''Bona Drag'' is a compilation album by

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...

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 Polari () is a form of slang or cant used in Britain and Ireland by some actors, circus and fairground showmen, professional wrestlers, merchant navy sailors, criminals, sex workers and the gay subculture. There is some debate about its origins ...

explored further on the album's first track "

Piccadilly Palare "Piccadilly Palare" is song by British singer Morrissey, released as a single in October 1990. The song features one of Morrissey's former colleagues from the Smiths, Andy Rourke, marking the last time any former member of the Smiths would colla ...

". 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.

Background

After releasing ''

Viva Hate ''Viva Hate'' is the debut solo studio album by English singer Morrissey. It was released on 14 March 1988 by HMV, six months after the final studio album by the Smiths, ''Strangeways, Here We Come'' (1987). Vini Reilly, the leader of the Eng ...

'' 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 "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" is a song by British solo artist Morrissey. Co-written by Morrissey and former Smiths producer Stephen Street, the song was Morrissey's third release after the Smiths break-up. Morrissey was inspi ...

", "

Interesting Drug "Interesting Drug" is a song by English singer-songwriter Morrissey. Co-written by Morrissey and former Smiths producer Stephen Street, the song was Morrissey's first fourth release after the Smiths break-up. Morrissey was inspired lyrically ...

", and "

Ouija Board, Ouija Board "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" is a song by English singer-songwriter Morrissey, released as a single in November 1989. The track appears along with its B-side "Yes, I Am Blind" on the compilation album ''Bona Drag''. A shorter edit, omitting a vers ...

" 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-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

s instead. Thus, the ''Bona Drag'' project was born. "

November Spawned a Monster "November Spawned a Monster" is a song by British singer Morrissey, released as a single in April 1990. It was written by Morrissey and Clive Langer and features one of Morrissey's former colleagues from the Smiths, Andy Rourke. The single re ...

" was released in May 1990 to modest success; the album and the single "

" followed, both released on the same day that October.

Composition

''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 ''

'': "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.

20th anniversary reissue

In October 2010, the album was reissued on the resurrected Major Minor label, with six officially unreleased studio recordings. The artwork was edited and inner artwork updated with previously unseen photos chosen by Morrissey. It entered the UK charts at number 67. The reissue notably included several edits, including removing a verse from 'Ouija Board Ouija Board' and restoring a previously cut verse to 'Piccadilly Palare'.

Track listing

All songs by Morrissey and Street, except where noted.

LP

2010 re-release

The 2010 re-release features the following additional tracks: * "Happy Lovers at Last United" (Outtake from "Everyday Is Like Sunday" sessions) * "Lifeguard on Duty" (Outtake from ''

'' sessions) * "

Please Help the Cause Against Loneliness "Please Help the Cause Against Loneliness" is a song by British singer Sandie Shaw and the first single from her 1988 album '' Hello Angel''. Having released a string of hit singles in the 1960s, Shaw had semi-retired from public life in the earl ...

" (demo) (Outtake from ''Viva Hate'', previously covered by

Sandie Shaw Sandie may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Sandie Clair (born 1988), French professional racing cyclist * Sandie Fitzgibbon, Irish former camogie player * Sandie Jones (1950/1951–2019), Irish singer * Sandie Lindsay, 1st Baron Lindsay of Birker (1879 ...

) * "Oh Phoney" (Outtake from ''Bona Drag'' sessions) (Morrissey, Armstrong) * "The Bed Took Fire" (early version of "At Amber") * "Let the Right One Slip In" (alternate long mix) (Morrissey, Alain Whyte) The following changes have been made to the original album: * "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" has a verse removed ("The glass is moving, no, I was not pushing that time") * "Piccadilly Palare" has an extra verse, as has circulated on bootlegs ("A cold-water room") * "Interesting Drug" fades into "November Spawned a Monster" * "Suedehead" edited to remove guitar fade on the intro.

Etchings on vinyl

"AESTHETICS VERSUS ATHLETICS"/none

Personnel

*Morrissey – vocals *

Kevin Armstrong Kevin Armstrong (1922–1992 ) was a dual player who played Gaelic football, football and hurling for his local club O'Connell's GAA, O'Connell's and for the Antrim GAA, Antrim senior inter-county teams in both codes from the 1940s until the 19 ...

(Tracks A1, A3, A7, B3-4),

Craig Gannon Craig Gannon (born 30 July 1966) is an English guitar player, best known as the second guitarist in the Smiths. He is now a composer for film and television. Career Born in Manchester, Gannon had played in bands with friends since he was 12 ye ...

(Track A2, A5-6, B5), Neil Taylor (A2, A5-6, B5),

Vini Reilly Vincent Gerard "Vini" Reilly (born 4 August 1953) is an English musician and leader of the post-punk group the Durutti Column. He is known for his distinctively clean, fluid guitar style, which stood out from his punk-era contemporaries in its i ...

(Tracks A4, B1-2, B6-7) – guitar *

Andy Rourke Andrew Michael Rourke (born 17 January 1964) is an English musician, best known as the bassist of the Smiths. He is known for his melodic approach to bass playing. Career Rourke's father was Irish while his mother was English. He received an a ...

(Tracks A1-3, A5-6, B3, B5),

Stephen Street Stephen Brian Street (born 29 March 1960 in Hackney, London) is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths, The Cranberries and Blur. Street collaborated with Morrissey on his debut album ''Viva Hate'' following the spl ...

(Tracks A4, B1-2, B6-7)

Matthew Seligman Matthew Seligman (14 July 1955 – 17 April 2020) was an English bassist, best known for his association with the new wave music scene of the 1980s. Seligman was a member of the Soft Boys and the Thompson Twins, and was a sideman for Thomas Do ...

(Tracks A7, B4) – bass *

Andrew Paresi Andrew McGibbon (a.k.a. Andrew Paresi; born 1961 in Chiswick), is an English comedian, actor, writer, musician and composer. He has also produced and directed extensively, chiefly for radio. Education The son of James, a prominent educationalis ...

(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 musicians

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

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He ...

– backing vocals on "Interesting Drug" *

Mary Margaret O'Hara Mary Margaret O'Hara is a Canadian singer-songwriter, actress and composer. She is best known for the album ''Miss America'', released in 1988. She released two albums and an EP under her own name, and remains active as a live performer, as a con ...

– additional voice on "November Spawned a Monster"

Production

* Stephen Street – producer *

Clive Langer Clive Langer (born 19 June 1954 in Hampstead, London, England) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films ''Still Crazy'' and ''Br ...

– producer *

Alan Winstanley Alan Kenneth Winstanley (born 2 November 1952) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer. His early career during the mid-1970s was as an audio engineer, working on album ...

– producer

Charts

Certifications and sales

References

{{Authority control Morrissey albums Albums produced by Stephen Street Albums produced by Clive Langer Albums produced by Alan Winstanley B-side compilation albums 1990 compilation albums HMV albums Major Minor Records compilation albums