This 10-CD deluxe box (styled as a cigarette box package!) collects all Morrisey's singles from the years 1988 through 1991 and reproduces original art on each CD sleeve.
The idea behind the The CD Singles '88-91' is a good one: round up all the singles Morrissey released in the years immediately following the Smiths' breakup and reissue them in an affordable box set. It's especially good not only because Morrissey has a rabid fan base that will buy any collectible like this, but because he had many terrific songs buried as B-sides that never made it on an album. The problem with the set is two-fold. First, most of the best B-sides from this era did make it on a collections like Bona Drag, so there aren't too many necessary items here, even for fairly dedicated Moz followers. Second, and more importantly, this ten-disc set doesn't have all of the singles or B-sides from this era, so it doesn't serve the needs of the completists or the serious fan that has missed several singles along the way. Even with these flaws, it's still a very good piece, particularly for fans that don't have these singles in their collections, since each single is an individual work of its own; great cover art and consistently engaging B-sides strengthen the A-sides. Besides, any real Morrissey collection isn't complete without "Hairdresser on Fire," "Sister I'm a Poet," "Disappointed," "Will Never Marry," "Lucky Lisp," "He Knows I'd Love to See Him," and "Girl Least Likely To," all of which are here. But the main reason to purchase this, of course, are items like the covers of the Jam's "That's Entertainment" and T. Rex's "Cosmic Dancer," which are the kind of B-sides that never make B-side compilations and are worth tracking down for any hardcore fan. It's nice that this box makes the search a little easier. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine