Editing ...Best II

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = ...Best II
| type       = greatest
| artist     = [[the Smiths]]
| cover      = UKBest2.JPG
| alt        =
| caption    = Cover to the standard edition of the album
| released   = November 2, 1992
| recorded   = 1983–1987
| studio     =
| genre      = [[Alternative rock]], [[indie pop]]
| length     = 52:24
| label      = [[Warner Music Group|WEA]]
| producer   = Various (see main text)
| prev_title = [[Best...I]]
| prev_year  = 1992
| next_title = [[Singles (The Smiths album)|Singles]]
| next_year  = 1995
| misc       = {{Extra album cover
 | header  = Alternative cover
 | type    = greatest
 | cover   = USBest2.JPG
 | border  =
 | alt     =
 | caption = US cover of ''...Best II''
}}
}}
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r76653|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic review]</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|edition=4th|isbn=978-0195313734|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref>
| noprose = yes
}}

'''''...Best II''''' is a compilation album by [[the Smiths]]. It was released on November 2, 1992, by the new owner of their back catalogue, [[Warner Music Group|WEA]] ([[Sire Records]] in the United States). Its highest British chart position was #29; it did not chart in the U.S.

==Background==
WEA (now the [[Warner Music Group]]) had acquired the entire Smiths back catalogue in early 1992 (sister label [[Sire Records]] already had the North American rights).  Along with the re-release of the eight original albums (the four studio albums, the ''[[Rank (album)|Rank]]'' live album and the three compilation albums issued while the band were still active), they immediately set to work compiling a 'best of' collection in two volumes. It was the first time a regular best of compilation had ever been made of The Smiths' material and the first volume effortlessly reached the top of the British charts. This, the second volume, fared considerably worse. The British [[Music journalism|press]] continued to groan about sell-out and low track selection coherence.

The material is more or less picked and sequenced at random, and consists of both [[Single (music)|singles]] and album cuts. As with the first volume, in the UK a spin-off single was released: "[[There Is a Light That Never Goes Out]]" (which had originally been earmarked as a single back in 1986 but was ultimately passed over in favour of "[[Bigmouth Strikes Again]]"). The single was released ahead of the compilation album and reached No. 25.

=== Cover ===
The UK and European release of the record featured the right half of a 1960s [[Motorcycle|biker]] couple photograph by [[Dennis Hopper]] on its sleeve, with ''[[Best...I]]'' completing the picture; the U.S. sleeve was designed by singer [[Morrissey]] and once again features [[Richard Davalos]], co-star of ''[[East of Eden (film)|East of Eden]]'' (other shots of Davalos grace the covers of ''[[Strangeways, Here We Come (album)|Strangeways, Here We Come]]'' and the U.S. edition of ''Best...I'').

== Track listing ==
All tracks written by Morrissey and Johnny Marr (including "Oscillate Wildly"<ref>{{cite web |title=OSCILLATE WILDLY |url=https://repertoire.bmi.com/Search/Search?SearchForm.View_Count=&SearchForm.Main_Search=BMI+Work+ID&SearchForm.Main_Search_Text=1135776&SearchForm.Sub_Search=Please+Select&SearchForm.Search_Type=bmi |website=repertoire.bmi.com |publisher=BMI {{!}} Songview Search |access-date=23 November 2022 |archive-url=https://perma-archives.org/warc/20221123141159/https://repertoire.bmi.com/Search/Search?SearchForm.View_Count=&SearchForm.Main_Search=BMI+Work+ID&SearchForm.Main_Search_Text=1135776&SearchForm.Sub_Search=Please+Select&SearchForm.Search_Type=bmi |archive-date=November 23, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref>).

# "[[The Boy with the Thorn in His Side]]" ''(album version)'' (From ''[[The Queen Is Dead]]'')&nbsp;– 3:16
# "[[The Headmaster Ritual]]" (From ''[[Meat Is Murder]]'')&nbsp;– 4:52
# "[[Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now]]" (From ''[[Hatful of Hollow]]'')&nbsp;– 3:34
# "[[Ask (song)|Ask]]" ''(album version)'' (From ''[[The World Won't Listen]]'')&nbsp;– 3:15
# "Oscillate Wildly" (Single B-side of "[[How Soon Is Now?]]")&nbsp;– 3:26
# "Nowhere Fast" (From ''Meat is Murder'')&nbsp;– 2:35
# "[[Still Ill]]" (From ''[[The Smiths (album)|The Smiths]]'')&nbsp;– 3:20
# "[[Bigmouth Strikes Again]]" (From ''The Queen Is Dead'')&nbsp;– 3:14
# "[[That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore]]" ''(album version)'' (From ''Meat is Murder'')&nbsp;– 4:57
# "[[Shakespeare's Sister (song)|Shakespeare's Sister]]" (Single A-side)&nbsp;– 2:08
# "Girl Afraid" (From ''Hatful of Hollow'')&nbsp;– 2:46
# "Reel Around the Fountain" (From ''The Smiths'')&nbsp;– 5:56
# "[[Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me]]"  ''(album version)'' (From ''[[Strangeways, Here We Come]]'')&nbsp;– 5:02
# "[[There Is a Light That Never Goes Out]]" (From ''The Queen Is Dead'')&nbsp;– 4:02

== Personnel ==
* [[Morrissey]]&nbsp;– vocals
* [[Johnny Marr]]&nbsp;– guitars, keyboard instruments, harmonica, [[mandolin]]s, [[Synthesizer|synthesized]] [[String instrument|string]] and flute arrangements
* [[Andy Rourke]]&nbsp;– bass guitar, cello on "Oscillate Wildly" and "Shakespeare's Sister"
* [[Mike Joyce (musician)|Mike Joyce]]&nbsp;– drums
* [[Craig Gannon]]&nbsp;– rhythm guitar on "Ask"

=== Additional musicians ===
* [[Kirsty MacColl]]&nbsp;– backing vocals on "Ask"
* [[Paul Carrack]]&nbsp;– piano and organ on "Reel Around the Fountain".

=== Production ===
* [[John Porter (musician, born 1947)|John Porter]]&nbsp;– producer (A2, A5-A6, B2-B3)
* The Smiths&nbsp;– producers (A3-A4, A7, B4-B5)
* Morrissey and Marr&nbsp;– producers (A1, B1, B7)
* Johnny Marr, Morrissey and [[Stephen Street]]&nbsp;– producers (B6)

== Charts ==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Chart performance for ''...Best II''
! scope="col"| Chart (1992)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Australian Albums ([[ARIA Charts|ARIA]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://i.imgur.com/ndpFzND.jpeg|title=The Smiths chart history, received from ARIA on 27 May 2021|publisher=ARIA|via=Imgur.com|access-date=5 July 2024}} N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column indicates the release's peak on the national chart.</ref>
|190
|-
{{album chart|UK2|5|date=19921108|rowheader=true|access-date=5 August 2023}}
|}

== Certifications and sales ==
{{certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for ''...Best II''}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Brazil|artist=The Smiths|title=Best 2|award=Gold|certyear=1997|relyear=1986|accessdate=4 May 2019}}
{{certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|award=Gold|type=album|title=Best ...II|artist=The Smiths|relyear=1992|certyear=2008|id=792-175-2|access-date=5 August 2023}}
{{certification Table Entry|title=Best 2|artist=The Smiths|relyear=1985|region=United States|nocert=yes|salesamount=208,357|salesref=<ref name=morrissey-solo>{{Cite web|url=https://www.morrissey-solo.com/article.pl?sid=08/03/05/1811210|title=Morrissey/Smiths US album sales in 2007 and total sales since 1992 - Morrissey-solo|website=www.morrissey-solo.com}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Bottom}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{The Smiths}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best Ii}}
[[Category:The Smiths compilation albums]]
[[Category:1992 greatest hits albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Stephen Street]]
[[Category:Warner Music Group compilation albums]]