Morrissey-solo
Archive
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
posted by
davidt
on Thursday April 15 2004, @10:00AM
John, England writes:
This review put on Channel 4 (UK) Teletext earlier today. I've just transcribed it from the telly so apologies for any typos! Sexual ambiguity, America’s role as a superpower, a hymn to Camden, fatally flawed gangsters called Hector, a song called All The Lazy Dykes… Morrissey’s back, then… After falling out of fashion in the Britpop years, the return of Morrissey for his first album since 1997 couldn’t be better timed. But is You Are The Quarry a new Meat is Murder? Or another Maladjusted? We present our guide to an album that should cement a triumphant comeback… 1. America is not the world: An odd choice of opener as it’s one of the weaker songs, both lyrically and musically. George Bush has been lambasted with more verve, and its one merit is immediately showing off Jerry Finn’s belligerent production. 2. Irish Blood: A punchy, contentious defence of his love of the flag. Despite relative old age, nobody is better on the attack than Moz. A great comeback single – but not the best song on the album. 3. I have forgiven Jesus: A miserabilist answer to The Cure’s Friday I’m in Love and an explanation of sorts why Moz has never loved anyone ever. The flat-vowelled singing of “You” in verse one has more pathos than many careers. 4. Come back to Camden: A gorgeous showtune, the piano shows he may not be joking about his admiration of Elton John. Extravagant, smart and the highlight of the album so far. 5. I’m not sorry: Despite a cute flue solo in the coda, the album’s worst song along with ‘America’. A mid-paced nothing of a ballad, with lyrics like an artless ITV satire of Morrissey. More at home on Southpaw Grammar than a great comeback. 6. Crashing Bores: Beefed up from its live version, a definite single with vocals as if Moz has been pickled in aspic since 1987. As great as its title, and he takes 10 minutes to pronounce “How”. Hurrah! 7. How Can Anybody: By this point of the album, Jerry’s swaggering production is letting the band give thje finest backing of any solo Morrissey album. Moz’s most menacing song since More You Ignore Me. 8. The First of the Gang: A ravishing ode to a Mexican gangster with lyrics worthy of Hemingway, the singing style of -yes!- Buddy Holly and a damnably infectious chorus. The best song of 2002 when he played it live, now it’s the best song of 2004. 9. Let me kiss you: A warm and naturalistic vocal, and typical of an album where – by his ascetic standards – Morrissey is loved up. A bit of a filler, though most singers would kill for filler this ace. 10. All the lazy dykes: To the nursery ryhme feel of Ask, Morrissey invites a housewife to “come and join the girls”. Curiously reminiscent of Fat Bottomed Girld, it’s fine throway bit of filth as will be heard all year. 11. I Like You: Hello, Morrissey’s discovered synths! With a backing borrowed from Finetime by New Order, the ambiguous old poppet declares undying love. Could have been a pervy maiden aunt moment, instead it’s a wild, celebratory triumph. 12. You know I couldn’t last: An attack on the record industry, Paint a Vulgar Picture II is half taut ballad and half rampant rock music. Both sum up a superb album. “Oh but the squalor of the mind! Is SUCH an apt final line. With fans like Franz Ferdinand and The Libertines putting Morrissey back in fashion, he could have got away with a much lazier album and been declared a genuis anew. Nothing is worth such a visionary beign kept in exile for seven years – but You Are The Quarry settles old scores, reminds old fans why they fell in love with him and serves notice to newcomers that here is a man in full. Quarry? Consider us the willing prey.
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
|
|||||||||
|
| |||||||||
Reviews (Score:1)
(User #10222 Info)
That review (Score:0)
Great expectations (Score:0)
I think some people expect the critics to praise every single track and to say this is the best album ever or something - that isn't going to happen. Yes, Quarry will no doubt be superb, but i've read hundreds of reviews of different albums over the years and it is nigh on impossible to find reviews which don't regard at least a couple of album tracks, by any artist, as being 'weaker'. Even the Beatles' 'Revolver', generally regarded as one of the best albums ever made, has had certain tracks criticised - 'Here, There and Everywhere', 'Yellow Submarine', 'Love You To'.
Secondly, i don't think its fair to attack Boorer/Whyte - quite frankly they are the best collaborators Morrissey has had in his solo career and have created many excellent musical backdrops for him over the years. Of course Johnny Marr was his best collaborator, but Marr was unique. Boorer and Whyte have shown they are quite capable of producing some excellent music, and it is with them that he created his best two solo albums, 'Your Arsenal' and 'Vauxhall and I'. Certainly they are far better than Mark Nevin (a woeful partner) or Stephen Street, who is essentially a producer rather than a songwriter. Having a go at Boorer and Whyte because of this reviewer's dissing of I'm Not Sorry makes no sense when you consider the praise they are lavishing on 10 of the album tracks (they even describe the 'filler' as 'ace'). In fact, they also criticise Morrissey's lyrics, so the blame lies on both sides there.
Finally, I think this review only highlights what i said before in regard to the MOJO review - its all a matter of opinion. Here, Camden and Crashing Bores are singled out as among the very best tracks (Segal criticised them) and America Is Not The World as a weaker track (in MOJO this track was said to be superb). This means that, in all, EVERY SINGLE TRACK except I'm Not Sorry has been highly praised by one commentator or another. Surely a very good sign. Most importantly, whatever tracks they like or dislike, so far most commentators have been unanimous in praise of the album.
I definitely think things are looking good, though obviously there are quite a few reviews to come yet, including some of the potentially more difficult ones (Q, Word).
America Is Not The World (Score:0)
A Rebuttal (Score:0)
As for the specific criticisms addressed in the review, I strongly disagree with some basic conclusions. America Is Not The World is, in my opinion, quite possibly the best song on the entire record. It is musically superb and has some of the best lyrics ever sung by Morrissey. I laugh every time I hear the line:
And you wonder why
In Estonia they say:
Hey you, fat pig ...
It's so perfect, and it's all in the delivery I might add, so you'll just have to wait until you get the album. The song is simply amazing.
I'm Not Sorry is another standout track, but frankly most of the songs are standout tracks. The song reminds me of a more groovified version of He Knows I'd Love To See Him. It's good stuff.
I do agree that Let Me Kiss You feels a little like filler (as does All The Lazy Dykes), but I never trust my opinions in this regard. I have little doubt that somewhere between one week and ten years from now I will conclude that the song is pure genious, just like 97% of Morrissey tunes.
The worst song to my ears is the one everyone seems to rave about: Come Back To Camden. It's too ballady for my ears. It's outstanding compared with the work of almost any other artist, but it is in the bottom 15% of Morrissey songs according to my standards. One of the great things about Morrissey is that I can listen to the songs over and over and over without getting sick of them or emotionally drained. Not so with Come Back To Camden. Sure, it's a fine song, but I am more likely to skip it than any song other than All The Lazy Dykes.
Despite these differences, I thought the reviewer seemed to like the album quite a lot, just as I do.
In The End (Score:1)
(User #10222 Info)