"California Son" review in NME by Jordan Bassett (2/5 stars)

Morrissey – ‘California Son’ review - NME
By Jordan Bassett
Score 2 of 5 stars

The unofficial line is that Morrissey has recorded a covers album to allow the music to speak for itself. What 'California Son' is saying is that it's not very good


An interesting but deeply strange review in/on the NME:

"Morrissey has done almost everything in his power [to] undo his own legacy, but this is impossible because you can’t diminish the beauty of ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’ or the anti-racist righteousness of ‘The National Front Disco’. Yet that doesn’t mean an occasionally accomplished covers album can rescue his reputation, or that that’s even desirable at this point."

(Amusing that the NME is now toting National Front Disco as "anti-racist righteousness"...)
 
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I think that NME review wasn't too badly written. The author made his points and backed them up with reasons, which is more than Moz does in most interviews.
I watched the Larry King interview again last night and some of his answers were cringeworthy and sounded like a toddler who just fell on his face.

Well, he was off his face.
 
"though Moz’s croon sounds thinner than you might expect, except when he bellows, “Boom boom boom! Morning Starship!”,

oh, yeah, my arse! It's obvious that Morrissey's singing voice is better than ever. Ridiculous reviewers,
 
Should we even mention the 1/10 review in Exclaim?
Sad to say but this album is gonna be savaged.
 
So having two anti-racist songs in your repertoire ('Asian Rut' & 'NF Disco') equates to 'righteousness' according to the long-dead NME.

They're very hard to please, but somewhat lacking in quality themselves.

The people spoke by their pockets and consigned the NME to the historical dustbin long ago. Their opinions carry no weight to those interested in music.
 
Haven't heard the album, can't say if he's right but the Roy Orbison cover is great........hard to trust this guy's review based on that silly judgement.
listen to people you trust over critics.famous Scottish crime author ian rankin worked for a magazine reviewing speakers,he got so bored he wouldn't even plug them in because he knew how they would sound,how do we know these so called critics even listen to the record.
 
Oh, God....when will people stop associating Morrissey to Racism?
its just the world we live in now kingkong,people have got too much time on their hands,i come on here in the morning then go to work and will have a look in the evening,f*** me. people loiter with intent on here,obviously not got much of a life.
 
What exactly is a morning starship?

It mean they’re taking a ride on his morning erection. Today we’d probably think of a starship as a space craft, more like a boat, or whatever but back in the day the idea of rockets was still popular. Rocket is a word that gets used for erection a lot. Also for adult toys like in the placebo song
 
I assumed it was the same as morning glory.
its a big erect cock,tapping on my morning starship,i will stick to wanking if you don't mind.
 
Should we even mention the 1/10 review in Exclaim?
Sad to say but this album is gonna be savaged.
have you even read the review,nowhere does it say 1/10,its just a number 1 which I take it to be 1/5.
 
Obviously I have read the review. And I have read previous Exclaim reviews, which all mark out of 10.

So yes it is an abysmal score, not deserving of it, but an abysmal score nonetheless.
 
Well, it's funny how the National Front Disco was once used precisely as an example of his "racist" views. Now it's the reverse! I'm fairly certain NME writers were very scathing about it in the past...

Also strange how his voice isn't really mentioned in the review - especially given just how fantastic it sounds on this record. Except he does say the vocal is thin on Morning Starship. Which it really isn't! He then suggests the music is "overcooked". Whereas to me the production and instrumentation sounds sparser and brighter than it has in years.

I'm a massive Bob Dylan fan and I think they did a great covering a Dylan song that is practically uncoverable. Having only heard it a couple of times, the standouts for me are the very tracks the reviewer states are forgettable. Suffer the Little Children, Lenny's Tune and Some Say I Got Devil.

Like The Guardian, I don't think the NME can dissociate the music from what they perceive his politics to be. But it's really a fantastically entertaining and enjoyable record.
Good review, well done. You should change careers and be a musical journalist. You could not do a worse job than these so called music journalist that write utter noncece, what is the point of these people nowadays. If I fancy buying a recorded I’ll go and buy the f***ing thing. I would not and never have bought a record on the advice of one of these leeches
 
I would say National Front Disco really is a pro British nationalist song. Sounds like a young Mosley fan wrote it. Very in tune with nationalist sentiment at a time when its totally dead.

Excellent song. British people are so crazy about politics right now its astounding. I can't believe they throw a fit when someone disagrees with them. Imagine being conservative and having to have a meltdown everytime a celebrity disagrees with your political views.

Childish. The whole country has lost it IMO. May as well be invaded by pakistanis and Indians at this point, just like London, the 'british' city.

MAGGIE THATCHER STOLE ME FACKIN MILK SHE DID CLOSED ME FACKIN PIT GOT NO FACKIN JOB. ATE THATCHER, HATE MORRISEY, ATE FARAGE. LOVE FOOTIE, LOVE PAKIS, SIMPLE AS.

THATs modern british politics, Its simple as that. Absolutely pathetic. Britians worst mistake was ever allowing non nobility to legislate. Its been insane war, massive debt, and all because the British are too distracted with fotoball and voting for free shit for themselves from the government. Its just pathetic.

This author is clearly a political child and brain dead.

As for anyone who gets emotional when they hear something they disagree with? Thats a big yikes from me dawg.
 
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