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You Are The Quarry

Morrissey

2004

You Are The Quarry
Album Summary

You Are the Quarry is the seventh studio album by English alternative rock singer Morrissey. It was released on 17 May 2004 by record label Attack, and was his first album in seven years following 1997's Maladjusted. The album was a huge comeback for Morrissey; all four of its singles reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart, and the album itself reached number 2. The album also reached number 11 on the Billboard 200, making it Morrissey's highest-charting album in the United States.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.87

Votes

13516

Genres

  • Rock
  • Indie

Reviews

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Mar 22 2021
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2

Rejected alternate titles: (1) "Morrissey's Pseudo-Intellectual Musings About the State of the World, Delivered with the Subtlety and Nuance of a Monkey Operating a Chainsaw," (2) "In Which Morrissey Paradoxically Accuses Other People of Being Boring," (3) "Morrisey Finds a Way to Whine About His Press Clippings on What Feels Like Every Song," (4) "We give up, Morrissey - just put something that sounds like you're simultaneously threatening and seducing the consumer, and we'll Photoshop a Tommy Gun into your hand later. Signed, The Producers." Best track: First of the Gang to Die

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Aug 13 2021
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1

I Cannot Fucking Wait Til Morrissey Dies

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Feb 18 2021
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3

Oh, I am the quarry, am I? I'm not sure what villainous plans you have for me Morrissey, but I'm only half interested in what you have to say. Are you planning on drilling into me? It that your twisted fantasy, is it? To have me, ME! covered in vegetables, laid out in front of you, legs spread with my coin piece pointed towards you, trembling, whilst you warble miserably about foreigners and meat, licking your lips and greasing up your penis. You sick, vegan, racist, self satisfied, bequiffed prick. I'm in.

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Dec 30 2023
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1

My god, his stuck his head so far up his own ass this time that he’s starting to wiggle the shoulders in too.

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May 26 2021
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5

Love this record. Hate this human.

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Jun 29 2021
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3

I'll just focus on the music and not the complications that the actual person Morrissey brings up. It's a decent enough album filled with Morrissey doing what his usual, very english, often dark but oddly comedic alt rock. It's decent enough with a few tracks that shine and nothing truly offensive but it definitely doesn't feel as essential as some of his early work (most notably his The Smiths output of course).

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Nov 11 2023
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5

When I first saw this pop up, I audibly sighed because Morrissey is such a miserable & whiny twat. I decided to push my feelings aside & listen...after all, I do love some of his & The Smiths music. Well I ended up enjoying this so much, I listened twice. First of the Gang to Die is fantastic, and the rest sounds like classic Moz. Moz wins this challenge. 4.5

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May 24 2021
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1

I confirmed what I have always suspected, I hate Morrissey.

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Jun 23 2021
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2

Morrissey has low self esteem but he's a complete tosser so he's going to take it out on everyone else. Anyway, enjoy this hatefuck of an album.

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Jun 13 2021
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1

Morrissey is a pretentious bastard & his music sucks.

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Dec 31 2023
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1

There is no need for this self centered, egotistical fuck to have at least 3 albums on this list ffs. This depressed, bleeding heart douche is so busy telling everyone how great he is and how he's better than everyone else... It's sickening. To quote Come Back to Camden: "and I remember that I am alone Alone For evermore" ... I wonder why, you insufferable douche canoe. Favourite songs: The First of the Gang to Die, The World is Full of Crashing Bores Least favourite songs: America Is Not the World (go eat a hamburger and calm the fuck down you pretentious ass hat.... Morrissey is not the world either I'm sad to tell ya), "Irish Blood, English Heart" (oooh, tough guy Morrissey can't be bought.... Fuck off), I Have Forgiven Jesus (he's also apparently better than religion), I'm Not Sorry, How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel? (no one cares), All the Lazy Dykes Thank fuck that's over... 1/5

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Apr 14 2021
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5

Absolute banger, his lyrics are unmatched in music! Really really enjoyed the album. Just a shame that he ended up becoming really UKIP/Brexit-y. Everyone gets over their Morrissey period apart from Morrissey!

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Jan 12 2024
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4

No. 95/1001 America is not the World 4/5 Irish Blood, English Heart 4/5 I Have Forgiven Jesus 3/5 Come Back To Camden 4/5 I'm Not Sorry 4/5 The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores 3/5 How Can Amybody Possibly Know 3/5 First Of The Gang To Die 4/5 Let Me Kiss You 3/5 All The Lazy Dykes 4/5 I Like You 3/5 You Know I Couldn't Last 3/5 Average: 3,5 You can definitly see that he was already on track for his later extreme views. But nothing offensive yet, just regular anit-establishment views. So this didn't defer me from this record. Thought it was an alright alt-rock album. Maybe a little pretentious in some cases.

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Jun 16 2024
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1

This was boring to listen to. Like the same mindless droning on every song. And lyrically he just complained about a bunch of other countries, and world politics, while also complaining about how terrible he's personally been treated. Overall, I won't be recommending it to anyone

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Jan 05 2025
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1

Man, I was so happy when this album ended and I could stop listening to some dude whine about how miserable everything is. This may be the whitest album I've ever heard.

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Apr 14 2024
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1

I love it when these are easy: Three Morrissey solo records down, one to go.

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Jun 04 2021
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1

I am not a fan of Morrissey at all. Two of his albums now that I didn’t enjoy.

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Jan 29 2024
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5

This album has very pleasantly surprised me. Some of the songs are absolute bangers. The lyrics are very well written, eloquent, and at times very beautifully poetic. The sound is a nice blend of old and new, lively, quite catchy and the guy's voice I just love. It just makes me feel things. Big thumbs up. Favorites: "First Of The Gang To Die" and "I Have Forgiven Jesus." But all of them are good. 8/10 After reading some of the other reviews I noticed that Morrissey seems to have obtained a negative reputation. Still, I'm choosing to separate the artist from the art here as you usually should. The music's good.

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Oct 20 2023
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4

It came as such a pleasant surprise. After a couple of obscure minor albums, Mozz reinvented himself and relased his masterpiece. Brave, catchy, infectious, glorious, 'First of the Gang to Die', 'Irish Blood, English Heart'... just a bit of filler towards the end, but much stronger as a whole than all his previous -and later (Oct '23)- efforts

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Apr 01 2024
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3

Reminded me of Oasis but less annoying. Accessible easy-to-listen pop-rock. I liked it a lot but the lyrics were so noticeably bad that I'm removing a point. Stand-out: First of the Gang to Die

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Jul 28 2021
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3

Je ressens bien sûr un pincement au cœur de n'accorder que trois étoiles à Morrissey. Je sais bien que les ventes de cet album ont permis la construction de vingt-deux orphelinats et d'une centaine de puits en Érythrée. Je suis également au courant de ses nombreuses actions humanitaires au Laos et de son combat pour la reconnaissance du génocide arménien. Je n'oublie pas non plus qu'il participe de manière active à la recherche contre le cancer avec des dons quotidiens. Cet album n'est juste pas aussi formidable que son auteur.

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Dec 14 2024
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5

Album 623 of 1001 Morrissey - You Are The Quarry (2004) Rating : 5 / 5 Many seem to not like Morrissey very much. I'm not in that group. I happen to love this blend of introspective ballads and biting social commentary. Several of his singles have become repeat listens over the years and I didn't realize that most are from this one album. A new one for the list of favorites.

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Dec 11 2024
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5

I don’t care what the haters say. Morissey is melodramatic but still has lines to speak to my doleful soul.

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Jun 13 2024
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5

Absolute first class pop. Great song writing & performance. Been a long time since I last heard Morrissey. Loved it!

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May 12 2024
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5

Okay okay okay. Literally banger after banger. This one got me through work

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May 04 2024
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5

Sometimes, you want intricate layered metaphor, and other times you want Morrissey. He hits you over the head with unveiled distaste. As always the voice and the instrumentation are immaculate.

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Feb 28 2024
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5

There's some damn good Moz songs on here. It's probably a 4 but as usual, this gets an automatic 5 to counter all the 1 star whiners.

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Feb 18 2024
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5

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Irish blood English heart, The world is full of crashing bores, The first of the gang to die, I like you

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Dec 08 2023
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5

I didn't think I'd like this one very much because the title says that I'm an empty shell where all the rocks were removed. Or does it also mean that I'm the one being hunted. And why do British people say "Herb" as "erb", but you can't say "Hunt" and "unt"? Anyway, it's much more solid than your typical rock, I'm sure.

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Dec 08 2023
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5

Yeah, I know Morrissey is kind of a twat. At some level, I'm probably some apologist, but for the most part I try to ignore the current Morrissey and instead embrace the Morrissey I knew at this time where he was focused on the spit and venom of Irish Blood, English Heart as well as some of the most beautiful songs ever in Come Back to Camden and Crashing Bores. The album is passionate and real. One of my favorites.

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May 27 2021
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4

4.2 - Starts with "America is Not the World" that finds Morrissey dishing out the kind of on-the-nose anti-US critiques that you might hear in a European youth hostel. Much of the rest of the record contains similar conversational political observations ("Irish Blood, English Heart", "Come Back to Camden). Characteristically, he's managed to seemingly set pages of his personal journal to beautiful melody, delivering them with his signature brooding vocals. I'd written off Morrissey as a solo performer, finding his politics unpalatable and his wordy song titles unapproachable. I'm pleasantly surprised.

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Apr 18 2024
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3

I really like his music. I wish he didn't suck so much

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Apr 15 2024
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3

It pains me to say that some of this is quite good. It's still a pub rock (meat) pie compared to The Smiths' sublime foie gras, but songs like First of the Gang to Die and The World is Full of Crashing Bores are actually fun. He's still a horrid little NF div though.

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Apr 12 2024
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3

I love The Smiths and Morrissey’s singing and lyricism on those records. I cannot say the same for this solo project. It’s a far cry from what I loved from before. His sound is distinct from The Smiths, and is not one that I enjoy nearly as much. Morrissey is Morrissey, so if you disagree with what he says, you’ll simply dislike the song. He’s kinda like Kanye in that sense, unabashedly himself, which I do like. I disliked the opening song about America. Seems lowbrow, especially now after a black president. Sometimes the production on this album gets electronic and kinda strange. It can sometimes take you out of the experience. Standouts: Come Back to Camden, The World is Full of Crashing Bores, First of the Gang to Die, and Let Me Kiss You.

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Mar 24 2025
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2

This is the second Morrissey album I've been given, and my opinion hasn't changed. From reading others' reviews, it seems like there's a lot of 'I rated this 1 star because he's a twat', and 'this guy is a twat but the music's great, so 5 stars from me'.... I feel like I'm just listening to completely different albums than the people that enjoy this on its own. There's nothing ground breaking about the music itself, it's just okay. So, you take okay backing tracks and Morrissey kind of just drones his poems over them while they play in the background. I swear to god they just record him crooning and they pick a backing track afterwards. It almost sounds like he's making up some lyrics free style, but he's trying to fit too many syllables into the bar so he just kind of stretches random words out or fires off 8 syllables in .2 seconds to kind of catch up with the music. No reason or rhyme (literally, in a lot of cases). It's hard to imagine anyone head banging or even dancing to this stuff. It's hard to imagine anyone feeling the urge to sing along when this stuff comes up on the playlist. It's hard to imagine hearing these lyrics and actually thinking "wow, profound". So I guess even though I'm of the opinion that music serves a bunch of different purposes, and there are many different ways music can be called "good", Morrissey misses the mark on all of them, for me at least. 2 stars since I didn't want to die while I listened to it, but I'm never firing this one up again.

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Jun 18 2024
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2

Gah enough of him!! Too much on here. 78 whiny minutes.

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Feb 14 2025
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1

Didn't think I would give any album on this list a 1 star, but this is by far the worst album I heard so far, maybe even ever. This album get's it wrong on so many levels for me. For starters, musically it's really boring. Most of the songs sound exactly the same, with a drum beat and simple melodies in the background. Like something you would make in 2 minutes in your bedroom. Second, and this is a big one, the lyrics and themes are so bad it's unbelievable that other people who worked on this album didn't try and put a stop on this being released. I am not familiar with the work of the Smiths or Morrissey in general, so I am not sure if all of the albums are like this, or did he slowly descend into some sort of madness. The album is pretty much a pretentious rant all the way through. Whatever and whoever he doesn't like, he makes fun of, but in a really immature way, like a teenager entering puberty who starts hating the whole world. He tells America to fuck of with the hamburger, sure dude, that'll tell them. The only "good" song for me was First of the Gang to Die, with a catchy chorus.

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Jun 21 2024
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1

God I hate Morrissey. Setting aside his more than odious rightwing views, this was unbearable. His lyrics read like a teenager in the first flush of puberty discovering word and emotions for the first time, his vocals are dreary and grating and the music lacks the fun and energy of the smiths.

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May 15 2024
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1

Barely got through 2 songs before having to turn this shite off. Where's the zero stars option?

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Nov 02 2023
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1

Next 5 songs played by my Spotify Algorithm: The Jesus and Mary Chain - Sometimes Always The Smiths - Ask XTC - Ten Feet Tall Gene - Still Can't Find the Phone Pixies - Velouria

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Oct 12 2023
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1

never cared for morrisy. and while i agree with some of the messaging in this album, it just feels preachy coming from him

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Mar 20 2025
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5

Morrisey por su cuenta, sin filtrar; un poco demasiado para mí. Aborrezco su forma de presentar los mensajes políticos más simples y vacíos de una forma tan evidente como si fuera la persona más inteligente y sutil del mundo. En los Smiths todavía se corta un poco y a veces llega a decir algo coherente y todo, pero le dan alas y se viene arriba. Aun así, adoro la música de este señor en todas sus formas, por muy desagradable que sea.

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Feb 20 2025
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5

ufff… morrissey, de ex frontman vo minere spontane antwort uf d‘frag nach minere lieblingsband - the smiths <3 ich han no nie probiert in wort z‘fasse werum ich so grosse fan vo de musig vo the smiths respektive vom morrissey bin… us ziitgründ wirdis au ah dere stell nöd chönne mache aber es hitted eifach ganz en spezifische sweet spot ih mir inne wo mi meistens happy, mengisch aber au chli sad macht :‘) und ja ich wott eigentli wüki nöd so inflationär mit dene höchtsbewertige umgah aber das album verdient ih mine auge scho es 4.75, was nach mine kalkulatione 5 puntos ergid also ich gib mathematik d’schuld, ade mitenand

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Feb 07 2025
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5

This album was amazing, the cover, the tracks, their contents, absolutely awesome. This dude had some real stuff to talk about that first track on America holds true today as well. Favorite Tracks: America Is Not The World, Come Back to Camden, First Of The Gang To Die, and I Like You.

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Jan 27 2025
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5

This is an album I already have in heavy rotation and man is it a good one. Favorites include First of the Gang to Die, Irish Blood / English Heart, and Let Me Kiss You; but they're all legit.

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Jan 19 2025
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5

Love this album. Morrisey is ever the melodramatic crooner. This album walked so MCR could run. Songs like “I like you” speak to my inner teenager

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Jan 08 2025
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5

Absurd to me how consistantly good Morrissey is. I go into every album of his expecting to hate it but always come out blown away. This album is hilarious at times with these ridiculous lyrics that only a guy like Morrissey could write or even record. Awesome record with lots of bangers

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Oct 03 2024
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5

I was listening to morrissey when the power came back...10/10

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Sep 16 2024
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5

15/9/24 Surprisingly thoroughly enjoyed this album.

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Jul 25 2024
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5

Irish Blood, English Heart First of the Gang to Die 4-5

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Jul 24 2024
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5

Super mellow, I liked every song - great vibes.

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Jun 06 2024
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5

Okay whatever this was a 5 I don't even care about my terrible rating abilities anymore. Something about this album just did it for me, all the songs had those lyrical, dramatic, yearning melodies and I am a sucker for those. Plus I love The Smiths. Favourite songs were all of them. Just read that he is a racist oops sorry

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May 09 2024
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5

English is not my first language and I cannot always understand the lyrics of the songs. I just hope that they are not saying the same BS that he says in many of his interviews and that they are not racist, far-right stuff. My score is based solely on artistic merit (minus the lyrics) and the fact that I like him so much as an artist.

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Mar 22 2024
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5

Stand by my belief that Morrissey gets way too much hate. This is a great album which is kind of comedic in both its candour and hyperbole.

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Feb 10 2024
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5

The typical Morrissey album, but somehow different, somehow better

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Feb 06 2024
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5

very interesting album, very good sound. Enjoyed it a lot.

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Feb 01 2024
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5

I’m into this kind of music and will definitely do a deeper dive.

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Dec 15 2023
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5

Melody & great lyrics. Ignoring is questionable politics (hard I know) this is an album to go back to repeatedly.

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Aug 13 2021
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5

Never really listened to Morrisey, but I like this album a lot. His lyrics are poetic in a refreshing way. Lots of interesting guitar sounds on this album as well. It’s cool how every song sounds different, but they somehow all fit together. Great stuff all the way through.

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Apr 21 2021
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5

Algo que me gusta mucho de Morrissey es que las canciones a veces parecen más como diálogos (?), como si te estuviera contando algo mientras canta, casi como en un musical (?) jajaja y además tiene un estilo muy contundente, sus letras son imperdibles. Sí me gustó, pues

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Feb 18 2021
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5

Q. What does Shack like to eat for supper? A. Quorn Chops*! *Neil Morrisey special

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Apr 21 2021
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5

Gran disco que sí quiero seguir escuchando y escuchando, no tenía presente que de acá es una canción que me gusta mucho de Morrissey "Let Me Kiss You", que tiene una vuelta de tuerca casi devastadora. Lo siento como un álbum romántico para gente fatalista, derrotista, pero con un buen conocimiento de lo que pasa en el mundo (?). Amé también "America Is Not The World" (excepto por lo de I love you), "The World Is Full of Crashing Bores", "How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?", "I Like You" y pues claro, otra ya conocida también: "First of the Gang to Die". 10/10

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Mar 26 2025
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4

Gotta say, due to Morrissey's stigma of not being great, I wasn't expecting You Are The Quarry to be as good as it is but i was certainly wrong. When i saw that Morrissey had a solo career, i thought that these albums were going to more or less just be more Smiths albums but this one definitely feels very different from those by dropping the a majority of the new wave elements and going full indie rock. The music here is really well done with some great The Killers style melodies and even when the lyrics were dumb, they still managed to make me wonder what Morrissey would think of next and that always kept me interested. This is a really solid album that in my eyes, gets more hate than it deserves. Best Song: First of the Gang to Die Worst Song: The World Is Full of Crashing Bores Side note: I don't know why but the album and artist names being positioned the way they are kinda makes me laugh, it feels more like a statement than just the name and artist of this album

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Mar 19 2025
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4

Actually enjoyed this one. Wasn’t sure what to think at the start, but it won me over toward the end.

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Mar 13 2025
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4

9/10 Favorite Tracks: America Is Not the World, Let Me Kiss You, All the Lazy Dykes, I Like You

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Mar 06 2025
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4

I can like the music without loving the musician. Right?

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Mar 05 2025
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4

It was raining hard when I listened to this album and it was appropriate. I enjoyed this album. Nothing really stood out to me.

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Feb 25 2025
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4

This sounded better to me than some of the other Morrissey albums I’ve previously had. May be that this is from later in his career and his voice has matured a bit. I think the global reviews are a bit too low so I’m rating up to a 4, but think it should land around 3.4

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Feb 07 2025
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4

It is genuinely startling to hear such overtly political lyrics delivered so clearly. Musically, this could only have happened in 2004. Morrisey's British New Wave croon overtop these guitars and drums... this would never have sounded like this at any other point in time. And it's better for it. His voice is not obscured by layers of densely packed reverb; it's clear, and sounds more in-key because of it. But his performance still recalls the big Smiths songs, which brings a familiarity to anyone who may otherwise have been turned off by the shift in sound. After writing all of that, I looked at the album's Wikipedia page and saw that it was produced by Jerry Finn. Was there anybody better in the early 2000s??? It feels like everybody who ever worked with him made their best albums of their careers during their time with him. And indeed this was seen as a huge comeback album for Morrissey. And apparently another Morrissey album was the last album Jerry Finn worked on before he died? Guess I'm listening to that too.

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Feb 07 2025
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4

I remembrer listening to this when it was released, but I don’t remember it being this good! The first mine tracks are well crafted and performed pop songs. However, the last three tracks let the quality dip a bit, so it’s not a stone cold classic

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Jan 30 2025
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4

I didn't expect to see this album come up! I like Morrissey's lyrics - often oblique, often startling, sometimes straightforward - and I've liked his singing since The Smiths, but I find the music a bit anodyne.

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Jan 28 2025
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4

"You Are The Quarry" is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Morrissey. It was his first album in seven years following "Maladjusted." Alternative pop, pop rock and indie rock are the Wiki-listed genres. Fine. Jerry Finn was the producer. With Morrissey on vocals, other bandmembers included Alain Whyte (guitar, backing vocals, co-writer), Bob Boorer (guitar), Gary Day (bass), Dean Butterworth) and Roger Manning (keyboards). The album was commercially a huge success hitting #2 in the UK and #11 in the US. An electronic drum beat, synth and acoustic guitar open "America Is Not The World." The music goes softer. This has a very clean sound. Moz loves the US but they need to stay out of everyone's business. He stays political in "Irish Blood, English Heart." This is a little harder with a charging guitar and drums sounding like a typewriter. The band kicks in and the music gets even harder. Moz was the son of Irish immigrants and grew up in English and he sings about the contention between the two countries. The music slows down and adds strings in "I Have Forgiven Jesus." He grew up Catholic but his religion commitment has lapsed. Acoustic guitar overlayed with an electric guitar and synth melody highlight "First of the Gang to Die." This is very poppy. Some more strings. The song is about gang member, Hector, and is a tribute to his Hispanic fans, particularly in LA. The album closes with "You Know I Couldn't Last." A harder edge guitar intro which goes slower and then back hard again. Moz sings about the ills of becoming a famous musician. Maybe, my favorite song on the album. I've come to the acceptance that every single Morrissey album is in this challenge. This is pretty good though, probably top three from what I've heard. The music and vocals are very clean and clear sounding. Moz's lyrics are varied as usual covering personal issues (religion, love, heartbreak), the US, Ireland, England, suburbia, gangs and the music business. The band is tight and the music styles include pop, hard rock, ballads, slow rock and even baroque for a bit. It's melodic yet there's an air of desolation that pervades. This is a solid Morrissey album.

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Jan 20 2025
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4

Morrissey is a paradox. He's simultaneously old fashioned and modern. He's cheesy and edgy. Safe and daring. I know there are albums of his that I think are a little better than this one, but it exemplifies why he's reached this level. One of the most unique and specific lyric styles of anyone in his realm. I do think the album is a little bloated, but still great nonetheless.

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Jan 09 2025
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4

A very broken guy who can both produce deeply felt, wonderfully written songs, and somehow also lack basic human empathy towards less privileged people. I can't hate him + this album brings me so many bittersweet memories + "The first of the gang to die" is a banger = 4/5

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Dec 25 2024
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4

Morrissey is an ass, but I really liked this album

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Dec 18 2024
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4

funsies, funny way of writing lyrics, very different than what I'm used to.

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