Half way through we're told that some of the songs are 'quite good'. Incisive!

No matter what one thinks of the album, this review is pitiful.

My toes are yet to uncurl.

This review comes as no surprise. Swords is a rather pointless album.

Why release it all? The sales will be disappointing, to say the least.

This album has a couple of decent songs on it: Shame is the Name, Good looking man about town and Ganglord. The problem with our boy Morrisey is everything has to be written with the same depressing undertone. The music is generally good but the lyrics generally suck. Morrissey day to day life can't be that miserable. He should put a more positive and polished finish on his work. People are getting bored with the Millionaire sing about how his life is so horrible and the world is so unfair.

That's a bit misleading as the previous paragraph reads

One argument in favour of releasing this album, which contains b-sides from the 'You Are the Quarry' singles (8), 'Ringleader of the Tormentors' (7), 'Greatest Hits' (3) and 'Years of Refusal' (2) is the quality. Despite being left out of the initial albums, most songs are in fact quite good. Morrissey may not write as sharply and as cryptic as he once did, but songs like 'Ganglord,' 'The Never-Played Symphonies' and the Smiths-echoing 'Shame is the Name,' 'I Knew I Was Next' and 'Teenage Dad on his Estate' live up to the expectations that he always surrounds himself by. Also Morrissey might not be as good as he used to be after all these years, but he certainly does sound inspired. His original touch on both the lyrics and vocals are still on top form. By releasing three studio albums in five years, the man's obviously still eager to show his craftsmanship.

Why does an album like Swords really even need press and reviews? Why does it matter so much about sales? The album can only be expected to cream the pants of the most devoted fans who want some of these songs on CD. It's not going to do much for the general population as a regular new material release might do. I see it as just a little convenience for the most devoted fanbase. Nothing more and nothing less.

plus two songs only appearing on the deluxe edition of 'You Are the Quarry.'

All the songs on deluxe quarry were already available as b sides to various singles. How come music journalists get simple facts wrong that basically anyone can find out?

long time no post but i just had to have my say about swords.

it sucks that for all us long time smiths, then moz fans rush out to the record stores, to get our hands on morrissey's new singles, mainly because we know how scares they are just for the bsides, so that we can keep our moz collection complete, that he goes and puts out a compilation of the bside for the one's who are not so devoted to hunting down singles at as many record shoppes as possible until it is found, found, found... so they can just go to a major retail store and pick up this full album with very little effort.
it seems morrissey is becoming a what he once loathed.

shame IS the name... steven!

If they are as obnoxious as this one is then don't bother. It's pretty clear you are a twat so no further evidence required :)