Classic Albums - You Are The Quarry.
A lot of people see Morrissey as being a bit ‘Morose-y’. I can see where they are coming from, but in this way he is comparable to Leonard Cohen. Yes, his music can little a bit dark, but there is a humour to it all as well.
If you were looking for his best album then it would probably come down to a choice between ‘You are the Quarry’ (2004) and ‘Ringleader of the Tormentors’ (2006). These both contain some truly brilliant tracks. However, I think that ‘You are the Quarry’ must be the best of the two overall. As an album, there are no weak spots; every track is strong, cleverly written and slickly sung.
‘You are the Quarry’ was a bit of a comeback album for Morrissey. During the late eighties and nineties he became a rather ridiculed figured in British music. Many no longer saw any real relevance to his music and he was shunned by many critics. With ‘You are the Quarry’ he could no longer simply be ignored. This guy was not planning on going anywhere and his work was sounding far more stylised…
Morrissey has always been known for his strong opinions and they are all on display here. He begins his album by explaining to us that ‘America is not the World’ and he does not let up. Over the duration of the twelve tracks he tells us of his dissatisfaction with several different things. He covers; the banality of teenage gangs, the unfairness of music critics, the farce of our Royal family and the ridiculous amount of importance placed on a person’s sexuality. It all may sound like heavy going, but it’s not. The whole thing is so masterfully balanced out by Morrissey’s humour and cleverness with words.
He may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Morrissey is an incredibly talented songwriter. If you can look past the sarcasm, cynicism and nihilism then you’ll find wisdom, humour… and even a degree of tenderness.
I have just updated a few images on the email marketing page, I am kind of starting to think I should have left it. And before you say anything Bret, yes we all know that you could have done it better…