Oof that live version shows how such a good song was marred (heh) by the cheap sounding keys on the album version. Playing the riff on guitar beefs up the song considerably.
Just dropped in to say, that rather than post daily to say how much I don't rate the tracks on this album (because quite frankly it is depressing to come up with different ways of saying why "X" track on Kill Uncle is not very good, as it is to listen to them (or read some miserable person being a negative nancy); I'll wait to the end of the album to give Tracks #3 to the end their respective out of 5 rating in one go. All I'll say is thank goodness he followed up this (terribly disappointing) album with his best two solo albums of his career.
Today's song is King Leer: Oh dear. I like a tea dance as much as the next man, but even I have to draw the line somewhere... These are possibly Morrissey's most ridiculed lyrics and for much of this album there is a real lack of substance to his writing. The music isn't exactly substantial either and this really should have been a b-side at best. Of course, one of the odd things about this era is that even fluff like this would be performed to TV and stadium audiences and due to his stage presence and the enthusiasm of the fans, Morrissey could somehow get away with it. Having said that, the live rendition was relatively successful in comparison with some other songs. 1.5/5
On an album of strong songs, this sort of Richard Stilgoe fluff might be acceptable as a kind of “breather”. This is not an album of strong songs.
I saw the Wembley gig, memorable more for the atmosphere and visuals than the music. The band sounded thin and rickety in that huge space. I have no distinct memory of any songs other than the “Trash” cover. I think it’s amusing his main recruitment criteria seemed to be musicians who look like the greasers on the cover of “The World Won’t Listen”: pretty, lissom young men (and Boz).
King Leer This has a cheeky charm, a playful lyric, slight music. If it was a b side it would probably be lauded more. 3/5 A couple of songs on this album hint at mozza having digs at someone’s boyfriend. Who was he after? “Your boyfriend, he has displayed to me More than just a real hint of cruelty I tried to surprise you, I crept up behind you With a homeless chihuahua you coo-ed for an hour You handed him back and said, "You'll never guess I'm bored now"”
King Leer - I"m starting to see why some people are bailing from this thread... King Leer is border line un-listenable. 1 out of 5 ranking.
Have patience. There are better times to come...thank goodness. __________________ And this is another song where the live version was probably slightly better than the studio recording:
"King Leer" -- I can't really explain why, but I've always liked this one. It's silly and weightless, but it is also charming somehow. I agree it would've made a better b-side than an album cut, but it amuses me from the title to this: "I lay down beside you and nothing much happened and you didn't phone me." 3/5
I like this track, this is where it gets interesting. Now we can see there’s two kinds of Morrissey fans as we get deeper into this album. King Leer - 4/5
King Leer: a very ‘light’ track but I do enjoy it. The “could it be /he’s only got one knee” line is baffling, but I love “it’s not your style/to dial” and the chihuahua bit.
Welcome to the thread. If you want to post a rating for this track (out of 5) or any of the previous tracks on the album then please feel free.
King Leer I've always found this one to have a bit of charm about it, despite the panning it got at the time. It's certainly not a hugely substantial work, but the third verse brings it to a nice conclusion. 3/5.
KING LEER 2/5 Also, someone just posted this in my cricket thread and the first impression I got was, that is soooo Mozza - he could easily nail this - anyone else hear the resemblence?
King Leer 5/5. I love this track, it always reminds me of the theme tune to the TV show Tales Of The Unexpected.
The only way to absorb King Leer for its full duration is to consider it a prank - Morrissey clearly took all the parody lyrics and songtitles that would habitually appear in the music press and strung them together for a jape.
A very amusing, playful song. I like the tinkling tearoom piano refrain and the "Because it's not your style... to dial" moment. It's lightweight, yes, but deliberately so and all rather charming. Side one of Kill Uncle is actually a quirky, enjoyable listen and the production reminds me of those John Betjeman albums Morrissey is so fond off. I'd probably sequence it Our Frank/King Leer/Asian Rut/Sing Your Life/Mute Witness myself. Unfortunately, side two is where things really do go dramatically downhill... still, for King Leer it's 3.9/5.
King Leer Sounds a bit like a KD Lang outtake, very lightweight, but inoffensive. The lyrics are a bit of a disappointment, a lot of the humour isn’t up to the usual standard. The live version is better, but doesn’t elevate it that much. 2/5
