If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it be?

[jesuisbryony]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

and idont think it is just me specifically that realizes that Morrissey is not the artist he once was, though many are still in denial of this fact.

Well why don't you just move on then, if you don't enjoy his music.
Which was the last of his albums you liked?

 

[Dave]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

im not sure how you do see this as necessarily my thinking Moz owes me something.

yuve juste said yourself that, as far as yure concerned, Dylan could hav quit after Infidels. iwouldnt see that statement as you thinking Dylan owed you something better and therefore you stopped listening, but iwould potentially see it as a sad thing that a once great artist could become so irrelevant that a fan would juste as soon hav seen him quit then release another album after 1983.



well, actually, part of being a pop artist is about pleasing your audiance, any way that you look at it. if Morrissey was making art solely to please himself, then he wouldnt be selling records adn touring. and if you were to say "well, he does have to make a living as well", well he isnt going to make much of a living without pleasing his audiance.

but iagree that, for an artist of Morrissey's calibur, it should not simply be about pleasing your audiance- it should be about creating something truly good, something worthy of being created. im sorry, but "All You Need Is Me" was not worth being created.

and at some point, if an artist finds himself no longer able to create things that are truly good, thoughts may turn to legacy and how he may want to be remembered; as a truly great artist or as a once truly great artist that lost it but carried on despite his fading artistic desire or abilities to serve a commercial/wealth and ego inflating end?

I was pointing out how if I personally told Bob Dylan when to quit I would have been wrong, according to your own estimation of his recent releases. You picked up on that. Now see how it compares to your opinion that you might be in a position to decide when another artist might want to quit.

You're missing the whole point. The work is there if you enjoy it but the relationship between the artist and the audience is often misunderstood by members of the audience. You are part of a group of people. That group of people will exist whether you are part of it or not. The artist is not concerned, typically, with the opinions of individual members of the audience as to when they should retire.

To summarize, you are wrong. If I held a similar viewpoint I would be wrong, also.

 

[chrisarclark]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

Well why don't you just move on then, if you don't enjoy his music.
Which was the last of his albums you liked?

well, ina way ihav moved on and in another iclearly never will.

as many may hav noticed, i dont haunt these pages as much anymore as the releases hav become more and more dire. yet, with word of the new release coming, my interest has been sparked once again if only to lament whether it would have been better had Morrissey decided enough was enough in 1995.

as ive said, idid quite like both YATQ and ROTT when they first came out, however ifeel much of this was clouded by the excitement surrounding a new release and after the honeymoon period for each that affection faded. istill can enjoy a few songs from each era, but it's bittersweet becos iknow even these are nothing compared to what he used to be.

the last two singles are truly horrendous- easily the two worst singles of his career- and this has made it nearly impossible for me to hold on to any hope that he might someday return to form. still, istay tuned, without any expectations, but juste in case he surprises again.

 

[Danny_]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

Bollocks. The only reason you've gone off him is because of his boycott of Canada. You whinged on about it for ages on here. Be honest about it, at least to yourself, and don't pretend it's for artistic reasons.

 

[Kewpie]

Hurrah

Bollocks. The only reason you've gone off him is because of his boycott of Canada. You whinged on about it for ages on here. Be honest about it, at least to yourself, and don't pretend it's for artistic reasons.

 

[someofusisturningnasty]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

iknow many will shoot off straight away by saying that they never want Morrissey to stop (well then, the final poll option is for you), but let's be honest; there is no doubt that Morrissey's sense of humour and music has gotten gradually worser over the years.

music history is littered with stories of artists who hung on too long and, in doing so, tarnished the memory of their career (i.e. The Rolling Stones, David Bowie). then there are others who find their way back through the wilderness and after a long drought create some of their best work in their final years (i.e. Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan).

during Morrissey's career, there hav been serveral stages that may hav been seen as higher stepping off points to leave behind a great career relatively untainted. while some may still cling to the hope that Moz will one day recapture the magic of years past, ipersonally am less hopeful. while Cash and Dylan may hav temporarily lost their touch, they never really lost their artistic integrity- meanwhile Morrissey it seems has settled for churning out generic pop-rock tunes for the masses, so long as the units keep moving.

for those who hav cringed at much of Morrissey's later output, this could still be a tough decision as there hav been a few songs here and there that hav been enjoyable- but were they worth it enough to hav had to put up with the embarassment of so many others?

to my mind, the last flawless release from Morrissey was the unintended "Sunny" single. perhaps it wasnt really "single" material, but each song on that release was absolutely beautiful, showcasing an emotional depth and tenderness not seen from Morrissey since. if Morrissey had not gone on after Vauxhall And I to record Southpaw Grammar, it's possible (perhaps even likely) that these songs may hav still been released in some way shape or form, so ive included this as an option for those who would want to keep these songs as a final send off but stop short of SG (myself not included).

Some of his best work has come in his more recent output. Case in point? Life Is A Pigsty. Absolutely one of the most beautiful songs EVER, and not just by Morrissey. Stop being so f*cking critical of him. Yes, he has his faults but this website has a bad reputation because of people like you, moaning and complaining about everything he does. I think you are wavering on the hyperbole by claiming "so many" of his songs are an embarassment. Speak for yourself sunshine. Look at the results of your poll if you want evidence. Most of us here never want him to stop. And if the work of Morrissey no longer brings you pleasure then go out and find the one that you love

 

[chrisarclark]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

I was pointing out how if I personally told Bob Dylan when to quit I would have been wrong, according to your own estimation of his recent releases. You picked up on that. Now see how it compares to your opinion that you might be in a position to decide when another artist might want to quit.

You're missing the whole point. The work is there if you enjoy it but the relationship between the artist and the audience is often misunderstood by members of the audience. You are part of a group of people. That group of people will exist whether you are part of it or not. The artist is not concerned, typically, with the opinions of individual members of the audience as to when they should retire.

To summarize, you are wrong. If I held a similar viewpoint I would be wrong, also.

ithink you are actually missing the point. im not "personally telling Morrissey when to quit" nor do ifeel iam in any position to do so. idont expect Morrissey to care one way or the other about what ipersonally think, nor do ithink he should.

this wasnt meant to be a petition to be completed and then sent to Morrissey ordering him to go back in time to when the most popular time chosen for him to have ended his career was and then kill himself. it is a hypothetical question asking people "if" they had the choice to end Morrissey's career at some earlier point so as to protect his legacy from the watering-down effects later weaker material despite having to then let go of a few later gems, when would they choose?

while ienjoyed your philisophical attempt at explaining "the relationship between the artists and the audiance," ithink yure trying to take it a little too deep.

 

[chrisarclark]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

Bollocks. The only reason you've gone off him is because of his boycott of Canada. You whinged on about it for ages on here. Be honest about it, at least to yourself, and don't pretend it's for artistic reasons.

iadmit that the Canada boycott lowered my opinion of the man, but not the music. imight refer you to this thread istarted in May of '06 comparing YATQ and ROTT, a month after the announcement of the boycott when my feelings on the subject were still raw. as you can see, ihad already acknowledged my fading favour of YATQ, but still felt strongly about ROTT despite Morrissey's foolish actions.

ive always been a relatively objective fan and critic of Morrissey's, though iadmit to having overrated YATQ and ROTT upon their release. ithink most people with an objective eye and ear towards Morrissey's career would admit that the stretch from '95-present has been significantly weaker than '83-'87 or '88-'94.

 

[Dow Jones]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

Haaa this is a landslide poll. I do eventually want him to stop and just sit around, read, pet a cat and drink tea, but the fact is he just isn't close to being that bad yet.

 

[Dave]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

ithink yure trying to take it a little too deep.

sorry, it's what I do.

 

[Reelaround]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

sorry, it's what I do.

And it's what I do

I can't understand anyone coming from a place that says 'boycott moz'

 

[CrystalGeezer]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

And it's what I do

I can't understand anyone coming from a place that says 'boycott moz'

Maybe it's secret language talk for "Boy Got Moz." I mean the guys into dropping vowels and he's from "Bury Ankh Anne." I wouldn't pay too much attention to him. The humility thing just got to me.

 

[Chileiceman]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

He should quit when he feels like it. His new stuff is still better than 98% of what's being made these days.

And he should come back to Canada. This boycott is childish. He would never boycott the US, although they are guilty of much worse things than clubbing some seals (something that's been done for centuries, yet it just now bothers him so much).

 

[CrystalGeezer]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

He should quit when he feels like it. His new stuff is still better than 98% of what's being made these days.

I think this falls within the 2% of excellent stuff made these days.

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[Maurice E]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

well, ina way ihav moved on and in another iclearly never will.

as many may hav noticed, i dont haunt these pages as much anymore as the releases hav become more and more dire. yet, with word of the new release coming, my interest has been sparked once again if only to lament whether it would have been better had Morrissey decided enough was enough in 1995.

as ive said, idid quite like both YATQ and ROTT when they first came out, however ifeel much of this was clouded by the excitement surrounding a new release and after the honeymoon period for each that affection faded. istill can enjoy a few songs from each era, but it's bittersweet becos iknow even these are nothing compared to what he used to be.

the last two singles are truly horrendous- easily the two worst singles of his career- and this has made it nearly impossible for me to hold on to any hope that he might someday return to form. still, istay tuned, without any expectations, but juste in case he surprises again.

I agree with a lot of what you're saying. The recent two albums were thin, patchy affairs. However, there were a number of songs from the Quarry sessions which deservedly made the fans top 100 list. I thought there were 5 or 6 truly great songs from those sessions too (half of which were b-sides).
The ROTT sessions yielded fewer great songs and it is no surprise that only one made it into the fans top 100. This is a cause for concern.
'That's How People Grow Up' was also pretty awful; one of his worst. But AYNIM was ok. A decent single albeit in need of a stronger chorus.

There is cause for optimism with the new stuff tho. Paris is a pretty little song. A nice piece of music and a simple, affecting lyric. The other new ones sound pretty good. Mama has a much more imaginative musical structure than the plodding indie-pop thing that Moz has over-relied on. My Dearest Love has gone down very well with the fans (I've only heard it a couple of times).
The quality of the new album will depend largely on how good the new Alain Whyte compositions are, as well as the diversity of the lyrics. Every other song on ROTT seemed to be about killing, killers or being killed. Dreary, humourless stuff. The song titles for the new ones, however, are much more intriguing. I'm cautiously optimistic...

 

[Young And Alive]

Re: If you could choose one release to be/have been Morrissey's last, what would it b

"Lost" would have been a great send-off single.

To me it's very "final", like the type of song they'd play at the end of a movie.