7. “First Of The Gang To Die” – Morrissey: An Artist A Week/A Song A Day – A History of Alternative Music

7. “First Of The Gang To Die” – Morrissey

(From the album You Are The Quarry)

2004

After the twin heights of Your Arsenal and Vauxhall & I Morrissey decided to challenge his audience with 1995’s Southpaw Grammar. While rooted in a similar sound as his two previous albums Southpaw Grammar was harder and harsher and featured two songs in excess of ten minutes long. Southpaw Grammar is actually a fairly strong record but it takes some to unveil its pleasures and those pleasures may not always speak to fans waiting for the next “Everyday Is Like Sunday”. Indeed, Southpaw Grammar, released right when all of Morrissey’s spiritual progeny in the Britpop scene were ascendent, seemed to refudiate that legacy to some degree and Morrissey fell out of favor. His next album, 1997’s Maladjusted, did nothing to bring Morrissey back into favor and he went on an extended hiatus and moved from Britain to Los Angeles. Morrissey released several compilations over the next few years but his next new studio album would not be released until 2004. By 2004 Morrissey’s reputation had recovered some as his music and persona was an obvious influence on both the emo and pop-punk genres that were popular at the time and he was regularly namechecked by many of those bands as an influence. While Morrissey’s new album, 2004’s You Are The Quarry (which featured an incredible cover featuring a James Bond-ish looking Moz carrying a tommy gun) doesn’t stray too far from the sound or style of Morrissey’s 90’s records it is produced by Jerry Finn, who helped to shape the sound of many of the then-current emo and pop-punk sound, and gives Morrissey a slightly modern update that makes the album feel contemporary without losing the essence of Morrissey’s sound. You Are The Quarry was well reviewed by critics and hailed as a comeback. It even was a moderate commercial success in the US and scored two UK top ten singles with “Irish Blood, English Heart” and “First Of The Gang To Die”. The second of these songs, the poppy rocker “First Of The Gang To Die”, being seen as a tribute of sorts to Morrissey’s large number of Mexican-American and Latin fans. Morrissey followed up You Are The Quarry with another strong record in 2006’s Ringleader Of The Tormentors (which has both an awesome title and album cover). Ringleader Of The Tormentors scored Morrissey more UK chart success and continued his run of alt rock success in America. Ringleader Of The Tormentors also found Morrissey working with songwriting partners other than Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer as former Red Hot Chili Pepper guitarist Jesse Tobias joined his band and co-wrote five of the songs, including the album’s most successful single “You Have Killed Me”. 2009 saw the release of Years Of Refusal, another album that was well received by critics. It also was a turning point for Morrissey as Jesse Tobias replaced Alain Whyte as Morrissey’s lead guitarist and primary songwriting partner (although Whyte does still have five co-writing credits on Years Of Refusal). The years since the release of Years Of Refusal saw Morrissey write his autobiography and a novel. Morrissey also has spent much of this time battling with his various record labels, the media, and many of his fans over cancelled shows and unpopular political views. Still, in spite of these setbacks to his reputation and issues with labels Morrissey has released four more albums – World Peace Is None Of Your Business, Low In High School, California Son, and I Am Not A Dog On A Chain – three of which consisted of new original material and one being a covers album. Morrissey also has recorded a fifth record during these years, 2022’s Bonfire Of Teenagers, which in spite of being completed and having a lead single released (the Smiths sounding “Rebels Without Applause”), has been shelved by his former record label due to a dispute with Morrissey that saw him leave the label. A new album titled Without Music The World Dies has been announced but currently has not been released either.

Follow all the posts at the Alternative Reality site: www.alternativealbumsblog.wordpress.com