Prior to the last decade when each one of his albums caused some sort of petty controversy, historically there were three Morrissey LPs that were considered not quite "right". While I generally try to ignore such consensus opinions (especially when it comes to Morrissey), something has compelled me to fall in love with Viva Hate!, Your Arsenal and Vauxhall & I and ignore the rest of his 90s output. This 'rest' included three albums. Kill Uncle (bad title), Southpaw Grammar (bad timing) and Maladjusted (bad cover). Recently, this problem has been fixed and I am happy to report that one of those albums is good but flawed, another one is moderately great and the third one is an underappreciated Morrissey classic.
First there was Kill Uncle. Released in 1992, soon after the acclaimed Viva Hate! (which I still consider inferior to both Your Arsenal and Vauxhall & I), it has never been held in especially high esteem. Ask anyone but the most devoted fans and you will hear about dull production, dull cover and dull singles. But it is time to reassess, because the songs are good. "Mute Witness" is dramatic and intense, "There's A Place In Hell For Me And My Friends" is a beautiful Morrissey ballad with a dark edge and may you wake up every morning to the sound of "Sing For Your Life". Also, I have no problem with the Eastern-flavoured "Asian Rut" and the playful instrumentation of "King Leer" gets me every time. Yes, there could be a couple of weaker tunes on side two, but even those are well-written and have enough personality to last another artist's career. ****
Southpaw Grammar (1995) was released after the immaculate Vauxhall & I (which I believe to be the best thing Morrissey has ever done), and that is perhaps the key to understanding why the album is so underrated. Or else Morrissey himself has disavowed the album somehow, I do not know. What matters is that from the 11-minute opener "The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils" to the 10-minute closer "Southpaw", this album sounds like the best thing you have never heard. The former features Dmitri Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony sample and the latter could be one of the greatest songs of Morrissey's career (those guitars are beguiling, transfixing, otherworldly). Elsewhere, some catchy songs (the single "Boy Racer", the lyrically intriguing "Best Friend On The Payroll") and some semi-successful experimentation (check out the beginning and the ending of "The Operation"). But man, that title song. I could listen to it for days. ****1/2
Of the three albums in question, Maladjusted (1997) is the weakest. Which is a bit daft considering the fact that around that time Morrissey recorded six other songs that could have made the album a minor classic (the brilliant "Now I Am I Was" is case in point). As for what actually ended up on the album, it ranges from terrific ("Alma Matters" is worthy of any Morrissey single and "Trouble Loves Me" is a beaut with the man at his singing best) to underwhelming (despite its colourful ending, "Papa Jack" is quite tedious melodically, and the title song is hookless and uneventful). Also, a couple of infectious indie-poppers. Also, "Sorrow Will Come In The End", which was famously deleted from the UK version of the album due to its lyrics that were basically a very thinly-veiled attack on Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke. It is overdramatic and hilarious, you really do need to hear it for yourself. ***1/2
And there you have it. The bottom line being that there isn't a bad Morrissey album. Or else I am yet to hear one.
