"Your Arsenal" re-issue reviews - Q (4/5), Mojo (4/5), Uncut (9/10), Daily Express

Great stuff. Thanks for posting that. Interesting that the often Moz-baiting Harris notes that "2014 arguably finds Morrissey's esteem at an all-time high..."
 
"'Your Arsenal' ~ his spurs"

...that's really very good :)
 
Well, Morrissey seems to be having a string of good luck. Best-selling autobiography, new record contract, and great reviews for Your Arsenal. Let's hope his new album continues this trend.
 
Excellent reviews for "Your Arsenal" re-issue:

Q-Magazine - John Harris - 4 stars out of 5

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Mojo Magazine - Ian Harrison - 4 stars out of 5

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Uncut Magazine - Jim Wirth - 9/10 (DVD extra 7/10)

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Also see (original forum post):
Best ever Morrissey solo album Your Arsenal stunningly re-mastered for 2014 - Daily Express
by Pete Mitchell

A RE-MASTERED version of Morrissey's 1992 album ‘Your Arsenal’, is about to be released. The Definitive Master edition of his third solo release is one of his best along with ‘Viva Hate’ and ‘You Are the Quarry’.
 
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I'm amazed at the dismissal of Viva Hate in the second review. Viva Hate is a beautiful thing. Very odd.
 
'Viva Hate and Kill Uncle did much to kill off Morrissey's post-Smiths goodwill in Britain...'
Eh? What is this guy talking about? 'Kill Uncle' was a dud, sure - but 'Viva Hate' was a massive commercial and critical success in Britain at the time, especially as a lot of people were dubious Morrissey even could produce anything worthwhile without Marr behind him.
 
Where's the complete track listing? You guys are slipping

same, some extrra tracks who were b sides [there speaks a true friend or Pashernernate love]

but all the songs on the 1992 album are on the remastered plus bonus songs and a DVD


'and they say he's mentall' ... Jack the Knife...
 
Slightly saddened to hear that the bonus DVD quality isn't great. The dvd would be the main reason I would buy yet another remastered cd. How many times should you buy the same thing? Still I am glad to see the album getting rave reviews as it deserves it.
 
Don't really understand why the first review dismisses My Love Life as "woeful".

It's not up there with Everyday Is Like Sunday or First of the Gang to Die, but I've never seen it considered among critics to be a particularly bad song.
 
Don't really understand why the first review dismisses My Love Life as "woeful".

It's not up there with Everyday Is Like Sunday or First of the Gang to Die, but I've never seen it considered among critics to be a particularly bad song.

I always thought it was quite an entrancing little gem. Saint John of Peel even liked it, his reason being 'it sounds like The Smiths'. But who are we to argue against the critical heft of John 'eyes akimbo' Harris?

Elsewhere in that 'Q' there is a live review & interview piece on Johnny Marr in Australia. Alex Needham (x-NME, did the glowing 'Quarry' comeback interview, x-Guardian, didn't like Moz taking his x-Guardian/NME chums to High Court, now firmly in Moz is dodgy camp, etc) conducts affairs in a similarly loved-up fashion to the JM piece he wrote for 'Fantastic Man' magazine a couple of years back.
During the interview AN brings up the subject of Englishness and Johnny makes a point about how he wanted to record 'The Messenger' back in England, but did a bit in Berlin to show that he's not a Little Englander, not into Nationalism of any kind. He always felt himself to be "Irish Mancunian" anway. AM clearly believes this is a dig at Morrissey ('subtext' don't y'know) so asks if Johnny has read 'Autobiography' yet? To which Johnny replies No, he hasn't. He is currently reading a book on Picasso and Cubism, then he's got a book on the Fluxus movement lined up. So what with that and touring he's been too busy to read the book. But he'll probably get around to it.
 
I always thought it was quite an entrancing little gem. Saint John of Peel even liked it, his reason being 'it sounds like The Smiths'. But who are we to argue against the critical heft of John 'eyes akimbo' Harris?

My Love Life is wonderful. So is the song. Hypnotic.

During the interview AN brings up the subject of Englishness and Johnny makes a point about how he wanted to record 'The Messenger' back in England, but did a bit in Berlin to show that he's not a Little Englander, not into Nationalism of any kind. He always felt himself to be "Irish Mancunian" anway.

He is into national identity really then, as he identifies as being Irish ahead of being English or British. He's just a Little Irelander rather than being a Little Englander. Should he not seek Irish nationality in that case? What would be the tax implications? Apart from horrendous, I mean. Not that that would be a consideration at all. Oh no. This is a moral issue, surely?

Who in their right mind would buy an album recorded in England and immediately think "Hmmm... He must be a Little Englander." It would be a ludicrous assumption, nearly as ludicrous as "I despise all notions of nationalism. Let's record in... Berlin." Uh-huh. That would be the same Berlin not so very long ago famous for history's most appallingly extreme form of nationalism. Where will he record next? Oslo because he hates snow? Bogota because he doesn't like heights?

Like many pop stars he's torn between being honest and being cool, not something you could say of Morrissey, always happy to be often very honest about his beliefs and often faintly to extremely ridiculous. Marr hates his English roots, is happy to slag England off at the drop of a hat to massage his dwindling career, but continues to travel the world on a British passport. Time to hand it in Johnny Boy and get yourself over to the Republic. They've never had nationalism ever at all, oh, no, and they've not supported the Nazis fully since 1945. They just looked after a few war criminals afterwards, but it was only the Jews, eh? f*** 'em.
 
The reviews aren't good enough. This is a 10/10 album...the one that came after it is too.

Perhaps they're taking points off as it's another pointless reissue?
However as my copy of Your Arsenal is rather worn it may actually be one I purchase/ download for free. (I just hope the artwork remains the same.)
I'd prefer Vauxhall to be left alone though the chances of that happening are non-existent
 
My Love Life is wonderful. So is the song. Hypnotic.



He is into national identity really then, as he identifies as being Irish ahead of being English or British. He's just a Little Irelander rather than being a Little Englander. Should he not seek Irish nationality in that case? What would be the tax implications? Apart from horrendous, I mean. Not that that would be a consideration at all. Oh no. This is a moral issue, surely?

Who in their right mind would buy an album recorded in England and immediately think "Hmmm... He must be a Little Englander." It would be a ludicrous assumption, nearly as ludicrous as "I despise all notions of nationalism. Let's record in... Berlin." Uh-huh. That would be the same Berlin not so very long ago famous for history's most appallingly extreme form of nationalism. Where will he record next? Oslo because he hates snow? Bogota because he doesn't like heights?

Like many pop stars he's torn between being honest and being cool, not something you could say of Morrissey, always happy to be often very honest about his beliefs and often faintly to extremely ridiculous. Marr hates his English roots, is happy to slag England off at the drop of a hat to massage his dwindling career, but continues to travel the world on a British passport. Time to hand it in Johnny Boy and get yourself over to the Republic. They've never had nationalism ever at all, oh, no, and they've not supported the Nazis fully since 1945. They just looked after a few war criminals afterwards, but it was only the Jews, eh? f*** 'em.

Your inaccurate comments about Ireland are ignorant to say the least. Obviously you know nothing about the tax system here for artists and less about the tiny handful of people who tried to use Nazi help to rid the country of the blight of an English invading force whose modus operandi was attempted genocide under a blood marinated flag. Read some history books and open your eyes to your own history. Or we're those pages torn out?
 
Your inaccurate comments about Ireland are ignorant to say the least. Obviously you know nothing about the tax system here for artists and less about the tiny handful of people who tried to use Nazi help to rid the country of the blight of an English invading force whose modus operandi was attempted genocide under a blood marinated flag. Read some history books and open your eyes to your own history. Or we're those pages torn out?

Well said, barleycorns foot in mouth syndrome would fit in well in the orange order, no doubt he prefers their "music" to that of morrissey
 
Your inaccurate comments about Ireland are ignorant to say the least. Obviously you know nothing about the tax system here for artists and less about the tiny handful of people who tried to use Nazi help to rid the country of the blight of an English invading force whose modus operandi was attempted genocide under a blood marinated flag. Read some history books and open your eyes to your own history. Or we're those pages torn out?

Strange post, as I said Ireland had a Nazi past and you admit as much while attacking me for saying so. Only one European nation sent condolences to the people of Germany upon the death of Adolf Hitler. Would you care to tell us which nation that was? No, you'd probably prefer not to, so I shall. The Republic of Ireland, proprietor Éamon de Valera. Now, we are all familiar with the saying "my enemies' enemy is my friend", but that's taking the piss by any standard.

http://www.historyireland.com/20th-century-contemporary-history/tv-eye-irelands-nazis/

I'm sorry if the truth of Ireland's Nazi past is an inconvenient truth for you, Acton. Your grasp of history is hardly that firm either in your use of the word England, when for the last three hundred years or so you mean "Britain". Perhaps that itself tells us your true target.

It seems to me you might actually be exhibiting that tedious re-writing of history at which the trendy left have become so adept, vis Morrissey and Marr. It's interesting to think that if Morrissey and Marr continue at this rate the history of The Smiths might well regard Mike Joyce as the real brains of the outfit.

Now, I don't have a problem with the Republic or the Irish. What I do have a problem with is this myth that somehow some nations have an innate nobility, and others do not. The truth is that there is barely a nation state on the planet which has not at one point or another done awful, shameful things to either its own population or other nation states. It's called history.

With Marr his quote that he did not wish to be seen as a Little Englander so went to Germany, was ludicrous. Germany, a nation of some eighty million people suffers from every single social and political issue Britain does. And the United States of America does. And Canada does. And France does. And Brazil does. And Argentina. And... to a greater or lesser degree every single country on the planet does. As an aside it is interesting how Morrissey's favourite politician, Kirchner, is busying herself dragging Argentina into the deep financial shit. Now there's a shock. He does pick 'em.

To put Marr's comments into sharper relief imagine if Beyonce put her pussy away long enough to give an interview in which she said "I decided to record my album in Beijing because I didn't want people thinking I was an Alabama redneck. I hate all notions of nationalism. I'm a Gambian Houstonian.", you might with some reason think she was as dumb as a rock. If you add to that the United States has given her every opportunity to achieve her success it would ratchet up the idiocy even further. Ditto Marr here in Britain. Frankly this Morrissey and Marr "O'im just a cheeky lad from de banks of de silvery Liffey, begorah." stuff is becoming a little tiring. It might be all well and good if they were not born in Britain and the holders of British passports, but they are. Perhaps I should follow Marr's logic too and do half my shopping in Harrods and half at Lidl just in case someone thinks I might be Henry the eighth.

As for the tax system, perhaps still in part propped up by the ten billion Britain loaned to the Republic a couple of years back so it could keep popping euros in the electric meter, that's great news. Marr can apply for a Republic passport immediately. Perhaps I should tweet him. Do you think he speaks to English people? Hmmm. Perhaps not. I wouldn't want that badly dyed mop torn out in frustration at the very thought of having to interact with a member of the very nation that enabled him to nurture his prodigious talent in a peace and security his "own" country could not.

The Smiths were a phenomenon in no small part because their fan base had an intellectual aspect. Put simply Morrissey and Marr once spoke to thinkers. Thirty years later they appeal largely to those who are not thinkers. Some of the pronouncements we hear from both Morrissey and Marr remind me of that famous story when Joss Stone mistook Bob Geldof for Gandalf. They are occasionally that idiotic. Like many successful musicians down the years they mistakenly believe their ability to pen a nice tune makes them political and social scientists.

They are travelling minstrels, no more and no less. As such I would no more seek out their views on society and politics than I would Noam Chomsky's disco album.
 

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