Theyre both great. And I know Vaux is better, but I love Arsenal. It was my first Moz LP.

Ilove viva hate, i wish it were still in. :(. it had no chance against vauxhall mind.

Yes!
long live your arsenal

Vauxhall and I is simply one of the greatest albums of all time.

It is without a doubt on a par with everything The Smiths recorded and stands out amongst a very impressive back catalouge.

It was released at the start of Britpop when everybody thought it was cool to ape Slade and The Small Faces. This marked a decline for indie music that was tainted by style over content.

Arsenal rocks but the I's have it.

Conceptually, Your Arsenal is better. The cover art is hilariously fab. There is a delicate balance of glamrock, Smithian balladry, rockabilly, fascism-chic, music hall humour and modern alternative rock. It also includes what I think is definately in the top 5 of all time Moz songs: "We'll Let You Know." God, I love that song! Contrarily, "Vauxhall and I" contains more classic songs. "I am Hated For Loving" and "Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself" are some of his best songs ever and they aren't even singles! May I also please say how much I love "Lazy Sunbathers." It seems like people are always dissing it as the weak moment of "Vauxhall" and I so vastly disagree. It's like the sequel to "EDISLS." In summation, I mean, how can we really choose? For all Morrissey fans these are so our pinnacle musical moments -- I guess choosing between them really just depends on the mood we are in. Today I pick Your Arsenal. Tomorrow Vauxhall and I.

I had to vote Vauxhall for the final round, even though my favorite Moz track is on this record. Your Arsenal has stronger material top to bottom and is sonically a little more in your face mix wise.
It's a tough to choose between the two (or the final three for that matter). To me, Vauxhall is where Morrissey's music really matured.
Great records!
G

Quarry did not do better ?

markmustb1

It has Now My Heart is Full and Speedway, easily the best opener and closer to any of his albums. And tons of lovely, gooey stuff inbetween!

Yep, again just as I thought .. and in the exact order I predicted, isn't everyone glad we did this, it had me on the edge of my seat for sure!

its the first morrisssy solo stuff i ever heard and will forever be one of my favorite albums of all time.

i hope it wins!

But Vauxhall wins on content.

it's obvious that vauxhall is a much stronger album than your arsenal. i love them both, but vauxhall is heaven.

I really struggle with Vauxal .. it's a great album, but it's REALLY lacking production theres just nothing there, it feels so flat and lifeless. Speedway could have been a rip roaring amazing track .. instead it just can't seem to get into the next gear.

I guess the same could be said for Your Arsenal, it did have a much rougher edge, but it felt as though it should have had a bit more grunt to it.

The content of both albums is nigh on perfect, I think they're both just a case of great plan, poorly executed.

went for vauxhall simply because i could not listen to your the one for me fatty ever again. its like hearing a joke too many times. funny and quite enjoyable for a while. but bloody annoying after you've heard it and heard it and heard it

it's still my sentimental fave since it dropped so soon after the demise of the Smiths. Suedehead, Every Day, and Hairdresser on Fire still give me chills. But as an entire record, Vauxhall is so much stronger in comparison. Your Arsenal is brilliant, but I never listen to it anymore. Vauxhall is still fresh and beautiful when I play it today. Let's hope it's the last album standing!

most be: wich is better: TQID or V&I??? track by track...

What is wrong with you people? Have you ever listened to Morrissey? His early solo music is the greatest. As for Vauxhall, I love it, but if you put it against Arsenal, there should be no contest. I guess we'll see....Tomorrow... will it really come?

Just like the reality show, this contest is entirely unpredictable. No one would have ever guessed that Vauxhall and Arsenal would end up the last 2. We'll Let You Know.

Even though it's a compilation CD, hands down, Bona Drag is the ultimate Morrissey CD. "Playboys", "November", "Picadilly", "Interesting", do I need to go on. Can you imagine sitting through a Morrissey concert where he played Vauxhall & I only and all the way through? The theme to that show would be "Sing me to sleep, sing me to sleep, I'm tired and I want to go to bed". If Vauxhall & I was that great, why did he only do "The More You Ignore Me" on his 2004 tour from that overrated cd. Morrissey probably even wonders what's the big deal about that CD. He also chose not to tour the "Vauxhall & I" release. Good idea.

you fucks

I refuse to vote. The sublime Viva has been voted out.

Your Arsenal or Vauxhall? It's too tough. I admit that they are probably the Morrissey albums that I listen to the least. Arsenal is the most catchy, and it's wonderful, but it's not 'deep' enough. Vauxhall is good, but I never crave it.

The highpoint on Vauxhall has to be 'The Lazy Sunbathers'- I listened to this whilst staring at the clouds and it was one of the most beautiful experiences ever. Then I recorded it on my phone, and when I played it back it had the most gorgeous quality- it sounded like it was coming from a wind-up musical box or an old film. Sorry to waffle, but it was wonderful...

Both albums have been my favourite at one point. Now it's neither.

I have been a Morrissey fan since I was 17. The first record of his I purchased was Viva Hate. Since then I have bought all of his studio albums and listened to them tirelessly. In my humble opinion, the best of those records is, by far, Vauxhall and I. While Viva Hate and Your Arsenal contain a number of wonderful songs, they lack the cohesion, consistency, and compassion of Vauxhall. I truly believe that what your favorite Morrissey record is depends mainly on what version of Morrissey is your favorite. While all the records are certainly the work of a single man, I believe all Morrissey records showcase different facets of his personality. For me, Vauxhall sees Morrissey at his most tender, compassionate, disappointed, and vulnerable. Songs like Hold on to your Friends, Used to Be A Sweet Boy and (my personal all-time favorite) Why Don't you find Out for yourself all represent for Morrissey an unusual and unguarded earnestness (almost entirely free of his usual sarcasm or self-depreciation). This is not to say the record lacks humor or charm. Many of the songs showcase his famous sardonic wit (Speedway, The Lazy Sunbathers, etc.). For me, Vauxhall is the one Morrissey album that could legitimately be considered among the greatest records ever made. It is so consistently brilliant, and so thematically focused. truly his masterwork. In many ways, i wish it had been the last record he ever made, because i feel it is such a definitive and ultimate statement.
I certainly do not wish to discount the other records. Viva Hate has a number of exceptional songs among his best (though it is a couple of tracks too long) and Your Arsenal is a tremendoudly inspired and cohesive record (though for me it does not match Vauxhall's songcraft or emotional punch). The Morrissey presented in Vauxhall, for me, is him at his most inspired, focused and empathetic. In my opinion is it the only solo record that comes anywhere the genius of the Smiths catalogue.

This is a nonsense, it seems people have collectively chosen to prove their....ahemm "cred" by offloading Viva Hate and Quarry before now. Both these albums are without doubt better than Your Arsenal.

Would still be Viva Hate for me, were it available. But no-one can deny that Your Arsenal, and Vauxhall and I in particular, are great albums, so there's no bones to be picked after this poll as far as I'm concerned... :) As for our individual tastes, well vive la difference ;)

Then why wasnt it as highly charted internationally as Arsenal, Vauxhall, and Quarry.

Viva was good but not great. Get over it.

why is it that Boorer and Whyte get criticised so much more than Stephen Street round here?
J

When I read the scores, I knew Arsenal would be in the dust compared to the sheer majesty of Vauxhall. I think it's even better than Quarry *gasp* Vauxhall is a CLASSIC, no clunkers on that one at ALL. Pure bliss. Arsenal had its moments as well, but compared to Vauxhall, there just isn't any comparison. Vauxhall stands alone as the best Mozzer album. (My hunble opinion anyway)

Vauxhall and I is simply the most beautiful album ever made..no less. So everybody: lets keep it alive in the game. - please? :-)

Oslo

You have no taste at all! Viva Hate is the best album ever made. If you don't get it - get out!

And what about the tragic lullaby that is 'Lifeguard Sleeping girl drowning', surely a contender for the most unique Morrissey track of all time and also very beautifully sung.

As he whispers "Please don't worry, there will be no fuss, she was, nobody's nothing", it puts every self-obsessed attention seeker in their place in the most flippant but convincing manner.
 

I cannot believe that 'Viva' was voted out? It leaves me no alternative but to find out where each and everyone of you live, take you all up in one room, and make you listen to Viva Hate 24/7 for 3 days. You will only be able to drink Kool Aid and eat Hot Dogs. {sorry, no fruit or veggies] And no one will be able to use the 'little girl's Room' or the 'little boy's room' unless you sign the 'Viva Hate Apology,I Take My Back My Vote Document' that will be sent into Morrissey Solo for everyone to read.

I can't argue that lyrically, Vauxhall & I is some of the better writing of all Morrissey releases. But the music that goes with it is what prevents me from agreeing with the Vauxhall & I lovefest. "I Am Hated For Loving", "Lifeguard Sleeping", "Lazy Sunbathers", and "Used To Be A Sweetboy", prevent Vauxhall & I from being better than Viva Hate, Your Arsenal, or You Are The Quarry. It lacks the musical edge that the just mentioned cd's provide ("Alsatian Cousin", "Glamorous Glue", "First Of The Gang To Die". So not to totally take away from Vauxhall, the following is a review from All Music Guide: "While it isn't a gutsy rock & roll record like Your Arsenal, Vauxhall and I is equally impressive. Filled with carefully constructed guitar pop gems, the album contains some of Morrissey's best material since the Smiths. Out of all of his solo albums, Vauxhall and I sounds the most like his former band, yet the textured, ringing guitar on this record is an extension of his past, not a replication of it. In fact, with songs like "Now My Heart Is Full" and "Hold on to Your Friends," Morrissey sounds more comfortable and peaceful than he ever has. And "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get," "Speedway," and "Spring-Heeled Jim" prove that he hasn't lost his vicious wit".
I guess I'm more of the "gutsy" fan of Morrissey's style of alternative rock & roll. In other words, I would never have gotten to be the Smiths/Morrissey fan I am if the majority of his music was in the style of V&I, or if that was the style that earned him his reputation early on, that being "Freak Of Nature" Morrissey.

not liking the second side run of "I Am Hated For Loving", "Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning", "Used To Be A Sweetboy" and "The Lazy Sunbathers"? does every song hav to be bonafide single material for these people to hav any appreciation? these four songs, while not being the most outrightly commanding sonicly, are each one beautifully fleeting moments of pop brilliance.

the way "I Am Hated For Loving" ironically bounces along with the excellent bass from Jonny Bridgewood and drums from Woodie Taylor, mixed with the sad guitar strokes from Boz and/or Alain- the beautiful vocal harmonies from Moz and Boz and outro vocals from unnamed female vocalists- this song is beautifully arranged. coupled with another truly heartbreaking lyric from Morrissey, "I Am Hated For Loving" is a gem.

the wailing clarinets, the crashing cymbals, the odd fragile vocal from Morrissey, the outro sample "What's your name?"- "Lifeguard Sleeping Girl Drowning" is another masterwork. a cold, cutting, unsympathetic lyric that sends chills everytime.

there could never be a sweeter song than "Used To Be A Sweet Boy"- the mournful, yet accepting strum of the guitar, the wash of backing vocals and piano on the outro. Morrissey's lyric and delivery is so warm in its imagery, and still with that final twist hinging on the phrase "used to be". lovely.

"The Lazy Sunbathers" is a quinessential Morrissey cut, showcasing his his razor sharp wit and again juxtaposed against a wonderfully unassuming airy arrangement mimicing a sun-soaked afternoon on the beach to perfection. and ending on that scary unassured note- a perfect lead into "Speedway".

honestly, how all these people who are still clutching their copies of 'Viva Hate' next to their hearts can think that this gang of four is somehow surpassed by say the run of "The Ordinary Boys", "I Don't Mind If You Forget Me", "Dial-A-Cliché" and "Maragret On The Guilotine" (to say nothing of the album's weakest track, "Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together") is completely beyond me. iswear, nothing appears to be between their ears.

Anyone that read this weeks 'Alan Bennett' interview will have heard that Moz gave Alan a copy of Bona Drag to listen to as an example of his work.

Although not a studio album in the classic interpretation, surely Bona Drag deserved inclusion in this poll?!

For me Bona Drag would have been the survivor!

"Arsenal" is superb. I love it. But, I'm not sorry, "Vauxhall & I" is the clear winner here. Not a dud in the bunch. All excellent material. It might even be better than "Quarry". But that's just my humble opinion.

so the voting ended up like this?

1. Vauxhall & I
2. Your Arsenal
3. Viva Hate
4. You Are The Quarry
5. Southpaw Grammar
6. Maladjusted
7. Kill Uncle

Enough said

Just shows you the power of bad cover art doesn't it. This is actually the album that introduced me to Morrissey's solo stuff and I didn't run away screaming - in fact I still rate
1. Maladjusted
2. Alma matters
4. Trouble loves me
6. Ammunition
7. Wide to receive
among my favourite Mozza songs of all time. For me it tops Southpaw at least and possibly Quarry too. Trouble, in particular, the way that he sings it just makes me go tingly all over, especially "So console me, otherwise hold me". Anytime hunny, I say. Phew, those are thoughts best kept to myself. Maladjusted is also a wonderful drawl of twisted confessions.

Anyway, as I was saying - this should have come higher up the list. If this poll was about cover art however, it would be at the bottom, no question.

my opinion does not stray too far from the results of the poll. id rank them like this (with each "paragraph" potentially having movement within it depending on day or mood):

Vauxhall And I
Your Arsenal

Viva Hate
Kill Uncle
You Are The Quarry
Southpaw Grammar

Maladjusted

'Vauxhall And I' and 'Your Arsenal' are unquestionably the two best albums.

'Viva Hate', despite containing as much or more relatively weaker material in comparison with any other album, gets into the second group by virtue of also containing 3-5 of what id consider to be Morrissey's greatest and most essential songs.

ive come to find that 'Kill Uncle' is one of Morrissey's strongest and most consistent albums front to back, however it does not benefit from the same essential tracks factor like 'Viva Hate'- it is truly an album for the core fans.

'You Are The Quarry' is also an album that boasts strength back to front, but istill find the over glossy and sometimes downright intrusive production to be a barrier for it to be considered amongst the very best. also, while "I Have Forgiven Jesus" is truly brilliant in spots, it is clumsy in others, and it is also one of the tracks that has been particularly marred by production and instrumentation choice and it is impossible to ignore.

"Southpaw Grammar" has eight songs on it, and all eight songs are great. the lyrics and vocals are great, the instrumentation and production is amazing. but, theres only eight songs and im not always crazy about their sequencing either. it seems like the album was for some reason unecessarily rushed out the door before it was completely dressed- if it has included the likes of "Nobody Loves Us" and "You Must Please Remember" off the "Dagenham Dave" single, and/or some of the other fantastic non-album material from the era, including "Sunny", ithink it would defintely be in that top tier. as is though, it seems incomplete.

finally, 'Maladjusted' is the other album that is hampered by the inclusion of relatively weak material, but unlike 'Viva Hate', it doesnt quite hav the firepower to overcome those flaws and enter into the second grouping, so it remains at the bottom of the heap. not that there arent truly brilliant and essential moments to be found here- "Alma Matters", "Trouble Loves Me", "Roy's Keen" and the title track to name a few- but in the end the three weaker tracks- "Papa Jack", "He Cried" and "Sorrow Will Come In The End"- weigh it down too much. also, the studio version of "Satan Rejected My Soul" is the most lifeless and lame vocal performance of Morrissey's career, ruining a great song. ihav a live (studio quality) version of the song where hes really into it, growls and all, and its brilliant. the record version is a mere shell of the live.

all this being said, ilov everything that Morrissey has done, even those things imay label as "relatively weak". ive also found that songs which iclassified in that manner in the past hav come to grow on me and in some cases become some of my favourite songs (especially in the case of 'Kill Uncle'), so iwill always keep an open mind to his entire catalogue in the hopes that someday it will all come together for me. ihear people say all the time that they lov "He Cried". someone has said here that "Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together" is their favourite Morrissey track- though im sure that will never happen to me, perhaps ill be able to gain at least some of that appreciation in time.