30 years of Moz - what are the top 20 songs?

[Charlie Cheswick]

I had the opposite reaction to LIHS. Wasnt impressed at first but when I gave it a proper listen I really enjoyed it. I will have to wait a couple of years to see where it really sits in my personal Moz album chart, but right now it’s in the top five. It is without a doubt streets ahead of Kill Uncle or Maladjusted.

I reckon the current band and producer complement Moz really well. And have you noticed how good his singing voice sounds on the album, and how brilliantly recorded it is?

I can’t get along with ´I bury the living’ though. If anyone can defend the lyrics to that one, I’d be interested to hear.

I think the producer did a great job on it, I just find it to be a lyrical clunker and musically nothing new. I've got no urge to revisit it right now due to our man's persistent verbal shits.

The problem with I Bury The Living, like with all of his other recent political ventures is he hasn't thought it through. He makes a fair point but then ruined it with typecasting and so hit the corner flag rather than the goal.

 

[E Scott]

Not to mention, in America at least, large numbers of the poor and without prospect join because if they survive, they can take advantage of the GI bill and get free college, help buying a house, medical insurance, etc. It says a lot about the for-profit state of things here that anybody would willingly gamble their lives for a chance at what should be things striven for in regard to the entire populace. But the rich love the jobs the poor are willing to do for them, yet they hate the poor, and the poor chase the carrot in the hopes that they will one day be the rich people that they envy.

In the UK some join the forces to learn a trade. When I visit the US they always seem to say they respect their veterans but I'M m sure as in UK many end up homeless. I have mixed feelings but if I pass a charity collector for injured or soldier welfare I always give notes never coins.

 

[Anonymous]

I think the producer did a great job on it, I just find it to be a lyrical clunker and musically nothing new. I've got no urge to revisit it right now due to our man's persistent verbal shits.

The problem with I Bury The Living, like with all of his other recent political ventures is he hasn't thought it through. He makes a fair point but then ruined it with typecasting and so hit the corner flag rather than the goal.

I've just listened to the album for the first time in 3 months and the music sounds great. I really disagree that it is 'musically nothing new'. He's never really done anything (musically) like Israel, Girl from TA, or Face in your lap before. They're cracking pieces of music. Even 'I wish you lonely' is a new sound. But for me, in every song bar 3, there is a lyric that virtually ruins the song whether that is wrap your legs around me, everyone else is jealous of Israel, nonsense about mainstream media, honour mad cannon fodder etc. If the singing was removed from this album and Johnny Marr's, I honestly believe the Morrissey album would be the more enjoyable of the two to listen to.

 

[Johnny Barleycorn]

Suedehead
Every Day is Like Sunday
The Last Of The Famous International Playboys
Interesting Drug
Pregnant For The Last Time
My Love Life
Sunny
Boxers
The More You Ignore Me The Closer I Get
Why Don’t You Find Out For Yourself?
Speedway
Nobody Loves Us
Irish Blood, English Heart
Come Back To Camden
First Of The Gang To Die
You Have Killed Me
I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris

... and then I start to struggle...

 

[Anonymous]

He hasn't got what he wants career-wise. Nowhere near. He thinks he should be top of the bill, all the time, and can't understand why the public don't rush out and buy, buy, buy to line his pockets and give him the success he craves. Instead, he turned into a bitter old racist who can't sell out provincial gigs. Nice try, though.

Wow, how do you manage to read minds ? !

"provincial" ? Isn't Edinburgh the capital of a nation ? (nice insult to the Scots there).Fool

 

[g23]

In the UK some join the forces to learn a trade. When I visit the US they always seem to say they respect their veterans but I'M m sure as in UK many end up homeless. I have mixed feelings but if I pass a charity collector for injured or soldier welfare I always give notes never coins.

I learned a long time ago that what people say vs what people do are very different things. America might respect their veterans on paper, but the reality of many of their lives- disability, PTSD, untreated substance abuse, mental health issues, etc and very slow/inadequate care regarding these things paints a different picture.

 

[shoes]

Some of my favourites...

Suedehead
Life Is A Pigsty
Hairdresser On Fire
Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself
The Last Of The Famous International Playboys
The Father Who Must Be Killed
I'm Not Sorry
First Of The Gang To Die
Jack The Ripper
Break Up The Family
I'd Love To
Friday Mourning
Mute Witness
I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday
Staircase At The University
One Of Our Own
You Know I Couldn't Last
I Wish You Lonely
Sister I'm A Poet
The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get

 

[Harsh Truth]

Most internet forums/online communities are exactly the same. I’m a member of another one concerning traditional music and it has very similar characters to the ones I’ve seen here as I scroll through the message boards, and which any newbie will encounter pretty early on:
- The guy with an attitude problem, who responds snarkily and condescendingly to anything anyone posts
- The guy who’s been there since the start and whose opinion must not be questioned
- The obsessive character who reads every and any post, whatever the time of day and night (aka Mr « I need to get out more ») and often responds
- The pedant
- A couple of people who have been booted out for unpleasantness, but keep reappearing under pseudonyms and winding everyone up until someone susses out who they really are
- Loads of decent, positive people who share their enthusiasm and try and help each other out.

Pretty much sums up this place. Welcome to the madness!

 

[SweetnTenderYorkshireman]

20 songs is never enough!
But if say, yet ANOTHER compilation was to be released, I think these 20 would be make a decent listen. Mostly hits, at least one track from every album (though not the ‘Kill Uncle’ version of ‘SYL’) with a sprinkling of rare cuts / live versions

1: ‘The Last Of The Famous International Playboys’
2: ‘Suedehead’
3: ‘Late Night, Maudlin Street’
4: ‘Sing Your Life’ [KROQ version]
5: ‘Oh, Phoney’
6: ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’
7: ‘Your The One For Me, Fatty’
8: ‘We’ll Let You Know’
9: ‘Spring Heeled Jim’
10: ‘The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils’
11: ‘Jack The Ripper’
12: ‘Speedway’ [Live]
13: ‘Maladjusted’
14: ‘A Swallow On My Neck’
15: ‘Trouble Loves Me’
16: ‘Irish Blood, English Heart’
17: ‘Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed’
18: ‘Life Is A Pigsty’
19: ‘Spent The Day In Bed’
20: ‘Oboe Concerto’

 

[Nicko Manuva]

Right, I'm back on this one now that I've listened to 'World Peace'. Still trying to get a "30 years of Moz" greatest hits compilation that fits on a single CD, which is impossible because to add a song means removing another. So I've picked no songs from World Peace or Southpaw because the only ones I like on there are 7+ minutes long and they take up the space of two songs.
Other than that I'm trying to get at least one song from each studio album, so it shows Moz over time.
I need to lose two songs from the following... here's a dilemma for anyone who wants to play: Which two songs would you axe from this list?
SUEDEHEAD
EVERY DAY IS LIKE SUNDAY
LAST OF THE FAMOUS INTERNATIONAL PLAYBOYS
OUR FRANK
WE HATE IT WHEN OUR FRIENDS BECOME SUCCESSFUL
GLAMOROUS GLUE
I KNOW IT'S GONNA HAPPEN SOMEDAY
THE MORE YOU IGNORE ME, THE CLOSER I GET
NOW MY HEART IS FULL
TROUBLE LOVES ME
IRISH BLOOD, ENGLISH HEART
I HAVE FORGIVEN JESUS
COME BACK TO CAMDEN
THE WORLD IS FULL OF CRASHING BORES
FIRST OF THE GANG TO DIE
DEAR GOD PLEASE HELP ME
LIFE IS A PIGSTY
I'M THROWING MY ARMS AROUND PARIS
ALL YOU NEED IS ME
JACKY'S ONLY HAPPY WHEN SHE'S UP ON THE STAGE
HOME IS A QUESTION MARK

One thing's for certain: this compilation will be a hell of a lot better than "This is Morrissey"!

 

[mcrickson]

Right, I'm back on this one now that I've listened to 'World Peace'. Still trying to get a "30 years of Moz" greatest hits compilation that fits on a single CD, which is impossible because to add a song means removing another. So I've picked no songs from World Peace or Southpaw because the only ones I like on there are 7+ minutes long and they take up the space of two songs.
Other than that I'm trying to get at least one song from each studio album, so it shows Moz over time.
I need to lose two songs from the following... here's a dilemma for anyone who wants to play: Which two songs would you axe from this list?
SUEDEHEAD
EVERY DAY IS LIKE SUNDAY
LAST OF THE FAMOUS INTERNATIONAL PLAYBOYS
OUR FRANK
WE HATE IT WHEN OUR FRIENDS BECOME SUCCESSFUL
GLAMOROUS GLUE
I KNOW IT'S GONNA HAPPEN SOMEDAY
THE MORE YOU IGNORE ME, THE CLOSER I GET
NOW MY HEART IS FULL
TROUBLE LOVES ME
IRISH BLOOD, ENGLISH HEART
I HAVE FORGIVEN JESUS
COME BACK TO CAMDEN
THE WORLD IS FULL OF CRASHING BORES
FIRST OF THE GANG TO DIE
DEAR GOD PLEASE HELP ME
LIFE IS A PIGSTY
I'M THROWING MY ARMS AROUND PARIS
ALL YOU NEED IS ME
JACKY'S ONLY HAPPY WHEN SHE'S UP ON THE STAGE
HOME IS A QUESTION MARK

One thing's for certain: this compilation will be a hell of a lot better than "This is Morrissey"!

Personally I'd probably lose "Paris" and "Glamorous Glue."

 

[Nicko Manuva]

Personally I'd probably lose "Paris" and "Glamorous Glue."

Glamorous Glue is definitely hanging in the balance.
I’m not losing ´Paris’ though! Maybe not his most poetic lyrics, but it’s a great tune, and I like the image it conjures of Moz flouncing around Paris and hugging the Eiffel tower.

 

[mcrickson]

Glamorous Glue is definitely hanging in the balance.
I’m not losing ´Paris’ though! Maybe not his most poetic lyrics, but it’s a great tune, and I like the image it conjures of Moz flouncing around Paris and hugging the Eiffel tower.

"Paris" never really grabbed me like it seemed to have grabbed most people. I have to say I skip it a lot of the time when I listen to "Refusal."

 

[Deleted member 1074]

There are only 18 good songs by Morrissey:

I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
The Youngest Was The Most Loved
On The Streets I Ran
In The Future When All’s Well
You Have Killed Me
I Knew I Was Next
All You Need Is Me
Children In Pieces
Sorry Doesn’t Help
I’m OK By Myself
Forgive Someone
The Bullfighter Dies
I’m Not A Man
Kiss Me A Lot
Smiler With Knife
Kick The Bride Down The Aisle
I Bury The Living
When You Open Your Legs

 

[Old Mathew]

All the tracks from KROQ are great, but the one that really deserved to be on multiple compilations was the KROQ version of "My Love Life." The disappointment of hearing the album version of "All the Young People Must Fall in Love" after first hearing the live version on the Berlin broadcast pales in comparison to the feeling I had when I first heard that studio single.
The irony of ruining a song called "My Love Life" with such impotent and flaccid production wasn't lost on me, though No wonder it went nowhere.

20 songs is never enough!
But if say, yet ANOTHER compilation was to be released, I think these 20 would be make a decent listen. Mostly hits, at least one track from every album (though not the ‘Kill Uncle’ version of ‘SYL’) with a sprinkling of rare cuts / live versions

1: ‘The Last Of The Famous International Playboys’
2: ‘Suedehead’
3: ‘Late Night, Maudlin Street’
4: ‘Sing Your Life’ [KROQ version]
5: ‘Oh, Phoney’
6: ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’
7: ‘Your The One For Me, Fatty’
8: ‘We’ll Let You Know’
9: ‘Spring Heeled Jim’
10: ‘The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils’
11: ‘Jack The Ripper’
12: ‘Speedway’ [Live]
13: ‘Maladjusted’
14: ‘A Swallow On My Neck’
15: ‘Trouble Loves Me’
16: ‘Irish Blood, English Heart’
17: ‘Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed’
18: ‘Life Is A Pigsty’
19: ‘Spent The Day In Bed’
20: ‘Oboe Concerto’

 

[scatterkeir]

All the tracks from KROQ are great, but the one that really deserved to be on multiple compilations was the KROQ version of "My Love Life." The disappointment of hearing the album version of "All the Young People Must Fall in Love" after first hearing the live version on the Berlin broadcast pales in comparison to the feeling I had when I first heard that studio single.
The irony of ruining a song called "My Love Life" with such impotent and flaccid production wasn't lost on me, though No wonder it went nowhere.

To add insult to injury, because the US single was released a substantial time before the UK version many of us succumbed to the temptation of a pricey import rather than wait.

 

[Anonymous]

Right, I'm back on this one now that I've listened to 'World Peace'. Still trying to get a "30 years of Moz" greatest hits compilation that fits on a single CD, which is impossible because to add a song means removing another. So I've picked no songs from World Peace or Southpaw because the only ones I like on there are 7+ minutes long and they take up the space of two songs.
Other than that I'm trying to get at least one song from each studio album, so it shows Moz over time.
I need to lose two songs from the following... here's a dilemma for anyone who wants to play: Which two songs would you axe from this list?
SUEDEHEAD
EVERY DAY IS LIKE SUNDAY
LAST OF THE FAMOUS INTERNATIONAL PLAYBOYS
OUR FRANK
WE HATE IT WHEN OUR FRIENDS BECOME SUCCESSFUL
GLAMOROUS GLUE
I KNOW IT'S GONNA HAPPEN SOMEDAY
THE MORE YOU IGNORE ME, THE CLOSER I GET
NOW MY HEART IS FULL
TROUBLE LOVES ME
IRISH BLOOD, ENGLISH HEART
I HAVE FORGIVEN JESUS
COME BACK TO CAMDEN
THE WORLD IS FULL OF CRASHING BORES
FIRST OF THE GANG TO DIE
DEAR GOD PLEASE HELP ME
LIFE IS A PIGSTY
I'M THROWING MY ARMS AROUND PARIS
ALL YOU NEED IS ME
JACKY'S ONLY HAPPY WHEN SHE'S UP ON THE STAGE
HOME IS A QUESTION MARK

One thing's for certain: this compilation will be a hell of a lot better than "This is Morrissey"!

Dear God Please Help Me
All You Need Is Me

 

[Nicko Manuva]

There are only 18 good songs by Morrissey:

I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
The Youngest Was The Most Loved
On The Streets I Ran
In The Future When All’s Well
You Have Killed Me
I Knew I Was Next
All You Need Is Me
Children In Pieces
Sorry Doesn’t Help
I’m OK By Myself
Forgive Someone
The Bullfighter Dies
I’m Not A Man
Kiss Me A Lot
Smiler With Knife
Kick The Bride Down The Aisle
I Bury The Living
When You Open Your Legs

There are only 18 good songs by Morrissey:

I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
The Youngest Was The Most Loved
On The Streets I Ran
In The Future When All’s Well
You Have Killed Me
I Knew I Was Next
All You Need Is Me
Children In Pieces
Sorry Doesn’t Help
I’m OK By Myself
Forgive Someone
The Bullfighter Dies
I’m Not A Man
Kiss Me A Lot
Smiler With Knife
Kick The Bride Down The Aisle
I Bury The Living
When You Open Your Legs

Well fitting your favourites on one CD is no trouble then!

Kiss me a lot... was that one co-written by Steve Coogan? Because all I can hear when I play it is Alan Partridge saying “Kiss My Face!”

I like “The bullfighter dies » though. Maximum Mozness on that one!

 

[Cornflakes]

I'd struggle to explain to a psychiatrist why I am doing this. However:

Alsatian Cousin
Everyday is Like Sunday
Disappointed
Sister I'm a Poet
Last of the Famous International Playboys
Sing Your Life
Pregnant for the Last Time
You're the One for Me, Fatty
Pashernate Love
Jack the Ripper (Beethoven version)
The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get
Spring-Heeled Jim
I Have Forgiven Jesus
Dear God, Please Help Me
The Youngest Was the Most Loved
In the Future When All's Well
Life is a Pigsty
Ganglord
All You Need is Me
That's How People Grow Up

 

[firstodie]

Glamorous Glue is definitely hanging in the balance.
I’m not losing ´Paris’ though! Maybe not his most poetic lyrics, but it’s a great tune, and I like the image it conjures of Moz flouncing around Paris and hugging the Eiffel tower.

I think Throwing My Arms Around Paris is a little gem. He sings about 'stone and steel', because he can't have skin and bone.