Morrissey - Southpaw Grammar

Pop stars who last more than a decade often survive but change: U2 goes from righteous to cartoonish, Sting from new wave to adult contemporary, Prince from purple to nameless. Morrissey, though, survives by staying the same, by pushing the flashing-red alienation buttons of each new year's crop of outsider adolescents. So while fans tend to grow out of the great Moz sometime after they lose their virginity, there's always a new, larger batch of pubescent mopers to take their place. For older listeners, it may seem Morrissey hasn't written a consistently incisive or catchy album since his first solo effort, 1988's Viva Hate, which itself pales next to his classic work with the Smiths. Since going solo, he's completely abandoned evocative poetry, opting instead for funny titles (remember the empty tease of "Hairdresser On Fire"?). Southpaw Grammar, Morrissey's fifth studio record, has a number of stellar song names--"Best Friend on the Payroll," for instance--but musically, adds up to just another indistinguishable mush of groaned haiku ready to be heaped onto the pile of other cleverly titled but otherwise forgettable releases. To be fair, Southpaw Grammar is not all bad. A moody epic like the 11-minute orchestrated opener "The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils," a classic Morrissey modern-day crucifixion tale, at least balances the recycled MTV-fare of "The Boy Racer" and "Dagenham Dave." There's even a hint of career development: Long instrumental sections, such as in the 10-minute finale "Southpaw," plus an overall heavier rock sound, indicate more creative input from the band. But would anyone put on a Morrissey record to hear a two-and-a-half minute drum solo like the one that starts Southpaw's "The Operation"? Then again, perhaps we should just be thankful Morrissey didn't use the moment to berate us with more shameful triteness like Southpaw's "Do Your Best and Don't Worry."

And yet, the man's popularity steadily grows. For grown-up, former fans, it seems the more we ignore him, the closer he gets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. --Roni Sarig Amazon.com

'And now, there is something that you should know...'

I agree with the sentiment shared amongst most of these reviews; Southpaw Grammar is a fantastic Morrissey record, demonstrating a darker, more menacing side to his song writing. This is conveyed in the heavy guitar driven soundscape, with some of the longer tracks sounding almost prog-rock.

Perhaps the critical backlash this record received had something to do with the track 'Reader Meet Author', which is basically an attack on middle class journalists trying to emphasise with the working class, with their patronising writing style ('You don't know a thing about their lives, books don't save them 'cos books aren't Stanley Knives').

Many of the lyrics in Southpaw Grammar are embedded in the ideology of the English working class; perhaps more so than any other Morrissey or Smiths album.
Dagenham Dave refers to everyone knowing a bit of a 'Jack the lad' who has a way with women, but little intelligence. The chorus reflects this mundane character, with the words 'Dagenham' and 'Dave' repeated constantly in a catchy yet purposely irritating way.

'The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils'; one of the two over 10-minute tracks that bookend the album, is perhaps the most chilling piece of music in Morrissey's back catalogue. Here, the psychological suffering of an inner city teacher is dissected, with some genuinely disturbing lyrics ('mucus on your collar. A nail up through the staff chair. A blade in your soap, as you cry into your pillow. To be finished would be a relief.'). 'You're The One For Me Fatty' this is not. This is daring territory for Morrissey, but thought provoking a provocative throughout.

There are some lighter moments throughout the album, along with Morrissey's traditional moments of humour (such as in the track Boy Racer: 'He thinks he's got the whole world in his hand, stood at the urinal'). The track 'Do Your Best And Don't Worry' appears to be Morrissey's reassuring hug to the listener, but don't be fooled be the title, this is no 'Everybody Hurts'.

Another highlight is 'Best Friend On The Payroll' which appears to be a bit of rhyming slang on the word 'Dole'. In the song Morrissey creates a picture of his own 'Odd Couple', where an unemployed guest has outstayed their welcome ('I turn the music down, and I don't know why, this is my house!').

The final track 'Southpaw' is another epic tale reflecting on innocence of youth giving way to bitter disappointment with life. In some ways this song encapsulates Morrissey's own tale of losing faith in the humanity, as young life in northern England slowly fills him with resentment. ('You were a boy before you became a man: I just don't see the joy. And you ran with your pals in the sun: You turned around...and they were gone'). A slightly disheartening close to the album then, but perfectly in keeping with the other tracks.

Southpaw Grammar for me is the most cohesive album of Morrissey's career. Re-released with some of the b-sides added to bulk up the running time it may gain some of the attention it deserved first time around, hopefully not at the expense of the original themes explored. If you are dipping your toes into Morrissey music for the first time, start elsewhere. This is an album greatly enhanced with a knowledge of what came before it, and the contrast with his earlier work makes it all the more interesting.

'I could say more, but you get the general idea...' July 16, 2008

'What Difference Did He Make..?'

Morrissey's still quite funny and entertaining, but he never quite got over the fact that the Smiths were brilliant and DID NOTHING WITH IT!!
Wasted the lot in front of thousands of blind 'worshippers in aircraft hangars', and, more importantly, the legacy of their good stuff is constantly obscured by wretchedly bad live albums and singles compilations, and this irks the ageing Moz. He doesn't want to be remembered for that.
He's an intelligent, influential man, but knows he missed an opportunity. THE opportunity. He's just thrashing around now, living on former glories. Still capable of the odd brilliant line, a startling hook, but because the world no longer hangs on his every word, it's all meaningless. So much grumpy-old-man hot air.
Some of his more recent work is passable enough in isolation, but compared to giants like `Accept Yourself', `William it Was Really Nothing' or even later gems like `the Boy With the Thorn in His Side' or 'Paint a Vulgar Picture' you can't help but realise how pale and weak it is.
Sadly, no-one's taken up the mantle. No-one's carrying the Wildean literary strangeness baton, the disarming melodic thrust. All his acolytes seem content to plough the angsty guitar pop furrow. Concentrating blandly on whine instead of shine. Small `c' conservativism instead of flames and brains. Again, this is forsaken and awful. The pupils can't even upstage their rotten teacher. (perhaps THEY'RE afraid....?) Watch your spirits DIVE when a promising looking young combo are asked who their influences are, and they mumble.. 'the Smiths'. You just know it's downhill from there-on.
`Southpaw Grammar' is his worst album. Even `Quarry' has a good song (`Gang') but this is a total, grim, gormless failure. The music is squalid. Loud `rock'..... will he never learn?
The well-known maxim, that the most intelligent of people sometimes lack common-sense, is painfully true in Mozzer's case. He's got squealing electric guitar, drum solo's, insipid strings and a few lines of choice verse, and just chucked the lot in a blender. The results are insulting. Kid's stuff.
For him, things shouldn't be this difficult. He should sail through his solo career with acres of talent to spare. He should mellow into a Quentin Crisp type satirist. Do stand up. Go on tour with Attila the Stockbroker and Dollar. Write his own vegetarian cookbook. Have his own chat show (the tv companies would be frenzy incarnate!) Be the new Simon Cowell! (wouldn't he be FAB at that?) Anything, just as long as he stays away from this awful caveman music.
I would cry myself to sleep at night at the thought of Morrissey being remembered for this and not `Reel Around the Fountain' or any number of crazy, funny, ingenious songs that his name SHOULD be synonymous with.
`Southpaw Grammar' wouldn't look good on Sting's CV, and that's the cruellest thing I've ever written in a review.
It's an unlikeable, busting carbuncle of an album. It's kind of nowhere-man punk rock, an ostentatious death-rattle of a talent that was, but now everybody (including him - he IS intelligent I tell you.) can see, isn't.
`Southpaw Grammar' despite it's blustery title and gritty Northern England connotations, (he just won't let that lie will he?) couldn't knock the skin off a rice pudding.
And would probably knock itself out trying.

May 29, 2008

Your Arsenal pt II - Southpaw Grammar is Great!

Some people call this album prog, which I really don't understand. So he has some string arrangements and a drum solo...as I recall, Zep did as well! This album could not be any further from Genesis, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Yes, or any of those other prog acts that Moz constantly reminds us he hates so much. This is a straight-ahead Rock album.

The whole band is ace as well, with a recording mix to match. Just listen to the drums smash down your apartment walls during "Do Your Best and Don't Worry." June 3, 2007

Morrissey does progressive rock, and it's brilliant....

This, along with Viva Hate, are my favorite Morrissey solo albums. Being a prog rock fan, I really liked the fact that this contains 2 epic tracks, The Teachers are Afraid of the Pupils (clocking in at 11:15), and Southpaw, clocking in at 10 minutes. The album has a much harder edge to it than other Morrissey offerings, and I really dig it. I think the production (by Steve Lillywhite, who produced many U2 albums) really gives this album quite a kick.

I think the opener, The Teachers are Afraid of the Pupils, is a great epic song that seems short. The orchestra part at the beginning is ominous and forboding (I think it may be a variation on a Shostakovich symphony, but don't quote me on that), but when the song really kicks in, it's immensely powerful. The Operation opens with one of the most audacious conceits I ever heard: a drum solo opening the song. It offers a great, 2 1/2 minute solo before going into a great, tuneful song, then the last 2 minutes are almost on the level of Husker Du in terms of melodic noise. And the closer, Southpaw, is a great closer. It's a 10 minute song, and Morrissey stops singing around the 4 minute mark, giving way to a hypnotic finale of distorion and beauty. It's a great way to end what is arguably Morrissey's most underrated and misunderstood album. April 23, 2007

Rock !

this is by far Morrissey's hardest rocking album. while most of his namby pamby fans hate this album, I think its great, even with that goofy drum solo ! January 29, 2007

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