YATQ is nothing more than a collection of songs, without any concept to accompany them. It’s an album like Bona Drag: a few decent singles and a lot of inferior fillers. (Needless to say that Bona Drag is much, much better than YATQ.)

ROTT however, is the first album since Vauxhall which sounds like an actual album. The songs, even the fillers, work together in a good way. They complement each other brilliantly. Something that is sorely lacking on YATQ.

Oh, and the songs on ROTT are much better. Less filler than on YATQ.

Crashing bore I am I voted equal quality. But equally high or what? Don't know, I'm missing a smashing single since 'alma matters', can't stand 'irish blood'. Still very good are the openers and the b-sides (haven't heard the ROTT ones yet).

Sorry for not helping you to decide...

Aren't Morrissey fans nostalgic. It's always the old stuff that wins.

If Quarry and ROTT were released on the same day there'd be no contest. ROTT is far superior. But Morrissey fans must look to the past, never enjoy the moment.

Have you got an easiest question please?...Why should I decide? I like both of them, they all have its magic, they are different, but they are great and I have no doubt about it! I really love listening to YATQ and ROTT!!!

I really do think people tend be nostalgic when it comes down to music, especielly with Morrissey. and I´m surely one of them since I value YATQ higher than ROTT. ROTT is very good but it was too close to YATQ to feel genuinly special. When YATQ was released we had waited for seven bloody years (i think) and Moz delivered a very very strong album with smashing songs like First of the gang and The world is full of and I have forgiven Jesus... songs like that don´t really appear on ROTT.
But if you change the question and ask which TOUR was best, then ROTT is a million times better, apart from the fact that he doesnt play There is a light this tour! :)

Do you like the "coming-back" album more or less than his current "coming-out" album.

and a few ok-ish ones.
Ringleader has two great songs (Pigsty and Anybody's Hero) and a few really good ones (Boy happy, You have killed me, In the future etc).
I'd give Quarry 5 out of 10 and Ringleader 7. Not an amazing album but deffo better than Quarry.
Maurice

The production on YATQ was AWFUL!
The music was pedestrian and unimaginative.
There were a lot of boring songs about people in smelly uniforms, accountants and bayliffs.
Deano was a nice guy, but an irritatingly limited drummer.

Although ROTT may not be a great album, it is clearly a stronger album than YATQ, Maladjusted and Southpaw.

Yes, both pretty poor.

C'mon, be honest, if it was another artist performing both sets of "songs", would ANYBODY be wasting their time listening to, (let alone debating the "merits" of), this swill?

P.S. Must say FOTGTD IS a good song - a lucky accident perhaps?

I voted for Ringleader. As a poster mentioned above, it's more a of piece that Quarry was. Even many critics pegged Quarry as a "decent collection of songs" rather than an cohesive album. First of the Gang is an instant classic, Irish Blood a great lead single and I Have Forgiven one of my personal favourites Southpaw-onwards.

I like ROTT's production better -- much more organic. I liked Quarry's ramped-up sound, but in retrospect, it suits some of the tracks very well, others not well at all.

I don't know if it was intentional because of Visconti's heritage, but it strikes me as sounding like a vinyl glam/rock album from the 70s. Not all the tracks necessarily, but the overall feel. Morrissey should be hellishly proud, and he is!

On the other hand, aside from Ganglord, Quarry's b-sides have ROTT whipped IMO!

I think YATQ and ROTT are great albums.It`s so boring to hear "well it`s not as good as Vauxhall"ect.ect.It`s just different that`s all.And it`s just as good as anything Morrissey has done before.Anyway that`s just my humble opinion.

...well, it's just a matter of opinion, really.

TherE are some lovely songs on both and some un-lovely songs on both.

I was drawn back to YATQ repeatedly, as with all Morrissey albums, and still like many of its songs.

ROTT failed to draw me in in the same way. I like some of the songs and can also see why some people prefer it to YATQ, I've just not found it to be a compelling album. All other Morrissey albums have made me feel "I must listen to this again! And again! And again!" but not ROTT.

Of course, IT MAY JUST BE ME.

ROTT is crap. Too many of the songs sound alike. The singing is better on Quarry, Morrissey sounds a bit strained on ROTT. The only really bad song on Quarry is 'Lazy Dykes' whereas ROTT has some real clunkers ('Far Off Places, At Last I am Born, Father who must be killed, Work of art, On the Streets I ran) these are all horrible songs. The musicianship is so boring on ROTT, its as if they recorded one song after another without changing instruments...and don't get me started on the kiddy choir. Quarry was a welcome return to form and ROTT was a rushed, poorly produced pile of steaming dung. I will say the B-sides from ROTT are quite good and 'Pigsty' is a classic--should have been a single.

.... but neither are great.

I prefer Visconti's production to Finn's - but that's just personal taste.

I listened to YATQ again this morning, having concluded it was mediocre a while ago. If anything, it sounds worse now than at time of release. 'Crashing Bores', for instance, is just hideous musically (SO pedestrian) and Moz's lyrics do nothing to lift it. 'You Know I Couldn't Last' remains horrid too. I quite like 'I Like You' and 'FOTGTD' is a superb classic, no doubt - the only one on the album. 'Let Me Kiss You' has a few nice ideas, but is again very MOR, very pedestrian. 'Irish Bloood' always sounded like a clunker to me, and it still does. YATQ has not improved with age, I'm afraid.

ROTT - well, it doesn't have a standout single like 'Gang', but we all knew that anyway. I do prefer the production and I appreciate the attempt to try a few new instruments. I like 'Anybody's Hero Now' quite a lot, also 'Dear God'. But Jesse Tobias is a mediocre songwriter, with 'The Youngest' sounding like a Southpaw outtake. 'Far Off Places' is poor, I always skip it. There's nothing on ROTT to rival the worst moments of Quarry, but it's still decidedly mediocre.

And then the other day I listened back to back to Bona, Arsenal and Vauxhall. All fantastic, and confirmation of the brilliance Morrissey is capable of. It is not necessary to bring Johnny Marr back - these albums prove that. I don't even object in principle to the Boorer/Whyte/Tobias collaboration, but the problem is those three are giving him substandard material now, and Morrissey for some reason accepts it, even making ludicrous claims on their behalf that the songs are "outstanding". They're not, merely passable these days. I think 'Boxers' was the turning point - that, 'Sunny' and 'Swallow' are all brilliant, excellent musically too, and coming on the heels of the wondrous 'Vauxhall' it seemed like there was an outstanding future in the Boorer/Whyte collaboration. Since then, there's been a few good songs ('Lost', 'Nobody Loves Us', 'Trouble Loves Me', 'Gang') and a raft of mediocrity that makes it incredibly frustrating to be a fan. It's quite evident what Moz is capable of, and yet he weighs himself down by retaining a collaboration that has gone stale. Further, so many interesting people would love to work with Moz - Frank Black, Chris Lowe, Richard Hawley, Vini Reilly, Johnny Greenwood - plus a whole host of others - and yet he just doesn't bother taking the opportunity to explore new styles and collaborations. Each new Morrissey album COULD be a revelation if he kept switching collaborators every couple of albums. The Lads are an effective live act, so they could still tour with Morrissey, augmented by others if appropriate. Morrissey could so easily come close to or even equal his work with Marr if only he'd be more daring. For instance, Quarry was intended to be a 'torch' album so many said - if he'd have hired Hawley to co-write he would have got a brilliant one (witness the lush ballads of Coles Corner) instead of the lumpen effort we received. The weird thing is that when he did get chance to conscript a new co-writer (eg Alain's departure), he opted for someone who, musically, is a slightly inferior facsimile of Alain in his "off the boil" moments! Such a wasted opportunity.

Come on Moz - do yourself justice, there's still plenty of time!

I wanted to vote somewhere in between the first two options; I think Quarry is a better album with the B-sides included, but ROTT is much more cohesive, has better production, and deeper meaning. Quarry seemed to retread old grievances and themes, whilst ROTT has much more scope for interpretation. I agree that there hasn't been a standout single that can be played in clubs, such as 'First of the Gang', but sometimes it's nice to have an album that merits a listen from start to finish and sticks in your mind as such. Overall, neither album can stand up to Your Arsenal, Viva Hate or Kill Uncle in my eyes, but then I'm young, and Morrissey's angry, angst ridden music appeals to me more. That said I'd happily go to see him live again, even if I knew he was to play a set entirely of recent tracks; he's Morrissey, and I love him whatever he does (Hip Hop excluded).

There is no reason to vote which Morrissey Album is the Best. They are all individual pieces of his work throughout his career. People have favourite albums and perhaps not favourite albums.
To me every single Morrissey album has been an event, it has been something I've been waiting for with anticipation. And I'm Glad because all his albums have been great - but maybe different.
I think it's very sad if people are hoping for a another "vauxhall" - there will never be another Vauxhall.
ROTT is a Fantastic album. You need to hear it live to appreciate it.
Morrissey is just gettin Better!

Has to be Ringleader for me. In terms of quality it's little more than a toss up. They both have their spectacular moments but aren't spectacular. ROTT has to get it just for having Pigsty which rapes anything off Quarry.

Also, this is the first period of Moz activity I've had the chance to properly enjoy. I had just started to listen to The Smiths in 2004 and wasn't too sure on Moz's solo stuff as I had been warned off it by friends and I never listen to the radio or buy anything in the charts so I skipped Quarry at the time.

Obviously I have since discovered the brilliance of Moz's solo work and this time round I was aching for the album to come out and finally got to see him live. I've got a feeling I'm going to be looking back at the ringleader era with great nostalgia and for that reason the next album will certainly have something to live up to.

Although Tony Visconti's production on Ringleader seems a little rushed, I'm still glad he produced it and not Jeff Saltzman.

I first saw Morrissey in 2002, and he was starting to play some of the Quarry songs live, and they sounded fantaaaaaastic! Crashing Bores, in particular, sounded so much better live, imho. The tempo is so strange on the album!

Anyway, I voted that Quarry is slightly better than ROTT... they're about equal, but nostalgia makes me like Quarry more! :)

Great poll, and the answer is obviously YATQ. Quarry sounded fresh, new, and even a little exciting; Mozz had never written songs like that before. ROTT, on the other hand, is Mozz going through the motions -- Maladjusted with better production and slightly better tunes. I don't listen to it anymore except for two songs: "In the Future When All's Well" and "I Just Want To See The Boy Happy". The rest is just there. I can do without.

How can people prefer the hideous synthesised strings on YATQ to the gorgeous orchestration of ROTT? I think Ringerleader is one of Morrissey's absolute-best albums, whereas Quarry is average at best. At Last I Am Born, Dear God Please Help Me and Life Is A Pigsty are all majestic, beautiful and some of the most challenging songs he's ever written, whereas most of Quarry is simply Moz on auto-pilot. I'm convinced that the only reason Quarry was so critically & commercially received when it was released is because it was his 'big return', and it wasn't truly awful. We seriously overrated it.

I voted for Quarry. I dont like ROTT because of Jesse bad songwriting. I don´t like his songs at all. Boz i much better and Alain of course.

Great poll...I was just thinking about this lately. When Ringleader first came out with its lovely new gloss, I thought that it was far superior. It does have some great tunes. And I had been thinking that Quarry was...alright.

Now I realise that Quarry is one of my favourite Moz albums. I listened to it and realised that this was one of the albums that you feel you NEED in life- the ones you get an incredibly strong craving for at times. I have to say, though...I don't know what all the fuss is about with FOTGTD. Cracking tune, but with less substance than other Quarry tracks. I think that 'I'm not sorry' is one of Moz's best ever songs. It makes my heart bleed.

But perhaps the only reason I love Quarry so much is because it is the album that made me discover Morrissey...I did not see it as a 'comeback', but as a beginning- which I'm sure it was for a lot of newer fans. (But it must have been amazing to finally get another Moz release after waiting so long...I thought it was bad enough waiting for Ringleader!)

I think however, for me, I have not had long enough to really know Ringleader. I think it takes at least a year to know how you truly feel about an album...as it did with Quarry for me.

I don't believe that it's a case of Ringleader being bad...it's just Quarry is too tough to beat.

I have given ROTT the slight edge. The main reason for this is after the Leeds gig, I listened to ROTT on the way home and I found my enjoyment of it just soared. 2 hours in the car full blast and I relived the gig in a way I did not after any post Quarry.

Also, Pigsty just had me gripped and did say something about my life. There is not a song to match it on Quarry IMHO and I still get tingles recalling the live versions.

Oh and by the way, I do not understand why the overboard love of Gang that is trotted out every time Quarry is mentioned. Its okay, but a lazy pop song and if you listen carefully, it sounds like Father Ted Crilley and Dougals’ entry into the Eurovision Song Contest. Have a listen and get back to me (those of you who are fans, anyone who is not - try it - you will love it)!

Quarry resurrected morrissey back to greatness
Rott has marginlized him -(for sure in u.s)
Quarry was a breath of fresh air ,w` fantastic singles,great B-sides
Rott seems stale,the singles?come on- B sides some good ,most not
Quarry had the better artwork and videos plus the tour w` those great lights!
really surprised to find so many Rott fans
Iam not1

I think YATQ is the perfect momentum for Morrissey's carrer. also the most solid album than ROTT (love with life a pigsty). Jerry Finn has accomplished the ultimate mission, which is to gather the new generation of Morrissey listener with YATQ album. a fresh sound and atsmosphere and a splendid music touch by him. the world loves Morrissey even more with YATQ.

but i'm not lowering Tony Visconti contributions on ROTT. he's a good Producer, i love the musical scent he gave to this album.

i hope jerry finn could appear on Moz next albums..but please don't hate me, please
(pardon me with the grammar..)

After the lost years, I'm glad to have any albums to consider. Quarry seemed to me to be the recognition of the influence he's been on many groups that have come into their own recently, and Ringleader is his very personal record. Vauxhall to Southpaw will always be my favorite period, because that is the time that I realized what his work meant to me, on a personal level, but those days are past, and we should be overjoyed that he's still making great music for us to split hairs about.

Put two cars side by side and compare size, colour, model, power, etc...

Put two lit candles side by side and tell me where the light of one ends and the light of the other begins...

Sinistra

AND still this debate goes on and on and on and on and on and on....

Both have equal merit.

Quarry brought me back to someone I did not even realize that I had missed so terribly. The songs were finely crafted and fully realized, although the production made me cringe. What really blew me away were the vocals and that Morrissey phrasing - perfection. I loved the whole new grey-haired, elder-statesman thing as well. "I Have Forgiven Jesus," "IBEH," "Camden" "Let Me Kiss You," were just what the doctor ordered. Thanks, Moz, for kicking my ass again.

ROTT, on the other hand, is part of the continuing saga. After the reunion, it was time to get down to business, get into the studio and rush out the latest chapter in the Morrissey drama. It shows. The songs are not so fully realized, etc, etc. HOWEVER, I get an absolute sense of who he is now, and it resonates with me. As a whole, Morrissey is fully there - prowling the streets of Rome, fending off mortality, still seeing that in the midst of life we are in death. "Dear God" "Anybody's Hero" and of course "Pigsty" are fantastic - as has been said already, "Pigsty" in particular is one of the best things he has ever done.

I am grateful that Morrissey is still with us, that he is not going down without a fight, that he has not retreated into a middle-aged acceptance of "normalcy," and that he is still the fully-realized center of his own universe.

Neither album is as good as Morrissey can be, because he can be the best. May he find it within himself to turn out one last masterpiece.

     

Morrissey fans are such a nostalgic lot indeed - at least the majority who use this website. Comments like "More Smiths, Bring Back Marr, Vauxhall was The Best" are pointles. Luckily Morrissey does not live in the past himself, he is an evolving forward-looking artist. What would be the point of releasing another Vauxhal or Arsenal time after time? They are both great albums but they were released 10 or so years ago!
I personally take each album as an individual piece of his work and I find no need to compare them. Each album has provided a soundtrack to that particular time in my life. I like them all and Morrissey has never left me cold. I often play bits of all of them in a very random order - whatever mood I'm in.
I loved Quarry and it was a fantastic "comeback" album if you like, but I equally love ROTT and I think it's a very coherent album.
Suppose it all boils down to a matter of likes and dislikes. But it has to be said that he has always been extremely critical about what he releases; it's always a very thought-out affair with his releases.
Why do so many people want to see him fail again?

YATQ is a great album. Songs such as Irish Blood English Heart, Let me Kiss You, I Like You, The World is full of Crashing Bores & How Can Anybody Know How I feel are cracking songs. Songs from ROTT such as You have killed Me, In the Future When All is well, The Father Who must be Killed, To Me you are work of art & Life is a Pigsty are equally great tracks. Its all down to personal opinion & choice but one thing is certain - Morrissey will make one album so different to the previous ones which shows how creative & original he is. If his albums sounded all the same then he would be venturing into boy band territory - God forbid!

Of Morrissey's 8 studio albums, here's how they rank.
1. Your Arsenal
2. Viva Hate
3. Vauxhall and I
4. You are the Quarry
5. Southpaw Grammar
6. Ringleader of the Tormentors
7. Maladjusted
8. Kill Uncle

so few of you have any idea what you're talking about

There can be no debate. Quarry is one of the best Morrissey albums- no question. The new album is good but it's no "Quarry".

There isn't a 'Better' album.. every album is unique, and every album seems to be the following part of the history of the last one.
In the case of YATQ.. that album was received for the most part of us with a lot of joy, because of that 7 silent years, (yes, we were nostalgic..) and it was amazing, we were so pleased.. we found a Honest, sensitive, and 'new' Morrissey..
And now in ROTT we see more of the esence of Morrissey: the depression, the anger, the darkness, the death obsession, the pain of the romance and even there are new references (Pasolini, Pigsty)..it's an amazing and enigmatic album and ,as YATQ, is very introspective, but in a different way.. is like to suffer the damage after the storm.. call me morbid, I don't care!

Ringleaders pisses all over You Are The Quarry. Think someone has mentioned how the album segues together.

Add the production, Morrissey's vocals, some of the lyrical gems (not too much on Quarry I would hasten to add) and the band sounding like a band rather than hired musos... for someone approaching 50 to make an LP that sounds vital, contemporary and emotional makes me ostentasiously happy.

I think the joy of Quarry was in the fact that it had been 7 long years since we'd heard Morrissey on record. The singles are very listener friendly but filler like World Is Full of Crashing Bores, You Know I Couldn't Last, All the Lazy Dykes.... well I don't find Ringleaders like that AT ALL.

I think this is the LP has divided his audience like no other. I still don't comprehend how. Its a collection of heartfelt personal songs. Which I feel that Quarry wasn't. Theres no mention of the dreaded lawyers magistrates accountants and embittered drummers!! Most of the songs on Ringleaders I can relate to.

Its no Vauxhall and I though. But then again WHAT IS?

BLUEBIRDS

   

I love both albums but I think Quarry gets the upperhand. Even the filler song on Ringleader, 'On The Streets I Ran' is more interesting than what Johnny Marr has done in the past ten years.

ROTT is absolutely unbearable. The lyrics and the music stink of amateur, coffee bar songwriting... certainly not the caliber of music that Morrissey has demonstrated throughout his career. I think Morrrissey has essentially run out of things to write about, so he's resorting to crooning about mundane bullshit. I'm actually waiting for a song about watering plants, which i'm sure is on its way on the next album if this trend continues. Sorry to offend those who like ROTT (and you have every right to enjoy it if it strikes a chord in you), but this last album was absoutely useless and Morrissey should've waited another year or two until he had written some lyrics that matched his wonderful voice and singing. Oh yeah, I also think he should retire Boz. I love what Boz has done in the past, but one can only tolerate him going back to that tired bag of riffs so many times.

Absolutely no contest for me. I was playing You Are The Quarry over and over for nine months after it came out - but I'd stopped listening to ROTT less than a month after I'd got it. It just doesn't have the songs - Dear God Please Help Me, In The Future When All's Well and Life Is A Pigsty are all top notch, but everything else is deeply mediocre, especially the second half. YATQ, by contrast, has great songs all the way through (including two of his best solo singles in Irish Blood, English Heart and First Of The Gang), and varied songs at that, compared to the indie sludge that makes up much of ROTT.

I'm so glad that this poll's results shows that most fans recognise YATQ for the great album it is - and that it's far better than the alleged 'Morrissey masterpiece'.

It's strange to see a few posts slagging Far Off Places. It was the first track to be leaked, I adored it then, and I adore it still. The coda is f-ing great.

ROTT needed a smash single, as good as First Of The Gang, but of course it was without. The fillers on YATQ are better, Lazy Dykes being one of my favourite Moz songs.

I don't know who wins this war. America and Irish Blood are simply annoying and so that sets Quarry of to a bad start, ROTT has some poor moments but Dear God, Far Off Places, Youngest and Work Of Art more than make up for them.

Hard one... two different albums coming from two different places. Enjoy both, skip tracks at will. Easy.

  YATQ has four great songs ( IHFJ, IBEH, FOTGTD, LMKY ) and the rest sounds haphazard and uncertain. ROTT has great songs and an ambience runs through it that's conspicuously absent in YATQ.

1. America is not the world
2. Irish blood, English heart
3. Dear God, please help me
4. You have killed me
5. The world is full of crashing bores
6. The youngest was the most loved
7. Life is a pigsty
8. Let me kiss you
9. I’ll never be anybody’s hero now
10. All the last dikes
11. To me you are a work of art
12. You know I couldn’t last

i agree with u , Peter Marr.
loads of folk around me said, ''hey u know that bloke that u have been listening to for years, well, i've just heard his new 'quarry album , and guess wot, its pretty damn good.''
(told u , i replied)

in essence ....... it captured a broader audience.

ringleader on the other hand is found as a bit 'same-y'
as in - (all tracks merge into one) - kind of feel.
well produced , great vocals, but i've played it just ten times or so....................

Curry on the other hand didn't leave the player
for 6 months solid.....nuff said.........

i vote CURRY above R.O.T.T

p.s. man utd suck.
sorry couldnt resist, new season and 'all.......... ;-))))

Hey, this poll is missing a choice:

They both suck!

Do't get me wrong, ROTT is a great album, but it seems to lack some of the emotion of YATQ. It may be technically perfect, but it doesn't grab me in the same way. Having said that, I've listened to both albums since I got in from work tonight.

While both albums have many merits and highpoints, be they populist or personal, ROTT seems to have more soul, more feeling and more love.

With Quarry Mozzer seemed to reflect on issues which had wound him up, especially the actions of people in positions of power, journalists/hacks and crappy pop stars. All of which was interesting and entertaining, however, the personal and introspective nature of ROTT, where he shows his love for Rome and someone there(?)has a lot more force and impact.

The timing of Quarry meant that it was lapped up by us all, after 7 long years. However, I feel that ROTT is stronger and I hope Mozzer continues to keep producing great things, I know he will.

P.S. Quarry's b-sides are much better than ROTT's.
P.P.S. I would like Alain back in the fold!!! I miss his style on stage!

They are both good albums .. neither are fantastic ! What i find interesting reading other peoples comments is that the tracks that one person sees as filler , others view as outstanding, so does that not eventually pan out that all the songs on both albums are special to someone somewhere ? ROTT has not been as warmly welcomed simply because it came to soon after YATQ and the comeback factor was not there. The B side debate is interesting - so far YATQ wins in my eyes , though "ganglord" and "Good looking man" are both excellent but live tracks are a cop out , especially for Moz. I think Pigsty is very moving and dramatic , and the "Shifting gears ..." line is tragically beautiful, but surely the best line is "paired off, pawed til i can barely stand it " from In the Future - classic Moz erotic flippancy ! On a lighter note .. in this weeks Star magazine ( nikki & pete on the cover - lower case on purpose) on page 40 there is a feature called "clocked" with celebrities being spotted . Star snap of the week Imogen and Neil Fry who were having a wedding reception at the De Russe hotel in Rome when Moz wandered in to a photo opportunity . Plunging neckline and almost smiling - its a great picture. Just enjoy him while he is around ! He is very very special .

that's enough! Believe me, for a life-long fan they both are great albums.

Neither are fantastic my arse mate!

Quarry is WICKED.

Ante, you're a twat. You bore us all.

By the way, what's this carrer (sic) that Morrissey should end ?

really was that just to annoy people? dont like him get off the main Morrissey site.