You Are The Quarry

"The album was a huge comeback for Morrissey' - did he dictate this to his publicist, or did he sully his hands on the internet himself? Was the keyboard sticky, Steven? If Morrissey is your thing, this sounds like him, decently-made apart from some wince-inducing Casio drums. Instrumentally, the band come up with some sticky shapes. If, on the other hand, you find him a bigot, a bore, a purveyor of waspish nothings masquerading as life insight, you can happily skip on.

Well past his sell-by date here. Cringeworthy in places and quite dreary. I could mock specific lyrics but it's like shooting fish in a barrel, depressingly.

Masterpiece. It's Mozza at his bitchiest. He has his tommy gun out and he's taking shots at everyone in his typical self-deprecating way. Come Back To Camden is one of the most ugly-beautiful songs ever written. Let Me Kiss You is so self-hating and I love it. On this album he calls America fat, forgives Jesus, berates the Royal Family (I'm not even kidding). And then at the end, he collapses and gives up like this is his final statement ever (it wasn't).

A couple of sparks that were reminders of some of his better works.

And he stole from the rich, and the poor and the not very rich and the very poor, and he stole our hearts away. The scamp!

Do you think Morrissey suffers from shin splints? His face tells me he does.

The previous album by Morrissey I listened to disappointed me. It felt like he really was lesser without the rest of The Smiths. You are the quarry is a top notch album, though. Loved it a lot

I just can't get into Morrissey even though he's talented.

FIFA track innit 👏

Good

Boring stuff this - the album cover sums this up. Looks like something your da would make and think it's cool

Morrissey is fine. I slightly prefer The Smiths though.

I like the Smiths but this one was just too much Morrissey. The man's ego is off the charts and this album has none of that Smith's charm mostly from Johnny Marr I realize.

Ok. Kind of crooner-style

His best solo album

Oikeastaan tämä on aika hyvä myöhempi levy Morrisseylta. Kuitenkin miehen soolotuotokset jäävät aina The Smithsin varjoon.

Sounds a lot like some of the Smiths records I enjoy, which kinda makes up for his general twattishness

With how much The Smiths disappoint me, I was expecting to hate this. I didn't. Besides two tracks, I really dug this. 4.5/5

2.5/5

Too much Morrissey on here, man

Ok first 4 stars

Hadn't heard of the artist before and the music sounded good, so I looked him up and turns out he is controversial. But trying to not let that cloud how I would have rated the album anyway especially since I had no knowledge of him before.

this man is deeply unserious. DNF

I really don't know Morrissey or the Smiths. I know I should, but I don't. I think I listened to at least one Smiths album as part of this project. It didn't do much for me. This album did. It was punchy, sarcastic, and highly listenable.

Wow I didn’t like this one. Not the worst I’ve ever heard though

Argh... With Morrissey I try. I have tried since I was a kid... I just... I am sorry! I can't with his voice. Yup, I can even love a single song but... I have never been able to stomach a whole album. His voice eventually takes over and it becomes just too much for me. It isn't even that his voice is irritating or annoying or bad (like some unfortunate musicians out there) but I just can't with the repetitive way his voice kind of drones on and takes over for the band... Maybe if he were a poet or a story-teller, but it is too... IDK? Poppy maybe? I honestly don't know as the genre, the instrumentals, all fit my like button... I do wish I liked his voice more...

JL : 3, America Is Not the World

++: Irish Blood, English Heart, Come Back to Camden, I'm Not Sorry, The World Is Full of Crashing Bores, How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?, I Like You +: America Is Not the World, I Have Forgiven Jesus, You Know I Couldn't Last +-: All the Lazy Dykes -: First of the Gang to Die, Let Me Kiss You 7,7/10

OK, here we go. I do not care for Morresseys voice and delivery. That aside I do not care for his ham fisted lyrics 99% of the time. Its not that I disagree what what hes saying it is again the delivery of it. So dramatically theater kid while simultaneously being as plainly written and unpoetic as possible. Its a dichotomy that I dont care for when HE does it. Now the positives: The implied melodies and lyrical phrasing and cadence of the vocals I can truly appreciate. I truly believe that if this was sung by someone else who was a better lyricist this could be a 4 star album. And the surprising... Morrissey (or Morrissey with the Smiths) is on this list 7 fucking times. Christ on a bike, someones a Morrissey fangirl and it sure the fuck isnt me. 2 stars

Hate to give Morrisey anything but he makes music I really like.

Once I got through the first few incredibly forced political tracks, I was able to focus more on the music and Moz’s velvety voice. It is difficult to separate the music from the cockwomble but I suppose you have to try.

I remember this album was a big thing among my fellow students when it came out. I never got a grip on it, so what will 22 years of not listening to it give? Well... this is just the angsty poetry of an embarrasing teen, set to OK music, isn't it? Nondescript background music.

Сара 3,5 Марко 3

Whiny bitch-ass lyrics with whiny bitch-ass vocals.

There are three good songs in this album and the rest should just be B sides that only harcode Morrisey hugging fans could enjoy.

The music is the most boring of all the albums in the Morrissey-verse we've had so far, and the lyrics are ham-fisted.

this is the 5th album with morrissey that weve gotten. 3 solo and 2 with the smiths with one from each remaining. some have been better than others but for the most part they have all been really similar stylistically which makes me wonder why we need 7 of them on the list. bowie and the beatles also have a ton of albums on the list, and while i feel like both shouldve been trimmed down, those at least sound different from album to album. i guess my point is im tired of morrisey and im hopeful his last solo album has a different sound cause i know the last smiths album doesnt.

Pissy Morrissey day, eh? I'm a huge fan of Johnny Marr, and I love the Smiths. Solo careers are hit and miss. Steven Page without the Ladies, John no Beatles, Wings success, Coltrane no Miles. Morrissey has his rabid fanbase and power to them. I hear he's a deity in South America. This is easy listening niche appeal. I don't see this as a necessary listen unless you're a fan of his. 2. Not Kid Rock levels bad. First of the gang to die is the standout so far, Jesus song for the lyrics. Tommy Gun by the Clash for that if you want that.

Bof

This was a tough one, it dragged on. He can sing I guess, albeit monotonously. It did sound like he was reading from a book and skilfully singing what he read on the fly.

i hate morrisey

I like Morrissey's voice, but I much prefer The Smiths to his solo stuff. I didn't like a lot of the songs on this. He really dissed the United States in one song, which I didn't like and this came out way before Trump.

I really went back and forth on this album a few times. Morrissey is undeniably good at what he does, I'm just not always sure I particularly enjoy it. Between the lyrics and vocal delivery it feels like he puts himself square in the middle of every song and barely seems to interact with the rest of the music. I actually forgot to pay any attention at all to what the rest of the band was doing untill over the halfway point. The production is super tight and well done with just enough of a pop hook to every song to not get in the way but balance out the melancholy of the vocals. None of the songs stood out to me but the album did keep my interest from start to finish. There's definitely something there and I wouldn't say this isn't a "good" album, but I probably won't dig it up again any time soon.

For all the talk of over-represented artists in this list, I'm surprised I don't see Morrissey mentioned all that much. I just checked and he has 4 solo albums and 3 albums with the Smiths in the book? That puts him up near the top for most entries from one artist. I think he's only beat out for that title by David Bowie, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney who all have 9 albums and George Harrison who has 8 albums. He's tied with Bob Dylan and Neil Young at 7 albums and even has more albums in the list than Nick Cave and Elvis Costello! I'll fully acknowledge that Morrissey is a great lyricist, but I don't think any of his work comes close to holding a candle to the others (except maybe Costello). If you hadn't guessed, I don't really care for the Smiths and, unsurprisingly, I care for solo Morrissey even less. I didn't outright hate this album, but it didn't exactly hold my attention the whole time and I found myself checking multiple times how much was left.

I was previously familiar with Morrissey as some other albums came up previously in this exercise. This is a rock album that leans more indie than other material I've heard. I enjoyed the songs, which feature strong vocals and instrumentation. There's a certain longing melancholy throughout this album. I would listen again.

Oof, das ist mal wieder schwierig. Musikalisch teilweise sehr geil. Lyrics schwer erträglich manchmal. Gesang typerischerweise auch.

okay who allowed him to use this cover? it’s HORRENDOUS. so off-putting. i wish i could unsee it. this is no the smiths album, but morriseys voice just does something to me. it’s so melancholy that i think you could probably pied piper me with it. he could sing a chicken shop menu and i’d probably give it 4 stars. i have learned from the previous smiths’ album reviews that apparently he is a prick, and probably one of these days i should look more into that. but for now i will put on a smiths’ album.

I remember this coming out and I remember heavily disliking first of the gang back then, so I went into this without much hope for it. Thankfully I was wrong, I don't care either way about Morrissey's voice, but I really enjoyed a lot of his phrasing. The music was fairly mid. The tracks were all fairly mid tempo and often dragged, it reminded me a little of the lightening seeds in that respect. I prefer the lightening seeds. My main issue is that Morrissey sounds like someone who is convinced they are the most intelligent person in the room and spends the rest of the time trying trying to convince us all it's true. I'm certain it's not. Also, I've had first of the gang in my head for a day and I still hate it. But its not as bad as I expected it. I quite enjoyed some of it. High 3.

I hate when an artist says many things I agree with but they say it while lacking any eloquence or subtlety.

To hell with the haters. I like him and his protest songs. Whatever!

all of this shit sounds the same, even the stuff that wasn't on this album that autoplayed after 2/5

Expected to hate it but enjoyed it pretty well. If I had heard this album in high school and had no idea the Smiths existed I might have thought too it as really cool and provocative. Now it just seems like Morrissey being Morrissey and this is on the occasions when he did it well.

Jag klarade av att lyssna på ett album av Morrisseys självömkande, men här kom jag inte mer än några låtar in innan det tog stopp...

love him, love the album.

Pretty fucking boring, right? Morrissey has coasted off the Smiths for decades, and he's a cunt.

There's a couple of good songs on here, but most of the others have such cringe lyrics it's like a 14 year old wrote them. Just no nuance at all, and mean spirited in places. Some of the other songs are quite good musically if you tune out the lyrics. Irish Blood, English Heart and First of the Gang are the only songs worth revisiting really.

Excelente disco. Até então, minha única experiência com Morrissey, obviamente, tinha sido através do The Smiths. Pra mim, The Queen Is Dead é um dos grandes discos dos anos 80, e depois de ouvir os discos da banda nunca fui muito atrás da carreira solo dele. Felizmente esse álbum apareceu no desafio de hoje e eu fiquei realmente impressionado. A voz do Morrissey é tão peculiar, mas ao mesmo tempo combina perfeitamente com o estilo de música que ele construiu. As letras continuam sendo um dos grandes destaques, sempre sarcásticas, melancólicas e muitas vezes bastante críticas a diferentes aspectos da Inglaterra e dos Estados Unidos, além de abordar solidão, desencanto e outras questões mais pessoais. É um disco que segue uma linha um pouco mais diversificada do que a dos Smiths, com uma sonoridade mais aprimorada e uma instrumentação que dá ao Morrissey uma identidade própria. Talvez não tenha exatamente aquela melancolia que tanto admiro nos discos do The Smiths, mas ainda existe uma atmosfera muito característica ali. Um disco excelente e que finalmente me fez olhar com mais atenção para a carreira solo do Morrissey.

Sonically pretty good, lyrically bad.

Seems like a stuck up arrogant douche bag to me. His music drips with condescension. Probably could be likeable with his voice but he purposely chooses to be a douche.

Cringe

just like the Smiths but worse, and more racist

I liked this more than any of The Smith’s albums that I’ve heard so far. He’s definitely not subtle about his political views. I enjoyed his song about America. It sounded as though it were written specifically for the Trump Era with that line about “you big fat pig” but it predated his presidency.

Morrissey's in pretty great form here, but he's really missing someone as good as Johnny Marr to bounce off of

Oh, Mozzer they could never make me hate you. You yourself certainly can with you militantly defending baffling stances - but the nay-sayers and the critics most defintley can't. This isn't a fantastic record, but Morrissey's lyrics and charm (a word used begrudgingly) stop me from damming it any more the neccesary. I think a lot of people take the blokes lyricism a bit too seriously. Taken tounge in cheek this record has some of the funniest moment of songwriting I've ever come across.

À Little too depressing

I do not like Morrissey. The lyrics here are bith obvious and not that well-thought out. It’s like he penned some letters on different topics (mostly, as always, unrequited love) and, without any editing, had someone else write music to his prose. Even when i agree with him (“America is not the World”), the lyrics are clumsy at best. As ever, there is little effort to integrate vocals and music. Then there’s the arrogance — Morrissey has forgiven Jesus. I bet JC is much relieved. GTFOH. A 1.

I gpt bored after some time. I don't really know what Morrissey said or did, but this album just didn't interest me in the slightest.

Some are lowkey masterpieces and other are like "yeah thats morrissey for you"

Honestly I didn't want to like this because my little indie loving self told me the Smiths are better and he's bad for thinking he can do solo work. But honestly I love a lot of these songs so I guess Morrissey still had it in 2004

So this is the Morrissey everyone talks about! I recognize a lot of the lyrics from Tumblr posts as a teenager. This album rocked! Why didn't anyone tell me?

I wish the music was more engaging so that I paid attention to the important messages. I did like the pan flute though.

Morrissey is right about everything and I'm glad he's never owned a cell phone. This review doesn't reflect my opinions on his politics.

2,5

The First of the Gang to Die might be my favourite Morrissey solo song, but nothing else on this album quite matches it.

Sigh… I like Morrissey in spite of his ego, his assholery, his pretension. No one can sing the word “hamburger” like him. He’s got a beautiful and weird voice, and such an interesting musical ear. This album doesn’t live up to the quality of some of his stuff with the Smiths, but I really like it. I just wish he chose to be a better person. I saw David Byrne perform a few nights ago, and was struck by his graciousness, kindness, and humanity. Morrissey could have been that, but he chose not to be.

Too racist, didn’t listen. Even the song titles have the same level of thuggish, knuckle dragging obscenity as the people who paint roundabouts and shout at hotels. Absolute bobbins.

His solo work kinda sucks compared to what he did with the Smiths

I love The Smiths and really like a lot of Morrissey, but this is one of his lesser works and does not belong on this list.

Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s the glacial grind of the 1001 loading him on me, but I find myself mellowing towards Morrissey. I am never going to love his voice, but I have to give him credit for being distinctive and also lyrically very funny in parts. Again, not sure whether it’s some form of Stockholm Syndrome, or whether this was genuinely better, but musically this felt more lively than some of his work I’ve come across previously.

Perfect! Very-very nice vocal!

I like his voice.... A lot.

4.5 - I am a fan of Morrissey but still surprised how much I enjoyed this particular album.

Morrissey has been one of my favorite singers since I discovered The Smiths as a kid, and I'm also one of those die-hard fans that actually prefers his solo work. It's a storied career full of ups, downs, and everything in between. You Are The Quarry is certainly a standout, serving as a major comeback after the album Maladjusted didn't perform well seven years prior. It's full of verve, swagger, and self effacing humor, like any good Morrissey album should be, but it loses a little steam on the flipside. With no actual glaring faults, You are the Quarry is a treasure in his "modern era" discography.

Pish

Sieben Jahre Funkstille, dann das hier: You Are The Quarry, aufgenommen in den Sarm Hook End Studios in Berkshire und bei Conway in Los Angeles, produziert von Jerry Finn. Ich hätte nach so langer Pause mit einem vorsichtigen, abgeklärten Morrissey gerechnet. Bekommen habe ich das Gegenteil. Schon der Opener „America Is Not the World" holt aus, als wäre nie Zeit vergangen. Finns Produktion gibt dem Album einen amerikanischeren, druckvolleren Sound, als man es von Morrissey gewohnt war – das merkt man sofort. „Irish Blood, English Heart" ist der Song, an dem sich die Geister schieden, weil er so unverblümt politisch war wie kaum ein Stück zuvor in seiner Karriere. „First of the Gang to Die" dagegen tanzt fast, während der Text vom Sterben handelt – genau diese Reibung macht Morrissey aus. „Let Me Kiss You" wurde später sogar von Nancy Sinatra gecovert, noch vor Morrisseys eigener Single-Auskopplung. Bitterkeit in Pop zu übersetzen, ohne dass es larmoyant wird: Das kann außer ihm kaum jemand. Nach dem Hören hatte ich das Gefühl, ein Gespräch fortzusetzen, das nie richtig unterbrochen war. Sieben Jahre Pause, keine Sekunde Rost angesetzt.

Decent.

This was alright. I’m Not Sorry if you disagree.

i actually love "first of the gang to die" and i still have the 7" from when it was released. the rest of the album isn't great and the production's not holding up that well these days.

Bien.

I enjoyed some songs, but I'm never going to listen to it again. Some tunes were fine, but I just don't connect with him and his lyrics, despite being a hardcore The Smiths fan.

First of the Gang to die is a big highlight

Lighten up, Morrissey. (Irish Blood, English Heart sounds atrocious in 2026. Reform UK battle song.)

Сольник Морріссі - це цікаво)

I already stalled this listen cause I know I don't care for this dude's voice. But I'm 2 songs in and listening; I really do like his message. The music also isn't bad, but the dude's voice just isn't for me. Yeah, the music sounds decent but dont care for this guys voice too much. I HATE slow songs. AaAhHHAATeeee. so i'm second to last song now and yeah lot of the lyrics are super great, the melodies are ok, and i think it's just not for me. Too slow and broody/moody for my taste. TOOSLOW. 2/5

I was surprised by how anti everything the lyrics were. Usually I would find this very appealing but somehow the voice and sound did not mix as well with the message as I would have liked. Still interesting just not my bag.

Why the fuck are so many Jim Morrissey albums on this list. Like, the Smiths were great, and I haven’t gotten any, but I got 3 Morrissey albums. They honestly just sound like discount Smiths

guets album, wöri glaub weder lose. sehr abwechsligsriich. aber wenig woni so komplett gfühlt ha. es esch meh eif en nice experience gsi das album z lose.

I think I'd rather listen to pissy cats fighting outside my bedroom window than listen to another fucking song from this wank.

Tried to listen to the pompus twat, Turned off 60 seconds into the cringe inducing lyrics.

I'm at the 3rd stage of grief when it comes to Morrissey, so I really wanted to hate this album. Instead, I quite enjoyed it - way more than Vauxhall and I. I will definitely revisit this.