Re: At first I liked Ringleader better than Quarry but now I've switched my mind. You
Here's my break down in point form:
- Quarry, better songwriting and lyrics.
- Quarry, better b-sides, by a mile.
- Ringleader, better production on the whole, but Jerry Finn's style Does suit certain Moz songs.
- Pigsty, blows away anything from the Quarry era. Ganglord its gun-toting cousin.
- First of the Gang blows away the singles from Ringleader by a mile.
Disregarding tracks from other eras, in the past year Quarry has slowly taken over Ringleader to the point where I only play a couple of Rott tracks.
I didn't create a poll option for those who don't like either album or don't prefer one o'er the other, sorry. It also includes b-sides.
Agree with the good king in most respects, but find I am unable to commit to one either way--which is something of a surprise to myself! I like the majority of the songs on YATQ - in fact, I only think it sags at Bores... and How Can Anybody Think This Song is Lyrically Good? and limps into the finish line with You Know I Couldn't Last - but Finn's production atrocities turn me off. On the flip side, I quite like Visconti's touch and the feel of wholeness, production-wise, on RotT. But then you have Jesse's ineffectual fingers trying to locate a tune and it's all over on most of his songs for me.
There is some ebb and flow to both albums' B-sides, with gems and turds in either batch. For instance, I think Friday Mourning is hopelessly overrated whilst Good Looking Man About Town is tragically underappreciated.
A-sides-wise, You Have Killed Me was respectable, but each succeeding single seemed more off to me. Granted, the material Alain brought to the table was better served as album tracks. But I Just Want the Boy to Be Happy is absolutely deplorable in consideration of the high standards set in the past. YATQ singles mop up on this front--gutsy, too, to withhold the best single choice from the album until the second single. In the past, Morrissey has often lifted maybe the only obvious single or the song with the best chance of chart activity and then followed them up with "fingers-crossed" choices in consideration of the Hit Parade.
I do think Morrissey's lyrical energy diminished for the majority of RotT. The "less is more" songs seem just too trite and obvious for my palate. On songs like All the Lazy Dykes and Teenage Dad on His Estate we found him reaching for the lonely and isolated on different avenues of his usual beat. Points for the lyrics on Christian Dior, but, to my ears, sadly retread musically.
Of the new songs we've heard for the next round, Something Is Squeezing My Skull is most interesting b/c of the confessional aspect to it. Children in Pieces has so far left me cold, as have One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell and Paris--though musically the latter two seem a cut in the right direction. I think the true outcome will best be tested by the ratio of Alain/Boz songs to Jesse's, how commercial a feel he goes for (in overall sound and choices of singles), and if the lyrical pilot light has been properly lit.
Cheers,
Jamie
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