This always strikes me as a self-conscious attempt to write a kind of Morrissey meets Radiohead song. An epic experimental dirge that happens to be one of the clear highlights of the album. Excellent music and some great lyrics: "And you can shoot me and you can throw me off a train..." I almost wish he'd done an entire album in this style. 5/5
"Life Is A Pigsty" A mighty Moz classic, in his top 10 for me. The sombre first section kicks along nicely, but it's the second section where it becomes epic, gradually building and building to a thunderous conclusion. Morrissey's voice sounds close to cracking in some places as he tackles the higher notes, but it all adds to the intensity of the piece. The problem is that being the centrepiece, it sets a standard that the rest of the album can't live up to. Maybe it should have been the closer? Either way, it's a big 5/5 for "Pigsty".
Life Is A Pigsty 5/5 - I remember this one being hyped up prior to the album release as being this masterful epic, which immediately makes you suspicious. The final result didn't end up sounding at all what I suspected, and all the better for it. It's essentially 2 songs without a obvious connecting point between them, yet it works wonderfully
Pigsty is the last truly amazing Morrissey track in my opinion : an absolute, stone cold 5/5 and in his top five songs ever. Also, stunning live.
Life Is A Pigsty Kudos for trying something completely different. Love the first half but the second half leaves me a bit cold. I can see the Radiohead comparison, maybe thats why. The first half seems a bit trip hop which is why I like it more, I think. Not sure about being one of his best, though. 3/5
Pigsty I love the first half. A super high 5. The second half isn’t bad but I get tired of that stupid cannon bass drum and it goes on a bit too long. That half definitely worked better live. So I’ll average it out to a 4 out of 5. Ambitious, excellent first half groove, Second half doesn’t fare as well for me
A stunning masterpiece. Everything about this track falls perfectly into place. Morrissey's voice, the thunderstorm in the background, the hectic drumming and the fantastic guitar work. It's songs such as this, that prove Alain was Moz's best co-writer. 5/5 for "Life is a Pigsty."
Today’s song is I’ll Never Be Anybody’s Hero Now: One of the lesser songs on the album and the music is rather sedate and uninspired. It is also fairly thin lyrically and it is only Morrissey’s vocal melody that elevates it somewhat (as I’m sure that I’ve said many times before). 3/5.
"I’ll Never Be Anybody’s Hero Now" It was a thankless task for whichever track had to follow in Pigsty's wake, so I suppose it made sense to throw one of the lesser tracks under the bus for this task. It's not bad, but it has the distinct whiff of "b-side" about it. Moreover, it's overshadowed by a better version of itself two tracks later, which is the one that usually comes to mind when I'm trying to remember how this one goes. The dubby middle section is quite nice, and there are some good lines in it, but 2.5/5 is the best I can stretch to.
I’ll Never Be Anybody’s Hero Now A bit of a meandering track. The short instrumental break is a nice touch, but for once, I’m not a big fan of the vocals. Quite ordinary, all round. 2.5/5
Well, I have a feeling I'll be alone on this... but this is actually my favourite track on the album! Surely this is his take on a Big O ballad? It's very Orbison-esque. Great vocal, great lyrics. A typical Morrissey subversion of a tired pop cliche ("I can be your hero, baby"!) and the kind of effortless mid-tempo ballad he has made his own in his solo career. The big falsetto ending is fantastic too. Yes, it is strangely sequenced after Pigsty when a more uptempo song would have made greater sense - so I think this probably diminishes its impact. Anyway, it won't be for those who don't like his crooners. But I love it - so a controversial 5/5.
I’ll never be.. Again a song that’s not made much of an impression, that’s lesser tracks really show issues with the rather flat production, 3/5
Never Be Anybodys Hero - its all right, works in the flow of the album, but not a favorite. His vocal isn't as strong as elsewhere for me. 3 of 5