Corrissey
lovable loser
I thought it was great at the time and very funny. Sing Your Life and Our Frank are very fun, and Found, Found, Found is a riff nearly as good as How Soon Is Now. The live versions of some of the songs were a lot better, but I never thought it was a bad record.
I probably did compare it to his other records, because I know I did that with other bands and artists, but I can't remember that. I just liked it a lot, and it was being played on the radio which was the first time that ever happened where I lived.
It was years later online that I discovered this record didn't have the best reputation. I think one of the reasons I didn't have a problem with the musical style on the record is because to me it's always been 90% about the lyrics and the singing. The Smiths were Morrissey's band to me. I liked him first for his interviews before I'd ever heard the music.
The music is great, and I don't mean to put it down at all. I just think that the appeal is Morrissey and his personality, and his style. I'd never heard anyone else sing like that or write those kinds of lyrics, and I didn't scrutinize that record so much as I was just glad that there was a new batch of Morrissey songs.
Excellent post! Tho, the bold is all I disagree with in only that--for me, it was his music first, then interviews. I could have cared less what the man ever said about anything. That VOICE...those FEELINGS...those LOOKS!
That's the one major virtue of "Kill Uncle". His voice does sound warmer and more intimate. The songs are calmer and in places almost conversational. It's his least emotional record, too. Most of the pain and upheaval is talked of matter of factly or he's observing it happen to someone else. The emotional distance between two "driving" songs, "Driving Your Girlfriend Home" and "There Is A Light That NEver Goes Out", gives all the contrast you need to see why "Kill Uncle" is different than his other albums-- and also why, in my opinion, it's inferior.
Another excellent post (you guys really help to express my feelings ) I never thought of it as 'conversational' - YES - that's it. His voice is very very warm... and there is an almost echo on a lot of the songs -very sublime and divine. I absolutely love End of the Family Line. Gah, that song just slays me. So bittersweet. A lot of people don't sense or feel the emotion in that song, but I get it. I even love Harsh Truth. I mean, THAT is a unique song! It makes me think of all of his pictures...
Our Frank is a killer opening track on Kill Uncle. I almost wish KU would end on There is a place in Hell -perfection- but just as you want to die... you're jammin to Tony the Pony (I guess that's the celebration after the funeral)
I could hang on this thread.