Reviews (page 2 of 8)
4.5
Morrissey's music gets a little heavier and darker here, and it makes for an interesting complement to his other solo work. This feels like a fresh direction to me, I was a little tired of his style after the last couple of albums by him but this is an interesting enough direction that I rather enjoyed it (even though some of that came out after this, but in my personal chronology of encountering music this is more recent). There's something strangely charming to me about Morrissey's weaselly voice, there's nothing quite like it and I think the distinctive baritone adds a lot to these songs. Favorite track: "Tomorrow"
not as bad as thought it were gonna be
I love the Smiths, and some later Morrissey, but this one does not do it for me
Honestly, I could give this album a 5 just for the fact alone that this is the final Morrissey album on this list. Despite his person, I actually ended up coming out liking more of his music than not — and I still think that he does not need to have FOUR SOLO ALBUMS on this list. Hell, if you include the Smiths records, he's on seven total. That is just flatly ridiculous. But as for this album, it's good. Honestly, it's the kind of "good but doesn't excite me" that I should be giving it a 3, but, honestly, there's still a fair bit of goodwill left over from how much I liked 'The Queen Is Dead.' So I'm willing to look at the rockabilly elements on here and sue that as an excuse to nudge this thing up to a 4. 'Coz of course, my favorite thing about any Morrissey album has been the music itself, here written mostly by Alain Whyte, with Mark E. Nevin taking two. They'll get most of the credit. So, yeah, fuck Morrissey; 'You Are The Quarry' still sucks; and I am SO GLAD to be finally DONE with his ass.
Morrissey is a knob. It's a shame his music is good. 3.5 bumped up to 4.
I’m at a 4. If you take the first “R” & the “nal” out of the title of this album, you’d get what I would shout at Morrissey if I ever saw him. He’s a dickhead. We all know it. Thank goodness this is the last time I get to hear his voice on the list. I’m glad the music has been better than expected, and begrudgingly, it’s pretty good here. It’s all in the grunge-inspired soundscapes, really; this thing is drenched in overdriven guitar & heavy drums to fit in with Morrissey’s vocals, and by some miracle, it does happen to work. The guitar work is energetic, the bass glides with it, the drums have a good kick, & Morrissey paces well against them with a solid variety, including some James Bond-esque ‘60s throwbacks & a lot of R.E.M.-esque tracks. It does seem like the throughline for this album is a search for companionship; one that turns more implicitly into a search for love by the back half, but still. It’s a search to find people who will accept you & stand by your side, including ones who will take over the world with you, sniff glue with you, watch some footie with you, & seemingly join a far-right group with you (I think this is done with disdain for said group). It does stray from that theme a little bit with “Certain People I Know” (my only ‘meh’ track) & “We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful” (I’m fairly sure this is sarcastic). It brings it back in full force for the final 4 tracks, all of which are just pleas for love in varying ways; it’s with keeping a love he’s certain of, disdain for a love that’s steadily moving nowhere, love that will eventually come to someone else, & a reaffirmation of love before a possible death. It’s a consistent throughline, and one that works well for most of the 40 minutes. There are times where I heavily sideeye the lyrics here, most heavily on “We’ll Let You Know” with the line “We are the last truly British people you will ever know”, especially with his abhorrent & racist thoughts on UK immigration. Every time he shows his arse a bit, I’m reminded that this is who Morrissey is, for worse. It’s annoying. It’s most of the reason I can't go up any higher, in addition to the ambiguity of “The National Front Disco”, the ‘eh’ of “Certain People I Know” (which already sounds suspect as a song title), & the lack of an extra verse on “You're the One for Me, Fatty” (just an awkward name for a crush, really). However, I just can’t really find any other bigger flaws about this album other than loose disdain about Morrissey’s ego sticking out a few times. One ambiguous track & one average track plus a few loose personal nitpicks on some tracks just isn’t really gonna hurt it that much for me. I think it’s an enjoyable album to listen to, & and I think it caps off at a 4. It's got issues, but those are mostly issues I have with Morrissey's savior complex than with the actual music. Realistically, it might even be more of a 4.5 bumped down to a 4, if I'm being fair. I liked it. It’s got a place on the list. In closing out all of the Smiths albums & solo albums, I’ve come to the conclusion that I love to hate this guy. Yeah, he’s a dickhead. Yeah, he’s definitely racist. Fuck him for all of that, & fuck him for making good music that I mostly objectively enjoyed. I think that’s the Morrissey experience in a nutshell. I’m simultaneously sad & very glad I will never have to hear this guy’s voice again on this list. Fuck you, Morrissey. Thanks for the tracks, you pretentious dickhead.
Very UK. Nothing special
There is a lot of Morrissey/The Smiths on this list and I’ve somehow come across about half of it already in my first 150 or so albums. It’s fine early on. Every Smiths/Morrissey album just has his voice which can be boring/annoying at times. But some of the songs are good. I think The National Front Disco is the first song I’m quite enjoying on the album. Album gets better after the first few songs. It has a real strong stretch in the middle of the album. At one point, thought this would be a 2, but it kinda won me over. I’ll go 3. Think it’s at least as good/possibly better than some of The Smiths I’ve heard.
I love The Smiths so it’s absolutely beyond me that Morrissey has more albums from his solo career on his list than the band that made him famous! This is perfectly fine but it’s not the same without Marr and company I’m afraid
Better than expected
Better than the other 3 albums of his that ivevsuffered through. This was good enough to be not awful
on one hand I don't entirely hate the glam thing going on here. on the other hand every time morrissey tries to be funny *or* profound, I just think "god you're such a fucking asshole."
As ever, pretty whiny and forgettable
I really didn't think that I'd like a Morrissey album without Johnny Marr, but alas I do
I quit listening to Morrissey after Viva Hate. No reason. Tastes change. Wasn't a sad highschool kid anymore. I think maybe I bought "Kill Uncle" and thought it kinda sucked, I don't remember that album much at all. Now I find out the real reason I quit listening to Morrissey. Apparently he turned his lyrical gifts to the dreck on Your Arsenal and the music got really boring. This was not good. I listened more than once trying to engage with the lyrics thinking that would help, but it made it worse. 1.5/5, rounding down.
Horrible person , album was ok
I still don't really care for Morrissey. At least he's only dubiously racist instead of outright racist this time around.
I hate how he sounds and i hate him as a person
Morrissey goes grunge! Tepid and uninteresting...
3/5
deducting one star because he's a far-right fuck, good album nonetheless.
Love it
Somehow I missed out on Morrissey. He's OK.
Very middle of the road listening experience. I didn’t dislike any of it, but all of the songs failed to grab my attention. 3/5.
I liked the album. It definitely screamed classic rock and roll to me. I'll listen to this album again someday.
"Tonight on Late Night with David Letterman. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Guns N Roses and Your Arsenal" Know what I have in my arsenal? A bunch of jokes that make fun of Morrissey. But don't we all? He makes it so damn easy. Downstarred for the shitty shit he's spewed of late
если слушать остальные сольные, то ничего особенного в этом если понимать о чем поет, то тоже ничего такого да социальный контекст, но это все средний инструментал и песни с иронией и болью, такое 2.6
Really good with great vocals, pounding backing music and a uniqueness that is all Morrissey. I just wish he hadn’t become such a bitter, snidey old twat now.
Inte the Smiths-bra men väldigt bra. Kan lyssna igen. Synd att karljäveln är dum i huvudet. Bortsett från det då är det ett bra album, högt och lågt och inte för enformigt.
Meh
Didn't too much for me, but wasn't horrible either
I don’t get the appeal of Morrissey but to each their own
Morrissey sucks less than a lot of people say but there's a lot of him on the list. He's best with The Smiths. Moving on.
There is too much Morrissey on the list. So many albums that it becomes obvious to me that some don't need to be here. The mixing isn't great, his voice kind of gets lost in it at times. Nothing stands out for me on this one.
You know what? Not as bad as I thought it would be! There's a few whiny ones which keep the overall score down, but also enough rocky ones to keep me grooving. Morrissey Ur terrible but this wasn't terrible
That was unexpectedly good. Great guitar slinging on here -- and his voice isn't as gratingly whiny as I usually find it. Worth a listen.
Good.
And he sings he would never would for the Conservatives. Didn’t exclude Reform UK, scumbag Otherwise very mid Morrisey album before he became the weird racist
Rounding up
Unfortunately Morrisey is consistently great.
Out of the two Morrissey albums I have reviewed, and I can't remember what the other one was without looking, there is a vast difference. The first one I was bemoaning the fact that the guitars did not play a major part in the songs. Well, that has changed with this album. The guitar is present and upfront in a good way. I couldn't decide whether to give this album four or five stars but the last song convinced me, definitely five. These songs are better written and they rock out ten. times as much as the other album I reviewed
I think I rolled my eyes when this popped up randomly - but a couple minutes into the first song I surprised myself. I actually enjoyed the whole album - great mix of song types and paces. One of those albums it was nice to discover as part of this project - especially when I had little to no expectations
As much as Morrissey has gone a bit wrong, he did know how to write a cracking chune.
We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful You're the One for Me, Fatty Tomorrow
I didn’t find this interesting. It wasn’t objectionable either.
Rocks more than he usually does (not saying much).
Це мені має зайти!
Glam rock, rockabilly, Britpop.
Good lyrics and great vocals don't make up for lack of compelling songs.
It’s pleasant to listen to, I just don’t find anything that special about him. Likes: You’re Gonna Need Someone on your side; The National front disco
Jeg er endnu en gang glad for Morrissey, det fungere. Lyttede 3 gange fordi albummet er kort, og godt.
Noget af det har en lidt tungere og tykkere rocklyd end hvad jeg ellers kender fra Morrissey (og The Smiths), dog uden at blive larmende. Det klæ’r ham faktisk.
Not terrible 3/5
Morrissey consegue entregar uma performance memorável aqui. Os vocais tem uma energia única que acabam encantando. TRIxHBB Kai.
Album #162: Morrissey – Your Arsenal ⭐⭐⭐ Morrissey goes glam on this anthemic rock album, and it’s a sound that really, really suits him. Musically, this is a belter of an album. Morrissey sounds great throughout. His singing is unique as always and songs like You’re the One for Me, Fatty and We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful are brilliant. They’re catchy, funny, satirical, and biting, exactly what I want from him. The music itself has an awful lot of bite too. It’s definitely the heaviest album I’ve heard him make, though I haven’t hear them all. Now! I don’t want to turn this into some sort of political rant. But….. Morrissey’s one of those artists where I can be quite hypocritical about separating the art from the artist. I usually don’t do that, but I genuinely love his music to the point where I just try to ignore all his past views and comments. The problem is that I’m someone who’s fairly addicted to watching the news and getting stuck in that cycle of outrage. Despite being Irish, I watch a lot of British news and British political debates, and I’m just sickened by a lot of the right wing rhetoric that’s become so common. So when you have songs like The National Front Disco, pining for a lost England and a lost boy who’s lost his way, and then you’ve got Morrissey singing anthemically about things like “England for the English” or “we’re the last truly British people”, it’s very, very difficult not to hear those songs differently now. Maybe The National Front Disco was written as satire. I genuinely don’t know. The idea of The National Front having a disco is funny, so maybe! But with everything that’s happened since, it’s become almost impossible for me to give it the benefit of the doubt. Listening to those lyrics now, sung so earnestly, it’s very hard not to take them at face value. And that’s the real shame. This is what happens when you sour your own reputation. Fairly or unfairly, it starts to sour your previous work as well. Whatever the original intention behind those songs was, it’s much harder to separate them from the man who wrote them today. So from a purely musical perspective, I think this album is excellent. Shoutout to Mark Ronson’s excellent production on it. The last album he ever worked on, sadly! But I can’t give it any more than three stars because parts of it genuinely sickened me. I could be completely wrong about his intentions, but that’s how these songs land for me now, and I can’t really ignore that.
Better than I had expected as it's got a more obvious rock sound. Maybe thanks to Ronson's involvement but I still don't think it's up to much. In fact I don't understand why there as so many Morrissey solo albums in this list. Can't get my head around it. I hate Dylan but I get why he's on here so often. Morrissey I can't see why that is the case.
Sometimes he sounds very whiney to me and rather annoying, especially with the Smiths, but this one is somehow more upbeat, a little.
I liked it! I haven't listened to much Morrissey or the Smiths but I'm into this vibe
Starts well and then drifts into Morrissey drivel. But overall maybe his least annoying album yet? I'm getting soft in my old age.
Did like this. I found my last solo Morrissey joint in the list to be some pretty boring navel-gazey stuff but this was pretty great. Unfortunately I don't have much more to say about it - it's not exactly a particularly memorable album in any regard. Fav tracks: You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side, Glamorous Glue, Tomorrow
Listens: 2.5 Standout Tracks: Glamorous Glue, I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday I think I liked this better than Vauxhall And I and Viva Hate, but god some many of these songs are so depressing. They all sound like the musical equivalent of backhanded compliments and miserable songs masquerading as happy and cheerful songs. Songs about jealousy and deceit and insult. The album also sounded a lot more like the Smiths than the other two aforementioned albums. Edit: Oh, I forgot to add two things: 1. The country-style song, Certain People I Know sucks. 2. I know It's Gonna Happen Some Day samples David Bowie's Rock 'n' Roll Suicide on Ziggy Stardust. Neat. 3.5 rounded up.
Couldn’t get past the god awful lyrics
It's not The Smiths, but it's still a 5* for me. Yes, Johnny Marr's genius was important but I really think it was about the interplay between both. Johnny Marr is still making fine music but nothing like with The Smiths. In fact, I'd rate Your Arsenal better than Marr's solo work. This is quite a rocky album but the lyrics still have the quirky touch I love(d?) Morrissey for. Morrissey as a person seems to have changed a lot from the leftist Smiths frontman to the right-winger he is now. This album probably sits in the transition period - a song like The National Front Disco tackles an issue but can still be interpreted from either side of the spectrum (without foresight of Morrissey's later statements). I find it odd that he is a right-wing xenophobe now (as far as I can tell) but at the same time a strong animal rights advocate (kudos to him, even though his style doesn't help). It is rare that people are compassionate towards animals but not to other humans (the opposite is very common though). Anyway, judging the album musically and with my 1992 ears on, I still love it.
Didn’t want to like this and I still don’t really. After living in Manchester I kind of got sick of Mancunians noshing this man off every 5 minutes and never gave him the time of day. I can see why NQ / Hackney / Bristol people would like it though.
There’s something about solo Morrissey that I just hate. It’s kinda boring, his voice doesn’t have a lot of range. Also, as a person he sucks. 1⭐️
This is my third Morrissey album after "Viva Hate" and "You Are the Quarry", or the fifth if you count The Smiths' "Strangeways, Here We Come" and "The Queen Is Dead", and I do not understand why this should be in the book when there's already so much Morrissey and there's nothing remarkable about this album.
Not the quality of the Smiths by any stretch of the imagination.
The Smiths were fantastic, and paired with the amazing guitar work of Johnny Marr, they’re an absolute joy to listen to. This album, however, has neither of those things. Musically, it wasn’t unpleasant by any means, but lyrically I was concerned by lines such as “England for the English” and “We’re the last British people you will ever know,” especially when you remember that Morrissey is an abhorrent racist.
I know I'm supposed to hate Morrissey, but I liked this album.
My favourite was The National Front Disco. That was pretty groovy.
Honestly, I'm giving it 1 star for all the baggage that comes with listening to Morrissey. Some artists can't outrun what they've said/done/continue to be. Love the Smiths, but I'm a Marr guy. I feel like that needs to be said too. This album does sound better than I expected. Not one I'm coming back to, but I gave it a listen because of Mick Ronson producing.
I mean, I like the Smtihs, but I just can’t get into Morrissey by himself….
There’s a lot of tongue-in-cheek punk and rockabilly running through this one, and it gives the album more bite than I expected. Morrissey still sounds like Morrissey, but the music underneath him is louder, sharper, and a lot more aggressive than the Smiths ever were. “You’re Gonna Need Someone on Your Side” is a punk banger. Those minor-key surf rock riffs reminded me of the Dead Kennedys, especially once the song gets moving. “Seasick, Yet Still Docked” goes in the opposite direction and sounds more like a ballad from his Smiths days, which broke up the louder stuff nicely. The lyrics are sarcastic, dramatic, and ridiculous in the usual Morrissey way, but the guitars keep the album from getting too buried in his personality. This is a very strong four, possibly a light 5. Favorite song: "You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side"
This is the first Morrissey album I heard, and I loved the songs about outsiders. Now he hates those who are different. Quite sad
01) You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side - 8,5 02) Glamorous Glue - 8,0 03) We'll Let You Know - 7,5 04) The National Front Disco - 7,5 05) Certain People I Know - 8,0 06) We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful - 8,0 07) You're the One for Me, Fatty - 8,5 08) Seasick, Yet Still Docked - 8,0 09) I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday - 7,5 10) Tomorrow - 7,5 TOTAL: 7,90 (79/100) Current ranking: 302/986
Oh, fuck off, Morrissey! I'm tired of hearing your solo albums, as much as I kinda like them for the most part. Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that this is the last of the bunch! I never have to hear a Morrissey solo album ever again! The bad news is that this might be the worst one on the list. I'm gonna be honest. I didn't care for Your Arsenal. It's not bad, but I feel like this is the one that I vibed with the least out of the 4 that he has on the list. Then again, I haven't heard You Are the Quarry in a while since that was the first one I got, but this is definitely worse than Vauxhall and I, and especially worse than Viva hate. Why don't I like this one as much? Well, there are few reasons. This album's sound is a lot more aggressive than what Morrissey is typically known for, which there being louder guitars and such. I don't really think this style works super well with Morrissey's voice, which is admittedly as good as always. I don't know. They clash at times. I respect the willingness to experiment, but it didn't work amazingly for me. But what about the lyrics? Well, that's the other issue. I feel like this album is the hardest of the bunch to separate from the artist. Take a song like "National Front Disco" for instance. This song is about a British guy who drifts towards the far-right and finds himself at odds with his friends and family. So, like, that's just Morrissey, right? That's literally ended up happening to Morrissey! I can tell that the original song was meant to have this sense of tragedy to it, but I can't help but notice the irony of the song's existence knowing the kinds of nonsense Morrissey has found himself supporting. I don't know. The whole "separating art from artist" conversation has been done to death. I don't even need to tell you that Morrissey's an asshole at this point. Back to the album, I feel like Your Arsenal is also missing the real highlight tracks. All of the other albums of his on the list had at least one clear banger on it. Songs like "Suedehead," "First of the Gang to Die," and "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get" were clear highlights of their respective albums. Your Arsenal doesn't really have anything on the level of those songs. It's all just fine. Again, I want to stress that this is not a bad album. It has good elements to it. I just think that this is the least impressive Morrissey album that I've heard. It's not bad. It's just kind of okay. Light 3/5.
It’s missing the whole formation of the Smiths, but Morrissey still proves his own talents as a solo artist and makes his mark known.
There's nothing revolutionary here, but it's pretty solid throughout. Racists make good music, what can I say.
Heard it before. I like some of Moz's songs but I think I never really got into his full albums. I liked him as a member of The Smiths and you can tell he desperately tried to capture the same vibe on his solo music but lowkey failed. And the lyrics got weirder 2/5
fav songs: none 10/100
Morrissey = ass
- I don’t separate the artist from the art. I used to really like the Smiths and Morrissey when I didn’t know what Morrissey was like, but I can't support them any longer. - That said, looks like I hadn't listened to any Morrissey albums (other than best of's). - This album starts out well - a lot of energy in the strings and drums. - Morrissey's voice sounds great and some nice jangly guitar riffs. - None of the big hits are on here, and the songs all kind of blend together, especially towards the end. Enjoyable enough, but not that memorable. - 3.5 rounded down.
Morrissey works better on The Smiths but is a decent album nevertheless
You know, as much as Morrissey has too many extries on this list and is a bit of a controversial man, his music often does not disappoint. 3.8* for me.
Classic Morrissey. Good stuff.
Day 344 Not Morrisseys strongest imo, but plenty to enjoy Highlights You’re the one for me fatty I know it’s gonna happen Tomorrow
Alt
Classic morrissey
I liked it.
I like Morrissey. This album makes me like him even more. I'm really enjoying this. I'll be putting this in my library immediately. That said, NOBODY SHOULD BE ON THIS LIST MORE THAN TWICE. And two albums should be a really rare exception. Also, I really don't like commenting on the comments of other reviewers, but who gives a shit if you like this guy personally? We're listening to music, not reviewing the moral character of artists. Shut the fuck up and listen to music. Nobody is ever pure enough for you all. "I heard George Harrison pulled the legs off a grasshopper once. Totally unlistenable."
This was better than I expected. I did not expect much, however. There are some technically good things in here. And I can appreciate why some may like it. I just don’t fw it. I find it decidedly “meh.”
Let me preface this by saying I've truly enjoyed doing this project. It's been a blast running through these records. And I truly believe that some of the bad records have given me a greater appreciation for the good. With that out of the way... What the f*** was this? How did this album make it on here? There are FOUR Morrisey records on this list. And that's the case when the authors of this list thought it acceptable to leave out Houses of The Holy, The Blue Album, Magical Mystery Tour, The Money Store, and Graduation. Truth be told, without the backing of The Smiths, I find Morrisey's voice exhausting. I stopped and started this record four times. I still have two minutes of I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday and all of Tomorrow as I'm writing this. I just can't do it. This album sucks. 0/10
Morrissey really rode that wave of goodwill generated by The Smiths into some fairly forgettable territory. you get the hallmarks of Morrissey as a performer (heart on sleeve, repeating lyrics he feels especially proud of) without the immediacy of strong songs and boundary-pushing band to back him up. there isn't a single song on here that made me think "oh yeah there they go"
Just to get it out of the way, I liked “Certain People I Know,” “We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful,” “We’ll Let You Know,”and “You’re the One for Me, Fatty.” Pretty much, when this album is upbeat, it works. Despite being a Smiths fan since Mitchell got me ‘The Queen is Dead’ maybe my freshman year of high school, I never sought out Morrissey’s solo work. Listening to this made me go on a day’s detour back through some of the Smiths’ stuff. Morrissey-with-the-Smiths has got to be one of the best/funniest lyricists ever. He’s part of a tradition that I’ll talk more about when we get to The Modern Lovers where the line between sincerity and irony and self-awareness gets blown to pieces. Unfortunately, there’s little lyrical fun on ‘Your Arsenal.’ Where his work a decade earlier dealt in character- and story-driven songs, here they are much more vague: “With the world's fate resting on your shoulders You're gonna need someone on your side You can't do it by yourself any longer You're gonna need someone on your side” It might as well be “Wonderwall.” The parts I liked were more about the jauntiness than any distinct Morrissey-ness. I was gonna give it a 3, but the look through the lyrics of even the songs I liked made me kinda mad at how lazy Morrissey had become.
The best solo Morrissey we’ve gotten. I don’t know if I truly like it, but I acknowledge it’s a decent album with a better variety of tones and instrumentation than his others, and better vocals to boot.
Count me in the crowd that finds Morrissey pretty obnoxious. On paper The Smiths should be one of my favorite bands ever, but as much as I love Johnny Marr’s guitar work I’m always annoyed by Morrissey (with some exceptions). This list is way over weighted with Morrissey, but this album was alright. He’s better when he’s pissed off than when he’s whiney, and he sounds pissed here. Still not one I find myself wanting to revisit.
Morrisey's an old mate. I don't know this stuff as I know the Smiths, but its comfortable listening.
Surprised by how much this rips!!
didnt know he was the smith sing appretate it but not playlist worthy
Сладкий сироп, как часто у Морисси, но и с тяжесть, с панком, сёрфом.
Mwoah
This might actually be the ideal production style for Morrissey's solo career? The songs all basically have tunes and chord progressions stolen from his earlier music, but the tougher guitar works. I think he's starting to phone it in on lyrics though - lots of just repeated phrases. Unfortunately my favorite song by far is The National Front Disco which must have been so fun and tongue and cheek before Morrissey turned skinhead.
Great! Had me revisiting Smiths albums.
no le preste tanta atencion pero es morrisey enfin
p682. 1992. 3 stars. Whinging Manc relives the heyday of 70s glam rock. Some decent songs on this, along with sharp lyrics, but let down by Morrisey's drone of a voice. And it's difficult to like anything produced by a miserable, vindictive racist.
This is actually excellent, the best of his albums I've had for sure. Musically it's really good, and I really love how moody it is. Bonus point for him being way less warbly on this as well. 4.5 rounded down.
I enjoyed my time with this album, although too much time with a voice as distinctive as Morrissey and it starts to feel a bit repetitive for some reason. perhaps the smiths could have benefited from multiple vocalists
absolute tripe. 1/5.
Fuck Morrissey. I love the Smiths but his solo stuff just makes me want to hit him
Both of what everyone else's reviews are saying
Quite possibly the most British album I’ve ever heard.
👍🏼
bez Marra to ten głos nie siada tak dobrze
No, thanks. I don't enjoy music made my xenophobic pieces of trash.
I'm really fucking annoyed. I actually liked this album, quite a lot! I'm not all turned around on the racist whinny whinger, but must admit this is a great listen. Loved the sounds in 'We'll let you know', perhaps not the sentiment.
I always thought I liked The Smiths as a whole package, but maybe I just like Jonny Marr? This album falls flat. I don't feel like crying in a corner like I usually do after listening to The Smiths. (not sure if that's good or bad?)
Surprising, given what I've heard from Morrissey so far.
The smiths leading vocalist will always have the quality of voice needed to carry a record in the vocal department and the production is of high quality but I'm not sure what the story is behind this solo release but it feels like a album meant to create an individual persona and sound separate from the smiths and in such it takes the hardest left from his usual sound to make sure of that, it's not bae just feels like a statement piece as opposed to a project that was absolutely toiled over. Glamorous Glue is my favorite here tho
Fuck Morrissey.
First listen
I thought he sounded familiar, I had one of his albums earlier. This one is slightly better, but still not very good. I didn't hate it like the last one.
The vocals got annoying after a while, but musically it wasn't too bad.
You Are the Quarry vibed with me much better. This is a weak 3.
This could be cool if Morrissey wasn't such a douche. 4/10
no me da mas...
The beginning of the silliness really. Lack of self editing or tunes means that his whiny voice becomes tiresome. You're the one for me fatty is the only decent song on the album and even that is a bit wearing on the 2nd listen
There’s something about solo Morrissey that I just hate. It’s kinda boring, his voice doesn’t have a lot of range. Also, as a person he sucks.
5/10
не захотелось слушать
Nope. Zero stars for the racist.
I don’t know why I never really got into Morrissey. Sometimes you overlook music because life has other plans. The album sounds like a mix of rockabilly and glam rock. Interesting, but nothing more than that for me right now.
I'm as disappointed as I am surprised.
Pa čak mi je i okej ovaj album, začudo! Prva stvar i Certain people I know su mi dobre skroz. Solidna trojčica! 3/5, 6/10
My first introduction to this artist, can't say I found anything to like or dislike. Fairly *okay* soft rock sound, decent voice.
I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I enjoyed many of the tracks.
Not the best Morrissey but still good.
I love all of the Smiths and Morrissey. This is a great album in particular “You’re Gonna Need Someone on Your Side” and “Glamours Glue” probably the rockiest songs with distorted guitar and slide distortion. Really grant. Also love “You’re The One For Me Fatty”
Very mid Morrissey, I have to say. Mick Ronson does what he can around the edges, but it seems very random, like he's working on a different album. Moz's songwriting should be the focus, but maybe no? Why is We'll Let You Know? (I think I maybe detected a racial theme amongst all that.) But yes, Glamorous Glue and We Hate It When are good. The rest, I dunno. 3/5 for the talent and the attempt, I guess, though I'm tempted to dock a star for the incipient fascism.
obligatory he's a twat but this was pretty good
Why is it that I like the music, tolerate the lyrics, and dislike the man? Always makes me feel conflicted listening to Morrissey.
The album was enjoyable, but I think I prefer the Smiths to the solo career for Morrissey.
In my opinion this is Morrissey's best solo album. The songs are well written, and there is a wide range of styles. I particularly like the Surf Rock stylings of the opener "You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side" and the far-right(?) courting "The National Front Disco". But the real star is the bittersweet "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" (by the way, these titles are great, as per usual with Morrissey). David Bowie even covered a song from this album. Such a seal of approval has to mean something, right? Key tracks: You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side Glamorous Glue The National Front Disco We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful You're the One for Me, Fatty
8/10 - This album rocks. Sucks that hes a shitty person tho Fav Tracks: We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful Heard before? ---–- ❌ Saved a Song? ----- ✅ Saved Album? --–-- ✅ Will Listen Again? -- ✅ Album Cover -------meh
I wish I didn’t hate Morrissey because this is a good album.
I liked this
It seems heavier than the other albums by Morrissey and The Smiths, with more guitar driven songs. Great album! Honestly one of Morrissey's best!
I know Morrissey the person kinda sucks but I thought this album was fine.
keep it in your pants moz
I enjoyed it.
Bueno
Bringing back strong teenage memories. Nowhere near as good as some The Smiths albums, but still signature Morrissey, disturbing (with a song titled You're the One for Me, Fatty), poetic, and whiny. Thoroughly enjoyed.
I went into this ready to hate it as I strongly detest the way Morrissey sings but I was pleasantly surprised! He seemed less 'Morrisseyish' and the instrumental was great, especially the bass. But then the wobbly vocalising started again which dropped a star for me. And then, despite not really listening to lyrics, my ears did catch 'the last truly British people you know'. Lovely. Oh and 'England for the English'. Also lovely. Makes it hard to enjoy music when it's overlaid by a warbling Jingoist. Everyone has a right to have their views. Everyone has a right to sing about those views. I have the right to not listen to it.
Morrissey is definitely missing something without Marr & Co - pretty dry, how did the fatty song make it past the drafts
Only Morrissey gets away with writing a great love song called "you're the one for me, fatty." Except Freddie Mercury and Prince.
While growing up, I think I missed really being into Morrissey and bands like The Cure by about three years.
I remember listening to this when I was young and we always made fun of Morrissey for being a whiny cry baby even though we still liked the music and listened to it. I feel like that is still an accurate critique of his music. Good but whiney. I'm sure I will continue to listen to it again and get depressed by his emotional outpouring.
71/100. Morrissey is one of those artists who tends to divide listeners. His voice, lyrical style and personality can be a complete dealbreaker for some people. I fall more on the side that enjoys his vocals. There is something distinctive about the way he delivers a line that makes even his weaker material enjoyable to listen to. And yes, a lot of the album is miserable. That's hardly a surprise with Morrissey. The writing can occasionally lean a little too heavily into self-pity or melodrama, but I still find myself enjoying the record despite those tendencies. Your Arsenal is an interesting blend of glam rock, rockabilly, early rock & roll and British guitar pop. It revolves around a perspective that appears throughout much of his career, the outsider looking in. Morrissey often writes from the position of someone who feels excluded from fashionable circles, while simultaneously questioning whether those circles are worth joining in the first place. He spends the entire record complaining about a party he was never invited to anyway. Fortunately for us, his misery loves excellent guitar hooks.
Petacular
Overall, I like Morrissey's work as an artist, but this album was not that exciting to me. It was listenable, but not really what I would listen to if I was looking for some Smiths or Morrissey.
I started this project to finally get around to listening to some of the classics that have been on my “I must listen to that” list for years. But also to broaden my musical horizons, and discover bands (and genres) I never even knew existed. And I have. After 275 days, 25% through this behemoth of an undertaking, I've learned a lot. I've realised that I'm a much bigger fan of Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno and Black Sabbath than I thought I was. I discovered the brilliant weirdness of Joanna Newsom, the MinuteMen, and Wire. I found out that Sly and the Family Stone and Isaac Hayes were making very different music than I expected them to, far exceeding my expectations. I developed a new appreciation and understanding of jazz. Hell, I even realised that I didn't hate Marilyn Manson as much as I thought I did. What I didn't anticipate is how much of a fan of Morrissey that Robert Dimery was. This is my fourth Morrissey album, including a Smiths record. I've gone into this with an open mind, trying to put aside any preconceived thoughts I've had about any of these artists. But it's frankly exhausting being objective about Morrissey. Instead I usually focus on the creative forces that he surrounds himself with. With The Smiths, that was of course the amazing Johnny Marr. And here it's Ziggy-era Bowie guitar virtuoso Mick Ronson, acting as producer. You can hear that influence right away. When I put this on today, my fiancée immediately said “that doesn't sound like Morrissey!” And she's right. It's like he took Ronson on to help him cosplay as a glam rocker. “Glamorous Glue” is Ronson lifting his own riffs and tempo from Jean Genie. “Certain People I Know” blatantly steals Marc Bolan’s EXACT guitar melody from “Ride A White Swan”. And “I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday” is pretty much just “Life on Mars” mixed with “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide”. And, to be completely fair, those songs are actually enjoyable. But, I mean, that's because I like Bowie and T. Rex, not because I like Morrissey. Morrissey continues his nasally posh warbles, sounding to me like the same insufferable vocal melody for every single song. And insufferable is the word I keep using in these reviews. I mean, just look at the cover of the album. Morrissey flouncing about with an open shirt, showing off. Puke. So, a quarter of the way through this project, and I'm hoping the algorithm is just getting all of the Morrissey out of the way early.
I used to regard Morrissey quite highly. Maybe unwarranted so. But this list has completely taken all of that away by deciding to include almost every single album of him in absurdum. He's become a meme like Elvis Costello. I can understand including every Beatles or Led Zeppelin album which are actually good, but Morrissey? Come on. With that out of the way, I want to say that this might be the worst album of Morrissey we've had on the list. His dragging voice has become too much to endure by now, the melodies are dull, and the lyrics are ever as brooding. Definitely more rocky than his other records, which doesn't really fit him in my opinion. He should stick with his moody pop ballads.
Oh man, I've lost count of how many Morrissey albums have shown up on this list. At this point, I feel like the guy in Green Eggs and Ham. Sam-I-Am keeps insisting that if I just give it one more try, I'll finally love it. After this many Morrissey albums, I can confidently say: I do not like Morrissey here or there. I do not like Morrissey anywhere.
it's not exactly my thing, but i can see the appeal. as an aside, what a cover!
🗑️
I wish I didn't know how much Morrissey sucks as a person. Because I do enjoy his music.
2.0 I know he is well-liked and maybe I am just not in the mood this morning, but not doing it for me. Some songs I almost like
Better than anticipated. I do get creepy/crawly vibes from Steven, but ultimately the songs are well-crafted, witty if not a bit conceited, and the music is catchy. I'll be honest, this was better than expected. 4 "begrudging the necessary respect" stars.
I thought I had this album, but turns out I don't. First few tracks are lacking something, the music is just uninteresting. There are a couple of standouts, but I have heard some live versions of these songs that sounds much better. Mid-Morissey, Vauxhall & I better be on the list! 3 Heard before? Some Owned: No. 82/323 (25%) Will I get: No
I think the author of this book might have been a scene kid when he was younger because there is a disproportionate amount of post-punk music in this list
3 - decent
#971. How is there like eleventy three Morrissey/The Smiths albums on here, but none of them have How Soon is Now? on them, which is the only good song he had anything do with? 3/5: I managed to get through the whole thing.
Oh cool, more Morrissey! Glad he's represented on this list! I hope there's a Smiths record, too!
Rate it
Just ok and a lot of the lyrics sound like novelty songs. Fatty and the successful friends one. Surely this is nowhere near the 1001 albums you should hear before you die. He is grating after about 30 minutes when the guitars aren’t jangly fun. Didn’t finish
moz's best imo
Kind of annoying at times but not terrible.
Solid Britrock
So far, I think Morrissey's solo career was better than his atrocious career with The Smiths. This album is more than his normal dreary wrath, and has some slick instrumental play, and fun moments. I just can't justify giving Morrissey a higher rating than this though. Favorite Track: "We'll Let You Know".
Fuck Morrissey
I don’t think there is a more controversial character on this list from a pure quality of music standpoint (looking at you Eric Clapton). I’ve ad all the smiths albums at this point and a handful of Morrissey albums too and I have to say I’m pretty conflicted myself. I love the smiths, I fucking hate Morrissey. I think though, this album is the one to be used by Morrissey defenders in the comments to say, look he’s not that bad. And to be fair, this album isn’t that bad. It’s a lot more like the Smiths than the rest of his solo work. But I’m here to tell you, he is that bad. Fuck Morrissey, I absolutely hate that I like this album. This is a very begrudging 4. One more fuck Morrissey for good measure.
I am a huge Smiths fan, but once they disbanded, I never took up the Morrissey following, just moved on to other sounds. This is the first of his four (!) albums on this list that I've listened to, and I enjoyed it. Favorite song was You’re Going to Need Someone on Your Side.
Parts of this are more upbeat than all the Morrissey cliches would lead one to believe.
maybe it's just because i suffered through Nico's vocals yesterday but I am really enjoying this (against my better judgement? i don't like Morrissey as a person but he can, mercifully, sing)
Óþolandi gaur en góður tónlistarmaður og textahöfundur. Sóló stöffið samt ekki næstum jafn gott og Smiths.
He's not as whiny and annoying as usual, and the music has moved towards a rockier sound.
Yes, yes, very nice Morrissey, irritatingly. Not actually his best, in my opinion - just lacking any really juicy bangers. All his other albums have at least one stone-cold stonker that you can sing for hours after. While this one is pretty consistent and an enjoyable listen, it doesn't really deliver on that front.
Appreciate the use of “found sounds” in this album - good example of musique concrete being used in a pop album. Favourite song is You’re the One For Me Fatty - mostly just really like the way Morissey sings “fatty”. Fantastic bass playing by Gary Day. Found “Certain People I Know” to be a bit cheesy but then again I like how Morrissey departed from his usual glam stylings here.
Still don't care for Morrissey personally, but I don't think that really factors in to this being a 3 for me.
It was pretty alright.
did not love this one. morrissey being winey w basic rock
**An ok album
Eh
Here is an in-depth review of Morrissey’s *Your Arsenal* (1992), often considered his strongest solo album and a pivotal bridge between his indie past and his more robust, rockabilly-infused future. --- ## Overview Released at a time when Morrissey’s commercial standing was waning after the uneven *Kill Uncle* (1991), *Your Arsenal* was a decisive comeback. Produced by Mick Ronson (David Bowie’s legendary Spiders from Mars guitarist), the album sharpened Morrissey’s sound into something muscular, theatrical, and deeply rooted in 1970s glam and rockabilly. It reached No. 4 in the UK and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. --- ## Lyrics **Strengths:** The lyrics are among Morrissey’s most confrontational, witty, and emotionally direct. He abandons the sometimes precious wordplay of *Kill Uncle* for a terse, gnomic style. Key themes include: - **National identity and xenophobia:** “The National Front Disco” is a masterstroke of ambiguity—sympathizing with a lost soul drawn to far-right politics without endorsing the ideology. “Glamorous Glue” skewers a Britain obsessed with fame while “coiled and ready to snap.” - **Loneliness and defiance:** “We’ll Let You Know” offers solidarity with outsiders (“We’ll let you know / When we see you”), while “Tomorrow” finds him flatly refusing optimism: “I’m not right / And I know it.” - **Hollywood and decay:** “Seasick, Yet Still Docked” is a stunning ballad of romantic rejection, comparing himself to a “still-docked” ship—restless but immobilized. **Weaknesses:** A few lyrics lean into repetitive sloganeering. “Certain People I Know” has energy but its list of roguish acts (“I steal, I borrow, I do not say no”) feels slight next to the album’s heavier moments. Also, the infamous “Asian riff” in the live favorite “You’re the One for Me, Fatty” (while defended by Morrissey as affectionate pastiche) remains awkwardly dated in its use of stereotype. --- ## Music & Production (Mick Ronson’s signature) **Pros:** Ronson’s influence is transformative. He replaces the jangly, hesitant arrangements of the past with a roaring, glam-stomp sound: - **Guitars:** Thick, trebly, and swaggering—recalling The New York Dolls and T. Rex. Boz Boorer and Alain Whyte lock into a rockabilly-derived attack. - **Rhythm section:** Gary Day’s upright bass and Spencer Cobrin’s drums snap like a greaser’s fingers on “You’re the One for Me, Fatty” and stomp militaristically on “We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful.” - **Arrangements:** Ronson knew how to build drama. “Seasick, Yet Still Docked” swells from sparse piano to cinematic strings. “The National Front Disco” uses a marching beat and glam arpeggios to underline its uneasy tension. **Cons:** The production is *very* dry and mid-focused by early-90s standards—no reverb-drenched alternative rock here. Some find the sound boxy or lacking low-end punch compared to, say, *Viva Hate*. Also, the sequencing front-loads the rockers; the second half (from “Certain People I Know” onward) sags slightly before the closing one-two of “Seasick” and the hidden spoken-word piece. --- ## Themes *Your Arsenal* is unified by a sense of **besieged masculinity**—but not toxic masculinity. Instead, it’s about being an aging, awkward, working-class-coded man in a world that demands conformity. Recurring motifs: - **The glamour of failure:** He romanticizes the “tough guy” outsider, from Teddy Boys to disgraced pop stars. - **Anti-optimism:** “Tomorrow” rejects self-help clichés. “We’ll Let You Know” warns that happiness is a trap. - **England as a collapsing dream:** “Glamorous Glue” and “National Front Disco” depict a country of racial tension, boredom, and broken promises. The album’s title ironically doubles as both a weapon (the “arsenal” of wit and sound) and a vulnerability (having one’s arsenal—one’s defenses—exposed). --- ## Influence - **Britpop blueprint:** Bands like Pulp, Blur, and Suede cited *Your Arsenal* for its blend of English social commentary and glam rock swagger. Damon Albarn has called it Morrissey’s “most complete” album. - **The rockabilly revival:** Alongside The Stray Cats, Morrissey reintroduced rockabilly to alternative rock—later heard in bands like The White Stripes (Jack White admired the album’s rawness). - **Mick Ronson’s legacy:** This became Ronson’s final major production (he died in 1993). His template—big guitars, clear vocals, theatrical dynamics—influenced producers like Steve Lillywhite and John Leckie. --- ## Pros & Cons Summary | Pros | Cons | |------|------| | Morrissey’s sharpest, most focused lyrics of the 1990s | Occasional lyrical missteps (“Certain People I Know” feels thin) | | Mick Ronson’s muscular, glam-influenced production | Dated, dry mix that lacks low-end depth | | Memorable, anthemic songs (“Glamorous Glue,” “Tomorrow”) | Second-half pacing dips (tracks 6–8 less essential) | | Uncomfortable themes handled with nuance (“The National Front Disco”) | Ambiguity around “Asian riff” and “Fatty” causes modern listeners to wince | | Tight band performances (Boorer/Whyte’s guitar interplay is exceptional) | No major stylistic leaps—it perfects existing sounds rather than innovating | --- ## Verdict **Rating: 9/10** *Your Arsenal* is Morrissey’s *Transformer*—a solo artist finding his definitive voice through a legendary producer. It’s angry, funny, sorrowful, and irresistibly swaggering. While not as wildly adventurous as *Vauxhall and I* (1994) or as iconic as *The Queen Is Dead* (with The Smiths), it stands as his most cohesive statement as a solo act. The cons are minor: a few weaker songs and production that sacrifices warmth for grit. For fans of glam, post-punk, or dark wit, it’s essential. For newcomers, it’s the ideal starting point after the Smiths’ catalog.
Thought this was decent. Never gonna be a patch on the smiths but enjoyable enough. Bonus mark for arsenal
Although better than other Morrissey I have heard, definitely still not my favorite. I have another album a 3 when I wanted to give it a 2.5 so this one gets a 2 to split the difference.
More rock oriented than I was expecting which was nice, but I didn’t hear a lot of really memorable songs.
5/27/26. Morrissey always surprises me with the depth of his arrangements, songwriting, and production. This could easily be a so-so record, but what elevates it for me is the exploration of different time signatures and slight style variation while keeping its rock base.
PEAKKK
Lots of typical Morrisey going on here but with some heavier rock elements that maybe don't suit him as well as the Smiths' sound, but he's always compelling.
I enjoyed it! the slower songs on here were sooo beautiful to me, and the rest just sounded like the Smiths but slightly less compelling to me. Like a little watered down emotionally to me? They didn’t have the same drama or intrigue or “I feel like I’m in a movie”-ness that other Smiths songs have to me. But I still liked it. Fav tracks: We’ll Let You Know; Seasick, yet Still Docked
Despite Mirrissey's strange, eccentric, and perhaps even very unsettling views, I'm hooked on his voice and his music. I really enjoyed this album as well. 4/5
wow what a whiny boy poor me poor me album! i know some people to recommend this to...lyrics kinda sucked but the music was nice. favourite song: we'll let you know
Julie liked it.
There shouldn't be any Morrissey after Bona Drag
Morrissey without the rest of The Smiths is like a virgin mojito. Sure, it tastes good and it lessens your thirst on a sunny day; but you don’t get a buzz. My analogies suck.
Flat & whiny.
-1 for the racism
The songs on "Arsenal" are far less dismal and dreary than what I've heard from Morrissey before, either with The Smiths or as a solo act. In fact, some of these songs sound almost optimistic and mainstream -- maybe a little too mainstream.
All the Morrissey pulls are gas so far. The opening song here absolutely slaps. I wanna get in my car at midnight and cruise man. This feels so much grittier, punchier and sleazier than the soft and sleepy stuff before this. I haven’t gone into his entire discog yet, but I wonder if this was a turning point. That opener just feels like a statement. So as it turns out, Bowies guitarist from the Ziggy stardust era produced this album. What a fucking awesome pull. I love this record. I can’t believe I never heard it after my binge on “you are the quarry” LOVE that album still btw. I just think this one is just infinitely better writing wise, production wise, and pacing wise.
Morrissey is trying here he is searching for a style that fits him best. Some of it works and once you get into the groove of his heavy guitar and sad voice you stay to live in it. That’s the thing though anytime it’s not heavy guitar it’s droney and sometimes annoying. The highs are really high here though “well let you know” is my favorite morrissey song and it is incredible. So chaotic and well mixed it feels like a full destruction of the mind and the true sadness of living in a city and not fitting in and people making you become someone you aren’t morrisey is crying for help. He can’t be with The Smiths he can’t find his own sound and he just weeps and looks for a way. A truly human cry for help that helped me through a lot of hard moments and revisiting it now in a different stage I can’t help but feel bad for morrisey. This man is trapped in his own creation and he is trying to find his own way out yet you can’t stick to anything. I mean this album literally starts with surf rock out of nowhere and it’s cool but it’s clear he is just trying things and it all doesn’t work. I don’t hate this I just feel it’s more Brit pop.
I liked the vibe. Melancholic and catchy, soothing. However, not very stand out album for me
Starts so rocking, i instantly felt i will love this more than The Smiths. Solid album.
Some great songs, some nice ones. 3.5
His lyrics are fantastic...his autobiography a hoot...the Smiths were great....and his role as a curmudgeon spot on. Solo stuff....well, its not the Smiths is it. And therein lies the priblem.
Was like The Smiths without Johnny Marr. Mid but do appreciate the uniqueness of Morrisey's voice and I enjoyed it. Shoutout out to You're The One For Me Fatty
I love The Smiths so it’s absolutely beyond me that Morrissey has more albums from his solo career on his list than the band that made him famous! This is perfectly fine but it’s not the same without Marr and company I’m afraid
# Album Name: Your Arsenal # Artist: Morrissey # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: Probably the best morrissey album ive heard on here. Some genuine good tunes. Doesnt really deviate from the style you expect from him though. It is what it is. # Top Tunes: someone on your side / Glam Glue / People i know / hate it when friends become successful / gona happen someday / tomorrow # Would I listen to it again? yes
Well deserved PSG. Dislike the team and its supporters. Given my dislike of mozza I quite enjoyed this. A few catchy tunes and clever lyrics but all very recognizably Morrissey/Smiths ish. Esp Your the One for me Fatty.
Your Arsenal I enjoyed this, much more than the other two Morissey solo albums on the list. Musically I’ve not been a fan of those, but this felt much more interesting and fun, there’s a kind of glammed up rockabilly twang to it, especially on the first two tracks, and it has an energy and punchiness that I felt You are the Quarry and Vauxhall & I were missing. He’s obviously still pissy and moany, but lyrically it feels far less self pitying and solipsistic, bringing some of the humour and observationalism of The Smiths, giving the songs a more welcome lighter touch. I don’t quite think it makes a 4, it obviously isn't on a par with The Smiths, but it’s better than the 2 stars I gave the other two solo albums, so by process of elimination it's a 3. 🍑🍑🍑 Playlist submission: You’re Gonna Need Someone on Your Side
Morrissey is probably overrepresented on the list, but relistening to his albums there’s nay a dud amongst them. While 'You Are the Quarry' is, in my opinion, his masterpiece, with Viva Hate close behind, I had forgotten how strong this album is. There’s a big glam-rock thread, largely thanks to Mick Ronson: the T. Rex shuffle of 'Certain People I Know', the 'Jean Genie'-like hook in 'Glamorous Glue', and the doo-wop Bowie melancholy of 'I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday' (which nicks the riff of 'Five Years' and was later covered by Bowie himself). And yes, the question of lyrical intent hangs over the likes of 'The National Front Disco'. Morrissey has a consistent questioning of English identity (Kinks did the same); but his shenanigans in subsequent years, hasn't helped the perception that this is insidious. Anyway brush all that under the carpet, and it's a great album.
Album is really well produced and sounds really good. Arsenal would be at the top of several lists if it came out 5 years before it did
It’s alright, by no means Morrissey’s best work. Lots of Bowie-esque, Lou reedish music behind Moz’s usual lyricism. Some of it good, some of it mid. It’s just funny having fatty in a song title. 3.0/5.0 Best Song: hmmm
A pleasant enough listen, their is a sound to a lot of the Morrisey stuff i don't like so much. Can't put my finger on it all the time though. Feels a bit overproduced this album? It's a bit clean soundng? Couple of good songs on it though Best Track: We Hate it When Our Friends Become Successful
Expected some kind of r&b album. Not quite as good as The Smiths, but solid.
I thought I didn't like Morrissey. It turns out I was wrong.
I can see why people like this
MY BABY BOY MOZ 🥺
I do t know if what I expected but I didn’t expect the first track to open like this. I’m digging the first track so far. On track two. I dig this so far. I think I was just expecting depressing dark melancholy type stuff. This is heavy and has a groove. On track three. I’m shocked how much I like this. Ok does Morissey have a fascination with Elvis? Track 5 “Certain People I Know”. This is a great track with a throw back rockabilly feel. Some albums drag on forever. This one makes time pass quickly. That’s a great album. On track seven and I love it. Every track is great. I’m nearing the end of the album and disappointed by it.
Thanks to this project, this was the first morrissey album I've ever (consciously) listened to...not bad at all. Although i liked the music even more than the vocals and lyrics
cover gave me such an ick I couldnt even focus on the music men shouldnt leave bands cause everytime it started sounding a bit more like The Smiths it got better
Lo mismo que dije con You are the quarry aplica aquí tal cual, auqneu es verdad que aquí el sonido es algo más heavy, grungy... Odio al pavo, pero hace la música que me gusta
Horrible racist moaning, a useful reminder of how pathetic being small minded can be 🤮
Very tasteful for a punk rock album. I really enjoyed sea sick yet still docked.
Morrissey is so much more palatable when he isn't so bitter towards his fans. This is as close as introspective and thoughtful as you'll ever get with ex-Smith's front man, and it is probably the best album since splitting.
Three stars
It was a choice between lying and giving this album a 1 star or being honest and not listening to it. I can’t write any comments by not listening to it though so it’s getting a single star so I can say that I’ll never listen to this racist little shit.
I forget how good his voice is, even when the songs are not the strongest. I think I stopped buying his records just before this album. I don't think this is as good as his earliest solo stuff and that wasn't as good as The Smiths so it gets a 3.
I didn't really enjoy the album but can't quite put my finger on why.
I liked this enough. You can really hear a lot of different bands in here from stroke 9 to the national and everything in between.
I know of this artist haven't listened to much of Morrisey's catalogue but I do know of the Smiths. Pretty cool sounding album so far. Very rocking, not expected fro Morissey
Take the smiths but make it more rock, overall good background music however not something I would be amazed by
Miserable moaning vaguely racist.
I hate!
album #46 what fresh hell am i living in that morrissey is on this list. fuck you. (in all seriousness, this album is dull as dishwater. the instrumentals are repetitive and his voice combined makes the experience disgustingly jarring. Morrissey is making a desperate attempt to distance himself from the smiths, and appear cool and/or relevant. he fails magnificently on all fronts.) ꩜ average track rating: 0.9/5 ꩜ favourite track(s): none lol. shove ya pretentious drivel up yer arse. ꩜ least favourite track(s): we'll let you know, you're the one for me fatty ꩜ album rating: ⯪☆☆☆☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 1,043 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 27 ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 10 ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 36
8/10
It's beige background music, you can put it on and forget its playing. Not awful, just uninspiring
Ewww
The fourth time I've encountered Morrissey on this list. I remain unconvinced that he deserves this much coverage, though admittedly Your Arsenal does outperform all his other records so far. You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side is a passable opener, but the album doesn't properly pick up the pace until the swung rock number Glamorous Glue. (Yeah. This guy has a penchant for songs with stupid or unwieldy titles.) A convincing melody and harsh, cutthroat guitar tone go a long way, as it turns out. Excellent ending, too. Great song finales can be hard to come by with Britpop-esque musicians, particularly in the radio era. With the Latin-influenced beat (rumba?) of We'll Let You Know, Morrissey cements his versatility, continuing to demonstrate a pretty clear departure from the Smiths' sound even as the production style and vocal delivery remain the same. Another strange song title with The National Front Disco accompanies a gnarly guitar part and quick, dynamic bassline. This is shaping up to be a pretty strong side 1. And Certain People finishes it with a bright, poppy bang. The chords are very simple here, and that two-note high guitar part can get a little stale, but overall the song is fun as heck. We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful / You're the One for Me, Fatty (rude) make for a positively glowing pair of songs to start off side 2 on an upbeat note. The latter in particular goes all over the place in terms of harmonies, little instrumental fills, and a catchy (if clichéd) chorus. Great guitar solo and energy, including the drops and pick-me-ups throughout. One of the, if not the, strongest on the record. As we approach the end of the record, Seasick yet Still Docked fails to stand out, apart from perhaps its compound, waltzy time signature and slightly eerie atmosphere. After a couple of lower-energy tracks that are just "pretty good", we arrive at the excellent finale Tomorrow. (The piano outro really sells it.) I'm a little surprised this song has as few Spotify streams as it does. It's pure Smiths hearkening, sure, but there's a reason that band is as beloved as it is. 4/5 Key tracks: Glamorous Glue, We'll Let You Know, You're the One for Me, Fatty
first listen it's fine
Morrissey's solo career is eh
He’ll ya, Morristown says meat is murder
there is too much Morrissey on the list and I feel sort of done with him, so it's annoying to me that I found this album to be pretty good (especially the front half)
Tiene sus momentos. ME gusta mucho lo instrumental, después morrisey pega el cantazo :p
its morrissey time and im facing it calm. he sounds quite alt here but is still as whiny as usual and i dont know how to deal with this news. 3/5
Good but mostly tuneless - still, pleasant noises
Terrific production, at least on the latest remaster. If only The Smiths could have recorded albums that sound this good.
fine 3 stars and would probably revisit
SEVEN Morrissey albums on here 🤦🏻♂️ I mean this one is OK but we really wouldn't be any worse off (and maybe a bit more cheerful) if he had decided to take a completely different career path. But thanks be for Johnny Marr.
Fine!! I admit it! I like Morrissey! ... Obviously not as a person, but "we hate it when our friends become successful, and if they're northern, that makes it even worse" is funny. Sorry. Final thought: Perhaps Morrissey should listen to national front disco.
5.5/10 - I heard “You are the Quarry” and I thought “Morrisey really pulled extra weight in The Smiths”. I heard this and thought, “ Johnny Marr and the other two (respectfully) deserved more praise.”
This is a pretty good solo album for Morrissey, but I think it's pretty clear he's at his best with Johnny Marr on guitar and The Smiths' killer rhythm section. The instrumentals aren't boring per se, but the instrumentals of The Smiths perfectly complement Morrissey's whining. 7/10
Meh
Cool.
This was my first Morrissey solo album. While this isn't a bad album and there are some songs I quite like, this isn't the Smiths. Another review on here says this album makes you realize Johnny Marr was the heart of the Smiths. I don't agree with that. I think they're both the heart, they suit each other and make each other better. Though this album probably does need some Johnny Marr. Also why are there more Morrissey solo albums than Smiths albums on this list?
honestly was lowkey digging this until morrissey started being morrissey
Wasn't familiar with your game, Morrissey
Your Arsenal runs through a variety of sounds. It starts with a couple glammy, almost hard rock songs. "We'll Let You Know" is atmospheric, with almost military drums, and nearly veers into dream pop by the end. After that is a run of upbeat jangle pop songs; "We Hate It" is probably the best, but it feels too short. The last three songs are dramatic ballads, with "Seasick, Yet Still Docked" feeling a bit like a worse "I Know It's Over." A lot of this gives off a similar vibe as that, where Morrissey's lyrics touch on the same themes but with diminishing returns. I like the musical variety - as opposed to just a bunch of indie rock tunes - but very little truly hits, making the album feel a bit scattershot. Plus, "National Front Disco" and "we are the last truly British people" have aged poorly, to say the least. A sometimes good but rarely fun album you could easily skip.
More of a heavy band feel, glam rock, mick ronson produced You're going to need someone We hate it whan our friends become successful
iskreno, jako dobro i ugodno iznenađenje. nisam slušao dosad solo morrisseya, mislio sam da će biti ko neki slabiji smithsi, dok je ovo glazbeno malo drugačije i dobro samo po sebi. nisam očekivao da će biti pomalo (najviše prva stvar) rokabili? sve u svemu dosta dobro. ipak, ako ćemo već uspoređivat sa smithsima, malo mi fali doprinos njihovog najboljeg člana, andyja rourkea
Went into this only knowing one track was pleasantly surprised there are some good songs on here brilliantly performed
Rv
Album 28/1001. Listened 4/16/2026. I get the appeal of Morrissey, and this album is definitely good, but it's just not my jam.
Unfortunately, this was good. Not as good as some of the smiths stuff, but still good. Yet again, the edgy problematic boys make good music 7/10
Not too partial to the smiths so this is fine
Whyyyyy is there so much of this whiny man
moany moper
When at Uni all the cool-kids seemed to listen to Morrissey - and wanted every else to know that they listened to Morrissey for some reason. As of me being today years old - this is an artist I had not heard a single song from. After completing the album Im still not sure if Cool Uni kids listened because: a: they actually liked Morrisey b: they publicly enjoyed the high ground snobbery this provided over the uncool mainstream artists After hearing the album I can say I sorta get it - I thought it was going to be "nearly all B" review but Ill give this a 50/50 between "A" & "B" and a moderately surprised/impressed 3 stars
4/10 Easily listenable not super memorable
Always liked The Smiths, like his voice. First time with this album, quite liked it. I don't think I want to have a beer with him but I rarely do with the artists I listen to. Docked a star for being a dick.
Good but a bit sleepy
I didn't enjoy it Just not my Thing IG
Nemyli niekas jo, pretty much visas albumas
Pre listen: oh god not more fucking Morrissey. Post listen, eh not as bad as I thought. 3.
Fuck Morrissey
That's one good album!
Meh.
Another day, another so so Morrissey album. Get some therapy, dude!
Too mellow for me
I’m not a fan of Morrissey; he’s a bit depressing for my liking, but I understand why others like him. My music collection doesn’t include any Morrissey.
Too bad he is a racist
Un disco glam, con una portada provocativa, un disco de los buenos de Mozzer. Produce uno de los héroes de lso 70´s: Mick Ronson (que fallecería apenas un año después dejandonos sin poder disfrutar de otra entrega). Incluye a dos buenos guitarristas como Alain Whyte y Boz Boorer, este último le acompañaría unos cuantos años. Abre potente y sigue aún más con You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side y sigue aún mejor con Glamorous Glue, que recuerda brevemente a I Started Something I Couldn't Finish. We'll Let You Know lo hace a I won´t share you (sin esa estupenda coda, pero con un buen final). Es decir los referentes no pueden ser mejores. No iba mal ya entonces, venía de Viva Hate y aunque Kille Uncle no fuera una gran obra, este volvió a ponerle en cabeza. No digamos ya con el siguiente Vauxhall and I. Y obviamente contiene polémicas como The National Front Disco y su letra sobre nacionalismo (que él explicaría como irónico). La producción aquí la veo un poco plana. Certain People I Know con clara influencia de Marc Bolan/T. Rex y su eco a Ride a White Swan, un rockabilly de los que siempre le han le gustado. We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful su primer sencillo, otra letra magistral (al nivel de los Pet Shop Boys) y también You’re the One for my, Fatty (dedicada a Smash el de los Madness). Seasick, Yet Still Docked un temazo en clave acústica que recuerda de algún modo a otra joya como Please, Please, Please, Let me Get What I Want. El cierre es otro de sus mejores temas: I Know It’s Gonna Happen Someday (compuesta por el Fairground attraction Mark E. Nevin que de no ser por la producción de Ronno iría directa al juzgado por tomar demasiado prestado del Rock and Roll Suicide. Aún así es un gran tema. Cierra Tomorrow, sencillo lanzado solo en USA, con un bajo saltarín y melodía agradable que creo hubiera quedado mejor en mitad del disco (apertura de la cara B). UN discazo.
A decent Morrissey record? Do my ears deceive?
Kinda boring
As a teenager who loved this album, I assumed songs like National Front Disco were Morrissey exploring different characters and not voicing his own opinions. Unfortunately, it seems I was wrong about that, but I wasn’t entirely wrong about the album - shout out to producer Mick Ronson because I still love the beefed up, glam sound on some of these songs.
I was a fan of the Smiths and a lot of Morrissey’s solo work. Vauxhall and I and You are the Quarry are great albums. However, most of his recent work is pretty weak and his politics are really suspect. This album is possibly the loudest, most muscular work he ever did. Mick Ronson produced it, which might offer some explanation. It’s also very good. We Hate it when our Friends Become Successful, Glamorous Glue, Certain People I Know and Tomorrow are great. The musical power of National Front Disco is also superb (if you can ignore the lyrics). An album that’s definitely worth a listen and was a standout amongst much of the dross which came out in 1992.
Quite a fan of the Smiths, but not so impressed with his solo work. This album has a bit more meat and I can see the Bowie and even T.Rex influences. I astonishingly enjoyed it.
Not as good as his work with the Smiths, but not bad.
No está tan mal pero no lo volvería a escuchar ni aunque me pongan una nueve milímetros en la frente.
In 2019 I bought ‘The Queen Is Dead’ on CD for £16.99 at HMV. Today i am deeply into my overdraft. These two events are linked I fucking know it DNF - piss off Morrissey