Poll I am not a dog on a chain - rated

Out of ten

  • 10

  • 9

  • 8

  • 7

  • 6

  • 5

  • 4

  • 3

  • 2

  • 1


Results are only viewable after voting.
Thanks i read it between telework. I will listen the album in Reading the lyrics soon
What Kind of People Live In These Houses is brilliantly hilarious, great tune and vocal melody and reminds me of Lifeguard On Duty from Bong Drag Deluxe edition.
 
Well I gave it a 7.

I don't hate it, it's an easy listen, but it's not great either and no song stands out as a future Morrissey classic. The production is very bland. Granted I haven't heard the actual CD but Joe Chiccarelli is pretty terrible.

I like the first 8 tracks to various degrees but the last three are my least favorite with Secret of Music being the worst so the album kind of deflates for me near the end. His lyrics are weak too by his standards.

Songs I like:

Jim Jim Falls
Bobby, Don't You Think They Know?
What Kind of People Live in these Houses?
Once I Saw the River Clean

Songs I find OK:

Love Is on Its Way Out
I am Not a Dog on a Chain
Knockabout World
Darling, I Hug a Pillow

Songs I don't really like:

The Truth About Ruth
My Hurling Days Are Done

Shit I don't feel like hearing ever again:

The Secret of Music

For comparison I gave Years of Refusal a 7.5, World Peace a 6.5, and Low in High School a 5.
 
Gave it an 8. I like the production and arrangements. He doesn't give two fux about following trends. I'm thrilled to have another Moz album.
 
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OK, my run through the album quickly

Jim Jim Falls - a really good opener, a good song. Wonder where or what this mysterious Jim Jim Falls refers to. Can't say I am too keen on the kill yourself stuff, primarily as I think Moz is a more subtle writer than that
Love Is On It's Way Out - decent instrumentation and interesting production. The usual turn the song sideways for the second half tactic appears, a la if you don't like me..., and it's OK I suppose
Bobby, Don't You Think They Know - pretty emphatic, not a fan of the backing vocal to be honest. I can't help but laugh when Thelma bursts out with "YOU AIN'T FOOLIN NOBODY" like it's a f***ing wrestling promo. Odd this was the lead single.
I Am Not A Dog On A Chain - pretty poor. Not an interesting tune and the lyrics are dreadful. It's like a cricket delivery that was supposed to be Vicar in a Tutu but he swung and missed. I wish there was someone in the camp who could tell Morrissey no one is interested in this
What Kind of People Like In These Houses - really good. I note it has a similar twang to Bullfighter, so i presume it's Jesse. Better wordplay, but can't help feel it's a reprise of Teenage Dad.
Knockabout World - love the instrumentation on this one. Completely different to everything else. However, follows the same patter as Love Is On..., with the second half of the song taking an unsubtle turn. Listened to it too many times as a single, kinda stands out as a bit weak on the album therefore.
Darling, I Hug a Pillow - decent enough but need to listen a few more times. I cannot tell you what the instruments sound like off the top of my head, indicating that unlike everything else on the album it's passed me by.
Once I Saw The River Clean - brilliant. Love the song, the production, the lyrics and the vocals. Reminiscent Morrissey is the best kind. Love the violin-style lead riff, the "HEY!" sample that pops up, the pulsing synths. Excellent Stretford references in the lyrics.
The Truth about Ruth - a bizarre song. Once again a piano-led ballad to ensure Gus gets a songwriting credit, and oh look Morrissey decides to tackle trans-issues. It's OK I suppose
The Secret of Music - I've tried to like it, but there's simply nothing there. An experimental bassline and drum beat and Morrissey listing instruments isn't my idea of an album's seven minute length track. Unless I am missing something, this is a swing and a miss too.
My Hurling Days are Done - yes! I really like this song. It's got that upbeat Moz vocal that when he does i love, see also Mountjoy, and the lyrics are quite clever. Don't like the Alfonso line, admittedly. However, the rising piano chords in the chorus are quite chilling, and the chilld choir backing vocal works.

All in all, I think I stick to my original rating. It's much better than Low In High School, not as good as World Peace.

Finally someone who liked the WPINOYB album. I thoroughly enjoyed that album too, especially the delux édition.
And I enjoyeed your review too.
I can't say right now whether World Peace is better than Doggie or vice versa.
They are sonically quite different, but they share the ambition to explore new dimensions and on both albums, the instrumentation is used to accentuante / complement the emotion in the voice (most of the Time effectively). For me, Mountjoy and My Hurling Days Are Done are perfect examples of this.
This album should have been the follow-up to World Peace, really.
 
Finally someone who liked the WPINOYB album. I thoroughly enjoyed that album too, especially the delux édition.
And I enjoyeed your review too.
I can't say right now whether World Peace is better than Doggie or vice versa.
They are sonically quite different, but they share the ambition to explore new dimensions and on both albums, the instrumentation is used to accentuante / complement the emotion in the voice (most of the Time effectively). For me, Mountjoy and My Hurling Days Are Done are perfect examples of this.
This album should have been the follow-up to World Peace, really.

Probably. Since it was recorded mostly a while back.
But also, it sounds timeless, which is a fabulous trait to have, for ANY album, at any
stage, for any artist. Believe me.

Pushing boundaries ? Definitely. Some great tracks on this album and lovely production too.
Well done Band. And Joe. And last - but not least - Morrissey.

Hazard
x
 
Agreed, everyone who trots out the boring old 'he hasn't written a great album since Quarry' can go glass themselves. Quarry while containing a couple of insane high points was very patchy and hasn't aged well at all.

I actually listened to the Quarry again the other day. It had been a long time, but I was happy to hear it again. But I see no reason why Morrissey should be stuck in this era forever and deny himself an opportunity to explore other styles.
 
I gave it a 10 and the more I listen the more sure I am it deserves it. I like every song. The last solid releases in my opinion were Years of Refusal and You Are The Quarry and I think it's equal to those. The fact that you could even consider comparing it to his work from the late 80's/early 90's says it all.
I'm not saying it's better than those but maybe it can hold its own with Bona Drag?
My current favorite songs from it keep changing and that's a good thing. Right now it's Once I Saw The River Clean but The Truth About Ruth and The Secret Of Music are pretty great. And weird! Weird is good.
I can't rank them all yet because I've played the record about a dozen times but I still feel like I'm discovering it.
Someone said it's the best since Ringleader and for me it's easily better because even though that has some great songs it's got some that I would skip if I played it now and I never do.
I know I'm probably raving about it a little bit but it's so great to have a record where every song is good and interesting and some are great. And no one else could make this record.
I don't find it overproduced as some are saying. I think it depends on what kind of music you like. It's definitely a new style, though one we might have seen coming. I like the "80's" synth sound.
I'm not someone that likes everything he does. I have never listened to the last three records all the way through in one sitting. I have found a few songs I liked on them but this is a whole other class of record. To me as a longtime fan it feels like he's back and I hope this record will get the success it deserves.
Mark this day down folks, because you may never see it again, I am in total synchronicity with Dave on this album. I agree with every last word of this post. Every. Last. Word. It's a masterpiece and Dave has summed it up succinctly as to why it's a masterpiece.
 
there's no accounting for taste, but giving this album a ten is mental. If this is a ten, what the f*** is queen is dead, your arsenal, Vauxhall and i?
They are also 10's. But 10's for different reasons. Could anything pass the lyrical poetry of 'I Know It's Over' or the majesty of the drums and guitar that stomp and strop all over 'The Queen Is Dead?' Probably not but in that case Morrissey should've stopped right there and then.

Like many I came for the lyrics and have stayed for the voice. The voice now has a tone and timbre that has developed in the latter half of his career. The music on this album is (to me) at least more diverse than either Queen or Vauxhall and the album as a body of work stands up to the test.

Lyrically these days I tend to look at Morrissey as more of story teller than someone that is going to give me deep emotional insights. He spent two thirds of his career delivering some of the finest emotional lyrics in pop music, is he not allowed to move on? I find this album playful, light in places, deep in others. It has that same autumnal resonance that Vauxhall had when released. I love it, and while I ground through albums like Quarry that received lavish praise at the time, while secretly not understanding why, this is an album I love from start to finish, no skipping tracks on this one.

If it is the last album Morrissey ever makes, and lets face it, it might well be so, what away to end things.
 
They are also 10's. But 10's for different reasons. Could anything pass the lyrical poetry of 'I Know It's Over' or the majesty of the drums and guitar that stomp and strop all over 'The Queen Is Dead?' Probably not but in that case Morrissey should've stopped right there and then.

Like many I came for the lyrics and have stayed for the voice. The voice now has a tone and timbre that has developed in the latter half of his career. The music on this album is (to me) at least more diverse than either Queen or Vauxhall and the album as a body of work stands up to the test.

Lyrically these days I tend to look at Morrissey as more of story teller than someone that is going to give me deep emotional insights. He spent two thirds of his career delivering some of the finest emotional lyrics in pop music, is he not allowed to move on? I find this album playful, light in places, deep in others. It has that same autumnal resonance that Vauxhall had when released. I love it, and while I ground through albums like Quarry that received lavish praise at the time, while secretly not understanding why, this is an album I love from start to finish, no skipping tracks on this one.

If it is the last album Morrissey ever makes, and lets face it, it might well be so, what away to end things.


Well, put that way, then yes! I’d give it a 10 also ! :thumb: :)
 
After 2 listening, i think it's the worst album of morrissey's carrier. Too much compression, Bad production as usual with Joe, no Real Melody, awful cover. I Iike High school and World peace but not this one. Perhaps, i Can save 'i'm not a dog' and 'what kind of people'. Painful
Try listening to it for a third time. You never know.
 
Well I gave it a 7.

I don't hate it, it's an easy listen, but it's not great either and no song stands out as a future Morrissey classic. The production is very bland. Granted I haven't heard the actual CD but Joe Chiccarelli is pretty terrible.

I like the first 8 tracks to various degrees but the last three are my least favorite with Secret of Music being the worst so the album kind of deflates for me near the end. His lyrics are weak too by his standards.

Songs I like:

Jim Jim Falls
Bobby, Don't You Think They Know?
What Kind of People Live in these Houses?
Once I Saw the River Clean

Songs I find OK:

Love Is on Its Way Out
I am Not a Dog on a Chain
Knockabout World
Darling, I Hug a Pillow

Songs I don't really like:

The Truth About Ruth
My Hurling Days Are Done

Shit I don't feel like hearing ever again:

The Secret of Music

For comparison I gave Years of Refusal a 7.5, World Peace a 6.5, and Low in High School a 5.

You need more 'listens'..Ruth & Secret are those that grow on you more and more with each listen.
Hurling (for me) is a beautiful track and find it hard to comprehend that anyone wouldn't like it.
But, it's all subjective.
 
LOVE the album but has anyone else noticed in the LP version there are LOADS of errors in the lyrics - some quite strange ones where lines are just plainly left out - I found this quite disappointing and imagine Moz would be upset by this too.
Cheers
 
8/10 and best album since Vauxhall. Quarry had some standout tracks but many subpar ones too. This album really only has one song I don’t like much.

I order the songs like this:

1. River
2. Jim Jim
3. Dog
4. Ruth
5. Hurling
6. Darling
7. People
8. Knockabout
9. Love
10. Bobby
11. Secret
 
8/10 and best album since Vauxhall. Quarry had some standout tracks but many subpar ones too. This album really only has one song I don’t like much.

I order the songs like this:

1. River
2. Jim Jim
3. Dog
4. Ruth
5. Hurling
6. Darling
7. People
8. Knockabout
9. Love
10. Bobby
11. Secret

For me
1.River
11.Secret

the others i'll order later.Yes,as much as i hear ,secret don't captivate me.
 
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