Morrissey Essential Albums

YEARS OF REFUSAL

YOU ARE THE QUARRY (DELUXE)

these two are great.

 

How about this one? Of my 700+ records, this is a prized possession amongst them....

 

I am a casual Smiths/Morrissey fan. My favorite of his solo records are Viva Hate and You Are the Quarry.

 

Is that an Australian pressing or the rarer UK?

 

I bought it used at Rough Trade West when I was in London... I'm not home to read which version it is. I thought that they only got out in Australia and New Zealand. Never heard of them accidentally getting out in the UK.. But maybe because that's where I found it..

 

There is no such thing as a UK Education In Reverse. There is only the Austrailian/ NZ, which is rather common. A correctly titled, Viva Hate Aussie, is actually much rarer.

 

I have the Education in Reverse Aussie I guess, the U.K. Viva Hate, and a UK original Your Arsenal, mint, signed by Morrissey in person in California in 1992

 

Correction noted.

 

Another vote for Vauxhall and I. I found my old Maxell XLII cassette of this the other night and couldn't stop the tape, just let it play to the end--I'd forgotten how good it was from start to finish.

 

I'll also add that although‎ Meat is Murder -> the Queen is Dead, including the incredible singles between the two, is one of the highest pinnacles in modern music, there are songs (not albums) in Morrissey's catalogue that I rate higher than his work with the Smiths.
Also, I think many of us view the compilation Bona Drag as an album in its own right because, a) the second album was so long in coming, b) it's masterfully curated, and, c) as an album with Suedehead and Sunday, it's better than Viva Hate. ‎

 

"Yes I am Blind" and "Hairdresser On Fire" sold me on that album. His singing on the first is superlative and the humour on the second is without peer in his catalogue.

 

Agreed. There are, within Morrissey's solo catalog, songs that are better than some Smiths songs - and many just as good. One could probably make 2-3 full albums of Morrissey solo songs that would stand up against most Smiths albums. That's quite an accomplishment, actually.

 

FYI, I've created a poll comparing opinions of the quality of Morrissey's Smiths vs. solo careers -

Poll: The Smiths vs. Morrissey's solo career

 

If he had to muck around with changing the albums in the reissue campaign, it would have been nice to revert to original name for this one!

 

If anyone is thinking of buying Bona Drag then i'd recommend getting the previously mentioned Parlophone Singles 3CD set instead. The first disc is just an extended Bona Drag anyway, plus there's the proper full version of Will Never Marry on it as well. I've always wondered why Morrissey decided to edit that track for Bona Drag.

 

I'm a big fan of 'Bona Drag', but be careful which version you pick up. Gutted to learn when I got the latest reissue that 'Ouija Board Ouija Board' had been carved. Any of the many 'Best Of's will serve you well.

 

Avoid all of his remastered or anniversary or whatever they are called.

 

I actually think Morrissey's solo career is often underrated. It's one of, if not the strongest, solo careers to come from a major band. The problem is, he'll always be compared to The Smiths, who left a near flawless legacy. There's something to recommend about every Morrissey solo album and no widely disliked albums. There's not many people who've been going as long as he has you can say that about.

 

I agree with the praise for the HMV 3cd set but Bona Drag flows very well as an album, especially on vinyl. I think this could be the reason Will Never Marry was faded. You don't miss much!

 

His first and second live outings are great too. Beethoven Was Deaf and Live At Earls Court are great overviews of two separate Moz periods. Both very very ballsy which is something I have yet to hear from The Smiths live.

 

Not sure about that, Rank rocks! But I don't go to The Smiths or Morrissey for rock music anyway. I havent heard Earls Court, but I agree Beethoven Was Deaf is a very good live album.

 

Long time fan of his. I think you're in for a treat. I'd include Viva Hate as a "next step" but since you already know it...

MUSTS
Bona Drag - If you like Viva Hate, this is a strong compilation of the singles and b sides from the era.
Your Arsenal - great all out rock, comeback #1.
Vauxhall & I - more subdued, but still some of his best songwriting. My favorite of his solo albums. Speedway is probably his best album closer.
Ringleader of the Tormentors - from his second comeback, I prefer this over Quarry. Better, more daring production, some risks in the song writing to be more epic and grand, and it really feels like Morrissey's Italian love letter.

NEXT STEPS
My Early Burglary Years - a weird comp with album cuts and uncollected b sides, but a good cheap one stop to pick up great tracks like the live Jack the Ripper, the essential Boxers, criminally underrated Nobody Loves Us, some of the strays from the Bona Drag singles that are really good... Doesn't flow like a great album, but an easy way to get some essential songs before going full blown completist on all the singles.
You are the Quarry - A decent second comeback LP, but the fake piano and strings are weird to me. I like the album and was glad he was back but don't love it.
Years of Refusal - Now in a comfortable pattern, a few solid songs (especially Throwing My Arms Around Paris) and a bunch of pretty good songs make for a pretty not bad album.

FINAL STUFF BEFORE DIVING INTO EVERY SINGLE AND B SIDE
Kill Uncle - Awful Winstanley Langer production. OK for the time, but a big step down between Bona Drag and Your Arsenal. The KROQ single version of Sing Your Life is much better than the LP version.
Southpaw Grammar - ambitious ideas, a few good songs, but a big step down from Vauxhall. Nobody needed a Spencer Cobrin drum solo.
Maladjusted - one of his weakest. A couple good songs (Satan Rejected My Soul is my favorite), a bunch of crap. He needed the break.
World Peace - Great album title, only two songs I love (Kiss Me a Lot and Staircase), and a bunch of unmemorable mediocrity.
Swords - His b sides from this period aren't great. Ganglord is one big exception. Would've been better with his New York Dolls cover of Human Being.

 

Great post! Nice to see I'm not the only one who has Ringleader high up there as a favourite. If it was 10 mins shorter, with two of the filler tracks on side 2 cut out, it could be a classic.

 

What a good point! The first disc is EXACTLY a retread of Bona Drag's content plus the other 9 songs or so from this era and the full-length "Will Never Marry" as well. Some of the songs *not* featured on Bona Drag are great and remained staples in his oeuvre for a while, like "Sister I'm a Poet" and "Girl Least Likely To."

I'll never forget my disappointment upon arriving at the store the day Bona Drag came out, having waited for that 2nd album for such a long time, wondering which songs would make the cut for the new album, and seeing that it was just a compilation. It was such a tease, too, to put "Piccadilly Palare" first because in the States at least this was an otherwise unreleased track. Having already collected and digested all the singles, I never cared much for it as an album... though I will say within the next year or so it did seem like a lot of fans were introduced to Morrissey through Bona Drag.

The packaging can be quite nice, at least on the vinyl. And while I don't like the way he tinkers with tracklists by putting songs from the wrong era in there, I believe Your Arsenal and Vauxhall and I both were straight reissues that I never would have been able to get on vinyl otherwise.

 

I was a massive Morrissey fan back in the day, somewhat diminished by who he is/the music he makes now. I'd say Viva Hate, Bona Drag, Your Arsenal and Vauxhall & I (which I think is the very best record he's made since the heights of The Smiths) are the essential picks.