Viva Hate by Morrissey

Viva Hate

Morrissey

2.96
Rating
23210
Votes
1
9%
2
22%
3
42%
4
23%
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6%
Distribution

Album Summary

Viva Hate is the debut solo studio album by English singer Morrissey. It was released on 14 March 1988 by HMV, six months after the final studio album by the Smiths, Strangeways, Here We Come (1987).

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Length: All Short Long

Didn't even start this one. I'm just giving it 1 star to help lower the average rating. You know, because it's Morrissey

A slightly downgraded album from Smiths greatness. A couple of bangers on here but fairly standard Morrissey other than that

Me jode mucho porque es la peor persona de la tierra pero es que soy tan el público objetivo de Morrissey... Me ha gustado mucho.

Better than some of the other Morrissey records.

I'll never like Morrissey no matter how many albums you put on this list. Four Morrissey albums, three Smiths albums, Dimmery has a hard-on for Morrissey and it shows.

Favorite songs: Everyday Is Like Sunday, Bengali in Platforms, Maudlin Street, Suedehead, Treat Me Like a Human Being, I Don’t Mind If You Forget Me

Of course it will never be as good as The Smiths. Moz could never find someone as good as Johnny Marr to bring out the best in him. That said, this is definitely one of his top five solo albums and a wonderful album in its own right.

1988 -- solo debut album (after the Smiths) -- alt rock (lol okay?! are we sure?!) -- generally well-received; "Rolling Stone, which had expected the now solo artist to "wallow", called the album "a tight, fairly disciplined affair".[15] In its retrospective review, Pitchfork called the album "one of Morrissey's most interesting records, and certainly his riskiest", and that its "strange mix of pomp and minimal languor makes Viva Hate the only Morrissey LP you'd consider listening to just for its music"" simply cannot. dislike. actively annoying me. don't get it, can't get it.

Genuinely surprised to find this stands up less well for me than I remember. Couple classics - Everyday is Like Sunday, Suedehead - but otherwise feels like it hasn't aged as well as Vauxhall and I or Your Arsenal.

Overall, Viva Hate by Morrissey is a decent, musically cohesive album, but it is held back by a lot of duds. The high points include the atmospheric "Bengali in Platforms," the orchestral "Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together," the wonderful layered instrumentation and melody of "Late Night, Maudlin Street," the peppy fun of "I Don't Mind If You Forget Me," and the palpable hatred of "Margaret on the Guillotine." Conversely, the album is dragged down by a lengthy list of unremarkable tracks—including "Little Man, What Now," the generic "Everyday Is Like Sunday," "Suedehead," "Break Up the Family," "Dial a Cliche," and the boring "Treat Me Like a Human Being" with its weird drums and recording artifacts—capping the final score.

Got bored, put on a different album

I liked this a lot more than I would have expected. I don't believe there was a song I wanted to skip on the album. That doesn't mean it was a great album, or necessarily memorable, but a pleasant listen on a Sunday afternoon at Costco.

Morrissey takes the bones of the Smiths formula into his solo career, pairing the same biting lyrical approach married with a more conventional jangle pop melodic formula. It generally works, though misses Johnny Mars magic.

Everyday is Like Sunday is a great song!! For as much as he is an annoying man these days, this was an enjoyable album. Was surprised how strings-heavy a lot of it was!

Pretty good

Morrissey just doesn't do it for me, too mopey.

Still can’t past his moany voice which is a pity as some of the songs are good

Interesting music. Some well-written songs. Distinctive voice. Unfortunately, I hate his singing.

Had its moments. I'm not 100% sold on the Morrissey thing. My bias still influences my overall sentiment. He's talented for sure but, how much of those great Smiths songs were Johnny Marr? Because MANY of these songs sound influenced by and not exactly comprable? Nonsense psychobabble. 3 stars because some songs really did strike a chord with me.

Pretty depressing. I’m not sure I need to hear much more of him. Judging by reviews, not a well liked artist, but I will try to keep that separate from the music. I just didn’t care for his voice or lyrics.

I didn’t Viva Hate this, but I didn’t Viva Love it either

I would like to give a shoutout to the awesome session musicians who carried this album and somehow managed to sit through an entire recording session with Morrissey without smashing his big stupid head into the mixing desk.

나쁘지 않음

This one is the most middle of the road I’ve felt l think. It’s not bad but it just left 0 impression on me. I couldn’t really find the motivation to keep listening or care lol.

Not the most exciting thing ever, not unlistenable but a bit boring and he has a strange voice.

COMMENTARY: Alsatian Cousin – All right, we're starting out strong here. Love the guitar riffs and the distortion on this track. Not bad! Little Man, What Now? – The drums in the background can go. A bit underwhelming coming off Track 1, but it's okay. Everyday Is Like Sunday – Nice beats, but a very mid song. Bengali in Platforms – Same as the previous track: nice instrumentation, but everything else is boring. Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together – Nice, very dramatic instrumentation here. But the vocals are lacking. Last Night, Maudlin Street – Puts me to sleep. Sorry about that! Suedehead – Okay, we're picking up! It's a great, danceable track, but his vocal delivery is just so dull and low-energy. What a waste of what could've been a "let's get up and dance" song. Break Up the Family – Nice vibe and nice sound, but the vocals are just not doing it. It needs way more energy. Treat Me Like a Human Being – Still the same great instrumentation, but the vocals are a letdown—void of any emotion. I'm sorry. I Don't Mind If You Forget Me – Best instrumentation so far! The vocal delivery improves a bit here, but it's still lacking. Give me more punch, more dynamics! Just have fun, man, c'mon! Dial-a-Cliché – Same as the previous tracks. So monotonous. Margaret on the Guillotine – Nice guitars, but the vocal delivery still leaves a lot to be desired. Wait, this is the closing? What? This doesn't feel like a closing track at all. Gosh. FINAL THOUGHTS I've already listened to 30 albums for this project, and I feel like this is the most disappointed I've been by an album yet. This could have been an easy 5-star record! The sound was absolutely gorgeous, the instrumentation was impressive, and there's no problem with the mixing here. But my god, the vocal delivery was as dull as it could possibly be, and that completely killed the songs. I actually love the songs—if another artist covered them, I'd probably appreciate them so much more. I'm not asking for the singer to perform like Prince or Freddie Mercury, but I need energy! I need dynamics! So, in terms of the sound? 5 stars. Vocals? 2 stars. Overall, I'm giving this a disappointed 4 stars. Rating: 4 stars Favorite Song: Suedehead (I'm going to search for covers of these songs to see if I like those versions better) Will I listen to this album again? I'll give it another chance down the line. The songs are nice, but no promises. Will I recommend this album? Yes—maybe other people will enjoy his voice more than I did.

Dude has like a top 5 voice in the history of popular music, but I found this album to mostly be forgetable. It missed some of the magic of The Smiths for me.

++: Bengali in Platforms, Dial-a-Cliché, Margaret on the Guillotine +: Alsatian Cousin, Late Night, Maudlin Street, Break Up the Family +-: Little Man, What Now?, Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together, Suedehead, The Ordinary Boys, I Don't Mind If You Forget Me -: Everyday Is Like Sunday 5,4/10

Good vibes apbum

I don't like Morrissey's voice and the music, while proficient, is too pop-oriented for my tastes. The self pity expressed in his lyrics gets old pretty quick. Bengali in Platforms...really? Unfortunately, this sounds like a backward, hateful man.

Have I listened to this album before No How familiar am I with this album Unfamiliar How do I feel about this artist? His music is fine I guess but he bugs me Pre-Listen Thoughts: I predict his voice will get to me about halfway through Favorite track(s): Angel Angel Down We Go Together Post-Listen Thoughts: This is Morrisey's first solo album and it just sounds like The Smiths without the other talent like Marr that made that band great. He's a decent musician but his voice and personality are both very irritating after a while.

He'll never be my cup of tea but I liked this album better than the rest.

Typický Morrissey. Mám radšej jeho neskoršie albumy. Tu akokeby boli všetky piesne odinakiaľ, album mi netvorí celok, ale pôsobí na mňa ako zbierka...

With Viva Hate, I'm now halfway through renowned asshole Morrissey's catalog on this list. Morrissey is a guy who can manage to succeed in the music in spite of his insufferable personality. Your Arsenal was at the very least a fine album, and maybe Viva Hate could be just as cromulent? And, well, it's not as good as Your Arsenal. Aside from Alsatian Cousin and half of I Don't Mind If You Forget Me, this album is just so much more dull than Your Arsenal. Given that Strangeways, Here We Come, the weakest Smiths album, was only a couple months before this album, I must conclude that this must have been a very bad year for Morrissey and his self-indulgent emotional "woe is me" bullshit. There's very few positives on this record (some fun weird guitar bits that are rarer than finding water in the desert), and Morrissey's voice isn't going to make anything better with his presence alone. tl;dr: meh

Fine, Everyday is like Sunday is great, the rest ok on first listen.

This guy again. As much as I love The Queen Is Dead and The Smiths, I'm sure as hell getting tired of hearing this wordy fuck on this list. I mean, It's pretty, and the production is that squeaky-clean '80s jangly stuff, but Morrissey is one of those people who has too much to say. I absolutely hate it when I generate the new album and see his dumb, smug face on the cover. I hate it even more when I'm done listening and find I genuinely enjoyed a decent bit of it. I will say it's not super fun on this record; I guess 'Margaret on the Guillotine' is pretty funny and 'Bengali in Platforms' just shouldn't exist, but on the lyrics end, it's pretty tame for Mozz standards, especially when compared to his '2000s stuff. Like it or not, at least it made it interesting to listen to: the stupid pettiness and very bold, tangential, and hyper-specific political ramblings. On the other hand, it does make it more listenable, but I do wish Morrissey would just take a break between words here - again, he's one verbose singer. But the highlights remain. I liked that serene outro of the closer, one of my favourite tracks as I mentioned above. And despite the really muddy production, the composition of 'Everyday Like a Sunday' was gorgeous, and also the best showcase of Mozz's songwriting; no surprise it's one of his biggest songs. 'Suedehead' was also really good; his early solo stuff in general is very derivative of The Smiths, but this sounds like a Smiths deep cut more than anything; the guitar even has a driving, rhythmic, and ever-evolving Marr-style to it. Oh, how I wish I could hate this thing and one-star it down there with Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit. But, as it stands, it's pretty decent. God, I hate Morrissey!!!!!

Not bad at all.

That's the problem with society these days.

There were some okay parts on the album, I disliked most of it. The melodies seem uninspired to me. Morrissey’s voice became boring after a few songs. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Morrissey again - and the album “Viva Hate” isn't exactly a revelation either. Instead, it offers up run-of-the-mill '80s mainstream pop-rock. I don’t understand why anyone would need to have listened to a total of four albums (or even seven, if you count The Smiths!) by such a boring artist. I’d even go so far as to say that if you’re familiar with at least one Smiths album, you can do without Morrissey’s solo work entirely. Or better yet: just ignore The Smiths altogether - that frees up space for a total of seven albums worth listening to!

Late 80s Nw Wave indie rock. Debut.

CHI NON SA SEPARARE ARTISTA E PERSONA È UN COGLIONE. LUI E BRAVO E FEL RESTO ME NE FREGO. “LATE NIGHT, MAUDLIN STREET” LA MIA PREFERITA. “TREAT ME LIKE A HUMAN BEING” MI HA COLPITO IN POSITIVO PER L’IMPERFEZIONE DEL VOLUME DELLA SUA VOCE. 3/5

Favorite tracks were ‘Alsatian Cousin’, ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’, ‘Suedehead’. He’s good. I just like how this sounds.

I am normally a Morrissey Enjoyer but this didn't really stick with me! I liked a few songs, so this is like a 3.5. Just don't feel strongly enough to bump it to a 4.

I wish morrissey was a less shitty person because this is pretty great tbh - not as good as the smiths though, turns out you need Johnny marr

Very solid listen

Very solid alt rock album with a bit of genre bending into folk/baroque as well as post-punk to keep it interesting. Peaks early with a stronger first half, but overall does a lot to keep the listener consistently engaged. Top tracks: Every Day is Like Sunday; Late Night, Maudlin Street; Suedehead

No sé cuánto cobraban Marr, Rourke, y Joyce, pero estoy seguro que no lo suficiente. Tiene uno que otro momento interesante, aunque la música extraña a sus compañeros de banda.

Album de paso Yo entiendo el nivel de influencia que fue Morrisey en su momento, pero honestamente no me atrapó Es una especie de pop, post punk, y así va masomenos, su música está bien, aunque lo que destaca es su voz, entonces capaz y opaca un poco el elemento instrumental Se puede volver al álbum luego y ver que efecto genera ya después!

The racist cunt is also a talentless cunt

Loved it! Would listen to it again :)

I really want to give this a 3-1/2. I alternated between liking his voice and finding it annoying, liked some of the songs.

Another Morrissey album where everybody goes "that guy sucks but he can write a decent tune".

Ive been less impressed by Morrissey than the Smiths before him but this record might be the one to change it. Cant speak for him today. Damn. But anyway, its more smiths than ever probably because it was the first. He does have more pop sensibilities than the smiths do. Thats cool. He goes too far later but for now the touch is good. Everyday is like sunday is the best song here with suedehead pretty close behind. Its just good poppy new wavey stuff. Solid. This might be the end of my Morrissey adventures but hey this ain't a bad one to go out on. Liked it

Yeah whatever he's racist but he's also a genius

Every time that I saw low reviews to an album it's because they were reviewing the people that listened to that album more than the music in the album, they were reviewing the listeners, not the music. In this case most people are reviewing Morrissey and yes, it's like as he grows old he grows weirder and weirder but this was a very good first step from the Smiths, not too far a away but not a copy and in the right direction, I can't sat the same for the albums to come after this. But the melodies are there, the sometimes clever lyrics are there and Morrissey if you don't like what he does as a singer or lyricist he apparently has always surrounded himself with very talented musicians.

Big smiths fan back in the day, never followed Morrissey’s solo career. Injustice couldn’t get into this

Enjoyment: 2/10 Replayability: 2/10 Cohesion: 3/10 Flow/Pacing: 2/10 Artistic Merit: 1/10 Weighted Average: 2/10 Review: This is the second Morrissey album we've had and... it sounds the exact same as the last one? In fact, all of the songs I've listened to from him sound the same? Why does this deserve to be on here? Also, fuck the racist undertones. Liked Song(s): Everyday is Like Sunday, Suedehead Disliked Song(s): Alsatian Cousin, Bengali in Platforms, Late Night, Maudlin Street Recommend? No Heard Before? No

The strongest evidence of British bias on this list is the fact that Morrissey is on here 7 TIMES It’s not an awful album by any means, musically there’s some nice instrumentation going on and it’s actually pleasant at times. I’m not crazy about his voice but it absolutely works for this kind of music, and I think most singers would not succeed here. I just really don’t feel like…anything listening to this guy. It’s really soft and I think it lacks any kind of impact, and the songwriting isn’t good enough to make up for that. I feel like Bengali in Platforms is really toeing the line and hasn’t aged very well thematically (especially when paired with this guy’s opinions on immigration). No real standout songs, but it’s inoffensive enough where I can’t hate it too much. I don’t think this guy has much range though so not looking forward to the rest of his catalog

there's just nothing to really hold onto here. not crazy about the guys voice and the songs are so slow and one-note that it becomes an issue.

Nah. Won't give this man streams or my time.

Not a particularly interesting album to me, as it all feels very samey. I very much feel like this is built around Morissey's voice, and I am not a fan of that.

I mean, it’s okay

An album so revolutionary that it ends up being boring. 3/5

Weak. I would rather get a colonoscopy than to listen to this again.

Odio a Morrisey y me cae mal, no me gusta su música

Even if he didn’t have shitty politics, I’d still be annoyed by his stupid voice. When this album ended, I let yesterday's New York Dolls record play through just to cleanse my palate (I keep my whole project on a big running playlist).

Morrissey might be a piece of shit but I like sone of his songs.

Copy past review as per nearly all the Morrisey/ Smiths albums - the mans a bell end and I don't like his vocals half the time - but he can write a good tune. Particularly enjoyed Everyday's like Sunday - and overall enjoyed the album more than I was expecting - possibly my favourite or 2nd favourite of his albums.

Viva Hate This has a kind of subdued gentleness to it that I found very appealing, especially compared to what I felt was the rather hollow glam bombast of some of the other solo albums we’ve had. Part of that might be due to the excellence of Vini Reilly, he’s particularly great on Late Night, Maudlin Street, but also you can see a degree of tenderness and empathy between the sarcasm and snark, before he retreated behind the carapace of self pitying cuntyness he developed latterly. Alsatian Cousin has a slight Gang of Four edge to it, perhaps again due to the Vini Reilly connection, and it sounds like a bit of a step away from The Smiths, although it's a little bit of an outlier for what follows. Little Man, What Now, Bengali in Platforms, Late Night, Dial a Cliche and Margaret on the Guillotine have an acoustic shuffle and softness to them that I really like and wasn’t expecting, and then the two most famous songs on Everyday is Like Sunday and Suedehead are great bits of melodic guitar pop, kind of Smithsian, but more presaging the early sounds of Britpop. Angel Angel Down We Go Together has a nice baroque feel, a little like that XTC album, but with a more compelling vocal style. It’s certainly the strongest and most interesting album of his, and it has enough to breeze past Your Arsenal into the 4s. 🧑‍🦱🧑‍🦱🧑‍🦱🧑‍🦱 Playlist submission: Late Night, Maudlin Street

This album feels more wide-eyed than other Morrissey efforts, maybe on account of quite light and airy 90s-presaging, pop-production . 'Break Up the Family' has an uplifting quality to it, with post-depression lyrics (in what may be a first for Morrissey). The real standouts are the singles - the achingly majestic 'Everyday is Like Sunday' about run-down seaside towns, the bleakness of life, and a touch of humour. The best Moz depression masterpiece since 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now'. 'Suedehead' can surely lay claim to the first Britpop song, with shimmering guitar trying to replicate Johnny Marr and sweeping chorus. Truly excellent. I see it as a great album with a couple of masterpieces, but not a masterpiece itself. But still great.

At first I wrote a kinda long review talking about how Morrissey is racist and the song Bengali in Platforms is so messed up and highlights how bad of a person Morrissey is… but I read the lyrics again and now I’m just confused. Obviously he’s a douche now, but I can’t tell if this specific song is truly messed up or rather misguided. It does genuinely kind of feel like he’s trying being empathetic. Obviously saying some people don’t “belong here” is a terrible thing to say, but there’s a hint of satire in his words. If I didn’t know Morrissey, I would’ve though for sure he was using the words he was in order to show the perspective of others, saying an immigrant will struggle to fit in because THEY won’t feel like they belong. But I do know Morrissey, and so I’m a lot more hesitant to believe that. So I don’t know. Most of the album is good. Some great songs, especially in the second half, but some others are pretty forgettable. If I were ranking solely based on the sonic aspects I’d give it a 4. But that one song is questionable. If it were anyone else I’d try to be forgiving and assume they were trying to be nice, but it’s Morrissey so I don’t feel bad about giving it a lower rating.

I enjoyed this album, hubby wanted to give it a stars , it probably a 3.5

Decent melodies and pleasant tunes, but I kind of went into this with the ambient idea that everyone hates this guy now. As I listened to the songs, I realized that lots of the lyrics seemed to be just whining about stuff. Not exactly a sin but annoying once I started hearing it.

You can take The Smiths away from Morrissey but Viva Hate still sounds a bit like The Smiths. Overall: 2/10

I listened to some of Morrissey's solo stuff in the past, but never the whole of this album. These days I'm not keen to listen to anything by this arsehole, but I figured he is talented, and he was less clearly a full-on fascist at this point in his career, so I gave it a try. Then I heard 'Punjabi in platforms'. How did anyone ever doubt that he was not just a racist but an out-and-out fascist?

Annoying

This might become a 5-star album for me one day, but on my first impression it still made for very enjoyable listening. Nicole was able to tell instantly from his distinctive voice that Morrissey was the singer of the Smiths, but I only noticed it after reading up on the album. Upon reflection, he has a very distinctive voice but I also like the new instrumentation that he's added on this solo project. Favourite tracks: "Alstatian Cousin" and "I Don't Mind If You Forget Me"

Track By Track Alsatian Cousin - gritty opening. There’s a biting quality to this straight off the bat. Do not particularly like this one. Little Man, What Now? - I don’t mind his voice actually. Just quite dreary lyrics! Everyday Is Like Sunday - quite good this one. It’s got even more darkness though than the Smiths. Bengali In Platforms - I read up about the controversy surrounding this song a bit in the reviews. Can see where some people were coming from but on first listen I get the sense it’s more sympathetic than derogatory. I liked the tune mostly and thought I’d dislike it more. Angel Angel Down We Go - little portrait of someone. Pleading tone. Quite full on. Late Night, Maudlin Street - not bad. More of a love song. His voice is actually beginning to be quite a bit at this point. Quite good song though. Bit long. Suedehead - pretty good bass driving this. Sounds very much like a Smiths evolution. Break Up The Family - classic Morrissey-sounding this. Don’t mind this one. Treat Me Like A Human Being - very plodding and morose. There is a sliver of hope within it though. Buried. I Don’t Mind If You Forget Me - Sounds very ‘80s! Electronic guitar vibe, futuristic almost, for the time. Like a darker Bangles or something. Or maybe that’s him or the Smiths in a nutshell. I dunno :) Dial a Cliche - quite sweet tune. Could be in a ‘80s movie soundtrack. Margaret On The Guillotine - Segues from the previous track nicely. Biting political opinions here. A really nice, sweet instrumental actually, juxtaposed to the lyrics. A good closer to the album in terms of sound and sentiment. Overall Review - From what I hear and read he may well have been a arse but he made some good music. Quite good production though and decent songwriting. It’s not really for me though, his sound. Especially not for an entire album. It didn’t move me particularly but I enjoyed a few of the songs. 3.3/5 Favourite Songs: Everyday Is Like Sunday, Dial a Cliche

not a fan of morrissey, his whining vocals are grating

Wanky nonsense

Never, from day one been a fan of Morrissey and his “thing” and at this late stage this isn’t going to change that. Already ranted in the smith albums and I just can’t be bothered to give him an effort. Listened, still can’t stand 1 star, F.O. Morrissey

I know of this artist, know he was the frontman of the Smiths but haven't listened to much of his solo stuff. Not into this type of music but I respect it

After hearing more of The Smiths and now getting into Morrissey’s solo work, I’ve definitely overlooked him as an artist. “Alsatian Cousin” goes hard right out of the gate, and “Little Man, What Now?” was one of the coolest songs on the album. The Spanish/Western feel was great, especially with the gunshots keeping tempo. It reminded me a little of Paul McCartney using a revolver in “Oh Woman, Oh Why.” What really stood out to me, though, was Morrissey’s delivery. He sings with so much emotion that even fairly simple love songs end up feeling heavier than they probably would with somebody else behind the mic. There’s this constant mix of heartbreak, melodrama, bitterness, and romantic misery running through everything. I can definitely see why his music became so popular with the goth crowd. It’s not necessarily goth in the obvious musical sense, but emotionally it lives in that world. Everything feels wounded and overly dramatic, sometimes almost comically so, but he commits to it enough that I bought into it. I went into this project never really thinking much about Morrissey beyond knowing the big Smiths songs, and I’m starting to get the appeal. Favorite song: "Alsatian Cousin"

Oh, Morrissey. Am I done listening to you yet?

Good little driving album. Fairly straightforward structures. Morrissey’s vocal approach and melodies are a nice touch with the instrumentation. 3.4/5.0

"Morrissey writes wonderful song titles, but sadly he often forgets to write the songs"-Elvis Costello Basic maudlin affair from everyone's favorite douchebag. Every Morrissey album is the same, one, maybe two good songs and a lot of warbling.

Good music be damned this guy can hold some awful views on the world. Having this many Morrisey AND Smiths albums on here proves to be even more redundant when you’re giving this guy a platform. I get it, I understand the smiths appeal now because of this list, and the appeal of Morrisey’s wistful crooning. But this is too much, especially the content of “Bengali In Platforms”. I also don't love some of the late 80's sounds on here, a lot of the electronic drums clash with the more fluid nature of the vocals. Low 2/5

Every time I get a Morrissey album I think, can’t be arsed listening to him. Then I end up enjoying it but never enough to want to go back and listen again. This album was no different. There are a couple of standouts. Suedehead and I Don’t Mind If You Forget Me are cracking tunes. I just know that I am highly unlikely to ever listen to this in full again though. Top Track - Suedehead

Morrissey's voice sounds great for some songs and just doesn't fit on others. The music is mostly good, but not great. The whole package is somewhat better than average, but it doesn't really stand out. 3.5

The controversy surrounding Morrissey aside, this album deserves its place on the 1001 albums. It has several good tracks, distinctive arrangements, and some great chill guitar work throughout. I’m generally not a fan of long winded songs, but “Late Night, Maudlin Street” is true singer songwriter material. It’s pure storytelling and, in my opinion, just a really cool song. While I prefer The Smiths, I enjoyed this album more than I expected.

Almost every song is boring and grey. However I still like Margaret on the Guillotine. Dial a cliche was new to me and another standout.

Morrissey solo is what's left after surgically removing everything that's good about the Smiths.