Is Malajusted Morrisseys worst album?

[EPbabe]

Hey Epbabe, if you can be bothered, give me a run down of favourite albums.

Peterb, there's no easy answer as lately I've been listening to nothing but Sisters of Mercy... But I guess, my favourite Moz albums would be:

Vauxhall, Maladjusted, Kill Uncle, Viva Hate... I'm one of the few who really really like Kill Uncle.

 

[EPbabe]

Once I read a review about Kill Uncle written by Fabrício Mueller (a Brazilian music journalist) which said that this album sounds as unfinished and as all songs were always the same.

I agree with it being unfinished - it's way too short!

 

[CrystalGeezer]

I agree with it being unfinished - it's way too short!

lol

 

[Raphael Lambach]

But I don't think Morrissey was completely satisfied with result of this album [Maladjuste] 'till it was remastered two years ago. As you can see he threw "Papa Jack" and "Roy's keen" away then he added all b-sides.
After all he have never worked with Steven Lillywhite again whom was replaced by Jerry Finn.

 

[Peterb]

Peterb, there's no easy answer as lately I've been listening to nothing but Sisters of Mercy... But I guess, my favourite Moz albums would be:

Vauxhall, Maladjusted, Kill Uncle, Viva Hate... I'm one of the few who really really like Kill Uncle.

Hey Epbabe, just love 'end of the family line although the false ending annoys.

 

[applebuttaz]

to this day i refuse to put kill uncle on my itunes.

 

[Orson Swells]

I agree with it being unfinished - it's way too short!

Someone should add "Tony the Pony" on the end to make it longer.

 

[Shame]

The title track of Maladjusted is my absolute favourite Morrissey song, but the album feels to slide downhill after that before crashing into the keyboard-driven wall that is Sorrow Will Come In The End. I just can't stand the obvious fake string instruments. It makes a few of the tracks feel like PlayStation game soundtracks from the 1990s.

 

[Raphael Lambach]

But Maladjiusted owns songs pretty good. "Satan rejected my soul", "He cried", "Alma matters", "Ammunation" and "Maladjusted" are my favourites tracks from this album. I agree when you talked about the keyboard working as string quartet.. it's not so good but it's not the worst thing we have ever heard.

 

[Luke Action McClure]

It's better than YATQ

 

[Peterb]

It's better than YATQ[/QUOTE
Hey Luke Action McClure, I am inclined to agree but the general perception is that Maladjusted was the nadir of a failing career destined for the remainder bin whilst YATQ was hailed as the great comeback album representing a resurgence of the Moz brand. Can they all be so wrong whilst you and I misguided?

 

[Stephen]

It, along with Kill Uncle and Southpaw, is amongst my most played solo albums. It reigns supreme over any of his releases since then and, in my opinion, doesn't contain a single dud song. The reissue is even better, but I am a fan of Roy's Keen.

Maybe I've got it all wrong.

 

[DAVIE]

I think they should have kept the singles on remastered Maladjusted. In my own opinion the only major naff tracks on the Maladjusted remaster was "This Is Not Your Country" and "Sorrow Will Come In The End"

Maybe it is a weaker Morrissey album, but it's not absolutely terrible....and I disagree with anyone who says "Alma Matters" is a bad song, its actually really good.

EDIT: YOR is the worst album.

 

[billy scissors]

It, along with Kill Uncle and Southpaw, is amongst my most played solo albums. It reigns supreme over any of his releases since then and, in my opinion, doesn't contain a single dud song. The reissue is even better, but I am a fan of Roy's Keen.

Maybe I've got it all wrong.

Me too.Love "Ammunition"

 

[King Leer]

That massive poll a couple of years ago ranking all of the Smiths/Morrissey songs from best to worst -- was it also sorted by albums with the highest/lowest percentage of good songs? Curious whether Maladjusted or Kill Uncle came out lower.

"Worst" is hard to define with Morrissey but I think Maladjusted and Kill Uncle are weak(er) not purely because of songwriting or music specifics (though production on KU is naff) but because of release timing and more importantly the motivation (or lack of) behind them.

The Viva/Bona days were about Morrissey breaking out on his own in a major way, with instant timeless classics in Suedehead and Everyday. The whole album is not brilliant, though. We can argue all day whether Bona Drag is an album, but it marked a high point in early Morrissey-solo exposure.

Kill Uncle waltzes in after that intial high was achieved with a quaint, outdated sound and no strong direction on the album. As album's back cover suggests, it's playful, and not much more, though strong closer There's A Place segues nicely into the fantastic My Love Life/I've Changed My Plea single later that year. KU tour was off the hook, as we know.

Arsenal was Morrissey working with a legendary figure in music, Ronson, as producer and getting hot and heavy with his new band in the studio, with Bowie looming on I Know It's Gonna Happen and gentle-but-piercing tracks like We'll Let You Know and Seasick.

Moz fell in love after that album and we get arguably is most poetic solo effort to date, Vauxhall. The lads push their songwriting talent even further, matching The Smiths IMHO.

Morrissey's is out of his relationship, angry, wants to get down words quickly. The band is allowed to rock out (with no limit on song length, apparently) on Southpaw. Moz emerges cut & bruised, a survivor. Album is surely not his best but surprisingly cohesive. Plays as an album from beginning to end very well.

Maladjusted, like Kill Uncle, really has no impetus behind it. It was simply "the next Morrissey album". It also came in the dying days of Britpop (the production and some of the songs betray a bit of that flavour). Still, I think it's a stronger album than Kill Uncle but KU live was a treat. Trouble Loves Me is a Moz classic.

Quarry was the comeback, plain and simple. Not unlike Maladjusted, it was more a collection of decent songs than a cohesive album like Arsenal or Vauxhall. Excellent b-sides, though! It was a great time in the World of Morrissey which made it all feel great.

With Ringleader's Italo-slant, a potentially incredible (but ultimately wasted) collaboration with Morricone and another Moz hero in Tony Visconti at the controls, potential was Huge. The final album, while disappointing in some respects, still feels more "of a piece" than Quarry, and Life is a Pigsty is a stunning song in the Morrissey catalogue. Jesse contributes a few decent tracks as a songwriter (including You Have... and In the Future...) but he hasn't grown at all from that starting point.

Years of Refusal is a brash, energetic affair but missing any truly touching or poetic moments IMO (including My Dearest Love could've remedied that). It feels alive in a way Kill Uncle and Maladjusted, and arguably the other two post-wilderness years albums didn't, but is missing any truly outstanding songs, and has a samey quality in parts. Morrissey likes the current band and liked working with Jerry Finn a lot -- I think that's why he put a lot of his energy into the recording. Superficially it feels like a going out in a blaze of glory thing, but the album won't stand the test of time. Ringleader may not either, but there's more artistry to it. Quarry simply had stronger songs.

Which brings us to now...

Happy to hear other opinions.

 

[DAVIE]

Kill Uncle really isn't that bad! It definately needs remastering though! Morrissey should re-record some of the songs on how they sounded like live.

 

[Peterb]

That massive poll a couple of years ago ranking all of the Smiths/Morrissey songs from best to worst -- was it also sorted by albums with the highest/lowest percentage of good songs? Curious whether Maladjusted or Kill Uncle came out lower.

"Worst" is hard to define with Morrissey but I think Maladjusted and Kill Uncle are weak(er) not purely because of songwriting or music specifics (though production on KU is naff) but because of release timing and more importantly the motivation (or lack of) behind them.

The Viva/Bona days were about Morrissey breaking out on his own in a major way, with instant timeless classics in Suedehead and Everyday. The whole album is not brilliant, though. We can argue all day whether Bona Drag is an album, but it marked a high point in early Morrissey-solo exposure.

Kill Uncle waltzes in after that intial high was achieved with a quaint, outdated sound and no strong direction on the album. As album's back cover suggests, it's playful, and not much more, though strong closer There's A Place segues nicely into the fantastic My Love Life/I've Changed My Plea single later that year. KU tour was off the hook, as we know.

Arsenal was Morrissey working with a legendary figure in music, Ronson, as producer and getting hot and heavy with his new band in the studio, with Bowie looming on I Know It's Gonna Happen and gentle-but-piercing tracks like We'll Let You Know and Seasick.

Moz fell in love after that album and we get arguably is most poetic solo effort to date, Vauxhall. The lads push their songwriting talent even further, matching The Smiths IMHO.

Morrissey's is out of his relationship, angry, wants to get down words quickly. The band is allowed to rock out (with no limit on song length, apparently) on Southpaw. Moz emerges cut & bruised, a survivor. Album is surely not his best but surprisingly cohesive. Plays as an album from beginning to end very well.

Maladjusted, like Kill Uncle, really has no impetus behind it. It was simply "the next Morrissey album". It also came in the dying days of Britpop (the production and some of the songs betray a bit of that flavour). Still, I think it's a stronger album than Kill Uncle but KU live was a treat. Trouble Loves Me is a Moz classic.

Quarry was the comeback, plain and simple. Not unlike Maladjusted, it was more a collection of decent songs than a cohesive album like Arsenal or Vauxhall. Excellent b-sides, though! It was a great time in the World of Morrissey which made it all feel great.

With Ringleader's Italo-slant, a potentially incredible (but ultimately wasted) collaboration with Morricone and another Moz hero in Tony Visconti at the controls, potential was Huge. The final album, while disappointing in some respects, still feels more "of a piece" than Quarry, and Life is a Pigsty is a stunning song in the Morrissey catalogue. Jesse contributes a few decent tracks as a songwriter (including You Have... and In the Future...) but he hasn't grown at all from that starting point.

Years of Refusal is a brash, energetic affair but missing any truly touching or poetic moments IMO (including My Dearest Love could've remedied that). It feels alive in a way Kill Uncle and Maladjusted, and arguably the other two post-wilderness years albums didn't, but is missing any truly outstanding songs, and has a samey quality in parts. Morrissey likes the current band and liked working with Jerry Finn a lot -- I think that's why he put a lot of his energy into the recording. Superficially it feels like a going out in a blaze of glory thing, but the album won't stand the test of time. Ringleader may not either, but there's more artistry to it. Quarry simply had stronger songs.

Which brings us to now...

Happy to hear other opinions.

Hey King Leer, what an excellent breakdown of the albums. Can't argue with a word.
Nevertheless I would like to add that looking at Morrisseys career, in retrospect, for me, every period, every album has produced songs that I will listen to for the rest of my life. Indeed, I've just downloaded the 11CD rarities and 'B' collection made available by the excellent Smithjavier, and far from being the 'laundry lists' I feared, it is packed with wonderful songs I had never heard before (I've changed my Plea to guitly, Now I am a was, no one can hold a candle to name but a few).
I know I am a fan and thus biased, but this is the marvel of the man, from the Smiths to Years of Refusal, the standard is incredibly high.