctive solo album. When it first appeared, in 1991, he'd already abandoned the intended follow up to his excellent solo debut, Viva Hate and put out a stop-gap singles compilation and attempted to round up a band.

This new edition packs new artwork and re-orders the tracklisting, adding Pashernate Love, which had appeared on the 1997 reissue of Viva Hate and the cover of Herman's Hermits' East West, a b-side from the Ouija Board Ouija Board single, as well as the live studio take of the original album's closer, a much more rough, ready and robust take on There's a Place In Hell For Me and My Friends.

This kind of tinkering defies the usual conventions of such endeavours, which usually dictate the label elevates the product to the status of near genius and adds some additional delights at the end to reward the continued custom of die-hard fans. As with last year's Viva Hate reissue, there's not a lot of difference from the original. It's as good an admission of the record's flawed charms as we'll get and therefore quite admirable in its own way.

I mean it's not like we're in the realms of turd polishing, not exactly. Kill Uncle confused fans and critics on its original release. It was Morrissey at his least consequential, most obtuse, dicking around with his musical cloaks (there are flashes of traditional music, torch songs, disco and glam rock) and impressing himself with his lyrical sorties. In other words, about as far from The Smiths as he felt safe to travel.

The new version is certainly extended by the inserted tracks, but they don't really add a great deal and probably belong on a bonus disc of some kind. Programming the distinctive and up-there-with-his-best (I'm) the End of the Family Line as the closing cut is very welcome, as is the demotion of the critic-baiting Asian Rut in the running order, but we're still left with an album the Moz faithful will lap up and everyone else will find fault with.

Plus ça change…

Nick Churchill
www.thegranvillechambers.co.uk