Southpaw Grammar vs Maladjusted

[Nicko1234]

Apologies if this has been posted before, but which of these albums do people now consider to be best (or least worst maybe)?

Personally I would rank Maladjusted quite a long way above SG. Firstly for the title track. Musically it's nothing special, but I would say that there are more impressive lyrical ideas in this one song than there were in the entire previous album. Trouble Loves Me is the other obvious standout track (certainly should have been a single) and He Cried and Ammunition aren't bad at all either.

On the down side, the production is weak and things like Ambitious Outsiders and Sorrow should have sounded far more powerful with proper orchestration. Roy's Keen and Papa Jack ought to have been cut from the original and replaced with Lost and The Edges are no Longer Parallel.

As for SG, I've read a lot about people saying that it was adventurous for Morrissey and almost a prog-rock album. But I think the length of most songs was just dictated by Morrissey having written so few lyrics. The style by his desire to be seen as a tough guy which was never going to convince anyone. I never really listen to this one and don't think any of the songs can actually be described as being good.

Perhaps it could have been different though. If The Operation lost not only the drum solo but also the guitars at the end then it would be much improved. Both the first and last track could have at least 3 or 4 minutes trimmed off them. Do Your Best and Don't Worry and Best Friend also get far too repetitive. If these had been cut back a lot and a couple of other songs that were around at the time like Swallow or You Should Have Been Nice To Me re-recorded and added then it mightn't have been so bad.

 

[silentandgrey]

Re: Southpaw Grammar vs. Maladjusted

I prefer Maladjusted, but only by a small margin. It has a lot of the same introspective nature that made Vauxhall & I so great.

 

[Patrick!]

Re: Southpaw Grammar vs. Maladjusted

i like roy's keen though i do agree lost would have fit well on the record (that's why the rerelease isn't all so awful). and i f***ing love the drum solo in the operation, and not to keep tooting the rereleases' horn (honestly, i hate some of the track rearranging), but the SG rerelease at least has you should have been nice to me on it.

 

[Anonymous1]

Re: Southpaw Grammar vs. Maladjusted

Both are absolutely brilliant albums.

Maladjusted main weakness was the track listing, which couldn't be much worse. I could pick at a few songs like Roy's Keen for having bad lyrics (excellent music though), or Ambitious Outsiders for no real orchestration, but overall Maladjusted had pretty good lyrics, music, and production.

I think if this was the track list, it might be my favorite Morrissey album -

1)Trouble Loves Me
2)Now I Am A Was
3)Alma Matters
4)Lost
5)Maladjusted
6)I Can Have Both
7)Ambitious Outsiders (with orchestration)
8)Wide To Receive
9)Ammunition
10)Satan Rejected My Soul
11)The Edges Are No Longer Parallel

Due to these songs, I'm going to say Maladjusted is superior. It might be even more so if 'Kit' and 'I Know Who I Love' were on there.

Southpaw Grammar is excellent too. With the exception of Dagenham Dave, all the songs from that session are great.

 

[Stanley the 2nd]

These are the two morrissey marmite albums - some people love them, others not. I personally love SG.

Maladjusted had some nice tracks on it but as an album doesn't really do it for me. I'm not sure if it is the production or what. I guess I like my Morrissey albums to be a bit moodier. The opening track and Trouble Loves Me are genius though. For the reissue I would have included the unreleased track Kit and a decent recording of Lost. These two tracks would have given the album a shot in the arm.

 

[Stephane]

"Southpaw Grammar" may very well be my favourite Morrissey album, while Maladjusted is definitely my least favourite.

That's if we're discussing original editions, that is.

Stephane

 

[Anaesthesine]

Personally I would rank Maladjusted quite a long way above SG. Firstly for the title track. Musically it's nothing special, but I would say that there are more impressive lyrical ideas in this one song than there were in the entire previous album. Trouble Loves Me is the other obvious standout track (certainly should have been a single) and He Cried and Ammunition aren't bad at all either.

On the down side, the production is weak and things like Ambitious Outsiders and Sorrow should have sounded far more powerful with proper orchestration. Roy's Keen and Papa Jack ought to have been cut from the original and replaced with Lost and The Edges are no Longer Parallel.

I agree with almost everything you've just said (although I think He Cried is awful, and Ammunition is wonderful).

The reissue finally did this album justice.

As for SG, I've read a lot about people saying that it was adventurous for Morrissey and almost a prog-rock album. But I think the length of most songs was just dictated by Morrissey having written so few lyrics. The style by his desire to be seen as a tough guy which was never going to convince anyone. I never really listen to this one and don't think any of the songs can actually be described as being good.

Nail. Hammer. Bang. (unfortunately)

 

[Daddy Cool]

Southpaw Grammar is excellent, I don't get why people don't like it- there's only so many soppy little Vauxhall & I-ish songs you can listen to before you need a good f***ing bit of heavy, loud guitar music. The only song I don't like on it is The Teachers Are Afraid...

 

[vaca peluda]

Southpaw Grammar.

Nothing has ever clicked with Maladjusted.

 

[Nicko1234]

Southpaw Grammar is excellent, I don't get why people don't like it- there's only so many soppy little Vauxhall & I-ish songs you can listen to before you need a good f***ing bit of heavy, loud guitar music. The only song I don't like on it is The Teachers Are Afraid...

But the lyrics...Some of the songs on SG make You're the one for me Fatty seem overwritten.

 

[ray_afraid]

Southpaw is the clear winner in my eyes.

 

[Jukebox Jury]

These are the two morrissey marmite albums - some people love them, others not.

Great comparison between Marmite and the two albums.
For the record.... I love marmite

Jukebox Jury

 

[freakparty]

Maladjusted for sure...

 

[Freda]

Southpaw Grammar is excellent, I don't get why people don't like it- there's only so many soppy little Vauxhall & I-ish songs you can listen to before you need a good f***ing bit of heavy, loud guitar music. The only song I don't like on it is The Teachers Are Afraid...

Maladjusted for sure...

Southpaw Grammar for sure. Surprisingly it is the only Morrissey album I can listen from the first second to the last without skipping any songs. The Operation and Southpaw are really
As for Maladjusted... Well, Trouble Loves Me, Wide To Receive and Roy's Keen - all the rest happily travels to trashcan. The expanded edition is even worse, however I really like Lost and I Can Have Both.

 

[DAVIE]

Neither, to me Southpaw Grammar has one good track "Reader Meet Author" and Maladjusted one good track "Alma Matters".

 

[modrevolve]

Southpaw Grammar is a masterpiece. With the original tracklisting and cover art intact that is.

 

[Virgil Tracy]

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, Trouble Loves Me is the best Morrissey song, alas maladjusted never really reaches that high again though.

Some of the lyrics of Boy Racer, Reader meer Author & Dagenham Dave never fail to make me smile.

Overall, not the best two Morrissey albums, but still miles ahead of the majority of albums ever recorded, pardon?

 

[Patrick!]

Overall, not the best two Morrissey albums, but still miles ahead of the majority of albums ever recorded

that's how i feel about a lot of my favorite bands when they put out "bad" albums. for instance, against me!'s worst album by far is new wave. the album isn't terrible, but they've just put out seminal genre defining (and defying) music in the past that makes it seem a disappointment in comparison, and it's still a lot better than shinedown or linkin park or the typical bullshit that passes for rock and roll these days.

 

[MyDoppelganger]

I don't really like either of them. They each have a few great tracks, but as albums, I'm not their biggest fan.

 

[Harsh Truth]

I like them both immensely. 1992-1997 is prime Morrissey in my opinion.

Coincidentally, I've just gotten around to ordering the Maladjusted reissue from last year. I got SG straight away, but held off on Maladjusted because I have all the singles, so there was nothing of real interest other than the package itself. As I did some spring cleaning last weekend, I came across a $20 gift card to Barnes and Noble that I had forgotten about, so I ordered it along with a used book. Stimulating the economy one dollar at a time.....