Stop Me
Encyclopedia
Stop Me is a compilation album
by English
band The Smiths
. It compiles the band's then-latest (but not last) three singles
and their B-side
s in reverse-chronological order. Stop Me was released in January 1988 by their Japan
ese record company, RCA Victor.
record company, Rough Trade
, planned to release three singles from the newly-recorded Strangeways, Here We Come
album
. In August 1987 "Girlfriend in a Coma" was scheduled to be released as planned when news broke that the band had split up. This presented Rough Trade with a problem as no new material would be available to complement the other singles on their B-sides. It was decided to release the singles as planned, using archive material for B-sides. Singer
Morrissey
remained involved in the singles' sleeve design.
The second single off Strangeways, Here We Come was scheduled to be "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before", an up-tempo pop-rock song. The song contains the lines
and Rough Trade deemed it unwise to release the song in the wake of the Hungerford massacre
, fearing a BBC Radio
ban. In the UK, "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" was chosen instead, but other countries (United States
, Canada
, Australia
, Netherlands
) opted to keep "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before", releasing it in 7", 12"
and CD single
formats.
In Germany
, the track was released as a double A-side with "Girlfriend in a Coma"; the 12" and CD versions featured the latter's original B-sides "Work Is a Four-Letter Word" and "I Keep Mine Hidden". The band's Japanese record company went one further and decided to compile their latest three singles, none of which had been released in Japan, and all of their B-sides onto a compilation album that bore an abbreviated version of the latest (international) single's title. By the time of the album's release, another single had been issued in the UK ("Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me", December 1987), but it was not included.
in a still from the 1966 film
The Family Way
. The same design was used for the Europe
an and Australia
n 1987 single editions, but not for the contemporary UK single "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish", which had its own sleeve design (yet used the same B-sides as "Stop Me...").
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
band The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
. It compiles the band's then-latest (but not last) three singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and their B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
s in reverse-chronological order. Stop Me was released in January 1988 by their Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese record company, RCA Victor.
About the album
In 1987, The Smiths' UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
record company, Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
, planned to release three singles from the newly-recorded Strangeways, Here We Come
Strangeways, Here We Come
-Band:* Morrissey – vocals, piano on "Death of a Disco Dancer"* Johnny Marr – guitar, keyboards, harmonica, autoharp , synthesized strings and saxophone arrangements* Andy Rourke – bass guitar* Mike Joyce – drums-Additional musicians:...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
. In August 1987 "Girlfriend in a Coma" was scheduled to be released as planned when news broke that the band had split up. This presented Rough Trade with a problem as no new material would be available to complement the other singles on their B-sides. It was decided to release the singles as planned, using archive material for B-sides. Singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
remained involved in the singles' sleeve design.
The second single off Strangeways, Here We Come was scheduled to be "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before", an up-tempo pop-rock song. The song contains the lines
and Rough Trade deemed it unwise to release the song in the wake of the Hungerford massacre
Hungerford massacre
The Hungerford massacre occurred in Hungerford, Berkshire, England, on 19 August 1987. The gunman, 27-year-old Michael Robert Ryan, armed with two semi-automatic rifles and a handgun, shot and killed sixteen people including his mother, and wounded fifteen others, then fatally shot himself...
, fearing a BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
ban. In the UK, "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" was chosen instead, but other countries (United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) opted to keep "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before", releasing it in 7", 12"
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
and CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
formats.
In Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the track was released as a double A-side with "Girlfriend in a Coma"; the 12" and CD versions featured the latter's original B-sides "Work Is a Four-Letter Word" and "I Keep Mine Hidden". The band's Japanese record company went one further and decided to compile their latest three singles, none of which had been released in Japan, and all of their B-sides onto a compilation album that bore an abbreviated version of the latest (international) single's title. By the time of the album's release, another single had been issued in the UK ("Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me", December 1987), but it was not included.
Cover
The cover sleeve, designed as usual by Morrissey, features Murray HeadMurray Head
Murray Seafield Saint-George Head is a British actor and singer, most recognised for his international hit songs "Superstar" and "One Night in Bangkok" and his album Say It Ain't So...
in a still from the 1966 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
The Family Way
The Family Way
The Family Way is a 1966 British comedy-drama film based on Bill Naughton's play All in Good Time . It began life in 1961 as a television play entitled Honeymoon Postponed....
. The same design was used for the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n 1987 single editions, but not for the contemporary UK single "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish", which had its own sleeve design (yet used the same B-sides as "Stop Me...").
Track listing
All songs written by Morrissey and Johnny Marr except as noted. Songs marked "*" are exclusive to this compilation.- "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One BeforeStop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before-Smiths original:The Smiths' song, written by the usual combination of Morrissey and Johnny Marr, came out on the group's 1987 album Strangeways, Here We Come....
" – 3:33 - "Pretty Girls Make Graves" (early version)* – 3:40
- "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" (live)* – 5:03
- "Girlfriend in a ComaGirlfriend in a Coma (song)-Covers:* Mojo Nixon's cover of "Girlfriend in a Coma" on his 1995 album Whereabouts Unknown is in his usual psychobilly style. After the bridge, Mojo asks that the listener not blame him for the lyrics, launching into one of his trademark "rants" in which he finally declares that "I, Mojo Nixon,...
" – 2:02 - "Work Is a Four-Letter Word" (Guy WoolfendenGuy WoolfendenGuy Anthony Woolfenden OBE is an English composer and conductor.-Biography:Woolfenden was born in Ipswich and educated at Westminster Abbey Choir School, London, and Whitgift School, Croydon. He studied music at Christ's College in Cambridge and went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music...
, Don BlackDon Black (musician)Don Black, OBE is an English lyricist. His works have included numerous musicals, movie themes and hit songs. He has provided lyrics for John Barry, Charles Strouse, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Quincy Jones, Jule Styne, Henry Mancini, Michael Jackson, Elmer Bernstein, Michel Legrand, Hayley Westenra,...
)* – 2:45 - "I Keep Mine Hidden"* – 2:47
- "Sheila Take a BowSheila Take a Bow"Sheila Take a Bow" is a song by The Smiths. It was released as a single in April 1987, reaching #10 in the UK Singles Chart, their highest chart placing in their career....
" – 2:42 - "Is It Really So Strange?" (John PeelJohn PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
session) – 3:04 - "Sweet and Tender HooliganSweet and Tender Hooligan"Sweet and Tender Hooligan" is a song by The Smiths, released as a single in May 1995 by their American record company Sire Records. It was released to promote the compilation album Singles....
" (John Peel session) – 3:36
The band
- MorrisseyMorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
– voiceSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Johnny MarrJohnny MarrJohnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Andy RourkeAndy RourkeAndy Rourke is a bass guitarist best known for being a former member of The Smiths.-Career:...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Mike Joyce – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, backing vocals on "Work Is a Four-Letter Word"
Additional musicians
- Audrey RileyAudrey RileyAudrey Riley is a cellist and string arranger based in the UK. Riley trained at the Guildhall School of Music with Leonard Stehn and was a cellist for Virginia Astley from 1983 to 1986 and a one-time auxiliary member of The Family Cat. She has been a member of the post-minimalist band Icebreaker...
– celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
on "Pretty Girls Make Graves" - Stephen StreetStephen StreetStephen Street is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s, as well as Blur and The Cranberries in the 1990s. Street also collaborated with Morrissey on some of his most popular work after The Smiths broke up, playing instruments and co-writing songs...
– synthesized stringsSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
on "Girlfriend in a Coma" - John PorterJohn Porter (musician)John Porter is an English musician and record producer.-Biography:He attended St Michael's School, Allerton Grange School, King's College, and Newcastle University....
– slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
on "Sheila Take a Bow"
Technical staff
- Johnny Marr, Morrissey and Stephen Street – producersRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
(1, 4, 7-9) - Troy TateTroy TateTroy Tate is a musician and record producer who was a member of several bands including The Teardrop Explodes and Fashion as well as working as a solo artist.-Biography:...
– producer (2) - Grant ShowbizGrant ShowbizGrant Showbiz is a British record producer principally known for his work with The Fall, The Smiths, and Billy Bragg plus as an artist in his own right with Moodswings. He continues his work with both Billy Bragg & The Fall to this day, having worked on more albums by both The Fall & Billy Bragg...
– producer (3, 5-6)
External links
- Passions Just Like Mine, site featuring the definitive Smiths and Morrissey discographies