| Bona Drag | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art for the original 1990 CD release | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 15 October 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1987–1989 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 49:45 | |||
| Label | His Master's Voice Major Minor (reissue) | |||
| Producer | Stephen Street;Clive Langer &Alan Winstanley | |||
| Morrissey chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Bona Drag | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Chicago Tribune | [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[3] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [4] |
| NME | 8/10[5] |
| Pitchfork | 9.8/10[6] |
| Q | [7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [8] |
| Uncut | [9] |
| The Village Voice | B+[10] |
Bona Drag is a compilation album by the English singerMorrissey, released on 15 October 1990 byHis Master's Voice. 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 meaningnice outfits is an example of the subculture slangPolari 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.
After releasingViva 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 stand-alone 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 andB-sides instead. Thus, theBona 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. Morrissey explained, "People will view it suspiciously in England but not in the rest of the world where all those funny little singles were never released. It was initially for the rest of the world, but EMI were determined to release it here."[11]
Bona Drag features all of Morrissey's solo singles up to that point, two of which ("Suedehead" and "Everyday Is Like Sunday") were taken from his first solo albumViva Hate, while the others were making their first ever appearance on an album. Four of these singles were Top Ten hits. The album also includes several B-sides, none of which had appeared on an album before.
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.
In October 2010, the album was reissued on the resurrectedMajor Minor label, with six officially unreleased studio recordings. The artwork was edited and inner artwork updated with previously unseen photos chosen by Morrissey.[12] It entered the UK charts at number 67.[13] The reissue notably included several edits, including removing a verse from 'Ouija Board, Ouija Board' and restoring a previously-cut verse to 'Piccadilly Palare'.
All songs by Morrissey and Street, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | A-side/B-side | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Piccadilly Palare" | Morrissey, Armstrong | Single A-side | 3:28 |
| 2. | "Interesting Drug" | Single A-side | 3:27 | |
| 3. | "November Spawned a Monster" | Morrissey, Langer | Single A-side | 5:28 |
| 4. | "Will Never Marry" | Edited version of B-side of "Everyday Is Like Sunday" | 2:22 | |
| 5. | "Such a Little Thing Makes Such a Big Difference" | B-side of "Interesting Drug" | 2:51 | |
| 6. | "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" | Single A-side | 3:40 | |
| 7. | "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" | Single A-side | 4:25 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | A-side/B-side | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hairdresser on Fire" | B-side of "Suedehead" | 3:49 | |
| 2. | "Everyday Is Like Sunday" | Single A-side | 3:34 | |
| 3. | "He Knows I'd Love to See Him" | Morrissey, Armstrong | B-side of "November Spawned a Monster" | 3:08 |
| 4. | "Yes, I Am Blind" | Morrissey, Rourke | B-side of "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Lucky Lisp" | B-side of "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" | 2:51 | |
| 6. | "Suedehead" | Single A-side | 3:54 | |
| 7. | "Disappointed" | B-side of "Everyday is Like Sunday" | 3:06 |
The 2010 re-release features the following additional tracks:
The following changes have been made to the original album:
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] | 57 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15] | 40 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[16] | 9 |
| USBillboard 200[17] | 59 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[18] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[19] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
