Your Morrissey album Top 11

[Nicko Manuva]

1. Vauxhall and I - Stunning. An absolute masterpiece.
2. Viva Hate - Some wonderful tracks, especially the first half. But even the flaws have their charms, considering his vulnerabilities at the time.
3. You are the Quarry - Great album, with a few flaws in hindsight. But I've a special affection for it given that this was the period I discovered him.
4. Your Arsenal - Solid album. There isn't a bad song on it.
5. World Peace is None of Your Business - I don't get the hate for this album. Sure, there's a few clunkers, but overall there's some fantastic tunes here. Staircase is the best song he's produced in years.
6. Ringleader of the Tormentors - A great first half, let down by a mostly forgettable second half.
7. Southpaw Grammar - Good album. But definitely his weirdest.
8. Years of Refusal - I never really warmed to this album as a whole. I always skipped through it. But when it's good, it's really good.
9. Kill Uncle - It has its charms. I feel the production lets it down though.
10. Maladjusted - Not necessarily a bad album, but a weak one. There's only about 3 or 4 songs here worth listening to.
11. Low in High School - Maybe on reflection, I'll consider this harsh - 1 or 2 songs are better than anything on some of the albums above, and there's small flashes of brilliance. But overall, as an album, I find it humourless, cold, and uninteresting. It all goes wrong after I Bury the Living.

Morrissey albums do seem to take a while to sink in. I didnt like ‘Ringleader’ at first but many years later decided I liked it.
I may have misjudged ‘World Peace’ too. Or judged it by its worst horrors. I had it on in the car this morning and as long as you skip some aural torture such as ‘Kiss me a lot’ it is an enjoyable listen. And more inventive musically than a lot of his albums. I have yet to figure out what ‘Neal Cassady’ is about, other than it must be some sort of tribute to ‘Howl’.

 

[g23]

 

[ExpectingToFly]

Morrissey albums do seem to take a while to sink in. I didnt like ‘Ringleader’ at first but many years later decided I liked it.
I may have misjudged ‘World Peace’ too. Or judged it by its worst horrors. I had it on in the car this morning and as long as you skip some aural torture such as ‘Kiss me a lot’ it is an enjoyable listen. And more inventive musically than a lot of his albums. I have yet to figure out what ‘Neal Cassady’ is about, other than it must be some sort of tribute to ‘Howl’.

I agree with that, certain songs can take time to grow on you. I also think sometimes our judgement can be coloured by our own experiences of the time we first listened. I have fond memories of things going on in my life around the time World Peace came out, and when I listen to the album it often triggers these memories; certain people, certain places. Perhaps things like that can have a lot to do with it too...one day, I'll return to Low in High School with an open mind and see how I feel about it then.

'Neal Cassady' is a strange one, for sure. Such a gorgeous outro. Must check out 'Howl'!

 

[Nicko Manuva]

I agree with that, certain songs can take time to grow on you.

That’s one reason I tend not to use streaming services. The instant availability of so much music means you tend to flit from one thing to another and judge on first impressions. If you buy an album, especially in physical format, you have to commit to it and give it a good try before deciding if it’s good or not.
I’m convinced that streaming is damaging music because the imperative now is to make things instantly likeable but not enduringly so. Much harder to challenge the listener when you are competing in that environment. And you get producers engaging in the ‘loudness war’.

 

[Eustace Walks]

First Division
1. Vauxhall
2. Ringleader

Second Division
3. Viva Hate
4. Your Arsenal
5. YAT Quarry
6. Years of Refusal
7. Southpaw

Third Division
8. Kill Uncle
9. Maladjusted

North West Counties Football League
10. Low in High School
11. World Peace

I'd predict that I am not going to end up listening to future releases very much, so this can probably be considered definitive.

That's my ranking exactly, with a similar footnote - I think that tertiary league might expand

 

[marred]

poor maladjusted, comes in the lowly section in most lists.world peace still very high on some peoples lists,listened to it the other day and still sounded great.think albums depend what sort of mood you are in.

Every time I rank Morrissey albums the one at the top is very close to the one at the bottom of the list.

 

[Qvist]

I refuse to omit "Bona Drag" or "Swords", just like I refuse to not consider "Hatful of Hollow" or "The World Won't Listen" proper Smiths albums. They all consist overwhelmingly of material not on any other album. But I will not consider Suedehead or Sunday when ranking BD.

1. You are the Quarry (less even than Vauxhall or VH, but with so many top moments. Best: Let Me Kiss You)
2. Vauxhall and I (The best of his two coherently great albums. Best: Now My Heart Is Full)
3. Viva Hate (This being the other. Best: Late Nigh, Maudlin Street)
4. Bona Drag (Not far behind, very few mediocre tracks. Best: Piccadilly Palare)
5. Your Arsenal (A significant drop, with about half the album being above-average. Best: Seasick, Yet Still Docked)
6. Swords (A surprising number of really good songs, including one or two of my absolute favorites. Best: The Never-Played Symphonies)
7. Southpaw Grammar (Which starts the next tier, where it's really a question of a small handful of good songs. Best: Title Track)
8. Maladjusted (Mainly for the astounding title track, and "Trouble Loves Me")
9. Ringleader of the Tormentors (generally subpar song material, with 2 or 3 exceptions. Best: Dear God, Please Help Me)
10. Years of Refusal (Liked it on release, has not stood the test of time. But a few good songs nonetheless. Best: You Were Good In Your Time)
11. Kill Uncle (overall not an accomplished album, if perhaps with a bit more charm than usually given credit for. Best: Sing Your Life)

 

[Oh my god. it's Robby!]

1. Your Arsenal*
2. You Are the Quarry
3. Vauxhall and I
4. Viva Hate
5. Kill Uncle
6. World Peace is None of Your Business
7. Southpaw Grammar
8. Ringleader of the Tormentors
9. Maladjusted
10. Years of Refusal
11. Low in High School

*= decided to not let Moz of now change how I feel about this album from then

 

[Oh my god. it's Robby!]

Reading back lotta hate for Kill Uncle

 

[Harsh Truth]

I refuse to omit "Bona Drag" or "Swords", just like I refuse to not consider "Hatful of Hollow" or "The World Won't Listen" proper Smiths albums. They all consist overwhelmingly of material not on any other album. But I will not consider Suedehead or Sunday when ranking BD.

1. You are the Quarry (less even than Vauxhall or VH, but with so many top moments. Best: Let Me Kiss You)
2. Vauxhall and I (The best of his two coherently great albums. Best: Now My Heart Is Full)
3. Viva Hate (This being the other. Best: Late Nigh, Maudlin Street)
4. Bona Drag (Not far behind, very few mediocre tracks. Best: Piccadilly Palare)
5. Your Arsenal (A significant drop, with about half the album being above-average. Best: Seasick, Yet Still Docked)
6. Swords (A surprising number of really good songs, including one or two of my absolute favorites. Best: The Never-Played Symphonies)
7. Southpaw Grammar (Which starts the next tier, where it's really a question of a small handful of good songs. Best: Title Track)
8. Maladjusted (Mainly for the astounding title track, and "Trouble Loves Me")
9. Ringleader of the Tormentors (generally subpar song material, with 2 or 3 exceptions. Best: Dear God, Please Help Me)
10. Years of Refusal (Liked it on release, has not stood the test of time. But a few good songs nonetheless. Best: You Were Good In Your Time)
11. Kill Uncle (overall not an accomplished album, if perhaps with a bit more charm than usually given credit for. Best: Sing Your Life)

Judging by most of your favorite songs on each album, I bet you're a real hoot at parties.

 

[Oh my god. it's Robby!]

Judging by most of your favorite songs on each alum, I bet you're a real hoot at parties.

Tbf though, lotta normies might say that about most of us Mozzers

 

[Qvist]

Judging by most of your favorite songs on each album, I bet you're a real hoot at parties.

You’d find me huddled up in a corner, silently sobbing and nursing a Vermouth.