Such Things I Do to Make Myself More Attractive to You: Morrissey Re-Tools “Kill Uncle” for Reissue (UPDATED 3/6)

UPDATE (3/6): Morrissey has released the artwork for these new titles. The single cover for “The Last of the Famous International Playboys” was slated to feature an unreleased pic of Moz and David Bowie until the latter denied use of the image. Instead, the singer has cheekily used a picture of himself with pop Rick Astley backstage at Top of the Pops in 1988. No word as to whether or not the single will be intentionally mis-pressed to feature “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

ORIGINAL POST (2/5/2013): Dear hero imprisoned: iconoclastic crooner Morrissey is continuing his trend of tweaked catalogue projects with a forthcoming new version of sophomore album Kill Uncle and a reissue of non-LP single “The Last of the Famous International Playboys.”

Released in 1991, two years after the superb (and also recently re-imagined) Bona Drag compilation, Kill Uncle marked an intriguing transition away from his work with former Smiths producer Stephen Street. Producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, known for their work with Madness and Elvis Costello & The Attractions, helmed the album, featuring musical contributions by guitarist Mark E. Nevin, then of the recently-split Fairground Attraction, plus ex-Madness bassist Mark Bedford and session drummer Andrew Paresi. (Nevin co-wrote all but two of the album’s songs with Morrissey.)

Featuring a pair of unconventional-sounding singles, “Our Frank” and “Sing Your Life” (neither of which charted anywhere past the lower half of the British Top 40), Kill Uncle marked an unusual departure for the singer, less heavy on rock riffs and with lots of unconventional production techniques. Moz treaded into more muscular rock territory with the following year’s Your Arsenal, produced by iconic guitarist Mick Ronson and featuring the first work with longtime collaborators Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer.

Parlophone’s new edition of Kill Uncle features a tweaked track list – adding two non-LP B-sides not recorded during the album sessions (“Pashernate Love” and “East West,” a Herman’s Hermits cover), and replacing album-closing torch song “There’s a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends” with an unreleased “live-in-studio” version that now serves as the album’s penultimate track. Bill Inglot at D2 Mastering has remastered the album, which will be available on both CD and vinyl and feature new, as-yet unreleased gatefold cover art and rare photos.

The same day of Kill Uncle‘s re-release, April 8, Moz reissues one of his most enduring singles – and specs on that are after the jump!

Think About Direction, and R.E.M.’s Deluxe Reissue of “Green”

Not long after R.E.M.’s last 25th anniversary edition was released, they’re already prepping the next archival project: Rolling Stone reports an expanded edition of 1988’s Green is on its way May 14.

The Athens, Georgia quartet’s sixth album in as many years was a notable event for them. After a healthy run ascending to the upper echelon of the alternative rock scene on I.R.S. Records, the band took on a new contract with major label Warner Bros., with whom they’d stay for the remainder of their career. The sound of Green, which, like predecessor Document was produced by Scott Litt and the band (an association that would continue through 1996’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi), was still familiar enough to endear itself to their current fan base but also peppy and accessible enough to attract new fans.

The results – which hewed more toward acoustic sounds than they’d previously done – were satisfying to both critics and audiences. Singles “Orange Crush,” “Pop Song 89” and “Stand” almost entirely dominated both Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock tracks (“Pop Song 89” only peaked at No. 14 on the mainstream chart), and the groovy, simple-but-effective “Stand” crossed over into the U.S. Top 10, helping the record to its eventual double-platinum sales status.

Once again, this deluxe reissue comes with a live show – and details on that are after the jump!