I'd give Ringleader of the Tomatoes 7/10. A pretty good Morrissey album compared with 5.5/10 for Quarry; a third rate Morrissey album.
Ringleader, for me, has three great songs; Hero, Pigsty and Future; another three pretty good ones You Have Killed Me, The Youngest, Boy Happy, three ok-ish ones and three really duff songs which I've hardly played and don't want to hear again (Father, At Last, and On the Streets).
In my humble, the best collection of post-wilderness era Morrissey songs are the Quarry b-sides on the platinum album. Interesting lyrics which don't grate (unlike too many Moz songs these days), imaginative arrangements, strong melodies etc; Friday Mourning, Walk Tall, Never Laid (that's the never played) Symphonies, Daddy's Voice; these are all top-notch, prime-time Morrissey pop songs!
Ringleader, for me, has three great songs; Hero, Pigsty and Future; another three pretty good ones You Have Killed Me, The Youngest, Boy Happy, three ok-ish ones and three really duff songs which I've hardly played and don't want to hear again (Father, At Last, and On the Streets).
In my humble, the best collection of post-wilderness era Morrissey songs are the Quarry b-sides on the platinum album. Interesting lyrics which don't grate (unlike too many Moz songs these days), imaginative arrangements, strong melodies etc; Friday Mourning, Walk Tall, Never Laid (that's the never played) Symphonies, Daddy's Voice; these are all top-notch, prime-time Morrissey pop songs!