Morrissey : Years of Refusal
 

The tentative release date is September 15th the tracklist is also just possible songs. Jerry Finn is the producer and of course Alain Whyte did most of the writing on the tracks listed but Boz Boorer did some too and he's never really done a bad Morrissey song. It's supposed to be 12 tracks. The album is complete, I wish they'd bump the release date to this summer.

haha. I like how you put a quote made by yourself in your signature. That makes me laugh :)

Get in there early!
I'm happy its being released so early on, i'm just hoping its not too rushed. I'm annoyed Visconti isn't producing though, he did a good job with ROTT.
Something Is Squeezing My Skull is a rumoured first single, if so its not as immediate as IBEH and You Have Killed Me but never mind.
Bring. It. On.

Outstayed his welcome.

Come on leaks!

Being put off 'till 2009. Bugger bugger bugger.
This is most probably related to Jerry Finn suffering a brain haemorrhage in July though it doesn't seem to be confirmed anywhere. All the best for him.

Only just heard about this :(

American record producer Jerry Finn, who worked on releases by Blink-182, Green Day, Pennywise, Morrissey (pictured), Rancid, Bad Religion, Alkaline Trio and many more, died earlier this month at the age of 38.

Finn suffered a brain hemorrhage last month (July 2008) but was only taken off of life support on August 12.

At the time of Finn's hemorrhage he'd just finished work on the next Morrissey album, which will now have its release date pushed back to early 2009 following the producer's passing.

R.I.P Jerry, let's hope his last contribution as a producer is one of his best, he's been there for some good ones.

Gutted about the release date being knocked back. I'm a big Morrissey fan, can't wait. I love the title "It's not your birthday anymore".

Don't get me wrong, I like Morrissey but I think I can wait. :)

Not anymore it's not. According to Morrissey-solo.com, and other sites, it's been pushed back till Feb. Plus, thats not the confirmed tracklisting, it's just a possible one.


By the way, how can anyone say it's "very good" if none of the tracks(certainly not all) are done or available yet? From what I've heard/read, the albums not even done being mixed yet.

1. I said tentative and that post was made three months ago before it was pushed back.
2. If you read part of the sentence you bolded you'd see I specifically stated it wasn't the tracklist, just possible songs.

Well the album has leaked and so commences that horrible period where i do everything i can not to listen to it before i buy it. Aghhhh.

Artwork and tracklist updated.

So has anyone heard this yet then? I did hear his last record but I never really absorbed it. I may have to give that one another go, I've been meaning to buy it ever since it was released. I adored You Are The Quarry, its the best of his solo work I've heard and one of my favourites.

That album cover looks creepy

First listen thoughts: I still adore you Moz.

On the back it says 'play very loud' and this is damn good advice. In the same vein as Your Arsenal it's an out and out glam record, David Johansen would be very proud. The singles from the best-of fit in a lot better than i thought they would which is great as it was my main worry.

I'll say a bit more after the 267th play :D

i'll keep an eye on this thread for opinions, the latest album I have by Moz is Quarry and I whipped that out recently - it's a bit patchy but has some bonafide classics

Full review! Full review!:tramp:

In time ;)

Sorry? What does this mean? Have I missed something here?

Anyway, I'm gonna have to check this out. I'll be surprised If i like it as much as Quarry and the first single is not something I like at all but I'm still very interested to hear it.

Two songs of it, That's How People Grow Up and All You Need Is Me have already been released as singles and were on the Greatest Hits released last year. I was pretty pissed off at first with them being included but they do work and All You Need Is Me is a killer song in particular.

Ah I see. Thats what I thought you meant by that, I just didn't realise anything on it had been released before. Those tracks must have passed me by which is quite surprising.

Years of Refusal

I'll admit even as a Moz fan i approached this album with some trepidation. Reviews were mixed (although Pitchfork loved it, go figure), there were previously released tracks on it and there was a dark cloud over the whole thing due to all the racism/cancelled gigs/yet-another-greatest-hits and his producer Jerry Finn sadly dying soon after the recording. Whereas his comeback with You Are The Quarry was critically applauded overall now it seems the honeymoon may be over.

Then i put the new album on and i'm instantly blown away by the first track. Something Is Squeezing My Skull is nothing less than a kick in the balls, a powerful glam strut finding Moz so confident you'd never think he'd be on all the drugs he namechecks (who knows if he is..). The track comes to a crashing finale with guitars screeching and drums exploding and my first disappointment is that it ends.

One thing i felt listening to this is that his influences are more clear than ever, i can hear elements of some his favourites all over the record. The Dolls aren't too far away from proceedings ever, It's Not Your Birthday Anymore has all the grandeur of Sparks best songs and Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed, a brilliant marching band-drums led hymn to suicide, might as well be called Redondo Beach Mk II. Morrissey's done well though to create this sound that, while may be borrowed from all over the musical spectrum past and present, could only ever be his. Even if he wasn't singing you know it's him.

Lyrically he is always going to be assessed and i must say i'm a little disappointed overall. Ringleader of the Tormenters had this brilliant flavour to it where he hinted lyrically to more han his usual heartache and sang about God, *** love, father killing and occasionally feeling good about stuff for once, but here he seems to have gone back a step and gone to the old 'i'm really lonely and no-one loves me but it's ok because i'm brilliant' formula. That's not to say the album doesn't have it's moments, lyrically All You Need Is Me would be my favourite, sure he's a cocky arsehole but he does it with such style ("There's a naked man standing laughing in your dreams, you know who it is but you don't like what it means"). You Were Good In Your Own Time is another highlight, musically the biggest grower on the album, and it's clearly a song from the fan's perspective which puts the last year for him in perspective. Moz is always the last to laugh.

More song highlights for me would be the aformentioned It's Not Your Birthday Anymore, this album's 'epic' song which is full with with as much angst as all the others before it and is home to his best vocals here. 'First' single I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris didn't catch me at first since it's more of a swooner than the likes of Irish Blood but it can't be faulted melody wise and contains one of those gorgeous romantic Moz lyrics (only stone and steel will accept my love...). The closer I'm OK By Myself is a call to arms for all those singletons and is a brilliant end to affairs fading with rumbling drums and bass and Moz warbling all his worries away. Probably on the floor.

There are a fair few average songs, Black Cloud has it's moments but is largely dispensable and even after all those listens i can't really remember how Sorry Doesn't Help goes. The main gripe really is it's not as ecclectic. The glam feel is great but i can't help but miss the gorgeous strings that were peppered all over ROTT. It's certainly the worst of the last 3 albums, although i'm not sure if thats saying much.

It's a very solid album and is certainly great in it's own right. Am I little disappointed? Yeah a little bit but he set too high a benchmark i think with the last 2. It's not a failure by any means as there's some classic Moz here and is completely deserving of 40-odd minutes of your time. I've played it God knows how many times and i'm not bored yet and with any luck i won't be.

Great review. I would have gotten round to checking it out at some point without it but I may have to bump the importance of getting this record up a bit now.

I'm of two minds about this album, the levels are really high which I still find kind of jarring for Morrissey, everything is mixed so loud... But it's a rocker and he's on top form vocals-wise. There are a few songs (mainly in the second half) which are uncharacteristically scant on wit and irony which is one of the main reasons you listen to him... There are some great songs too but based on what you've said Luke I think I'd prefer Ringleader of the Tormentors

edit: having said that I can't stop listening to it

Ringleader is my favourite of the last 3, the production is just sublime and it's helped by having the undeniably awesome Life Is a Pigsty. Bring back Ennio Morricone!

Great review, Piss Me Off. Having read that, I'll have to go back and re-listen to the album. I didn't hate it, but it didn't really grab me, either.