Best Morrissey album of the decade

[what'stheworld?]

Years of Refusal - it has the brilliant I'm Ok by Myself on there, as well as Squeezing my Skull, and only one song I skip (You were good in your time).

 

[Corrissey]

I like them in the order listed... less excited with each release (which isn't to say I wasn't excited ). I give the edge to Quarry -not a bad track on it- (tho not a big fan of America is Not the World) and I listened to it constantly. He was BACK. Even non-Moz people I knew liked it. It has Come Back to Camden which blows anything out of the water on the other releases.

I agree with SafetyHaven, ROTT was (another) resurgance and the majority of that record is fab & quite listenable, but YoR just does nothing for me, sorry. It really sounds unfinished... I rarely listen to it and when I do, I find I skip most of the songs. I like about 4 tracks & think All You Need is Me is among the best. I prefer Revelations.

/opinion

 

[Bluebirds]

Ringleader for me...

Moz f***s off to Rome, gets bummed, loses his guilty Catholic self-persecution complex (perverse in itself in Rome) and releases an album unlike any other in his canon. With his best ever singing on it. ABout as experimental as Morrissey will get.

I assume the reason why he doesn't play any songs off that LP anymore are because they were of the moment?

Quarry at number two, probably the one I have played the most but don't play anymore. The relief of hearing those dulcet tones after all the years made it the event of the decade (in Mozworld) but not the album and YOR at 3. Quite underwhelming. Thought the songs worked well in a live context though

 

[Virgil Tracy]

Ringleader for me...

Moz f***s off to Rome, gets bummed, loses his guilty Catholic self-persecution complex (perverse in itself in Rome) and releases an album unlike any other in his canon. With his best ever singing on it. ABout as experimental as Morrissey will get.

You just made me spit tea all over my desk - class!

 

[Qvist]

Quarry, by a considerable margin. Perhaps his second-best album, overall. Years of Refusal is reasonably close to the same territory, while Ringleader is way below the level of those two in my opinion. I find it hard to compare Swords, among other things because I have not listened to it nearly enough.

cheers

 

[jm26]

Quarry, by a considerable margin. Perhaps his second-best album, overall. Years of Refusal is reasonably close to the same territory, while Ringleader is way below the level of those two in my opinion. I find it hard to compare Swords, among other things because I have not listened to it nearly enough.

cheers

Agreed.

 

[Qvist]

Ringleader. The most mature album, and the most cohesive album. It demands you listen to the whole thing.

Quarry is four good singles and a lot of filler, and Refusal is a few truly great moments, but more that are average.

I find it fascinating that people experience Ringleader so differently. I can see the presence of things that people who like it emphasise (cohesive, well-produced, mature, wholeness etc). I agree with it. It works best as a whole. It takes longer getting into. It sounds good. He sings well. But I just don't see how any of that compensates for the virtual absence of good songs on it. I've listened to it for years, to the point where I grew to appreciate it - but when all's said and done, it has no great songs, maybe two or three that are good and the remainder requires a good amount of tolerance to appreciate. "The lyrics and the chorus are shite, but the verse is quite good". "I like the way he sings towards the end there, pity about the melody". Both Quarry and Refusal (and every other Morrissey album for that matter) have filler, but Ringleader consists as far as I can see of almost nothing else, and the fact that they are enhanced by the whole they form a part of doesn't go very far to compensate for that. It doesn't help very much how well-produced "I just want to see the boy happy" is, or how mature, or how well it fits into a whole - it's still a weak song, with an essentially unappreciable melody. You can't construct a good whole out of weak parts, as already Kill Uncle (the only album I like less than Ringleader) showed. Heck, even Maladjusted and Southpaw, with their copious amount of filler, are better albums than Ringleader as far as I'm concerned - they at least each have two or three songs that rank among the best Morrissey has done. I'll take that over cohesive mediocrity any day.

cheers

 

[zulu sierra]

I find it fascinating that people experience Ringleader so differently. I can see the presence of things that people who like it emphasise (cohesive, well-produced, mature, wholeness etc). I agree with it. It works best as a whole. It takes longer getting into. It sounds good. He sings well. But I just don't see how any of that compensates for the virtual absence of good songs on it. I've listened to it for years, to the point where I grew to appreciate it - but when all's said and done, it has no great songs, maybe two or three that are good and the remainder requires a good amount of tolerance to appreciate. "The lyrics and the chorus are shite, but the verse is quite good". "I like the way he sings towards the end there, pity about the melody". Both Quarry and Refusal (and every other Morrissey album for that matter) have filler, but Ringleader consists as far as I can see of almost nothing else, and the fact that they are enhanced by the whole they form a part of doesn't go very far to compensate for that. It doesn't help very much how well-produced "I just want to see the boy happy" is, or how mature, or how well it fits into a whole - it's still a weak song, with an essentially unappreciable melody. You can't construct a good whole out of weak parts, as already Kill Uncle (the only album I like less than Ringleader) showed. Heck, even Maladjusted and Southpaw, with their copious amount of filler, are better albums than Ringleader as far as I'm concerned - they at least each have two or three songs that rank among the best Morrissey has done. I'll take that over cohesive mediocrity any day.

cheers

Weell expressed , Ovist..I fully agree with your opinion .... For me YoR is the best of the decade , followed closely by YATQ. And yes , to me , ROTT is my 2nd least favourite after Kil Uncle

 

[spinelessswine]

Quarry has generally superior songs but Ringleader edges it because it works very, very well as an album.

This.

 

[Girl-with-the-Thorn]

Never mind both, I can have all four! I really do sincerely love all of them, although YOR just clinches the top spot for me.

 

[alma matters]

ROTT, it flows together beauitfully, I can listen to the entire thing skipping no songs and be having a good musical experience.

Refusal and Quarry are both only "okay" to me. Not bad but I never connected with them.

 

[Emotional Guide Dog]

This.

Can we put a stop to people doing this please? It's just pointless & adds nothing.

Anyway, I find over time I'm less & less interested in Quarry. It's what all good pop albums should be, ultimately forgettable after a year or two.

For now Iove YOR but I've a feeling it's going to go the same way.

I've always found ringleader to be average. But it's acceptable enough.

 

[bailiffwithbadbreath]

YATQ is a fabulous collection of songs. Based on the songs alone, probably his finest album. However, 'Refusal' is special. I can't explain why, as with all the strongest feelings one gets.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

You ate the curry, no doubt. Although all three of them are fine pieces of work.
ROTT and YOR are pretty much equal all the way, even though YOR doesn't have a "Pigsty"...

 

[Maurice E]

Can we put a stop to people doing this please? It's just pointless & adds nothing.

This.