Editing Best... I

{{Redirect|Best I|articles with similar titles|Best (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Best... I
| type       = greatest
| artist     = [[the Smiths]]
| cover      = UKBest1.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = August 17, 1992
| recorded   = 1983–1987
| studio     =
| genre      = [[Alternative rock]], [[indie pop]]
| length     = 45:09
| label      = [[Warner Music Group|WEA]]
| producer   = Various (see main text)
| prev_title = [[The Peel Sessions (The Smiths EP)|The Peel Sessions]]
| prev_year  = 1988
| next_title = [[...Best II]]
| next_year  = 1992
| misc       = {{Extra album cover
 | header  = Alternative cover
 | type    = greatest
 | cover   = USBest1.jpg
 | border  =
 | alt     =
 | caption = US cover of ''Best... I''
}}
}}
{{Music ratings
| rev1      = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|2|5}} [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r76652|pure_url=yes}} link]
| rev2 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|3|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... I''''' is a compilation album by [[the Smiths]]. It was released in August 1992 by the new owner of their back catalogue, [[Warner Music Group|WEA]] ([[Sire Records]] in the United States). It reached number one on the [[UK Albums Chart]]; it reached No. 139 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]. Warner UK used a photograph taken by actor [[Dennis Hopper]] titled "Biker Couple, 1961" (top photo) for the artwork of the two 1992 "best of" compilations by The Smiths.

==Background==
WEA (now the [[Warner Music Group]]) had acquired the entire Smiths back catalogue in early 1992. 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 album effortlessly reached the top of the British charts. The British [[Music journalism|press]] had doubts 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. It was followed later the same year by its sibling, ''[[...Best II]]''. The first spin-off single, a re-release of "This Charming Man", reached No. 8 in the singles chart, the highest position a Smiths single had ever reached. A second single promoting ''Best... I'', an edited re-release of "How Soon Is Now?", got to No. 16 (the uncut version is featured on the compilation).

===Cover===
The UK and European release of the record featured the left half of a [[Motorcycle|biker]] couple photograph by [[Dennis Hopper]] from 1961 entitled 'Biker Couple' on its sleeve, with ''...Best II'' completing the picture; the U.S. sleeve was designed by singer [[Morrissey]] and features [[Richard Davalos]], co-star of ''[[East of Eden (film)|East of Eden]]''.

==Track listing==
All tracks written by [[Morrissey]] and [[Johnny Marr]].

#"[[This Charming Man]]" (Single A-side) – 2:43
#"[[William, It Was Really Nothing]]" (From ''[[Hatful of Hollow]]'') – 2:09
#"[[What Difference Does It Make?]]" ''(album version)'' (From ''[[The Smiths (album)|The Smiths]]'') – 3:51
#"[[Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before]]" (From ''[[Strangeways, Here We Come]]'') – 3:34
#"[[Girlfriend in a Coma (song)|Girlfriend in a Coma]]" (From ''Strangeways, Here We Come'') – 2:02
#"Half a Person" (From ''[[The World Won't Listen]]'') – 3:36
#"Rubber Ring" (Single B-side of "[[The Boy with the Thorn in His Side]]") – 3:48
#"[[How Soon Is Now?]]" ''(full version)'' (From ''Hatful of Hollow'') – 6:46
#"[[Hand in Glove]]" ''(album version)'' (From ''The Smiths'') – 3:25
#"[[Shoplifters of the World Unite]]" (From ''The World Won't Listen'') – 2:58
#"[[Sheila Take a Bow]]" (From ''[[Louder Than Bombs]]'') – 2:42
#"[[Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others]]" (From ''[[The Queen Is Dead]]'') – 3:18
#"[[Panic (The Smiths song)|Panic]]" (From ''The World Won't Listen'') – 2:20
#"[[Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want]]" (From ''Hatful of Hollow'') – 1:54

==Personnel==
* [[Morrissey]] – vocals
* [[Johnny Marr]] – guitars, harmonica, [[mandolin]]s on "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want"
* [[Andy Rourke]] – bass guitar
* [[Mike Joyce (musician)|Mike Joyce]] – drums
* [[Craig Gannon]] – rhythm guitar on "Half a Person" and "Panic"

===Additional musicians===
* [[John Porter (musician, born 1947)|John Porter]] – [[slide guitar]] on "Sheila Take a Bow"
* [[Stephen Street]] – [[Synthesizer|synthesized]] [[String instrument|string]] arrangements on "Girlfriend in a Coma".

===Production===
* John Porter – producer (A1-A3, B1, B6-B7)
* Johnny Marr, Morrissey and Street – producers (A4-A6, B4)
* Morrissey and Marr – producers (A7, B5)
* The Smiths – producers (B2)
* Johnny Marr – producer (B3)

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+1992 weekly chart performance for ''Best... I''
!scope="col"|Chart (1992)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Australian Albums ([[ARIA Charts|ARIA]])<ref>{{cite Ryan|page=257}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|64
|-
{{album chart|Canada|36|chartid=1891|rowheader=true|access-date=5 August 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|74|artist=The Smiths|album=Best...I|rowheader=true|access-date=5 August 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|New Zealand|15|artist=The Smiths|album=Best...I|rowheader=true|access-date=5 August 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|Norway|35|artist=The Smiths|album=Best...I|rowheader=true|access-date=5 August 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|45|artist=The Smiths|album=Best...I|rowheader=true|access-date=5 August 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|UK2|1|date=19920823|rowheader=true|access-date=5 August 2023}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|139|artist=The Smiths|rowheader=true|access-date=5 August 2023}}
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+2000 weekly chart performance for ''Best... I''
!scope="col"|Chart (2000)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Ireland2|52|artist=The Smiths|rowheader=true|access-date=5 August 2023}}
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+2014 weekly chart performance for ''Best... I''
!scope="col"|Chart (2014)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Italy|97|artist=The Smiths|album=Best...I|rowheader=true|access-date=5 August 2023}}
|}

==Certifications and sales==
{{certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for ''Best... I''}}
{{certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|award=Gold|type=album|title=Best... I|artist=The Smiths|relyear=1992|certyear=1992|id=791-175-2|access-date=5 August 2023}}
{{certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=Best... I|artist=The Smiths|relyear=1992|nocert=yes|salesamount=432,907|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}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{The Smiths}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:The Smiths compilation albums]]
[[Category:1992 greatest hits albums]]
[[Category:Warner Music Group compilation albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Stephen Street]]
[[Category:Albums produced by John Porter (musician, born 1947)]]