Morrissey Central "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DARLING" (November 7, 2023)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DARLING

You Are The Quarry will be 20 years old in 2024.

The album sold over 1 million copies.
Sweden #1
England #1*
Ireland #3
Norway #5
Finland #8
Portugal #10
USA #11

As usual, the album was not well received by the UK press, where it was certified as Platinum.
You Are The Quarry was the only album of 2004 that managed four top ten hit singles.
Irish Blood, English Heart #3
First Of The Gang To Die #6
Let me Kiss You #8
I Have Forgiven Jesus #10

There is no commemorative issue planned for You Are the Quarry, which was licensed to BMG UK in 2017 for new release.
BMG did not re-issue You Are the Quarry and have no plans to.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DARLING - MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY - MORRISSEY CENTRAL - HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DARLING

MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY on MORRISSEY CENTRAL

www.morrisseycentral.com

* = edited by Central to #2 after initial posting.
FWD.

 

[ACTON]

i bought both,the deluxe edition had the better cover out of the two,had a silvery look to it.

Me too. The deluxe version is nice. Still I'd love a reasonably priced reissue on vinyl cos I'm not paying daft money for secondhand or new on Discogs.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

I disagree with everything in this review except the criticism of the production. The breakbeats and the assorted electro-stutter flourishes are pointless, and like the reviewer says, almost a betrayal coming from Morrissey.

Or more accurately… a betrayal from what they expected from Morrissey. That’s their fault.

But he's increasingly leaned into bombastic production ever since, so I guess he must like it. Two or three clunkers aside, I think the Quarry songs are terrific. All the Lazy Dykes and The World is Full of Crashing Bores in particular are masterpieces that even Jerry Finn couldn't ruin.

 

[ACTON]

Hopefully Price had the gumption to tell Morrissey that he'll give him a five star review when he records a five star album.

Reviews are almost pointless unless the album has 'settled' with the listener. When I first heard Quarry I liked it but the hype had led me to expect 'There Is A Light' level of quality. Seeing Irish Blood/Crashing Bores/First of The Gang in concert in Glasgow a year or whatever before Quarry came out made me expect an album of soaring anthems. But two or three days later I loved Quarry. Same for Ringleader. So when people review albums (or anything for that matter) they need to let it sink in. In some cases it took me ages to appreciate an album. My Joy Division CDs languishing lonely in my car for months before it clicked and I realised they were brilliant. I find that an album you love on day one will lose its shine a lot sooner than one that grows on you.

 

[Phranc & Open]

Noise is the best revenge is the best Tobias penned track.
For me, it belongs to the Quarry period.
Boyaaaaah!

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

The emporer has no clothes.
Then and now.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Noise is the best revenge is the best Tobias penned track.
For me, it belongs to the Quarry period.
Boyaaaaah!

(Morrissey/Boz Boorer/Gary Day)

 

[Vesper Nocturne]

Well, I spoke to Simon Price in 2004 (at The Star and Garter)–who’d awarded it four stars. After the review, he had an encounter with Morrissey, and he was left in know doubt that Morrissey had expected five stars, as a minimum.

Hot. Lol!

 

[Phranc & Open]

(Morrissey/Boz Boorer/Gary Day)

Really? Maybe in the beginning, we/they speculated (here) it was written by him.
Thanks for the information.
My world view is changing more than just marginally now.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

The best time to be a Moz fan was 2004-2006. He was everywhere, charming everyone, everyone loved him and the music he made was mostly fantastic. In my opinion, YATQ is his third best album of his solo career.

The fact that he chooses not to acknowledge this and instead manages to find something to whine about just makes me feel even stronger that he is finished. He’s allowed for negativity to completely devour him. He’s given up.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Really? Maybe in the beginning, we/they speculated (here) it was written by him.
Thanks for the information.
My world view is changing more than just marginally now.

I agree though. It’s a mess of a song. And probably my least favorite M song.

 

[Lucifer Sam]

Or more accurately… a betrayal from what they expected from Morrissey. That’s their fault.

I don't think it's entirely our fault. His stream of negative comments about dance music over the years were enough to expect he'd avoid that kind of thing.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

I don't think it's entirely our fault. His stream of negative comments about dance music over the years were enough to expect he'd avoid that kind of thing.

It is though? Just because Morrissey set up an image ( partly) and when that image was broken, the disappointment is still on you.
Believing in an image and expecting that image will never change is not his fault.

Or is it that those ‘stream of negative comments’ were simply more memorable, rather than hear that he liked Block Box back in 89?



now go listen to November

 

[Erik]

Down to a few lines
In the back page of a teenage annual
Oh but I remembered you

The world's twisted, and adrift of its moorings. These days glories had and shared can still be savoured. A terrific comeback that was. Majestic. Few experience anything like it in their lifetimes. Many great memories were created, to be cherished and to help fend off the ghosties, until proper order is restored!

faded annual

 

[Lucifer Sam]

It is though? Just because Morrissey set up an image ( partly) and when that image was broken, the disappointment is still on you.
Believing in an image and expecting that image will never change is not his fault.

Or is it that those ‘stream of negative comments’ were simply more memorable, rather than hear that he liked Block Box back in 89?



now go listen to November

I thought it was Mark Nevin or Clive Langer who said he liked Black Box. That’s second-hand, and it’s possible some people can’t tell when Morrissey’s being facetious. Did he ever personally praise them publicly? I guess I’ll never understand him if he shits on Madonna and then likes Black Box. Madonna has some good songs.

The artist has every right to innovate, surprise, and even make a complete turn-around. But the listener has every right to feel disappointed and betrayed. If it happened on a different level—if he started eating meat and publicly began saying animals were ours to torture because God permits it and by the way he’s reverted to traditional Catholicism—would you not feel a betrayal?

 

[gashonthenail]

I love The Never Played Symphonies. What a great song. One of the best from that period.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

I thought it was Mark Nevin or Clive Langer who said he liked Black Box. That’s second-hand, and it’s possible some people can’t tell when Morrissey’s being facetious. Did he ever personally praise them publicly? I guess I’ll never understand him if he shits on Madonna and then likes Black Box. Madonna has some good songs.

The artist has every right to innovate, surprise, and even make a complete turn-around. But the listener has every right to feel disappointed and betrayed. If it happened on a different level—if he started eating meat and publicly began saying animals were ours to torture because God permits it and by the way he’s reverted to traditional Catholicism—would you not feel a betrayal?

Yes, and I don’t think M was joking …

‘KEVIN ARMSTRONG, guitarist: I was quite open-minded about Morrissey. Obviously I realised that he’s an extremely sensitive, bright, intelligent artist. But on a personal level, I wasn’t really let in. I do remember Morrissey bringing in a record and us all dancing in the large studio room to “Ride On Time” by Black Box. It was his favourite record of the time.’


Because M said something about it in a Q interview?

‘Morrissey, in an interview to Q magazine in December 1989: "I'm still a big record fan. I really enjoyed the Black Box single. It's odd for …’

http://www.passionsjustlikemine.com/influence.htm

Edit: at the moment, PJLM not opening on my end. Strange

 

[Les Tameside]

I love The Never Played Symphonies. What a great song. One of the best from that period.

My personal ‘re-jiggled’ Quarry finishes with that song—rather than the clunky You Know I couldn’t Last.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

I thought it was Mark Nevin or Clive Langer who said he liked Black Box. That’s second-hand, and it’s possible some people can’t tell when Morrissey’s being facetious. Did he ever personally praise them publicly? I guess I’ll never understand him if he shits on Madonna and then likes Black Box. Madonna has some good songs.

The artist has every right to innovate, surprise, and even make a complete turn-around. But the listener has every right to feel disappointed and betrayed.

Sure, but it is a choice one makes. They set up
the expectation that they were sure would never change, and that led to their disappointment.

Both the artist and the fan play a part in the creation of this image.

A different listener, might be more open to the possibility that an image might change. And the choice to remain open to that possibility caused their welcome surprise rather than disappointment.

If it happened on a different level—if he started eating meat and publicly began saying animals were ours to torture because God permits it and by the way he’s reverted to traditional Catholicism—would you not feel a betrayal?

Well yeah, that’s a different level, and an extreme example! Lol.

No, I’d only feel betrayed if I was a cow!


But, I as a fan, would simply feel baffled.

 

[Lucifer Sam]

Black Box it is, then. Morrissey the inscrutable.