"Kill Uncle" at 30: Oddball album or timeless classic? - Dickie Felton

Link from Dickie:

"Kill Uncle" at 30: Oddball album or timeless classic? - Dickie Felton

 

[Banbury Moz Army]

opinions vary. But I’m thinking a lot of older fans may agree with you.

I wouldn’t be surprised if a younger person would choose say, Spent The Day In Bed over Sing Your Life though.

spot on here mate, the production I think would put many off especially younger following accustomed to the more 'polished' ' sounding later stuff. Kill uncle has a certain charm. It's a bit like watching a carry on film on a rainy day ..... Strangely comforting, you know it 's not that great, but you love it all the same....

 

[carlislebaz]

last of the family line I love don't know why but always go back to that track and Our Frank agree on Harsh truth and struggle a bit with the piano version of place in hell , it's each to their own Kill uncle is always an interesting debate

Yes, it’s always a debate with this album, I’d put it down to the bad press upon its release.

 

[carlislebaz]

spot on here mate, the production I think would put many off especially younger following accustomed to the more 'polished' ' sounding later stuff. Kill uncle has a certain charm. It's a bit like watching a carry on film on a rainy day ..... Strangely comforting, you know it 's not that great, but you love it all the same....

You forgot to mention the toasted tea cakes and a pot of Tetley tea...

 

[Simplysmiths]

These last few albums are not to my taste. Dog was a welcome return to some kind of form only to be let down once again by the artwork.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

I sometimes wonder what Kill Uncle would have sounded like if it had been recorded properly and not simply a series of studio overdubs on what were essentially demos. In a perfect world, "Sing Your Life" would be a standard akin to "My Way" or something.

Or maybe "My Way" is a standard because it's a very different and much better song with lyrics that people have taken to their heart.

 

[Flibberty]

I can understand why the feelings of nostalgia are powerful for some with Kill Uncle. That year was obviously a crucial one for Morrissey as he became a touring artist, and some of the songs will always be associated with the live versions. I have to say that even those live renditions are mostly notable for the energy that Moz and the crowd brought to them, rather than any great musicianship from the band who were clearly learning at the time.

I wouldn't class Kill Uncle as the worst solo album, but I can understand why it is regularly nominated as such. There is a lack of substance to the lyrics and the music (Morrissey and Mark Nevin have essentially admitted as much), and Clive Langer's production sounds rather thin.

I like Mute Witness (which I would enjoy seeing back in the set list at some point), Driving Your Girlfriend Home and the piano version of There is a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends. I don't think there are any absolutely classic songs though, and I wouldn't include any on a fantasy best of album.

Having Asian Rut as the second track kills the energy somewhat, and there are a couple of absolute duffers on Side Two.

I think Mark Nevin actually was a good collaborator, but sadly he hadn't learned how the writing process worked with Morrissey at this point. He would write much better songs (I've Changed My Plea to Guilty, You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side and I Know it's Gonna Happen Someday) in the subsequent months.

In the poll on another board a while ago Kill Uncle was ranked as the worst solo album and the individual songs fared pretty badly.

Driving Your Girlfriend Home - 88
(I'm) the End of the Family Line - 97
Sing Your Life - 105
Mute Witness - 124
There is a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends - 142
Our Frank - 193
King Leer - 215
Asian Rut - 254
Found, Found, Found - 256
The Harsh Truth of the Camera Eye - 262

 

[Boldero]

Felton is a bit of a potato. He needs the gravy mate.

 

[Madd64]

Great album!

 

[Verso]

Or maybe "My Way" is a standard because it's a very different and much better song with lyrics that people have taken to their heart.

Gee whiz. Thanks for solving that particular mystery, you f***in’ dunce.

 

[Chipychip]

It’s a good album, not great...I would take this album over any of the last 3-4 moz solo albums. I think the mix made the album not appealing overall.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

Gee whiz. Thanks for solving that particular mystery, you f***in’ dunce.

You're hilarious. You know shit about music or politics and actually think you're hard.

 

[celibate]

it's a good Morrissey album, just different from the ones after...I just gave a thumb down who said that it was better than WPINOYB and LIHS...athere's no comparing in Morrissey's album. Nuff.

 

[carlislebaz]

it's a good Morrissey album, just different from the ones after...I just gave a thumb down who said that it was better than WPINOYB and LIHS...athere's no comparing in Morrissey's album. Nuff.

Why does a Morrissey album have to be ranked and placed in a league table?
I understand us fans do this,
By journalist, reviewers are obsessed...
I mean , how can his music still today be compared to that other band he was briefly in?

 

[celibate]

Morrissey /Marr was a match made in Heaven on Kings Road 304...as for his solo albums, I always liked and still like Alain Whyte, he's no Johnny Marr, but a great Lad who made good songs with Morrissey, same counts for Boz for songs...Alain just always was more into it at live gigs. Viva Kill Uncle and I.

 

[carlislebaz]

You're hilarious. You know shit about music or politics and actually think you're hard.

You know a fair bit about music Hoff, I’ll give you that.
But politics, I think you’ve been a little misguided over the years.

 

[carlislebaz]

Morrissey /Marr was a match made in Heaven on Kings Road 304...as for his solo albums, I always liked and still like Alain Whyte, he's no Johnny Marr, but a great Lad who made good songs with Morrissey, same counts for Boz for songs...Alain just always was more into it at live gigs. Viva Kill Uncle and I.

Fair point
But this is what I mean with Moz and comparisons.
It just never ends really.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

Kill Uncle exists in a world of its own. Not sure it’s a world you want to spend too much time in, but still. Nothing in the Moz back catalogue anticipated Kill Uncle and nothing has ever sounded like Kill Uncle since. Ultimately, I like it, even though it lacks substance somewhat. Someone likened it to an old Carry On film on a rainy afternoon and that’s spot on, I think. It’s quirky, it’s English and it’s sweet.
Oh, and Driving Your... and Family Line are in my opinion classics. Beautiful songs.

 

[Oh my]

opinions vary. But I’m thinking a lot of older fans may agree with you.

I wouldn’t be surprised if a younger person would choose say, Spent The Day In Bed over Sing Your Life though.

I was obsessed with Kill Uncle when it was released. I was 14 (the weird fact is that I was a long.time fan by then!).

You are right. I love the new albums, but the albums that got released when I was a teen will always bring memories and it would be impossible for me to think that the new songs are better (but this is true for absolutely all the artists I used to listen and who are still recording).

Of course, Morrissey can't magically make me remember listening to Spent the Day in Bed when I was 14; so it is different.

I sometimes wonder what Kill Uncle would have sounded like if it had been recorded properly and not simply a series of studio overdubs on what were essentially demos.

Is that a metaphor or an actual description of how it was recorded?
Wasn't Morrissey, at least, relatively successful by the time it was recorded? (I am asking because the album is certainly poorly produced).

The music of Kill Uncle sounds extremely flat, without depth (I do not mean that it's not "deep", I mean acoustically... as if the lows and the highs were simply not there) and the sound is surprisingly "clean". The music sounds as if it was the soundtrack of a retro sci-fi movie, somehow ethereal. No other album by him has that sound (whilst the singing styles are very different, the only artist I can think who insists on using that strange sound is Peter Murphy -without bauhaus).

Anyway, I like a lot the strange sound of Kill Uncle....

My funny memory about the album is that I had a T-Shirt with the cover (minus the heaven, just Morrissey). I went to see The Exploited wearing that T-shirt and I remember a lot of punks insulting me and feeling pissed off (because it was a "pop T-shirt"); but I did it on purpose just to have fun.

 

[gordyboy9]

our frank is a classic,sing your life and king leer are good,harsh truth is decent but outstays its welcome by 2 minutes,the rest of the album isnt bad its just different from what went before.
instant classic or oddball,i will go with classic oddball.

 

[MrShoes]

best touring album for sure. songs from this album are so great live.

This is spot on. MrShoes