Morrissey - Viva Hate POLL

Suedehead, LNMS, Everyday . . .

Most overlooked though, I would say "I Don't Mind if You Forget Me"

Yes.

"every day is like sunday". i'd like "bengali ..." to get some kind of demerit for being one of the most appalling heaps of shit ever recorded, though.

Alright I certainly concede on the point of Asian Rut being more legit in terms of its message but I still feel that with Bengali he's speaking from a fictional viewpoint. It's not Morrissey just going on about a Bengali not being welcome, but Morrissey putting forth that point of view with detachment. Of course it's up to the listener to find it offensive or not and either view is legitimate but I still don't peg him as a racist. Yeah his recent comments weren't thought out very well but his sentiments aren't grounded in a view of "some races are better than others." Racism isn't a discrete value where you either are or aren't a racist, and I think Morrissey is still on the right side of that continuum.

fair enough, but i think he's a cunt.

(my bengali, smiths-loving mate and i discussed this one at length many years ago and i've heard nothing since that changes my opinions ;)

(a cunt, i should add, who's made a lot of music that i absolutely adore.)

Fuck, I voted without re-listening (a common error for me on polls). If I could do it over, I'd go for "Ordinary Boys." Maybe I'm being swayed by its apparent critical renaissance here...

Also, Grimly's comment reminds me of a feeling I had lately: when I was a teen, loved him pretty uncritically, thought his eloquence was great, etc. Last week I was on youtube watching some old interviews with him, and I realized that he's a pretty unattractive character; not only in terms of his views on some subjects, but he actually has a smarmy, glib and slightly nasty quality in speech that I didn't notice as a kid. Maybe a cunt looks different when you're older?

trying to attribute narrative distance to a writer who almost always sings from the perspective of the exact same narrator, whose name is usually "Morrissey," is a little dicey - I mean if he hadn't hung his hat on "I shall speak my mind in my songs," fair enough, but as it is, there isn't really ample cause to say "and here our Mozz is assuming a narrative voice with which he does not agree" unless the cause is "well I like Morrissey and do not like to think of him as a racist ass"

and yes we've done all this before, but what the hell right

by 'narrative distance' i specifically meant

I'm just passing through here
On my way to somewhere civilised
And maybe I'll even arrive
Maybe I'll even arrive

at the end of asian rut - ie, the narrator is morrissey, & this is exactly the point

Hmm, see I'd always heard that as the, er, "Asian" immigrant on his/her way through somewhere not as nasty (where it's not 3 against 1 etc).

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

If "Disappointed" was on the album, I would have voted for that.

Just back from seeing the Smyths... how we laughed...

Is Morrissey really not taking any position himself in "Bengali"? I really don't know how it would be possible to see e.g. the first verse as anything other than condescension. It seems fairly evident to me that the reason the Bengali is even wearing platforms in the song is for him to be mocked for his outdated fashion sense.

Anyway, much discussion here: Was/Is Morrissey Racist?

nabisco did well.

I think I voted "Alsatian Cousin" anyway. I like how the guitars sound and the "note upon his desk" verse. I also like the "When they've bought you and they've sold and they've billed you for the pleasure and they made your parents cry" part from "Angel".

Yeah I played this whole album again today and strangely I decided I felt the same as Sundar about Bengali. The whole thing seemed far too incriminating. Morrissey is such a strange character. Like Grimly, I too believe he is a cunt. Moz has just done too many cunt-y things in his day not to be. Tony Wilson said similar, as well.

But oh those lyrics (when he's good he's REALLY good isn't he?), and oh that voice, etc etc...it's such a strange paradox.

Not that I'll cop to liking ALL his solo stuff, far from it.

So! Best one off this album? I dunno, I'm just voting for Maudlin because...well...I just am. It stands out, it's quite different from everything else and you get the FULL-on Vini Reilly guitar and once you've memorized ALL the words you realize how wonderful it is and it goes around in your head and blah blah blah...

But I guess what I was trying to get across is that I think really any choice off this album is just fine.

But WHY WHY WHY did he have to be driving a fucking tractor in the video for Suedehead? Was that really necessary?!?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR5LS_LAnWw

alsatian cousin

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I'm very pleased.

Little Man, What Now? is better than at least half the songs that got a vote.

Yeah, I agree that one should have got at least one vote.

third that - i almost voted for it but had to go with the fave. surprised by the winner too actually.

on disappointed (live) when the fan grabs the microphone and screams MORRISSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY in the gayest voice possible....

words cannot describe the joy it brings to me.

Never saw this poll but would have voted for "Little Man, What Now?"

appropriately, the top 6 along with "Bengali in Platforms" are the only ones I can really remember the tune of

Never saw this poll but would have voted for "Late Night, Maudlin Street". So many great lines.

When I sleep
With that picture of you framed beside my bed
Oh, its childish and its silly
But I think its you in my room, by the bed.
Yes, I told you it was silly.

maudlin street it would have been for me. totally agree with the "moz singing on a durutti track" bliss.

Which live version is that Cutty? I've never heard that. One of my top 5 songs of his, though...

it's on my version of viva hate

and way better than the studio version

In 1997, EMI, in celebration of their 100th anniversary, released a special edition of this album in the UK. It features different cover work, and a different booklet (it has a photograph of a billboard for Beethoven Was Deaf and drops the lyrics), and features 8 bonus tracks - only one of which was contemporaneous with the album. "Hairdresser on Fire" does not appear on this version despite originally added to the North American version of the album as a bonus track. The bonus songs are:

"Let the Right One Slip In"
"Pashernate Love"
"At Amber"
"Disappointed (Live)"
"Girl Least Likely To"
"I'd Love To"
"Michael's Bones"
"I've Changed My Plea to Guilty"
In addition to receiving bonus tracks, the album was also remastered.

Oh okay, my CD copy is obviously ancient. They were dicks for not putting Hairdresser On Fire on there, though.

here you go bimble:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/4jymhn3yqiw/16 Disappointed (Live).mp3

argh

http://www.mediafire.com/?4jymhn3yqiw

Thanks Cutty. Sure sounds like he's saying "Morris Day!" though LOL

I was getting ready to have to defend I don't mind if you forget me but it turns out I did that 11 months ago! Hahaa.

on disappointed (live) when the fan grabs the microphone and screams MORRISSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY in the gayest voice possible....

Oh is THAT what that is? I always assumed it was the house MC announcing him off the stage.

morrissey: this is the last song i'll ever sing
crowd: NOOOOOOO!!!!
morrissey: ehhhh yes yes yes yes yes yes yesssss good night and thank you!

(microphone hits the ground)

insane fan in the front row: MORRRRISSAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

I see.

Followed shortly by

sound board dude: Microphone off

Some interesting thought about "Bengali...." up there. I feel maybe that one and "Asian Rut" were Morrissey trying to do what The Cure had already done with "Killing An Arab", only he failed to a much bigger extent than The Cure did, because people didn't get the irony.

Errr, "Killing an Arab" has absolutely nothing to do with "Bengali..."

Anyway, I've listened quite a few times again to 'Viva Hate' this week and I'm starting to think that I like it more than any of the Smiths album really (except 'Hatful' but that ain't an album so...)

WTF is Morrissey's deal with fucking with the past? He's got some weird George Lucas tinkering fetish. I just became aware of the 2012 reissue of this album - which, in addition to terrible typeface on the front cover, contains a butchered "Late Night Maudlin Street" and an out-of-place-sounding demo of "Treat Me Like a Human Being" replacing "The Ordinary Boys." There are no bonus tracks.

Stephen Street was involved with the remastering but had no say in the track selection/editing process:

http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/interview/stephen-street-talks-viva-hate-and-trying-to-keep-morrissey-happy/

I didn't like the changes to the Bona Drag reissue either. I don't get it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb6K0rJGu5w
a brazillian brega version of suedehead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ2GSYYMAE0

Rhoda Dakar's reggae version of EDILS

Nice!