Morrissey - Viva Hate

September 1987

Morrissey's initial foray into solo pop-stardom was a precarious move for the vocalist who had once admitted to being bedridden when his seminal pop-group The Smiths dissolved in September 1987.

Many were so used to the names Morrissey/Marr that when the break-up was announced it was as if the world of pop music had stopped turning on its axis. The resulting vertigo brought fans to wonder how each of these groundbreaking songwriters could ever continue without being associated with the other. Not since Lennon and McCartney had dissolved their own musical partnership had such a harrowing thought crept into the collective pop consciousness.

But within months Viva Hate appeared on music store shelves and if there was any doubt as to whose record it was, this was quickly dismissed by the shadowed profile of Morrissey adorning the album cover, a place that, on previous Smiths' records, had been reserved for the formerly famous, be they musical or thespian. It was a striking, elegant cover, one not without an almost funereal quality...

Stephen Street, producer for the Smiths' final singles, had composed the music for this first solo outing and many were outwardly doubtful (if not overly cautious) to voice any optimism, for it was widely acknowledged that Johnny Marr's long shadow would haunt any record Morrissey commited to which excluded the name of his former partner.

Meanwhile, back in California, my parents were about to take my brother and I on one of those family summer vacations and just before leaving I purchased "Viva Hate" and the Talking Heads' "Naked," the album Johnny Marr had worked on around the time of the Smiths dissolution. I resolved to walk the shores of Maui, walkman in hand, taking in the fruit of each man's latest efforts.

"Suedehead" and "Nothing but Flowers" had permeated the airwaves in the lead up to each album's release and while both were pop gems worthy of repeated play, one couldn't help but hear the seperate contributions Morissey and Marr made to the records and wish they had somehow been wed at the last minute.

But for all of the scorn that has been heaped on Viva Hate, it isn't the bad record it's cracked up to be. It stands up quite well, in fact. The orcestrations Street provided were somewhat different than what Marr had created and applied to the Smiths' recordings, but when placed alongside Morrissey's vocals, they did little to take away from the lyrical talents of the eighties most prolific songwriter.

There were even a few surprises to be had along the way. "Margaret on the Guillotine" revisits the antiestablismentarianism sentiments Morrissey often champions in such songs as "The Queen is Dead" and "The Headmaster Ritual," "Alastian Cousin" and "Bengali in Platforms" take on some sensitive racial and sexual issues, but it is "Everyday is Like Sunday" and "Suedehead" that cover the most familiar ground for Morrissey, that of the lonely, be they spurned, broken-hearted, abandoned, or simply longing for escape. It is a shame "November Spawned a Monster" wouldn't be ready for at least another year because it would have found a home on Viva Hate. July 12, 2008

Viva LOVE....

With a rush, a push and then bang! It landed. Morrissey's first album. With such a successful first solo album, one would have thought that happiness is around the corner for Manchester's Black Sheep son, but alas, this is only the first cut of the many wounds he would inflict with his later album releases. It was inevitable and all so sad that the Rogers and Hammerstein of the 80's, Morrissey and Marr, were to break up. But Morrissey must walk the path of gloom alone and this first album is ominous of everything else that was to come.

With youth still on his side, sadness and anger was oh so fresh, vibrant and inspired. Morrissey takes the back seat of the internal revolution of life's chaos and misery and pours it out in one, big, voluptous and elegant sigh with this debut album.

Welcome to Morrissey's musical misery tour......... May 27, 2007

Morrissey haters go away....

This is a great debut by the brilliant Morrissey. This is probably the solo album that came closest to the Smiths sound, probably due to the fact that Stephen Street, the engineer on many Smiths albums, wrote the music for this album. The opener, Alastain Cousin, is a powerful song. I love the melancholy and beauty of Everyday is Like Sunday (which Morrissey performed in concert when I saw him). Suedehead is a funny, pop masterpiece, but the final song, Margaret on the Guillotine, is a haunting, sad, acerbically hilarious song, reported written with then PM Margaret Thatcher in mind. Morrissey was actually "investigated" by the U.K. secret service for this song (though most of the investigators were deeply embarrassed to "investigate" Morrissey). No charges were ever filed. Some people really diss Morrissey for some reason, but I haven't any idea why. His lyrics are full of acerbic wit, sarcasm, anger, love, basically, all the elements of our world. I'd rather listen to Morrissey's "whining" than any of today's modern rock acts.
April 23, 2007

Viva Hate ~

Morrissey is a very talented individual and this cd is my personal favorite of his after the break-up from The Smiths. 'Margaret on the Guillotine' is an amazing track with the lyrics and instrumentals. I dont believe you can find it on any other Morrissey albums. A true talent like this deserves much credit. March 12, 2007

Some moments muddle the brilliance

After leaving his first band "The Smiths," Morrissey embarked on a solo career, and instantly become one of the most distinguished talents in college-pop rock. His first album, "Viva Hate," is far from perfect, but features a good number of galvanizing and danceable tunes; all orchestrated with Morrissey's poetry, and clearly decisive voice. From the first song Alsatian Cousin, in which a sifting bass-keyboard sound fires, this solo-debut heralds something special. The music and lyrics corrosively develop into a melee of Morrissey's frustration with someone in his life, in which he asks them the direct question, "Were you and he lovers?" It is these themes of love, heartbreak, nostalgia, political bashing, suicide, and lines that speak of wanting an Armageddon, that make this album nearly break from its downpoints.

Most noticeable about this debut is the inclusion of the keyboard, and this sharp sound somewhat makes up for the absence of the stunning instrumental work, and musical construction of guitar wizard, Johnny Marr. The great number of stylistic strokes in many songs could have a meaning, like the bashing cymbals on "Little Man, What Now?" that seem to match the song's themes about childhood dreams squashed, appropriately, and add more heart to the beautiful voice of Morrissey. While images of nothingness, leading to a bitter depression are in the next song, "Everyday is Like Sunday," a piece about a derelict and dangerous coastal town with dread-ridden lyrics like, ""How I wish I was not here/ in the seaside town. /...That they forgot to bomb." It is by this grasp on human loneliness, and regret, that makes Morrissey's songs so fascinating, as they inhibit a serene feel of a summer breeze, with a nagging sensation of developing tragedy.

When "Viva Hate's" forth song hits your ears, the album begins to stem some instantly forgettable songs. Bengali in Platforms seems underdeveloped, and lacking Morrissey's brutal emotional punch. While others are well intentioned, bad ideas; such as Hairdresser on Fire, a social satire that just ends up feeling empty, and too obvious. Many of the next songs jut between moments of greatness, (Suedehead is a corky rocker) and soft-pop rock misfires (Last Night, Maudlin Street, a well-written song that sadly goes on a bit too long.)

While "Viva Hate" never deteriorates into below average music, it does not quite reach the level that Morrissey has put forthright with "The Smiths" albums. However, Morrissey's skill has not diminished, as both a songwriter, and a singer. Despite a few underwhelming missteps, "Viva Hate" is an album that is still essential in every music fan's collection.

*** (Out of 5) September 30, 2006

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