Remastered I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got Out Today

Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor will appear on Saturday’s episode of The Graham Norton Show, but a remastered version of her landmark 1990 album – the multi-platinum I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got – is out today. (You can sample tracks and buy it here.)

Her 1987 album, The Lion and the Cobra, introduced her to hipsters and college kids, but I Do Not Want… was a huge wallop to the mainstream. Her rise came on the strength of her cover of Prince‘s “Nothing Compares 2 U” and its accompanying video, which featured Sinéad and all her beautiful Celtic sadness in riveting close-up.

But there were other songs on the album that were amazing, yet they didn’t get the level of airplay of “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Sinéad does anger (some would say self-righteousness) better than almost any singer you can think of. There’s nothing on I Don’t Want… that’s as raw and as rage-filled as “Troy” from The Lion and the Cobra. But she’s simply lacerating on “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and especially “Black Boys on Mopeds,” which has these memorable opening lines:

Margaret Thatcher on TV
Shocked by the deaths that took place in Beijing
It seems strange that she should be offended
The same orders are given by her

Many believe O’Connor simply baited controversy with her antics, and the infamous shredding of the photo of the Pope on Saturday Night Live killed her career. (And we got Dolores O’Riordan and The Cranberries in her place. Not a fair trade, but at least we got “Linger” out of it.) If the Pope thing hadn’t happened, something else would have. That’s just Sinéad being Sinéad. But we still have her great 1990 album to look back on, and the new limited edition contains one disc of remastered tracks and another of rarities and live tracks (including “Troy”). Take a listen and see what you think.

In other news:

Nazi Cows Are The Hot New Thing In Britain.(Telegraph)
Amy Winehouse has a nasty burn on her thighs, courtesy of a “pasta accident.” (Daily Mail)
Gordon Ramsay is no longer listed among the top 100 chefs in the world, and his disgruntled protegé, Marcus Wareing, who did make the list, takes a moment to enjoy some freshly-squeezed schadenfreude: “In today’s world a chef is only going to be successful if he’s in the kitchen. People want more than a name….Gordon’s not in the top 100 but I don’t feel sorry for him at all.”(Daily Mail)
Simon Cowell could bring X Factor to the States if he quits American Idol.(New York Times)
Susan Boyle sings Roberta Flack‘s “Killing Me Softly.” It’s serviceable, but Helen Reddy would have sung a version like this in the ’70s. And that’s not a compliment, no offense.(The Sun)
Ricky Gervais: “I would like The Office to be still considered good in 20 years’ time, but after I’m dead I don’t care. I don’t care what it says on my gravestone.”(Telegraph)
Calvin Harris is nothing but a big fibber.(NME)