Frances sends the review:

by Johnny Ray Huston, The San Francisco Bay Guardian

See Hear
Morrissey
 Live at Earls Court CD (Attack/Sanctuary) Who Put the 'M' in Manchester? DVD (BMG Distribution)
Close to 20 years ago, I was a Smiths-loving pen friend of Julia Riley, who has gone on to forge a reputation as the ultimate Morrissey aficionado – that flaring rarity, the fan who became the star's friend. My passion over the years hasn't been as consistent as that of Riley, who has followed Morrissey on entire tours. On the new concert DVD, Who Put the 'M' in Manchester?, he repays her devotion with several between-song comments aimed directly at her, as if there was no one else in the packed stadium.

In song, Morrissey has famously bemoaned reissues and repackaging, the CDs, the T-shirts, the promos, and god knows what other record industry cash-cow staples. But it's safe to say that perhaps only Björk and annoying beekeeper Tori Amos have so thoroughly exploited the record-buying public's capacity to buy the same songs over and over in different formats. Devotion can be lucrative, a fact he's illustrating once again by unleashing two 2004 concerts in different formats, one capturing a somewhat subdued early-tour performance on DVD, the other a ferocious tour closer on compact disc.

Who Put the 'M' in Manchester? affords close-ups of Morrissey's Vegas-ready stage backdrop as well as numerous views of a sweat stain that spreads alarmingly fast on the back of his shirt. But musically speaking, Live at Earls Court is the real prize, a stronger concert document than 1993's Beethoven Was Deaf (EMI) or even the Smiths' posthumously issued Rank (Sire, 1998). "November Spawned a Monster" and tracks drawn from last year's You Are the Quarry (Attack/Sanctuary) are far superior live, minus their somewhat dated and tacky studio accoutrements. Morrissey's vocals on "I Have Forgiven Jesus" are especially rich and impressive. In fact, he's in fine form throughout, that odd singer whose tonality has improved over the years. Those improvements yield great results during a cover of Patti Smith's "Redondo Beach": the death-by-drowning subject matter – a possible influence on one of the songs off Vauxhall and I (Sire, 1994)? – suits him as well as any of his tailored blazers, and his interpretation clarifies the coroner's details (the victim had "apple-blond hair") while bringing a slight mocking quality to the scenario.

Morrissey's propensity for slight lyrical alterations yields amusing results here and there – Joan of Arc's Walkman in "Bigmouth Strikes Again" has been updated to an iPod. His final words to the crowd – "Don't forget me" – make it tempting to think of Live at Earls Court as his version of Judy Garland's Live at Carnegie Hall. Like that recording, it's a triumphant career summary from a performer who inspires audience mayhem upon taking the stage, which could be called his first, not second, home. (Johnny Ray Huston)