Brilliant 'Burglary'

Or has it?

Although not nearly as universally popular as the aforementioned Rock 'N Roll Hall of Famers, thankfully, there are still a handful of meaningful-yet-aging rock icons out there refusing to let their die-hard fans down. Leading the way for the last of the famous international heroes is the ever-enchanting Stephen Patrick Morrissey.

While none of the tracks on "My Early Burglary Years" are new in the sense that they were written within the past three years, several of them will appear new to even the most knowledgeable Morrissey fans, simply because of their rare and virtually impossible-to-find nature.

Starting way back in early 1988, at the very beginning of his solo split from The Smiths, "My Early Burglary Years" chronicles the untraversed nooks and crannys of Morrissey's solo career, highlighting the b-sides of nine of the singer's biggest singles, as well as reintroducing a handful of previously released album tracks from three of his past albums.

Morrissey
My Early Burglary Years Reprise/Warner Bros. 4 stars Reviewed by Daily Music Editor Brian Cohen

Indeed some of Moz's most intriguing material is anthologized here in convenient, easy to savor fashion. The 1995 single-without-an-album "Sunny" stands out as one of the compilations prime cuts, and is also accompanied by its b-sides "Black Eyed Susan" and "A Swallow On My Neck," the latter of which contains one of the most gorgeous melodies in all of Morrissey's expansive discography.

With its narrative lyrical wit, ebullient bass line and scathing social commentary, "At Amber" is another of the album's gems, plucked from the ultra-rare 1990 U.K.-only EMI single "Piccadilly Palare." Here Mozzer relays the occurrences and observations of a grimy night spent in "... the foyer of the Sands Hotel, where the men and the women are acquainted quite well."

Although present on the 1993 live album "Beethoven Was Deaf," the studio versions of both "Girl Least Likely To" and "Sister, I'm a Poet" showcase the songs in their original, fully fleshed-out glory, polished with layered guitars and buffed with other sonic details.

"Nobody Loves Us" is the perhaps the most anthemic song that Morrissey has yet to croon, making it all the harder to believe it was only previously released as a b-side to the 1995 U.K.-only RCA single "Dagenham Dave." At last, the song, which could have easily been its own single, finally unfurls its gifts for all to hear, as Moz champions, "Call us home, kiss our cheeks/ Nobody loves us, so we tend to please ourselves."

The only song on "My Early Burglary Years" that has never appeared on any previous release is a live version of T-Rex's "Cosmic Dancer," which provides a fitting testament to Morrissey's obsession with the glam-rock scene of the '70s.

With rumors currently flying around about everything from his abrupt parting of ways with Mercury Records to his alleged distancing from collaborators Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer, Morrissey seems yet again to be knee-deep in controversy. But strangely enough, despite his infamous evasive tendencies, it appears that Morrissey is surprisingly ready to get back on the road. In a recent interview with a west-coast radio station, Morrissey revealed his wish to bring a small scale tour to select American college towns, much to the jaw-dropping delight of the singer's younger cult-following contingent.

Regardless of whether or not such too-good-to-be-true notions will actually come to fruition, anything new even remotely smacking of Morrissey is usually enough to get the diehards' mouths watering. And even though some might view this latest release as a tactless milking of the Reprise back catalog, "My Early Burglary Years" is sure to incite a fair share of drool, especially for fans who have never been privy to the exquisite rarities contained therein.

09-15-98