"Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine March 09

[Maurice E]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

Yes, but Quarry got a much better critical reception than the 2 albums preceding it, and the 2 following.

Based on the critical consensus they should have rated the albums thus:

Southpaw Grammar 2/5
Maladjusted 2/5
Quarry 4/5
Ringleader 3/5
Years of Refusal 3/5

So they got them all spot-on except for Southpaw (but he was on the cover then...) and Quarry (John Harris anyone?).

PS It's a bit early to say that YATQ got a much better reception than the two album's that followed it. So far we've only had one review for YOR in a bona fide music mag and it's done better than Quarry.
I expect the overall acclaim will be similar but we'll have to wait and see...

 

[Johan de Witt]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

Ringleader actually did slightly better than Quarry, critically (see this site which averages the main reviews).
http://www.metacritic.com/search/process?sort=relevance&termType=all&ts=morrissey&ty=0

But Metacritic doesn't take into consideration end-of-year-lists, which are of course crucial in an album's critical praise. I think everyone agrees that Quarry was both artistically and commercially a much bigger success than Ringleader.

 

[Johan de Witt]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

PS It's a bit early to say that YATQ got a much better reception than the two album's that followed it. So far we've only had one review for YOR in a bona fide music mag and it's done better than Quarry.
I expect the overall acclaim will be similar but we'll have to wait and see...

I know, but I think Years of Refusal is not going to get half the praise that Quarry got.

 

[mspendl828]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

That's because it's not a comeback album and won't have people buying into the hype as much.

Anyone who thinks album reviews are based purely on the quality of the album are remarkably dumb.

 

[nightcrawler]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

Ringleader actually did slightly better than Quarry, critically (see this site which averages the main reviews).
http://www.metacritic.com/search/process?sort=relevance&termType=all&ts=morrissey&ty=0
Q's scores do tend to be at least slightly influenced by their relationship with the artist. Moz gave them an interview in 95 so Southpaw Grammar was given 4/5 but refused to in 2004 which explains partly why Quarry just got 2/5. Well, that and the fact that John Harris is an utter twat!

I believe there was an interview in "Q" for YATQ. Maybe not in the same issue that they reviewed the album in. I´m gonna check it tonight...

 

[mspendl828]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

End of Year Lists

You Are The Quarry
NME - 12th
Uncut - 45th
Q - n/a
Mojo - 14th
Word - n/a

Ringleader
NME - 28th
Uncut - n/a
Q - 47th
Mojo - 11th
Word - 7th


Looks to me like Ringleader wins on End of Year Lists....

 

[Multi]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

Q's history of reviews has always been hit and miss, sometimes they get it right, here's a breif history of Morrissy's ratings in Q magazine

Viva Hate 4/5
Kill Uncle 2/5
Your Arsenal 5/5
Vauxhall and I 5/5
Southpaw Grammar 4/5
Maladjusted 2/5
You are the Quarry 2/5
Ringleader of the Tormentors 3/5

As you can see after Vauxhall the rating system seems pretty random.

If they had given Southpaw a 3, I'd be in total agreement with them.

 

[Black Eyed]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

My scanners not great but here is the article, but more exciting for me is the gorgeous full page picture which accompanied it

 

[sweet and tender hooligan]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine

Just had a quick glimpse of the new Q (March 2009 issue - I think The Killers are on the front cover but could be wrong)...

• 2-pages devoted to YOR (1 page of review writing, 1 page new photo of Morrissey's face).
• It's their lead review and is also mentioned on the front cover.
• They give it 3 out of 5 (I think Q ratings are so predictable these days!) with the comment "Another solid muscular effort from Morrissey. It's just a shame he carps on so much."
• (In the index at the front of the mag it says something similar: "New album reviews: Morrissey has another moan".)
  
• Sorry, I didn't catch who the reviewer is.

Q gave The Killers new album 3/5 and they have them on the front cover ...

 

[David]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine

Pitchfork will give this record a great review.

 

[Stoned]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

Who cares about all these magazines, they have to please some people who know nothing about music. We will judge YOR when is out.
Cheers Moz

 

[Maurice E]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

But Metacritic doesn't take into consideration end-of-year-lists, which are of course crucial in an album's critical praise. I think everyone agrees that Quarry was both artistically and commercially a much bigger success than Ringleader.

but everyone doesn't agree; we don't for starters! commercially, there is obviously no dispute, but critically it's a close run thing.
someone's reproduced the end of year lists for the main mags and ROTT appears to do slightly better in those.
Quarry came with loads of goodwill (or hype) too due to Morrissey's prolonged absence and ROTT had to stand on the music alone (in my humble neither album's much good but that's by the by).
all in all, they were similarly well received albums and you could probably argue that either one fared slightly better.
I certainly don't think you claim that the consensus was 4 for Quarry and 3 for ROTT tho!

in response to the other post, Moz defo did not give Q an interview in 2004!

 

[Maurice E]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

Who cares about all these magazines, they have to please some people who know nothing about music. We will judge YOR when is out.
Cheers Moz

fair comment but it's really about how the album goes down in posterity, which I kinda think does matter a bit at least ...

 

[Johan de Witt]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

End of Year Lists

You Are The Quarry
NME - 12th
Uncut - 45th
Q - n/a
Mojo - 14th
Word - n/a

Ringleader
NME - 28th
Uncut - n/a
Q - 47th
Mojo - 11th
Word - 7th


Looks to me like Ringleader wins on End of Year Lists....

Well, the world is slightly bigger than the UK, thank you very much.

You Are The Quarry-end of year:

All Music Guide (USA) - Album of the Year No Order
Amazon.com (USA) - Albums of the Year 65
Blender (USA) - Albums of the Year 6
Cokemachineglow.com (Canada) - Albums of the Year 37
Eye Weekly Canadian Critics Poll - Albums of the Year 12
Left Off the Dial (USA) - Albums of the Year 3
Pitchfork (USA) - Albums of the Year 38
PopMatters (USA) - Albums of the Year 17
Prefix (USA) - Albums of the Year 30
Spin (USA) - Albums of the Year 24
Village Voice (USA) - Albums of the Year 36
woxy.com (USA) - Albums of the Year 9
Mojo (UK) - Albums of the Year 14
New Musical Express (UK) - Albums of the Year 12
No Ripcord (UK) - Albums of the Year 29
Playlouder (UK) - Albums of the Year 1
Rough Trade (UK) - Albums of the Year 60
Uncut (UK) - Albums of the Year 45
Word (UK) - Albums of the Year No Order
Drowned in Sound (UK) - Albums of the Year 8
Dagsavisen (Norway) - Albums of the Year 8
Gaffa (Denmark) - Albums of the Year 3
Musikbyrån (Sweden) - Albums of the Year 15
Nöjesguiden (Sweden) - Albums of the Year 2
Panorama (Norway) - Albums of the Year 2
Rockmusica (Finland) - Albums of the Year 4
Rumba (Finland) - Albums of the Year 4
HUMO (Belgium) - Albums of the Year 12
OOR (Netherlands) - Albums of the Year 6
Eins Live (Germany) - Albums of the Year 2
Intro (Germany) - Albums of the Year 8
Laut (Germany) - Albums of the Year 6
Musik Express/Sounds (Germany) - Albums of the Year 3
Plattentests (Germany) - Albums of the Year 5
Rolling Stone (Germany) - Albums of the Year 2
Spex (Germany) - Albums of the Year 8
Visions (Germany) - Albums of the Year 12
Zundfunk (Germany) - Albums of the Year 10
Les Inrockuptibles (France) - Albums of the Year 26
Magic (France) - Albums of the Year 17
Popnews (France) - Albums of the Year 16
Blitz (Portugal) - Albums of the Year 6
DNMusica (Portugal) - Albums of the Year 2
Iguana (Spain) - Albums of the Year 16
Mondo Sonoro (Spain) - Albums of the Year 39
Muzikalia (Spain) - Albums of the Year 4
Rock de Lux (Spain) - Albums of the Year 37
Blow Up (Italy) - Albums of the Year 11
Musica (Italy) - Albums of the Year 12
B92 (Serbia) - Albums of the Year 11
Screenagers (Poland) - Albums of the Year 7
Pure Pop (Mexico) - Albums of the Year 15


Ringleader:


Treble (USA) - Albums of the Year 45
Amazon (UK) - Albums of the Year No Order
Mojo (UK) - Albums of the Year 11
New Musical Express (UK) - Albums of the Year 28
Observer (UK) - Albums of the Year 21
Q (UK) - Albums of the Year 47
Aftenposten (Norway) - Albums of the Year 13
Gaffa (Denmark) - Albums of the Year 4
Nöjesguiden (Sweden) - Albums of the Year 3
Intro (Germany) - Albums of the Year 20
Laut (Germany) - Albums of the Year 4
Musik Express/Sounds (Germany) - Albums of the Year 23
Rolling Stone (Germany) - Albums of the Year 14
Spex (Germany) - Albums of the Year 29

 

[mspendl828]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

Well, the world is slightly bigger than the UK, thank you very much.

Yeah, there's stuff out there apart from the UK, but apart from that America bit no one really cares about it.

And having heard what passes for popular music out there on the continent the last thing I'm going to do if give a shit about what music magazines over there think.

 

[Jones]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

Thanks for the scan.

I don't agree with her interpretation of the lyrics as being mainly moans. I think there is a hell of a lot of humour in this album and he isn't taking himself too seriously at all. That's if you bother listening properly.

 

[Johan de Witt]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

Yeah, there's stuff out there apart from the UK, but apart from that America bit no one really cares about it.

Well, even by your dubious definition of the world, there is still a marked difference in critical appraisal between the two albums:

You Are The Quarry-end of year:

All Music Guide (USA) - Album of the Year No Order
Amazon.com (USA) - Albums of the Year 65
Blender (USA) - Albums of the Year 6
Left Off the Dial (USA) - Albums of the Year 3
Pitchfork (USA) - Albums of the Year 38
PopMatters (USA) - Albums of the Year 17
Prefix (USA) - Albums of the Year 30
Spin (USA) - Albums of the Year 24
Village Voice (USA) - Albums of the Year 36
woxy.com (USA) - Albums of the Year 9
Mojo (UK) - Albums of the Year 14
New Musical Express (UK) - Albums of the Year 12
No Ripcord (UK) - Albums of the Year 29
Playlouder (UK) - Albums of the Year 1
Rough Trade (UK) - Albums of the Year 60
Uncut (UK) - Albums of the Year 45
Word (UK) - Albums of the Year No Order
Drowned in Sound (UK) - Albums of the Year 8

Ringleader:


Treble (USA) - Albums of the Year 45
Amazon (UK) - Albums of the Year No Order
Mojo (UK) - Albums of the Year 11
New Musical Express (UK) - Albums of the Year 28
Observer (UK) - Albums of the Year 21
Q (UK) - Albums of the Year 47

 

[Black Eyed]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

I have personally read worse reviews. I think its a fairly good one on the whole. I like her comment "He's obsessed with passing on his legacy, with keeping the flame alive, but really, he needn't try so hard. His genetic fingerprints are already all over rock'n'roll's psyche for good. You're going to miss him when he's gone? Without a doubt. Yet Morrissey, rightly or wrongly, isn't loosening his grasp just yet"

 

[Black Eyed]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

Full back page ad for the album aswell

ALSO..... the 'wrestle with Russell' question is solved in the ad........."an exclusive filmed interview with Morrissey" !!!!!!!!

 

[chasingtheblue]

Re: "Years Of Refusal" review in Q magazine Feb 09

It seems pretty positive to me! She doesn't pick out any particular song as a weakpoint, which would seem to indicate she thinks it's pretty solid overall. Strange that she doesn't mention 'Birthday' at all though, as it seems to be the most talked about on here