bodmin writes:
"An overbearing chump playing to the gallery in oppressive earl's Court"
NEW ALBUMS, Morrissey Live At Earls Court - The Mirror
(written by GAVIN MARTIN)
The grand slam success of Stephen Patrick Morrissey's comeback must have taken even The Smiths' former frontman by surprise. Prior to the release of You Are The Quarry, he seemed like a man out of time. He clung onto an avid but dwindling cult following. Embittered after losing a costly court battle with his former bandmates, Morrissey's glorious past flashed before him. Yet there was no future in sight.
As his solo album sales dwindled, record companies shied away from his famously unpredictable temperament. Something needed to change - and urgently.
Launched by the killer Irish Blood, English Heart single, Quarry was a respectable enough return, recapturing Morrissey's core strengths. What really gave it added impact was the timing of its release, coming just as a host of Morrissey-loving newcomers - Razorlight, Keane and Franz Ferdinand - were making their mark.
Acknowledged by all and sundry as a key influence, Morrissey was welcomed both by old fans and a new generation. Quarry became the biggest-selling album of his career and, as a live performer, Morrissey's asking price had never been higher.
The chance to make up the thousands lost in the Smiths court wrangle and claim what was rightfully his wasn't something he could refuse. Morrissey proceeded to milk it - and it quickly curdled. The overbearing chump on show here, playing to the gallery in the oppressive surrounds of Earl's Court, is a seasoned but charmless man.
The set ignores some of the finest - and more controversial - moments of his erratic solo career in favour of Smiths gems. The shuddering How Soon Is Now intro and the swooning There Is A Light That Never Goes Out are obvious highpoints.
You can't blame a man for scooping the jackpot when his luck changes. However, his competent but artless band deliver the tunes with ruthless efficiency and Morrissey has a severe case of smugness.
A little humility would have been nice. But only a fool or a hopeless romantic would expect that sort of thing from The Mozfather.
