I used to think reggae was vile too but today on the way to work I was blasting Jimmy Cliff in my car.

Can't wait for the album.

thank you for the translation, it was a very good read!

I liked the discussion about rap too, quite funny.

I think I'm going to be more and more impatient about the autobiography. Please Moz have it published soon! I'm going to buy it on day one.

Is not total crap as Moz says. All that J-Z, P Diddy crap is but there are good rap groups out there such as Outkast, The Roots, De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest and The Streets to name a few. All of these bands can spit out lyrics similar and sometimes better than Moz. Moz you are why I am here but I refuse to kiss your ass when your wrong.

I mean listen to the Beastie Boys new jingle>>>makes me wasnt to puke.

The only thing that annoys me with this article is that if the reporter had been arsed to quote just ONE MORE line from "Irish Blood..." then his whole discussion about Morrissey and racism would have fallen flat on it's belly.

Journalists who...

Hi, I'm John Harris. Sorry to have to post an unrelated comment on this thread, but I would just like to say how utterly entertained I was by the response my review garnered on this site. Delightful! Your sycophantic, unobjective defence of Morrissey's new album brought tears to my eyes, in the best possible sense.

I would just like to set the record straight on a number of things. Firstly, I gave the album a poor review because, in my view, this is a poor album, packed with solipsistic lyrics with which nobody can actually engage. With regard to the music, which as some of you pointed out I failed to mention, it is reasonable but deeply pedestrian. Please forgive me, since I believe Vauxhall and I to be a masterpiece, a soaring triumph. But I'm afraid my friends that the 'Pope of Mope' has on this occasion delivered a dud. Moreover, he failed to return Q's calls, and, as they say, one good turn deserves another.

P.S. To the individual who attacked me for praising 1970s 'McCartney' album - it is a lo-fi masterpiece, full of intimate musical doodles and a relaxed, engaging vibe. If only Morrissey would learn something from this.

Yours,
John Harris.

Hi, I have a few journalist friends who work both here and in the USA. I can't reveal my identity because I'm not supposed to give you this information, but I have a few tips on what you can expect from future reviews of YATQ.

NME - they intend to give it 8 out of 10 and praise it as largely being a return to form.

WORD - will print a hostile review, critical of the lyrics, fairly similar to that in Q.

ROLLING STONE (USA) - intend to give it 2 out of 5 stars. They are going to argue that the record does not match up to Vauxhall and I.

I don´t give a damn to magazines or critics. My CD player and I will judge YATQ. The World Wont Listen...

"And when you try
To break my spirit
It won't work
Because there's nothing left to break
Anymore"

*Morrissey, São Paulo/Brazil is with you.

Morrissey's elliptical response didn't clear up the matter one bit (he does this sometimes, often annoying the hell out of me...but that's another matter) - so, my question is how did Elton become involved in the whole thing??? I figured Morrissey would have the say so as in who'll be performing. Who contacted Elton? Was it some Morrissey lackey? Or the guy himself? Gimme answers!! NOW!!

Quite a good interview with Moz, particularly in regard to his elaborations about working with Jerry Finn. I think Moz makes it clear that he does want Elton John at Meltdown, but strictly for the purposes of singing a few Jobriath songs. Wonder if Elton will bother if he has heard Moz's flattering comments! The interviewer thinks that parts of this album are "boring" though - I'm beginning to think we are going to get very mixed reviews, not just one or two negative ones. More praise for Camden and First of the Gang? Why do the critics seem to love these two so much? (though i myself think that First of the Gang is splendid!)

I know this isn't strictly on topic, but since John Harris has been mentioned on this thread, I just wan't to say that I've just had the first chance in a while to visit Moz's official website - now there are clips of far more tracks, as you probably all know. Having listened to them, I simply cannot understand why John Harris gave the album only two stars - it has to be a four star album! 'First of the Gang' sounds tremendous, as does 'How Can Anybody?', 'I Have Forgiven Jesus' and even 'I'm Not Sorry'. As for the lyics, there are many very clever, touching lyrics on there - Harris happened to quote the most clunky one, but there are many super lyrics in there! Totally unfair, and quite frankly, I just can't understand it. Am I missing something? Do i have poor musical taste? 'First of the Gang' may well be the best song I have heard this year. I can sort of see where JH is coming from in regard to 'America' and IBEH, since the lyrics to these are a bit clunky, but, other than 'Couldn't Last', the lyrics to this album didn't seem to be any more overtly self-indulgent than usual - there is always a degree of it on a Moz album, but the beauty of the lyrics to 'First of the Gang', 'Come Back To Camden' and 'I Have Forgiven Jesus' (bar the rather banal line "I was a nice kid, I had a nice paper round") speak for themselves, surely.

Having heard the clips, I shall ignore all subsequent reviews and buy the album anyway, since it seems the likes of John Harris, who, no doubt, is a fine critic, just can't seem to hear what Moz is trying to do.

Oh, by the way, I know someone who works at the BBC who said that John Harris is going to be one of the people who review Quarry on Newsnight Review (he has been on before reviewing records, including George Michael's 'Patience', which he hated), along with Germaine Greer and Tom Paulin. I suspect Moz can expect a slaughtering that night.