Because I've spent all of 2009 being in love with Morrissey every Friday, I've been neglecting his first band round these parts.Today's humble offerings were triggered off by the sight of one of my early bits of vinyl by The Smiths being spotted in a 2nd hand record shop for the princely sum of £40. Which stunned me....
The artifact in question was the 12" Frances Kevorkian remix, commonly known as This Charming Man (New York) which I bought back in 1983. It also turns out that my decision to purchase some CD singles back in 1990 wasn't a bad one either...
In one of the earliest cash-ins, Warner Brothers released This Charming Man in 2 x CD singles. Part 1 came numbered, and also contained the three tracks that made up the b-sides of the original 7" and 12" single. My copy is #21,348 which would indicate it wasn't all that rare...
Part 2 was made available for one week only, and contained every version of This Charming Man. All seven of them.....
I've still got my price stickers on these artifacts - they each cost me £3.99. Seems to get your hands on both CDs nowadays will also set you back about £40.
I don't actually have all that many rare records or CDs, and besides I'm not the sort who would really want to begin to sell it all off. But I'm now 46 years of age, with no offspring of my own who will inherit the family treasures. I've noticed that a few folk are beginning to dispose of their music collections bit-by-bit on eBay, and getting a fair few quid for some of the stuff that's long out of print, especially the vinyl. Maybe one day I'll end up doing the same to pay for the costs of my stay in an old folks home where post-punk/indie is banned.....but then again I might try and find someone out there who will keep the collection intact.
In the meantime, here's £40 worth of stuff for you to enjoy:-
mp3 : The Smiths - This Charming Man (Manchester)
mp3 : The Smiths - This Charming Man (London)
mp3 : The Smiths - This Charming Man (New York Vocal)
mp3 : The Smiths - This Charming Man (New York Instrumental)
mp3 : The Smiths - This Charming Man (Peel Session)
mp3 : The Smiths - This Charming Man (Single Remix)
mp3 : The Smiths - This Charming Man (Original Single Version)
mp3 : The Smiths - Jeanne
mp3 : The Smiths - Wonderful Woman
mp3 : The Smiths - Accept Yourself
Oh and here's a bonus courtesy of Mike from Manic Pop Thrills who not too long ago sent me a copy recording of the band's first ever gig in Scotland at the Queen Margaret Union in Glasgow on Saturday 2nd March 1984:-
mp3 : The Smiths - This Charming Man (live)
I think there might be fewer songs on offer tomorrow.
14 comments:
You do spoil us all, JC. Cups doth runneth over, and all that. I owe you a beer sometime soon. CC.
PS. It has to be the Peel Session version everysingletime, doesn't it? CC.
Hello - great blog.
I remember buying these singles in 1992 (not 1990) and I still can't detect any real difference between the 'single remix' and the regular ('Manchester'?) version.
Also, I'm surprised to read that both CDs are selling for up to £40 considering all the 'must-have' tracks are contained within the recently-released singles boxset...
Quality JC, pure quality.
Thanks again.
Great stuff. I also picked up both versions of the CD single back in 1992 or so. While often derided, I have very much enjoyed owning the NY vocal mix of TCM. Makes for a nice change of pace from one of my all time favorite songs.
I have (to the best of my knowledge) every studio track they recorded save one: "The Draize Train" which was a b-side on one version of "Panic" (I think...too lazy to Google it right now). I don't own vinyl (for better or worse), but that single WAS released on an even more limited CD single than TCM at some point. I've bid on it a few times as it does pop up on ebay once in a blue moon, but it has always gone for more than $60 each time. Can't justify the price, especially considering that the live version on "Rank" is FAR better. Someday I'll probably pony up for it just to say I've got it all, but it's a real luxury. I would really love to see the entire catalog remastered and released as a giant box set with bonus DVD's/BluRays, etc. but knowing how the record companies operate, that's highly unlikely.
As far as I know, "Draize Train" has never appeared on any other Smiths or other compilation (unlike, say, "Work is a Four Letter Word" which appeared on a Sire compilation, "Just Say Yes" in 1987 or "Money Changes Everything" which was on a recent Smiths compilation...was really hoping "Draize Train" make the cut instead, but alas...) making it perhaps the rarest studio track they recorded.
It's Friday already ? Shit, what happened ?
Wait...
Ah I see what you did there...
Anon...send me an email address....I'm sure I can sort something out (I have featured it before on TVV)
JC
Woops! Thought I was logged in, but I guess not. As far as email, I did do already, actually (but not about that); should have one from me in your inbox. Will search for your post on it.
The release of the New York mix of the single always puzzled me given Morrissey's contempt for dance music.
A mate of mine's brother burned this to disc for me last month after I discovered that my 12" is virtually unplayable, too many plays when drunk I think as this was one I always stuck on after returning from the pub worse for wear.
BTW - Tutti Frutti has stood the test of time surprisingly well,it is dated but still funny as fuck especially Fud and Dennis watching Postman Pat
Great stuff! more proof that Francois Kevorkian will attempt to remix anything and everything - for better or worse. Listening to all these mixes I can hear bit of a progression of comfortability that Johnny came to have with the song's opening.
Hey Paolo...you're right....my mistake. The CD singles didnt hit the shops till 1992. A careless look at the sleeve caused confusion.....
OMG you effin' rock!!! This is the one Smiths cut I've been trying to find out for years. (sorry, not a huge fan, but this is tops and I'm excited)
Thanks for sharing.
Active Pharmaceutical Rob
Jeanne has to be one of my favourite Smiths tracks. I like to make compilations for people to introduce them to stuff they may not know and always put Jeanne on them. Great introductory track to the majesty of The Smiths.
I've been a fan of The Smiths and Morrissey for two years now and you know what being a fan of them means. I think there is implied that we are hardcore, die-hard o fans from hell, whatever you like to name it.
I'm just writing to thank you for all the mp3 uploads because here, in México, it's simply imposible to get all those rare b-sides. Yes, I'm still missing Audiogalaxy from when I was 12 and getting into britpop.
So, just, TO THE END OF THE WORLD, THANK YOU.
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