Morrissey: Difference between revisions

Morrissey's album ''[[You Are The Quarry]]'' was released on 17 May 2004 (one day later in the US). The album peaked at #2 on the UK charts <ref name="guinness book solo" />. Guitarist [[Alain Whyte]] described the work as a mix between ''[[Your Arsenal]]'' and ''[[Vauxhall And I]]'', and the album received strong reviews. The first single, "[[Irish Blood, English Heart (single)|Irish Blood, English Heart]]," was released internationally on 10 May 2004. The single reached #3 in its first week of sales in the [[UK singles chart]] <ref name="guinness book solo" />. This was the highest placing chart position for Morrissey in his entire career as both a solo artist and the lead singer of [[The Smiths]] (the 2006 release "You Have Killed Me" also debuted at #3 in its first week in the charts). Also, it has sold over a million copies, making the album his most successful one, solo or with The Smiths. Three other hit singles followed - "[[First Of The Gang To Die (single)|First Of The Gang To Die]]" (12 July 2004) UK #6 <ref name="guinness book solo" />, "[[Let Me Kiss You (single)|Let Me Kiss You]]" (11 October 2004) UK #8 <ref name="guinness book solo" />, and "[[I Have Forgiven Jesus (single)|I Have Forgiven Jesus]]" (13 December 2004) UK #10 <ref name="guinness book solo" />. With the release of "I Have Forgiven Jesus" in December 2004, Morrissey along with [[McFly (band)|McFly]] became the only artists to score four top-10 hits in the UK singles chart that year. In August of 2004, Morrissey was slated to headline a week-long set of shows on Craig Kilborn's ''The Late Show''. Morrissey did not perform every night of the weeklong series due to a throat illness. He did, however, perform the following week.

Morrissey's next album, ''[[Ringleader Of The Tormentors]]'', debuted at #1 in the UK album charts and #27 in the US <ref name="guinness book solo" />. Recorded in Rome, it was released internationally on 3 April 2006, and one day later in North America. The album wielded four hit singles - "[[You Have Killed Me (single)|You Have Killed Me]]" (27 March 2006) UK #3 <ref name="guinness book solo" />, "[[The Youngest Was The Most Loved (single)|The Youngest Was The Most Loved]]" (5 June 2006) UK #14 <ref name="guinness book solo" />, "[[In The Future When All's Well (single)|In The Future When All's Well]]" (21 August 2006) UK #17 <ref name="guinness book solo" />, and "[[I Just Want To See The Boy Happy (single)|I Just Want To See The Boy Happy]]" (3 December 2006) UK #16 <ref name="guinness book solo" />. Originally Morrissey was to record the album with producer Jeff Saltzman, however he could not undertake the project. Producer Tony Visconti, of [[T. Rex]] and [[David Bowie]] fame, took over the production role and Morrissey announced that the album was "the most beautiful—perhaps the most gentle, so far." ''Billboard magazine'' described the album as showcasing "a thicker, more rock-driven sound"[http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001806691]; Morrissey attributes this change in sound to new guitarist [[Jesse Tobias]]. The subsequent 2006 international tour included more than two dozen gigs in the UK, including concerts at the London Palladium. Just prior to the album's release, Morrissey was photographed in Rome by Bryan Adams for the cover of 'Zoo Magazine'.

Morrissey was scheduled to appear at the 2005 Benicassim festival in Spain but pulled out at the last minute. On 9 January 2007, the BBC confirmed that it was in talks with Morrissey for him to write a song for the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest. The video for the single "You Have Killed Me" may be an affectionate homage to the style of the contest during the 1970s. If an agreement could be made, Morrissey would be writing the song for someone else, rather than performing it himself, a BBC spokesperson claimed.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6244153.stm Morrissey in talks for Eurovision]</ref> On 23 February 2007 the BBC ruled this out, and stated Morrissey would not be part of Britain's Eurovision entry.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6388469.stm No Morrissey entry for Eurovision], BBC News, 23 February 2007</ref><ref>[http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=21090_0_2_0_C No eurovision for Morrissey]</ref>

In early 2007 Morrissey left [[Sanctuary Records]] and embarked on a ''Greatest Hits'' tour. The tour ran from 1 February 2007 to 29 July 2008 and spanned 106 concerts over 8 different countries. Morrissey canceled 11 of these dates, including a planned six consecutive shows at The Roundhouse in London, due to "throat problems". The tour consisted of three legs, the first two encompassing the U.S. and Mexico were supported by [[Kristeen Young]] from Feb to October while the remainder featured [[Girl In A Coma]]. The final leg was a small scale European tour that saw Morrissey headlining the O2 Wireless Festival in Hyde Park on 4 July and culminated in Morrissey playing at the Heatwave Festival in Tel Aviv, Israel on 29 July.

''[[Years Of Refusal]]'' was released worldwide on 16 February 2009 by the Universal Music Group. Upon release, it reached third place in the [[UK Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=13876|title=Years Of Refusal|publisher=Chart Stats|accessdate=25 February 2009}}</ref> and 11 in the US [[Billboard 200]].<ref>{{Cite news|first=Keith|last=Caulfield|title='Slumdog' Barks While Taylor Swift Nets 10th Week At No. 1|url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/charts/chart_alert/e3i03e9df1ef7d2112bf801391a4a8ba398|work=Billboard |date=25 February 2009|accessdate=25 February 2009}}</ref> The record was widely acclaimed by critics,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/morrissey/yearsofrefusal?q=years%20of%20refusal |title=Morrissey: Years of Refusal (2009) |publisher=Metacritic |date=17 February 2009 |accessdate=13 August 2010}}</ref> with comparisons made to ''[[Your Arsenal]]''<ref>{{cite web |first=Keith |last=Phillips |work=AVClub.com [http://www.avclub.com/articles/morrissey,23852/ |title=Morrissey: Years of Refusal |date=17 February 2009 |accessdate=8 March 2012}}</ref> and ''[[Vauxhall And I]]''.<ref name="ewing">{{cite web |first=Tom |last=Ewing |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12640-years-of-refusal/ |work=Pitchfork |title=Years of Refusal |date=3 February 2009 |accessdate=8 March 2012}}</ref> A review from [[Pitchfork Media]] noted that with ''Years Of Refusal,'' Morrissey "has rediscovered himself, finding new potency in his familiar arsenal. Morrissey's rejuvenation is most obvious in the renewed strength of his vocals" and called it his "most venomous, score-settling album, and in a perverse way that makes it his most engaging."<ref name="ewing" /> "[[I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris (single)|I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris]]" and "[[Something Is Squeezing My Skull (single)|I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris]]" were released as the record's singles. The song "[[Black Cloud]]" features the guitar playing of [[Jeff Beck]]. Throughout 2009 Morrissey toured to promote the album. As part of the extensive Tour of Refusal, Morrissey followed a lengthy US tour with concerts booked in Ireland, Scotland, England, Russia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tour.morrissey-solo.com/ |title=Morrissey-solo: Tour |publisher=Tour.morrissey-solo.com |date=9 March 2010 |accessdate=13 August 2010}}</ref> He had never before performed in Russia.

In July 2010, it was announced that EMI will reissue the 1990 album ''[[Bona Drag]]'' on its [[Major Minor Records|Major Minor]] imprint, resurrected specifically for the release. The release features six additional previously unreleased tracks, and was released on 4 October, entering at number 67 in the UK charts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.morrissey-solo.com/article.pl?sid=10/10/10/1849237|title=morrissey-solo.com}}</ref> The 1988 single "[[Everyday Is Like Sunday (single|Everyday Is Like Sunday]]" was also reissued to coincide with the release on both CD and 7" vinyl formats.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esounds.com/esounds/EN/SearchResults.aspx?oid=33171998-88a6-4edc-bfcf-9fa276abd21f&Sort=0&SortType=1&RPP=10&Page=1 |title=esounds |publisher=esounds |accessdate=13 August 2010}}</ref> In February 2011, EMI announced a brand new compilation – ''[[Very Best Of Morrissey]]'' – would be released in April that year. The press release stated both the tracklist and artwork were chosen by Morrissey himself, and the single "[[Glamorous Glue (single)|Glamorous Glue]]" would also be reissued the same week with two previously unreleased songs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.morrissey-solo.com/content/51-The-Very-Best-of-Morrissey-with-Bonus-DVD-Glamorous-Glue-single-with-previously-unreleased-songs-true-to-you.net-(Apr.-25)|title="The Very Best of Morrissey" with Bonus DVD; "Glamorous Glue" single with previously unreleased songs – true-to-you.net (25 Apr.)|publisher=Morrissey-Solo.com|date=22 February 2011 |accessdate=7 March 2011}}</ref> In March 2011, it was announced Morrissey was now under the management of Ron Laffitte.<ref name="true-to-you1">{{cite web|url=http://true-to-you.net/morrissey_news_110304_01|title=Morrissey to headline at Hop Farm Music Festival; Damien Dempsey looks likely to be added; Morrissey now managed by Ron Laffitte|publisher=True-To-You.net|date=4 March 2011 |accessdate=7 March 2011}}</ref> On 21 April 2012, in celebration of Record Store Day, EMI released a limited edition 10" picture disc, and a subsequent digital download on 23 April, of "Suedehead", as remixed by Ron and Russell Mael of [[Sparks]]. The single also feature two previously unreleased BBC live versions of "[[We'll Let You Know]]" and "[[Now My Heart Is Full (single)|Now My Heart Is Full]]", recorded at London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in February 1995.