Send "Morrissey " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Bona Drag, the most enduring success of Morrissey's solo career, was built on his first true taste of failure. After the dissolution of the Smiths, Moz was, quite oddly, tipped by many to struggle without his longtime songwriting partner and bandmate Johnny Marr; he wasted no time proving them wrong, releasing his debut solo single, "Suedehead", just over two months after the final Smiths single. It became his biggest hit to that point, the first of four consecutive UK top-10 singles, and, with "Everyday Is Like Sunday", one of the tentpoles of his outstanding solo debut, Viva Hate.And then the wheels fell off. Morrissey began what was to be his follow-up album, Bona Drag, surrounded by acrimony and litigation. He had fallen out with producer Stephen Street, plus former Smiths bandmates Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke-- all of whom had played key roles in that successful string of hits. The breakup of his partnership with Street was the most devastating: He had co-written all of Viva Hate and served as an unofficial mentor for Morrissey's early solo years, performing on records and playing several instruments. Amidst the rubble of these personal relationships, Morrissey issued his fifth single, "Ouija Board, Ouija Board", a relative commercial failure that was so critically savaged that Bona Drag's progress was abruptly halted. When Morrissey did finally return to recording, he contrasted the trifling, almost-novel morbidity of "Ouija Board" with two dark, excellent, descriptive, and quite underrated singles about outsiders-- "November Spawned a Monster" (about a disabled girl) and "Piccadilly Palare" (a young male prostitute). It was a brief recovery: Morrissey's second proper album, 1991's Kill Uncle, still turned out to be a dud. (A move to L.A. and into more muscular rock thankfully soon kickstarted the second phase of his solo career.)...full text |
| Somedizzywhore |
| They are all here: 'The Last Of The International Playboys' (performed for a hysterical and adoring crowd during his last tour), 'Ouija Board, Ouija Board' (the song that helped break him as a solo artist in the States), the masterpiece that is 'Everyday Is Like Sunday', so exquisitely beautiful it is almost painful, and of course 'Suedehead'. By this time you are no doubt swishing gladiolas around your living room in careless abandon. But the fun doesn't stop there, with the bonus material drawn from outtakes from the first three years of the solo career. The whimsical 'Happy Lovers', from the 'Everyday is Like Sunday' sessions, and the fabulous 'Please Help the Cause Against Loneliness' (from the Viva Hate period) are but two of the highlights. ...full text |
| Themusicfix |
| Twenty years. Has it really been twenty years? The mighty quiff may be receding but one thing is for certain, Morrisssey remains a national institution. And if you have forgotten what a brilliantly cutting lyricist he is, what a talent, with that Beluga caviar voice of his crooning in your ear, then this re-issued collection of early solo material (boosted by a generous collection of bonus tracks) will be a not so gentle reminder. For those already familiar with the songs but not necessarily the track order, take my advice and don't look at the sleevenotes. Instead, listen to the CD as you would listen to the pub jukebox and allow that butterfly feeling in your stomach when your song comes on and you make everyone at the table stop talking until it ends. When the wolf-cries and burlesque intro of 'Piccadilly Palare' rolls in it will be like a reunion with a long lost friend. The wonderful 'Interesting Drug' follows, Mozzer's lush vocals making the catty lyrics sound like a love song: "There are some bad people on the rise / They're saving their own skins by ruining people's lives." Then the nugget that is 'November Spawned A Monster' will have you slicking back your hair and prostrating round your living room like a forlorn Messiah. They are all here: 'The Last Of The International Playboys' (performed for a hysterical and adoring crowd during his last tour), 'Ouija Board, Ouija Board' (the song that helped break him as a solo artist in the States), the masterpiece that is 'Everyday Is Like Sunday', so exquisitely beautiful it is almost painful, and of course 'Suedehead'. By this time you are no doubt swishing gladiolas around your living room in careless abandon....full text |
Morrissey lyrics
