When a band achieves international success, their albums are often re-released in different countries with bonus tracks, or sometimes with altered tracklistings. These eight albums, however, have incredible songs that, for one reason or another, aren't included on every edition.
1 & 2. The Smiths - The Smiths/Meat is Murder (1984/1985)
The Smiths' first two albums were both subjected to altered tracklistings for their US editions, with one additional song each, but the songs that were added actually ended up being the best on each album. Track six on the US edition of The Smiths is the single version of "This Charming Man," by far the album's poppiest and most upbeat track, while track six on the US edition of Meat is Murder is the monumental classic "How Soon is Now?"
3. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses (1989)
Just like the Smiths, the Stone Roses' eponymous debut featured an additional, previously released song for its US edition, and though it may not be the album's best, "Elephant Stone" is the single best representation of the Stone Roses' sound, featuring jangly psychedelic guitars, sugary pop melodies, and an explosive dance beat.
4. Echo & the Bunnymen - Crocodiles (1980)
The US edition of Echo & the Bunnymen's debut album Crocodiles actually features two additional songs, though unlike the Smiths and the Stone Roses debut albums, it wasn't because they had already been released as singles. Instead, the band's label Warner Bros. originally omitted "Do It Clean" and "Read It In Books" because they mistakenly believed the songs to be obscene. When the album was released in the US five months later, these songs were restored.
5. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin (1999)
The Flaming Lip's magnum opus The Soft Bulletin has been released with so many different tracklistings that there's not really a definitive one (I go by the 13-song tracklisting suggested by Steven Drozd in the Pitchfork documentary on the album). Though every version of the album contains either 13 or 14 songs, there are two songs that don't appear every time. "Slow Motion" is omitted from the US release, while the classic "The Spiderbite Song" is left off the UK and Australian editions.
6. The Sex Pistols - Nevermind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (1977)
For reasons that aren't entirely clear, two different editions of the Sex Pistols' album Nevermind the Bollocks were issued: one with eleven songs, and another with twelve. The one song omitted from the eleven-track version was "Submission," a song about submarines written at the suggestion of manager Malcolm McLaren, though it was often included as a bonus seven-inch single anyway.
7. Pulp - His 'n' Hers (1994)
The North American edition of Pulp's breakthrough His 'n' Hers featured the single "Razzmatazz" as a bonus track at the end of the album, but on the album's vinyl edition, another iconic song was unfortunately and inexplicably left off: the slinky new wave classic "Babies."
8. The Strokes - Is This It (2001)
Although the Strokes are from New York City, the band's debut album was actually released in Australia, Japan, and the UK before it was ever released in the United States. However, after the attacks of September 11, the album's release date was pushed back from September 25 to October 9. In this time, the band decided to replace the song "New York City Cops," which criticizes the NYPD and was considered to be in poor taste, with "When It Started" for the album's US edition.
What other albums omit great songs on some editions? Let us know in the comments section!
