An anonymous person writes:

Jake Kennedy has penned a negative review of the MEN DVD in this month's 'Record Collector'. Criticisms are levelled against Morrissey's band for being dull and uninspiring, and against Morrissey himself for coasting.

Transcript as follows:

First things first - it was the Mondays who truly put the 'M' in Manchester, and if memory serves correctly, they also did a pretty good job of putting the 'E' in as well. And secondly, if Manchester is so bloody marvellous, why is Morrissey living in LA? There's no 'M' in that......

Filmed in May 2004, on the occasion of his 45th birthday, this 'homecoming' gig catches Mozzer at the peak of his commercial powers, unbelievably. And it is hard to believe, because many of the songs wheeled out are simply dull. It is a victory of marketing over material that even lifeless numbers like I Have Forgiven Jesus and Let Me Kiss You are enough to raise a shriek from the (admittedly) massive crowd in the MEN arena. At one point, and I swear this is true, a fan waves some hospital crutches aloft, as if healed by rubbish album off-cuts ('Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice') and obligatory 'run-through' Smiths covers (A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours, Shoplifters....)

There's something incredibly annoying about the backing band to boot. Rarely more than irritatingly self-confident, they manage to suck any life from bona fide masterful solo works like Jack The Ripper and Hairdresser On Fire. With their teddy boy affectations, mohawks and quiffs, the only real thrill they provide comes when they leave the stage, one by one, causing punch ups among a crowd eager to catch signed drumskins or sheet music.

There are some genuinely exciting moments, though. A grim, northern female voice lists things that clearly infuriate Morrissey before he takes the stage. As Moz bounds on, 'First Of The Gang To Die' sounds truly rejuvenated in the live arena, and, slightly later, The Headmaster Ritual gets a rightful place at the captain's table. The concert came just before the summer festival appearances of 2004, so we aren't treated to How Soon Is Now, which debuted there, and struck many dumb with its brilliance later that year (the very essence of the lyric not losing one ounce of its poignancy in such mammoth venues), but hey, it must have been work in progress.

Bonus features include five tracks from the Move Festival of the same year, and they generally work better. Something about the open air and the catch-all nature of the crowd makes for a more light-hearted set and sound, and the version of There Is A Light That Never Goes Out from here is superior.

It comes down to this. Morrissey remains a gifted wordsmith, and something of a reluctant raconteur to boot. But for too long now he has been riding the crest of a wave of past glories. I love him dearly, but sometimes he makes it very hard.

How true - new collaborators required!