Years of Refusal is utterly mediocre

Re: Who dislikes Yor

Lets have a POLL!!!!!

All of the people who say they like the album seem to be five years of age 'oh yes I like it very much'. Why not say exactly why you like it. Form sentences, were there particular lyrics that blew your mind, a certain aspect of the composition, the production that is sublime.

And yes I know i'm not a master of language myself but come on people.
 
Re: Who dislikes Yor

Lets have a POLL!!!!!

All of the people who say they like the album seem to be five years of age 'oh yes I like it very much'. Why not say exactly why you like it. Form sentences, were there particular lyrics that blew your mind, a certain aspect of the composition, the production that is sublime.

And yes I know i'm not a master of language myself but come on people.

I like the fact that Years of Refusal leads off with a song that sounds as if it might've come straight from one of Morrissey's notebooks in, oh, 1981, yet crackles with a line ("The motion of taxis excites me/When you peel it back and bite me") so sexy it could only have been written in his forties.

I like the fact that the first 8 songs average about three minutes in length and the second of the two "atmospheric ballads" is actually three minutes plus two more of background noise.

I like the jaunty, locomotive drumming on several of the songs, notably "Carol" and "Farewell", creating a briskness to the album which ends in a glorious thrash with "I'm OK By Myself", and that his voice fizzles out while the music rolls on down the train tracks, unstoppable.

I like Finn's crisp production values; I like that Finn lets Morrissey paint with all the colors on the spectrum for the second time in his career.

I like the way certain lyrics jump out of nowhere ("When I die I want to go to hell", "black earth on the casket fell", "the heart has a heart of its own").

I like Roger Manning's keyboards, which are in many places the equal to Stephen Street's arrangements on the early solo records: pinpoint embellishments in some places, the backbone of other songs in others ("Sorry Doesn't Help Us").

I like that "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" would've been a whisper-quiet polka song in 1991 and here sounds acid and wounding.

I like Morrissey's willingness to stretch, push, yank, and pretzel his voice, such as "So it must be ta...KEN!" turning into a shimmering falsetto, or his voice going as high as I've ever heard it during the end of "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" when he does the best sequence of keening "oh oh OHs" since "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side".

I like the end of "You Were Good In Your Time", when Morrissey and his band make death and purgatory sound like a somnolent waiting area in Charles de Gaulle airport.

I like the way he pauses in "I'm OK By Myself" and speaks the line "All of my life" as if the fact so exhausts and disgusts him he can't even sing it, or the way he carefully enunciates "morality" until it bleeds disdain.

I like the way "your homespun philosophy" reminds me of the many insufferable conversations I've had over the years with people who think the blind leading the naked is "an exciting lifestyle choice".

I like that critics miss the point that the admittedly clumsy-on-paper lines "I was driving my car/I crashed and broke my spine/So yes, there are worse things in life/Than never being someone's sweetie" are prosaic precisely so that "someone's sweetie" is delivered with maximum sarcasm.

I like the way "When Last I Spoke To Carol" reminds me of "Flight of The Conchords". (Those guys are funny.) I love the way "Carol" reminds me of Spaghetti Westerns and wonder how Finn captured the spirit so memorably and Visconti didn't. I love the whistling; I love the "high plains drifter" sound effects; I love that in the middle I can't tell if it's diseased seagulls, a dying dog, or an overexcited rooster shrieking over the mix; and I think that "Carol" might well be one of the five or six best songs he's written as a solo artist.

I like that Morrissey sings "Don't give me anymore" instead of the easier-to-sing "Don't give me more" on 'Skull', because the extra syllables make him sound hilariously out of breath.

I like the "Tomorrow"-ish bassline in "Black Cloud" because "Tomorrow" is about the only song of his I can think of that-- forgive me-- rocks like this album. It's been that long.

I like that Morrissey's voice hops, skips, yelps, flutters, soars, dips, and dances in the tunes as if the aggressive music played by his band were tickling him with fire. I am shocked that, purely in terms of synergy with backing musicians, this is the most complete sound he's ever put on record-- ever.

I like that one-off singles like "Paris", "All You Need Is Me", and "Grow Up" have a home on this collection because they help sustain the fast and furious pace.

I like that the album is full of humor yet very little of it is campy or self-deprecating, as if he's through apologizing for his genius (if he ever really did, that is).

I like that there's only an oblique reference to someone who might be Mike Joyce ("You lied about the lies you told"). Thank God.

I like that Years of Refusal is the most exciting guitar-heavy record I've heard in years even though almost none of the music is even remotely ground-breaking. Everything is transformed and elevated by that voice. I am astounded that at the age of 49 Morrissey sings these songs as if rock and roll was an asteroid that crash-landed in his backyard last Tuesday night.

I like that Years of Refusal makes my mind slip into blissful oblivion and associate the name "John Maher of Wythenshawe" with badly-written complaints about garbage-collecting on the letters page of The Sun ("Sincerely Yours").

I like that Years of Refusal is both a continuation of his recent work and a total break with the past; that when he sings "I'm OK By Myself" I think he means it this time; and most of all that the last song on the album ends with Morrissey letting his voice shatter into melodic static as one last sign that, unlike everyone else, he has absolutely no interest in treating his legacy like a Faberge egg.

I like that Years of Refusal singes my bad haircut with the knowledge that Morrissey is here, with me, in the present, and not a gangly ghost haunting a shuttered music hall in a sea-siiiiide town/that they forgot to close down; I like that one of the last bullets in Morrissey's clip is one of his very best.

Thank you, Morrissey.
 
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Re: Who dislikes Yor

Yes, "I crashed and broke my spine" was written by a person so capable and comfortable with his tools, that he can put the ideas into effect rather than showing off.

it's the difference between a singer with soul and a christina aguilera wannabe on American Idol singing every note in the scale except the one that happens to be in the melody line.
 
Re: Who dislikes Yor

Lets have a POLL!!!!!

All of the people who say they like the album seem to be five years of age 'oh yes I like it very much'. Why not say exactly why you like it. Form sentences, were there particular lyrics that blew your mind, a certain aspect of the composition, the production that is sublime.

And yes I know i'm not a master of language myself but come on people.

I like the fact that Years of Refusal leads off with a song that sounds as if it might've come straight from one of Morrissey's notebooks in, oh, 1981, yet crackles with a line ("The motion of taxis excites me/When you peel it back and bite me") so sexy it could only have been written in his forties.

I like the fact that the first 8 songs average about three minutes in length and the second of the two "atmospheric ballads" is actually three minutes plus two more of background noise.

I like the jaunty, locomotive drumming on several of the songs, notably "Carol" and "Farewell", creating a briskness to the album which ends in a glorious thrash with "I'm OK By Myself".

I like Finn's crisp production values; I like that Finn lets Morrissey paint with all the colors on the spectrum for the second time in his career.

I like the way certain lyrics jump out of nowhere ("When I die I want to go to hell", "black earth on the casket fell", "the heart has a heart of its own").

I like Roger Manning's keyboards, which are in many places the equal to Stephen Street's arrangements on the early solo records: pinpoint-sharp embellishments in some places, the backbone of other songs in others ("Sorry Doesn't Help Us").

I like that "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" would've been a whisper-quiet polka song in 1991 and here sounds acid and wounding.

I like Morrissey's willingness to stretch, push, yank, and pretzel his voice, such as "So it must be ta...KEN!" turning into a shimmering falsetto, or his voice going as high as I've ever heard it during the end of "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" when he does the best sequence of keening "oh oh OHs" since "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side".

I like the end of "You Were Good In Your Time", when Morrissey and his band make death and purgatory sounds like a somnolent waiting area in Charles de Gaulle airport.

I like the way he pauses in "I'm OK By Myself" and speaks the line "All of my life" as if the fact so exhausts and disgusts him he can't even sing it, or the way he carefully enunciates "morality" until it bleeds disdain.

I like the way "your homespun philosophy" reminds me of the many insufferable conversations I've had over the years with people who think the blind leading the naked is "a healthy lifestyle choice".

I like that critics miss the point that the admittedly clumsy-on-paper lines "I was driving my car/I crashed and broke my spine/So yes, there are worse things in life/Than never being someone's sweetie" is prosaic so that "someone's sweetie" is delivered with maximum sarcasm.

I like the way "When Last I Spoke To Carol" reminds me of "Flight of The Conchords". Those guys are funny. I love the way "Carol" reminds me of Spaghetti Westerns and wonder how Finn captured the spirit so memorably and Visconti didn't. I love the whistling; I love the "high plains drifter" wind sound effects; I love that in the middle I can't tell if it's diseased seagulls, a dying dog, or an overexcited rooster shrieking over the mix; and I think that "Carol" might well be one of the five or six best songs he's written as a solo artist.

I like that Morrissey sings "Don't give me anymore" instead of the easier-to-sing "Don't give me more", because the extra syllables make him sound hilariously out of breath.

I like the "Tomorrow"-ish bassline in "Black Cloud" because "Tomorrow" is about the only song of his I can think of that-- forgive me-- rocks like this album. It's been that long.

I like that Morrissey's voice hops, skips, yelps, flutters, soars, dips, and dances in the tunes as if the aggressive music played by his band were tickling him with fire. I am shocked that, purely in terms of synergy with backing musicians, this is the most complete sound he's ever put on record-- ever.

I like that one-off singles like "Paris", "All You Need Is Me", and "Grow Up" have a home on this collection of songs because they help sustain the fast and furious pace.

I like that the album is full of humor yet very little of it is camp or self-deprecating, as if he's through apologizing (if he ever really did, that is).

I like that there's only an oblique reference to someone who might be Mike Joyce ("You lied about the lies you told").

I like that Years of Refusal is the most exciting guitar-heavy record I've heard in years even though almost none of the music is even remotely ground-breaking. Everything is transformed and elevated by that voice. I am astounded that at the age of 49 Morrissey sings these songs as if rock and roll was an asteroid that crash-landed in his backyard last Tuesday night.

I like that Years of Refusal makes my mind slip into blissful oblivion and associate the name "John Maher of Wythenshawe" with badly-written complaints about garbage-collecting on the letters page of The Sun ("Sincerely Yours").

I like that Years of Refusal is both a continuation of his recent work and a total break with the past; that when he sings "I'm OK By Myself" I think he means it this time; and most of all that the last song on the album ends with Morrissey letting his voice shatter into melodic static as one last sign that, unlike everyone else, he has absolutely no interest in treating his legacy like a Faberge egg.

I like that Years of Refusal singes my bad haircut with the knowledge that Morrissey is here, with me, in the present, and not a gangly ghost haunting a shuttered music hall in a sea-siiiiide town/that they forgot to close down; I like that one of the last bullets in Morrissey's clip is one of his very best.

Thank you, Morrissey.

Worm Ownage
 
Re: Who dislikes Yor

Lets have a POLL!!!!!

All of the people who say they like the album seem to be five years of age 'oh yes I like it very much'. Why not say exactly why you like it. Form sentences, were there particular lyrics that blew your mind, a certain aspect of the composition, the production that is sublime.

And yes I know i'm not a master of language myself but come on people.

We've already had a poll and the people that liked it which I am one of far outweighed the ones that didn't. Sorry too hung over to find the poll thread.
 
Re: Who dislikes Yor

Wow mid 30s is old? Excellent I guess I'm old then?

I didn't say old! I had it in "quotes" because the other poster was referring to "older" fans and thats the age bracket I figured he meant. As in people who have been fans since 1983. Some of the members, myself included, were not even born yet.

My husband is 34.

Calm down!
 
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Re: Who dislikes Yor

I like the fact that Years of Refusal leads off with a song that sounds as if it might've come straight from one of Morrissey's notebooks in, oh, 1981, yet crackles with a line ("The motion of taxis excites me/When you peel it back and bite me") so sexy it could only have been written in his forties.

I like the fact that the first 8 songs average about three minutes in length and the second of the two "atmospheric ballads" is actually three minutes plus two more of background noise.

I like the jaunty, locomotive drumming on several of the songs, notably "Carol" and "Farewell", creating a briskness to the album which ends in a glorious thrash with "I'm OK By Myself", and that his voice fizzles out while the music rolls on down the train tracks, unstoppable.

I like Finn's crisp production values; I like that Finn lets Morrissey paint with all the colors on the spectrum for the second time in his career.

I like the way certain lyrics jump out of nowhere ("When I die I want to go to hell", "black earth on the casket fell", "the heart has a heart of its own").

I like Roger Manning's keyboards, which are in many places the equal to Stephen Street's arrangements on the early solo records: pinpoint embellishments in some places, the backbone of other songs in others ("Sorry Doesn't Help Us").

I like that "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" would've been a whisper-quiet polka song in 1991 and here sounds acid and wounding.

I like Morrissey's willingness to stretch, push, yank, and pretzel his voice, such as "So it must be ta...KEN!" turning into a shimmering falsetto, or his voice going as high as I've ever heard it during the end of "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" when he does the best sequence of keening "oh oh OHs" since "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side".

I like the end of "You Were Good In Your Time", when Morrissey and his band make death and purgatory sound like a somnolent waiting area in Charles de Gaulle airport.

I like the way he pauses in "I'm OK By Myself" and speaks the line "All of my life" as if the fact so exhausts and disgusts him he can't even sing it, or the way he carefully enunciates "morality" until it bleeds disdain.

I like the way "your homespun philosophy" reminds me of the many insufferable conversations I've had over the years with people who think the blind leading the naked is "an exciting lifestyle choice".

I like that critics miss the point that the admittedly clumsy-on-paper lines "I was driving my car/I crashed and broke my spine/So yes, there are worse things in life/Than never being someone's sweetie" are prosaic precisely so that "someone's sweetie" is delivered with maximum sarcasm.

I like the way "When Last I Spoke To Carol" reminds me of "Flight of The Conchords". (Those guys are funny.) I love the way "Carol" reminds me of Spaghetti Westerns and wonder how Finn captured the spirit so memorably and Visconti didn't. I love the whistling; I love the "high plains drifter" sound effects; I love that in the middle I can't tell if it's diseased seagulls, a dying dog, or an overexcited rooster shrieking over the mix; and I think that "Carol" might well be one of the five or six best songs he's written as a solo artist.

I like that Morrissey sings "Don't give me anymore" instead of the easier-to-sing "Don't give me more" on 'Skull', because the extra syllables make him sound hilariously out of breath.

I like the "Tomorrow"-ish bassline in "Black Cloud" because "Tomorrow" is about the only song of his I can think of that-- forgive me-- rocks like this album. It's been that long.

I like that Morrissey's voice hops, skips, yelps, flutters, soars, dips, and dances in the tunes as if the aggressive music played by his band were tickling him with fire. I am shocked that, purely in terms of synergy with backing musicians, this is the most complete sound he's ever put on record-- ever.

I like that one-off singles like "Paris", "All You Need Is Me", and "Grow Up" have a home on this collection because they help sustain the fast and furious pace.

I like that the album is full of humor yet very little of it is campy or self-deprecating, as if he's through apologizing for his genius (if he ever really did, that is).

I like that there's only an oblique reference to someone who might be Mike Joyce ("You lied about the lies you told"). Thank God.

I like that Years of Refusal is the most exciting guitar-heavy record I've heard in years even though almost none of the music is even remotely ground-breaking. Everything is transformed and elevated by that voice. I am astounded that at the age of 49 Morrissey sings these songs as if rock and roll was an asteroid that crash-landed in his backyard last Tuesday night.

I like that Years of Refusal makes my mind slip into blissful oblivion and associate the name "John Maher of Wythenshawe" with badly-written complaints about garbage-collecting on the letters page of The Sun ("Sincerely Yours").

I like that Years of Refusal is both a continuation of his recent work and a total break with the past; that when he sings "I'm OK By Myself" I think he means it this time; and most of all that the last song on the album ends with Morrissey letting his voice shatter into melodic static as one last sign that, unlike everyone else, he has absolutely no interest in treating his legacy like a Faberge egg.

I like that Years of Refusal singes my bad haircut with the knowledge that Morrissey is here, with me, in the present, and not a gangly ghost haunting a shuttered music hall in a sea-siiiiide town/that they forgot to close down; I like that one of the last bullets in Morrissey's clip is one of his very best.

Thank you, Morrissey.

Great post - thank you Worm.

I much prefer these kind of posts to theh constant - 'Not as good as V&I / I hate the current band' posts. I'm grabbing Morrissey while I can, not whingeing that he's not as good as he was 20 years ago :guitar:
 
Re: Who dislikes Yor

Great post - thank you Worm.

I much prefer these kind of posts to theh constant - 'Not as good as V&I / I hate the current band' posts. I'm grabbing Morrissey while I can, not whingeing that he's not as good as he was 20 years ago :guitar:

Yes, that's what I was getting at. Lets bring out the marching band and no I don't want to have another poll.

LOLZ @ Cassius u OWENZZZ mei loUNge tIMz c u oN mei MY spaZ paGGE DEN @ PEREZ Hiltonz WEE spk sooon pls.....

Sweet baby jesus.
 
Re: Who dislikes Yor

I don't think there was anything wrong with pointing out that (most) people who have said they like the album on this thread and the other "Yor is utterly brilliant" thread, have not elaborated on why that is the case. I would like to hear different perspectives, maybe there is something I am missing. God knows I have tried to like YOR but it's still languishing at the bottom of the pile for me.
I recognize that I'm in the minority here as I'm a ROTT fan and therefore not in tune with the average fan on this forum, so different perspectives are welcome. :)
 
Re: Who dislikes Yor

I like the fact that Years of Refusal leads off with a song that sounds as if it might've come straight from one of Morrissey's notebooks in, oh, 1981, yet crackles with a line ("The motion of taxis excites me/When you peel it back and bite me") so sexy it could only have been written in his forties.

I like the fact that the first 8 songs average about three minutes in length and the second of the two "atmospheric ballads" is actually three minutes plus two more of background noise.

I like the jaunty, locomotive drumming on several of the songs, notably "Carol" and "Farewell", creating a briskness to the album which ends in a glorious thrash with "I'm OK By Myself", and that his voice fizzles out while the music rolls on down the train tracks, unstoppable.

I like Finn's crisp production values; I like that Finn lets Morrissey paint with all the colors on the spectrum for the second time in his career.

I like the way certain lyrics jump out of nowhere ("When I die I want to go to hell", "black earth on the casket fell", "the heart has a heart of its own").

I like Roger Manning's keyboards, which are in many places the equal to Stephen Street's arrangements on the early solo records: pinpoint embellishments in some places, the backbone of other songs in others ("Sorry Doesn't Help Us").

I like that "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" would've been a whisper-quiet polka song in 1991 and here sounds acid and wounding.

I like Morrissey's willingness to stretch, push, yank, and pretzel his voice, such as "So it must be ta...KEN!" turning into a shimmering falsetto, or his voice going as high as I've ever heard it during the end of "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" when he does the best sequence of keening "oh oh OHs" since "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side".

I like the end of "You Were Good In Your Time", when Morrissey and his band make death and purgatory sound like a somnolent waiting area in Charles de Gaulle airport.

I like the way he pauses in "I'm OK By Myself" and speaks the line "All of my life" as if the fact so exhausts and disgusts him he can't even sing it, or the way he carefully enunciates "morality" until it bleeds disdain.

I like the way "your homespun philosophy" reminds me of the many insufferable conversations I've had over the years with people who think the blind leading the naked is "an exciting lifestyle choice".

I like that critics miss the point that the admittedly clumsy-on-paper lines "I was driving my car/I crashed and broke my spine/So yes, there are worse things in life/Than never being someone's sweetie" are prosaic precisely so that "someone's sweetie" is delivered with maximum sarcasm.

I like the way "When Last I Spoke To Carol" reminds me of "Flight of The Conchords". (Those guys are funny.) I love the way "Carol" reminds me of Spaghetti Westerns and wonder how Finn captured the spirit so memorably and Visconti didn't. I love the whistling; I love the "high plains drifter" sound effects; I love that in the middle I can't tell if it's diseased seagulls, a dying dog, or an overexcited rooster shrieking over the mix; and I think that "Carol" might well be one of the five or six best songs he's written as a solo artist.

I like that Morrissey sings "Don't give me anymore" instead of the easier-to-sing "Don't give me more" on 'Skull', because the extra syllables make him sound hilariously out of breath.

I like the "Tomorrow"-ish bassline in "Black Cloud" because "Tomorrow" is about the only song of his I can think of that-- forgive me-- rocks like this album. It's been that long.

I like that Morrissey's voice hops, skips, yelps, flutters, soars, dips, and dances in the tunes as if the aggressive music played by his band were tickling him with fire. I am shocked that, purely in terms of synergy with backing musicians, this is the most complete sound he's ever put on record-- ever.

I like that one-off singles like "Paris", "All You Need Is Me", and "Grow Up" have a home on this collection because they help sustain the fast and furious pace.

I like that the album is full of humor yet very little of it is campy or self-deprecating, as if he's through apologizing for his genius (if he ever really did, that is).

I like that there's only an oblique reference to someone who might be Mike Joyce ("You lied about the lies you told"). Thank God.

I like that Years of Refusal is the most exciting guitar-heavy record I've heard in years even though almost none of the music is even remotely ground-breaking. Everything is transformed and elevated by that voice. I am astounded that at the age of 49 Morrissey sings these songs as if rock and roll was an asteroid that crash-landed in his backyard last Tuesday night.

I like that Years of Refusal makes my mind slip into blissful oblivion and associate the name "John Maher of Wythenshawe" with badly-written complaints about garbage-collecting on the letters page of The Sun ("Sincerely Yours").

I like that Years of Refusal is both a continuation of his recent work and a total break with the past; that when he sings "I'm OK By Myself" I think he means it this time; and most of all that the last song on the album ends with Morrissey letting his voice shatter into melodic static as one last sign that, unlike everyone else, he has absolutely no interest in treating his legacy like a Faberge egg.

I like that Years of Refusal singes my bad haircut with the knowledge that Morrissey is here, with me, in the present, and not a gangly ghost haunting a shuttered music hall in a sea-siiiiide town/that they forgot to close down; I like that one of the last bullets in Morrissey's clip is one of his very best.

Thank you, Morrissey.

:bow:
 
Re: Who dislikes Yor

Love you worm.

Don't agree with most of what you said but love the effort you put into it.

:thumb:
 
Re: Who dislikes Yor

Thanks to those who liked my post.

Love you worm.

Don't agree with most of what you said but love the effort you put into it.

:thumb:

A for effort...sigh, that's all I've ever gotten. :)

One of the reasons I didn't post my "positives" before now was that, as much as I like YOR, its greatness isn't something you can really argue about. Personal taste never is, but particularly so with this album. I didn't and don't expect to convince a soul. Fortunately I don't have to: Morrissey can do that well enough on his own, if people just listen.
 
Re: Who dislikes Yor

Amazing summary. If there was such a thing as "fan liner notes", this would win top prize -- I'm tempted to print it out and stick in the jewel case. And it's not about sycophancy -- it's about loving who Moz is and what he's doing in 2009.

Your paragraph on Carol is an articulated summary of my stream of consciousness while I listen to that track.

It's Not Your Birthday as a limply-produced Kill Uncle track refurbished with cadillac production and cojones to match. Yes! Also channels Ultravox' Vienna without being shit.


I like the fact that Years of Refusal leads off with a song that sounds as if it might've come straight from one of Morrissey's notebooks in, oh, 1981, yet crackles with a line ("The motion of taxis excites me/When you peel it back and bite me") so sexy it could only have been written in his forties.

I like the fact that the first 8 songs average about three minutes in length and the second of the two "atmospheric ballads" is actually three minutes plus two more of background noise.

I like the jaunty, locomotive drumming on several of the songs, notably "Carol" and "Farewell", creating a briskness to the album which ends in a glorious thrash with "I'm OK By Myself", and that his voice fizzles out while the music rolls on down the train tracks, unstoppable.

I like Finn's crisp production values; I like that Finn lets Morrissey paint with all the colors on the spectrum for the second time in his career.

I like the way certain lyrics jump out of nowhere ("When I die I want to go to hell", "black earth on the casket fell", "the heart has a heart of its own").

I like Roger Manning's keyboards, which are in many places the equal to Stephen Street's arrangements on the early solo records: pinpoint embellishments in some places, the backbone of other songs in others ("Sorry Doesn't Help Us").

I like that "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" would've been a whisper-quiet polka song in 1991 and here sounds acid and wounding.

I like Morrissey's willingness to stretch, push, yank, and pretzel his voice, such as "So it must be ta...KEN!" turning into a shimmering falsetto, or his voice going as high as I've ever heard it during the end of "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" when he does the best sequence of keening "oh oh OHs" since "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side".

I like the end of "You Were Good In Your Time", when Morrissey and his band make death and purgatory sound like a somnolent waiting area in Charles de Gaulle airport.

I like the way he pauses in "I'm OK By Myself" and speaks the line "All of my life" as if the fact so exhausts and disgusts him he can't even sing it, or the way he carefully enunciates "morality" until it bleeds disdain.

I like the way "your homespun philosophy" reminds me of the many insufferable conversations I've had over the years with people who think the blind leading the naked is "an exciting lifestyle choice".

I like that critics miss the point that the admittedly clumsy-on-paper lines "I was driving my car/I crashed and broke my spine/So yes, there are worse things in life/Than never being someone's sweetie" are prosaic precisely so that "someone's sweetie" is delivered with maximum sarcasm.

I like the way "When Last I Spoke To Carol" reminds me of "Flight of The Conchords". (Those guys are funny.) I love the way "Carol" reminds me of Spaghetti Westerns and wonder how Finn captured the spirit so memorably and Visconti didn't. I love the whistling; I love the "high plains drifter" sound effects; I love that in the middle I can't tell if it's diseased seagulls, a dying dog, or an overexcited rooster shrieking over the mix; and I think that "Carol" might well be one of the five or six best songs he's written as a solo artist.

I like that Morrissey sings "Don't give me anymore" instead of the easier-to-sing "Don't give me more" on 'Skull', because the extra syllables make him sound hilariously out of breath.

I like the "Tomorrow"-ish bassline in "Black Cloud" because "Tomorrow" is about the only song of his I can think of that-- forgive me-- rocks like this album. It's been that long.

I like that Morrissey's voice hops, skips, yelps, flutters, soars, dips, and dances in the tunes as if the aggressive music played by his band were tickling him with fire. I am shocked that, purely in terms of synergy with backing musicians, this is the most complete sound he's ever put on record-- ever.

I like that one-off singles like "Paris", "All You Need Is Me", and "Grow Up" have a home on this collection because they help sustain the fast and furious pace.

I like that the album is full of humor yet very little of it is campy or self-deprecating, as if he's through apologizing for his genius (if he ever really did, that is).

I like that there's only an oblique reference to someone who might be Mike Joyce ("You lied about the lies you told"). Thank God.

I like that Years of Refusal is the most exciting guitar-heavy record I've heard in years even though almost none of the music is even remotely ground-breaking. Everything is transformed and elevated by that voice. I am astounded that at the age of 49 Morrissey sings these songs as if rock and roll was an asteroid that crash-landed in his backyard last Tuesday night.

I like that Years of Refusal makes my mind slip into blissful oblivion and associate the name "John Maher of Wythenshawe" with badly-written complaints about garbage-collecting on the letters page of The Sun ("Sincerely Yours").

I like that Years of Refusal is both a continuation of his recent work and a total break with the past; that when he sings "I'm OK By Myself" I think he means it this time; and most of all that the last song on the album ends with Morrissey letting his voice shatter into melodic static as one last sign that, unlike everyone else, he has absolutely no interest in treating his legacy like a Faberge egg.

I like that Years of Refusal singes my bad haircut with the knowledge that Morrissey is here, with me, in the present, and not a gangly ghost haunting a shuttered music hall in a sea-siiiiide town/that they forgot to close down; I like that one of the last bullets in Morrissey's clip is one of his very best.

Thank you, Morrissey.
 
Re: Who dislikes Yor

For me, this album is so bad it has made me question Morrissey's ability. It is a simple (for Morrissey) pop friendly album. Reviewers seem to love it because there is nothing challenging (or overtly depressing) about it, while only the most ardent and rabid Morrissey fans support this album.

It is if Morrissey has written an album for the masses, consequently he has alienated most of his fans (except for the die hards) and at 49 his sudden change in approach is not going to win him many new fans (just look at the paltry sales numbers given the album's reviews).

Regardless, the whole thing is too painful to listen to and watch. YOR has made me pull away from Morrissey. I never wanted to see Morrissey go out this way.
 
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Re: Who dislikes Yor

I liked Years of Refusal a lot to begin with, and I play it in full every day - some tracks several times a day.

But the below commentary by Worm has made me like it even more.

So that's a nice, well-written, positive post, from someone who opened himself to the album and let Mozza work his magic on him. I get tired of people (for example, Chico) trying to convince me I should like the album less, especially when those people rushed to their judgments without giving the album a fair chance. Chico couldn't wait to turn Years of Refusal off, throw it in the trash bin, lecture me that Moz hasn't done anything good since 1997, and return to his YouTubes of some Vegas lounge singer performing ironic, nostalgic covers of '90s pop hits. Such SoLowers think they're too cool for skool, but actually they're showing that they're officially old, unlike Moz.

Ha: I like the end of "You Were Good In Your Time", when Morrissey and his band make death and purgatory sound like a somnolent waiting area in Charles de Gaulle airport.


I like the fact that Years of Refusal leads off with a song that sounds as if it might've come straight from one of Morrissey's notebooks in, oh, 1981, yet crackles with a line ("The motion of taxis excites me/When you peel it back and bite me") so sexy it could only have been written in his forties.

I like the fact that the first 8 songs average about three minutes in length and the second of the two "atmospheric ballads" is actually three minutes plus two more of background noise.

I like the jaunty, locomotive drumming on several of the songs, notably "Carol" and "Farewell", creating a briskness to the album which ends in a glorious thrash with "I'm OK By Myself", and that his voice fizzles out while the music rolls on down the train tracks, unstoppable.

I like Finn's crisp production values; I like that Finn lets Morrissey paint with all the colors on the spectrum for the second time in his career.

I like the way certain lyrics jump out of nowhere ("When I die I want to go to hell", "black earth on the casket fell", "the heart has a heart of its own").

I like Roger Manning's keyboards, which are in many places the equal to Stephen Street's arrangements on the early solo records: pinpoint embellishments in some places, the backbone of other songs in others ("Sorry Doesn't Help Us").

I like that "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" would've been a whisper-quiet polka song in 1991 and here sounds acid and wounding.

I like Morrissey's willingness to stretch, push, yank, and pretzel his voice, such as "So it must be ta...KEN!" turning into a shimmering falsetto, or his voice going as high as I've ever heard it during the end of "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" when he does the best sequence of keening "oh oh OHs" since "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side".

I like the end of "You Were Good In Your Time", when Morrissey and his band make death and purgatory sound like a somnolent waiting area in Charles de Gaulle airport.

I like the way he pauses in "I'm OK By Myself" and speaks the line "All of my life" as if the fact so exhausts and disgusts him he can't even sing it, or the way he carefully enunciates "morality" until it bleeds disdain.

I like the way "your homespun philosophy" reminds me of the many insufferable conversations I've had over the years with people who think the blind leading the naked is "an exciting lifestyle choice".

I like that critics miss the point that the admittedly clumsy-on-paper lines "I was driving my car/I crashed and broke my spine/So yes, there are worse things in life/Than never being someone's sweetie" are prosaic precisely so that "someone's sweetie" is delivered with maximum sarcasm.

I like the way "When Last I Spoke To Carol" reminds me of "Flight of The Conchords". (Those guys are funny.) I love the way "Carol" reminds me of Spaghetti Westerns and wonder how Finn captured the spirit so memorably and Visconti didn't. I love the whistling; I love the "high plains drifter" sound effects; I love that in the middle I can't tell if it's diseased seagulls, a dying dog, or an overexcited rooster shrieking over the mix; and I think that "Carol" might well be one of the five or six best songs he's written as a solo artist.

I like that Morrissey sings "Don't give me anymore" instead of the easier-to-sing "Don't give me more" on 'Skull', because the extra syllables make him sound hilariously out of breath.

I like the "Tomorrow"-ish bassline in "Black Cloud" because "Tomorrow" is about the only song of his I can think of that-- forgive me-- rocks like this album. It's been that long.

I like that Morrissey's voice hops, skips, yelps, flutters, soars, dips, and dances in the tunes as if the aggressive music played by his band were tickling him with fire. I am shocked that, purely in terms of synergy with backing musicians, this is the most complete sound he's ever put on record-- ever.

I like that one-off singles like "Paris", "All You Need Is Me", and "Grow Up" have a home on this collection because they help sustain the fast and furious pace.

I like that the album is full of humor yet very little of it is campy or self-deprecating, as if he's through apologizing for his genius (if he ever really did, that is).

I like that there's only an oblique reference to someone who might be Mike Joyce ("You lied about the lies you told"). Thank God.

I like that Years of Refusal is the most exciting guitar-heavy record I've heard in years even though almost none of the music is even remotely ground-breaking. Everything is transformed and elevated by that voice. I am astounded that at the age of 49 Morrissey sings these songs as if rock and roll was an asteroid that crash-landed in his backyard last Tuesday night.

I like that Years of Refusal makes my mind slip into blissful oblivion and associate the name "John Maher of Wythenshawe" with badly-written complaints about garbage-collecting on the letters page of The Sun ("Sincerely Yours").

I like that Years of Refusal is both a continuation of his recent work and a total break with the past; that when he sings "I'm OK By Myself" I think he means it this time; and most of all that the last song on the album ends with Morrissey letting his voice shatter into melodic static as one last sign that, unlike everyone else, he has absolutely no interest in treating his legacy like a Faberge egg.

I like that Years of Refusal singes my bad haircut with the knowledge that Morrissey is here, with me, in the present, and not a gangly ghost haunting a shuttered music hall in a sea-siiiiide town/that they forgot to close down; I like that one of the last bullets in Morrissey's clip is one of his very best.

Thank you, Morrissey.
 
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Re: Who dislikes Yor

Theo and Worm agreeing. There's just something odd-sounding about that, isn't there? Like "clean coal". :rolleyes:

Morrissey must indeed be a magician. Even as we speak he's making fans disappear into thin air.

Apparently.
 
Re: Who dislikes Yor

The first few days I listened to it I really disliked it. I sat picking apart the guitars, vocals, and lyrics with a fine tooth comb. Then one day I took it to work , turned it up and just let it play without a microscope and it finally came together very nicely. I let go of all my hang ups that it didn't sound like this or that from the past and when I did that I heard a pretty good pop album. It may not be the most challenging lyrically or musically but if you just listen to for what it is , its pretty damn good. Much more interesting than YATQ or ROTT. I can't quit singing "you dont like me but you love me, either way you're wrong/you're gonna miss me when I'm gone", ain't that the truth......
 
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