Morrissey kicks off European tour tonight, readies Hits

photo by Wolfgang Tillmans

Good news, Morrissey fans! Or, to be more exact: Good news, Morrissey fans who live in the UK (or who don't mind ponying up some of those weak American dollars for an import)! The Mozfather, fresh off his recent scuffle with Brit-rag NME, has showered his fervent acolytes with not one, but three big announcements.

First and foremost, the avowed animal-lover and racism-hater (also, #57 on Paste's list of the 100 best living songwriters) will wassail across France, England and Scotland this winter in the weeks leading up to the UK release of his Greatest Hits on Polydor/Decca.

When the compilation takes a bow on Feb. 11, it'll be available on CD and double-vinyl and will feature two brand-new tracks—"That's How People Grow Up" (which is currently streaming on the Morrissey MySpace page) and "All You Need Is Me." Non-audiophiles who opt for the CD version and buy early can snag a special limited-edition bonus disc consisting of songs recorded live at the Hollywood Bowl on June 8 of last year.

And finally, if you've eternally plastered your love for the man somewhere on your body or at your local graffiti hotspot, his MySpace administrators are calling for high-res pictures to help sell a few good copies of the Greatest Hits album. Send the photographic evidence to morrisseyadvert@googlemail.com by Jan. 19 and hope you've earned it, baby.

Greatest Hits tracklist:
1. First of the Gang to Die
2. In the Future When All's Well
3. I Just Want to See the Boy Happy
4. Irish Blood, English Heart
5. You Have Killed Me
6. That's How People Grow Up
7. Everyday Is Like Sunday
8. Redondo Beach
9. Suedehead
10. The Youngest Was the Most Loved
11. The Last of the Famous International Playboys
12. The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get
13. All You Need Is Me
14. Let Me Kiss You
15. I Have Forgiven Jesus

Live at the Hollywood Bowl bonus CD tracklist:
1. The Last of the Famous International Playboys
2. The National Front Disco
3. Let Me Kiss You
4. Irish Blood, English Heart
5. I Will See You in Far-Off Places
6. First of the Gang to Die
7. I Just Want to See the Boy Happy
8. Life Is a Pigsty

Mozzin' the masses:

January
16 - Clermont, France @ La Cooperative de Mai
18 - Strasbourg, France @ La Laiterie
19 - Lille, France @ Aeronef
21 - London, England @ Roundhouse
22 - London, England @ Roundhouse
23 - London, England @ Roundhouse
25 - London, England @ Roundhouse
26 - London, England @ Roundhouse
27 - London, England @ Roundhouse
30 - Doncaster, England @ The Dome