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Bona Drag (hmv Exclusive) the 1921 Centenary Edition Green Vinyl

Morrissey

Bona Drag (hmv Exclusive) the 1921 Centenary Edition Green Vinyl

This year marks a full century since the first hmv store opened its doors at 363 Oxford Street in London, and on July 24 we'll be celebrating our 100th birthday in style with a brand new and exclusive range of limited edition vinyl just for you...

As part of our birthday celebrations we're pleased to announce the new 1921 Centenary Edition range, for which we have carefully curated a selection of the finest albums and soundtracks from the last 100 years and had them specially pressed onto some beautiful coloured vinyl - all of which will be available exclusively in hmv stores on Saturday July 24 and from store.hmv.com at 4pm the same day. As ever, our exclusives will be available on a first come, first served basis... and when they're gone, they're gone!

Following the split of The Smiths and in the wake of his debut solo album Viva Hate, released in 1988, Morrissey opted against working on an immediate follow-up album, instead releasing a string of singles over the next couple of years that would eventually be compiled together on 1990s Bona Drag (released on the hmv label, no less…)

Featuring some of Moz’s early solo hits including ‘Suedehead’, ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’ and ‘Last of the Famous International Playboys’, Bona Drag returns to hmv once more as part of our 1921 Centenary Edition range, with a new exclusive reissue pressed on transparent green vinyl and limited to only 750 copies.

Morrissey has announced a special reissue of his classic 1990 compilation record Bona Drag. 

The release comes as part of HMV’s 100th-anniversary celebration. The music and film Highstreet shop has overseen some tricky times of late with online competition and pandemic-induced closures, but to celebrate its centenary it will be reissuing a selection of classic vinyl. 

HMV originally distributed the original compilation on its own label offshoot back in October 1990 where it competed with the likes of Nick Caves and the Bad Seeds’ The Good Son and A Tribe Called Quest’s People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, for shelf space. 

The compilation features the likes of ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’, ‘Suedehead’ and ‘The Bed Took Fire’ and a slew of other tracks from Viva Hate and the likes. 

The problem for fans of the controversial former Smiths frontman is that this deluxe transparent green vinyl will be limited to only 750 copies. It is accompanied by a poster and a photoset by Linder Sterling with Morrissey in London’s Hoxton Square. 

Track name

Artist

Time

Track 1

Piccadilly Palare

Morrissey

Track 2

Interesting Drug

Morrissey

Track 3

November Spawned a Monster

Morrissey

Track 4

Will Never Marry

Morrissey

Track 5

Such a Little Thing Makes Such a Big Difference

Morrissey

Track 6

The Last of the Famous International Playboys

Morrissey

Track 7

Ouija Board, Ouija Board

Morrissey

Track 8

Hairdresser On Fire

Morrissey

Track 9

Everyday Is Like Sunday

Morrissey

Track 10

He Knows I'd Love to See Him

Morrissey

Track 11

Yes, I Am Blind

Morrissey

Track 12

Lucky Lisp

Morrissey

Track 13

Suedehead

Morrissey

Track 14

Disappointed

Morrissey

No. of discs : 2 disc(s)

Format: Vinyl / 12" Album Coloured Vinyl

Label: Rhino

Bona Drag is a compilation album by Morrissey released on 15 October 1990. The album features an array of Morrissey's most popular songs from his early solo career, most of which had not been released on any previous album. The album name meaning nice outfits is an example of the subculture slang Polari explored further on the album's first track "Piccadilly Palare". The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on 6 December 2000. In 2010, the album was remastered and expanded to include six bonus tracks.

Compilation album by Morrissey

Released

15 October 1990

Recorded

1987–1989

Genre

Alternative rock

Length

49:45

Label

HMV

Major Minor (reissue)

Producer

Stephen Street; Clive Langer & Alan Winstanley

After releasing Viva Hate in March 1988, Morrissey modified his method of releasing music. Instead of choosing to produce an immediate follow-up album, he decided to release a string of independent singles in the hopes of achieving success in that market. Morrissey initially planned to release a second album after releasing a few holdover singles.

As such, he released "The Last of the Famous International Playboys", "Interesting Drug", and "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" over the course of 1989. The first two of these became top ten hits. However, by the end of 1989 it became apparent that he would not be able to put out an album of new material soon enough.

Morrissey decided to scrap the idea of a full-length LP and release a compilation of singles and B-sides instead. Thus, the Bona Drag project was born. "November Spawned a Monster" was released in May 1990 to modest success; the album and the single "Piccadilly Palare" followed, both released on the same day that October.

CompositionEdit

Bona Drag features nearly all of the strong pieces of material written by Morrissey in the first three years of his solo career. The tracks include four top ten hits, and the two singles from Viva Hate: "Suedehead" and "Everyday Is Like Sunday".

The album is also significant for including the first tracks by Morrissey to chart in the United States. "Piccadilly Palare" and "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" both reached number 2 on the Modern Rock chart. "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" went to number 3, "November Spawned a Monster", number 6, and "Interesting Drug", number 11. Bona Drag launched Morrissey's career in the US, and in many ways it marked the turning point after which he became less popular in the UK but achieved increasing success in America.

The album sleeve is taken from Morrissey's "November Spawned a Monster" promotion video. Morrissey's shirt colour was altered from black to red.

Morrissey – vocals

Kevin Armstrong (Tracks A1, A3, A7, B3-4), Craig Gannon (Track A2, A5-6, B5), Neil Taylor (A2, A5-6, B5), Vini Reilly (Tracks A4, B1-2, B6-7) – guitar

Andy Rourke (Tracks A1-3, A5-6, B3, B5), Stephen Street (Tracks A4, B1-2, B6-7) Matthew Seligman (Tracks A7, B4) – bass

Andrew Paresi (Tracks A1, A3-4, A7, B1-4, B6-7), Mike Joyce (A2, A5-6, B5) – drums

Stephen Street (Tracks A2, A5-6, B5) – keyboards

Vini Reilly (Tracks A4, B1-2, B6-7) – piano

Guest musiciansEdit

Graham "Suggs" McPherson – additional vocals on "Piccadilly Palare"

Kirsty MacColl – backing vocals on "Interesting Drug"

Mary Margaret O'Hara – additional voice on "November Spawned a Monster"

ProductionEdit

Stephen Street – producer

Clive Langer – producer

Alan Winstanley – producer