You Are the Quarry

I only knew a few Smiths songs, haven't heard any solo stuff before this. I liked it.

The instrumental tracks sound like they were bought online wholesale. So generic and boring! Why Does this guy get 4 solo albums!?

Kinda insufferable

I admittedly dreaded after seeing that Morrissey, on his own, had four records on this list, in addition to the three allotted for the Smiths. As I established in my review of Meat is Murder and The Queen is Dead, Morrissey had been the biggest hurdle for me getting into the Smiths because he's that much of a dick. As one could imagine, I was even less enthused about going into his solo output. Still, I can now say that I enjoyed The Queen is Dead, and I wanted to go into this album with an open mind. So, what did I get with Morrissey, You Are the Quarry?

Well, instrumentally, this is a pleasant-sounding record. It's a nice blend of early 2000s alternative and pop rock, with Morrissey's baritone delivery nestled in front of Alain Whyte's elegant guitar play, a decent rhythm section, and some lush string arrangements. It's not the most commanding instrumental performance coming off the two Smiths albums I heard prior, but it does make for an enjoyable listen.

What isn't as enjoyable, unfortunately, are the lyrics. For better and worse, You Are the Quarry is an album largely about Morrissey's own drama, from his trademark self-deprecation to very on-the-nose critiques. Look, I get it - he doesn't like the British tabloids, he doesn't like his former Smiths bandmates, he doesn't like people who eat meat, he doesn't like authority, he didn't like his Catholic upbringing, he doesn't like his home in Camden, London, he certainly doesn't like what England and America had become at the turn of the century, and most tellingly, he doesn't like himself and questions whether anyone is truly capable of loving him. While that frustration can be channeled into some intriguing storytelling, such as the tribute to his Hispanic fanbase on "First of the Gang to Die", the cultural divide in his heritages on "Irish Blood, English Heart", and the imagery of being deserted by Jesus as he struggled with his faith on "I Forgive You Jesus", almost half of this album's content is very specific to Morrissey to the point where I had trouble finding pathos or relatability. Tracks like "This World is Full of Crashing Bores" and "How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?" reeked of high-brow observations from Morrissey on others, whereas his refuge amongst the lesbians in "All the Lazy Dykes" gets rather creepy as he asks them to touch and squeeze him. So much of this album depends on how much one cares about Morrissey's tea, and that's hard for me to swallow; again, this man is the reason I had a hard time getting into the Smiths.

I just can't find myself coming back to You Are the Quarry much. There are a few songs to cherry-pick from, but that's the best I can do. I certainly don't look forward to the other Morrissey solo records.

lyrics far-too on the nose. Self-righteous drivel. early-2000s musical trends. Just all-around bad and forgettable.

I quote like old even crankier morrisey.

Der Typ ist komisch, seine Songtexte sind super cheesy, aber irgendwie find ichs trotzdem gut :D

I wanted to steer clear in this of the way Morrissey has decided to act in the past decade as I don’t want that to affect my judgement. But it is quite tricky. ‘Irish Blood, English Heart’ was once an ode about the nuances of dual-nationality but now feels jingoistic. There’s defo some bangers on here (First of the Gang to Die is a Top 10 Morrissey solo song of all time) but the navel-gazing that was so loved back in the day feels so petulant to me in light of his views in the last few years. Not my favourite of his albums, but good.

The 2 big singles are good. There are also a couple of interesting/unexpected instrumental choices. Other than that, I was slightly uninspired.

If you can put aside your feelings about Morrissey as a person, I think this album can help you just hate him as a musician too.
You couldn’t even parody this album because Morrissey is cartoonishly self loathing and whiney in a way that doesn’t feel humble, it just feels like the melodic pouting of a narcissist. It feels shockingly self-aware, but I can’t decide if he is or not. If he wasn’t already a rich, famous, middle-aged white man, I can’t imagine this album ever seeing the light of day.
But alas, here it is ruining my otherwise nice Sunday. To adapt a phrase from my grandma (and Lucille Ball): “If that’s the kind of album you wanted, you sure got a good one.”

The more I listen to Morrissey, the more I realize what an insufferable crashing bore he is. From a musical perspective some of the tracks are somewhat interesting, though.

Right off the bat, Morrissey takes on American politics, British identity, and Jesus. Tho he's never one to shy away from big topics, having battled the Queen and railed against eating meat since the very beginning, he had always done so w/ wit and descriptiveness. But besides the excellent 'First of the Gang to Die,' and the agonizing 'Let Me Kiss You,' this record is too vague, too lugubrious: 'Here you'll find, despair and I / Calling to you with what's left of my heart.' Morrissey, despite popular belief, doesn't feel all that bad for himself, but here he's aimlessly self-involved: 'This world, I am afraid / Is designed for crashing bores / I'm not one.' Part of me wants him to get to the point, the other less pronounced: it's overcooked; half-baked.

I don't mind the political lyrics, but the music is just so generic that it is uninteresting.

There is always a tension in Morrissey’s music between his ability to write great pop songs and his narcissistic personality. At his best the latter enhances the former. The World is Full of Crashing Bores (a great pop song) acts as a breakdown of Morrissey’s personality. He sees himself as a victim who is much more interesting than others around him, yet he is also insecure and just wants to be loved by others. He is a self obsessed, vulnerable reactionary with a unique voice and a natural ability to playfully write about his feelings of isolation, and how difficult he finds the world. The way he writes resonates with me despite (or maybe because of) his flawed way of processing the world. 

He goes further on How Can Anybody Know How I Feel. He hates himself, but not nearly as much as he hates everyone else. It’s fascinating, for as long as the music is good. On later albums we can be less forgiving. I have a less complicated relationship with The First of the Gang To Die, a cathartic anthem with a big heart which just cuts straight through every level. The effortless, bright guitar chords match beautifully with his melancholy.

Morrissey fans have been peeking through their figures watching him slowly come out as a racist over the course of four decades, culminating in him proudly declaring himself in alignment with the English Defence League in 2018. The whole “judging the art, not the artist” conversation seems specifically designed for his fans. It unfortunately puts Irish Blood, English Heart in an unpleasant light. He yearns for people to see the good in England, take pride in its accomplishments and rejects the idea that flag waving is racist. But then it's difficult to get swept up in his yearning, given that he is a racist. It's a well written, passionate burst of energy with a compromised message. A perfect encapsulation of Morrissey.

I have absolutely no reason to like Morrissey in any way, except possibly nostalgia for The Smiths, but for some reason I always enjoy his music. Sure, it's pretentious, but somehow he always manages to absolutely nail a feeling or observation.

Gotta say, due to Morrissey's stigma of not being great, I wasn't expecting You Are The Quarry to be as good as it is but i was certainly wrong. When i saw that Morrissey had a solo career, i thought that these albums were going to more or less just be more Smiths albums but this one definitely feels very different from those by dropping the a majority of the new wave elements and going full indie rock. The music here is really well done with some great The Killers style melodies and even when the lyrics were dumb, they still managed to make me wonder what Morrissey would think of next and that always kept me interested. This is a really solid album that in my eyes, gets more hate than it deserves.
Best Song: First of the Gang to Die
Worst Song: The World Is Full of Crashing Bores
Side note: I don't know why but the album and artist names being positioned the way they are kinda makes me laugh, it feels more like a statement than just the name and artist of this album

I feel like Morrissey and Roger Waters both just went down the line of becoming angry old men. Both make pretty good music though

The Good: Nothing really…
The Bad: Everything, really…
The Ugly: I found out I did not hate it…

Current tally:
The Smiths albums heard on the list = 1
Morrissey albums head on the list = 2 (included this one)
I dread the next one I need to listen to… as I really can’t stand Morrissey’s voice…

I am the quarry, of coal… stinking, rough coal… with no outlook of becoming a diamond…
But I did not want to slice my wrists while listening to this, so I will be gentle and allow for a 2* rating

Rather enjoyable overall. I’d listen to this more. 3.5/5

It's cool, solid Morrissey solo effort