Search - Morrissey :: Viva Hate

Viva Morrissey.

The Groove | Boston, MA | 10/02/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Viva Hate" isn't my favorite Morrissey solo album. There, I said it. I'm going against the grain of public opinion amongst Morrissey fans, but not without reason. Don't get me wrong, the album is an impressive solo debut (even more so considering that it was released within 6 months following "Strangeways, Here We Come," the final album of his former band the Smiths). But I just don't think it deserves to be on such a high pedestal. Producer Stephen Street replaces former Smith Johnny Marr as his music collaborator on "Viva Hate," and while Street doesn't match Marr's skills, he compliments Morrissey nicely on this disc. There's the lush orchestral arrangements on "Hairdresser on Fire," the gloomy "Everyday is Like Sunday," and the soaring "Angel, Angel Down We Go Together." Mozzer hasn't lost much of touch as a lyricist, either. He tells a tale of unrequited love in the excellent "Suedehead," addresses racism in the semi-controversial "Bengali in Platforms," and delivers a scathing commentary on Thatcherism in the chilling "Margaret on the Guillotine." As much as I like "Viva Hate," my personal favorite Morrissey albums are the tough-as-nails, glam-flavored "Your Arsenal" and "Vauxhall & I." Still this is a respectable and solid debut."

Were you and he lovers?/And would you say so if you were...?

Miguel Cane | Mexico City, Mexico | 04/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thus opens this, one of the finest examples of late 80s britpop ever to come out. Rash, straight-forward, poetic and cunning. Utterly devastating.Morrissey took a big step by releasing this record, just a few months after the demise of The Smiths... obviously, the style is pretty much there and it evolved through the years with a lot of hits and a lot o misses, too.The two pièces-de-resistance of this album are the very well known "Suedehead" and "Everyday is like Sunday", both perfectly ochestrated and composed brilliantly to an effect of pain in the right place... also there is the share of political controversy and even a couple of lame songs ("Margaret..." and "Dial a Cliché")... but the real centerpieces taht show the juxtaposition of Moz's vision, of the most tender and the most convulsedly gothic is present in "Alsatian Cousin" (a brutal and at the same time tender gay love story) and "Break up the family" , quite possibly the only hopeful song he has ever written.In fact... a good, solid record you will spin, and spin and spin..."

First Solo Effort Far Exceeds Expectations

M. JEFFREY MCMAHON | Torrance, CA USA | 12/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can't understand those critics/reviewers who nitpick at the album's alleged shortcomings i.e. its supposed shallow lyrics and lack of melodies. Sixteen years of listening, I find the album holds up quite well. First Stephen Street, the producer, gives the album a bright, clean sound that was never matched on subsequent Morrissey efforts. Second, there are plenty of strong singles here, including Suedhead, Everday Is Like Sunday, and Bengali in Platforms. While some of the songs are too long like Margaret on the Guillotine, overall the songs are Morrissey at his pop music best, the songs full of melancholy, angst, irony, all packaged in a wall of guitar sound to soothe those of us who would surely miss the jangling aching guitar sound of Johnny Marr.



If you like the melancholy wall of guitar sound, you might also check out another album that came out two years later, "Cake," by the Trash Can Sinatras."