The Motors: Tenement Steps (1980)

Tenement Steps was the third and last record from The Motors. This was the first Motors record I owned. Bram Tchaikovsky had already left the band for a solo career, after only one record with the band. I always really loved the sound of this band.

The Motors: Approved by the Motors (1978)

Yes, the motors! I've always liked the sound of this band.

"In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, Jim Farber praised Approved by the Motors as "a near-perfect LP of pure, pulverizing pop in the best Sweet, Slade, and Pilot tradition, cutting through the cuteness of that genre with Nick Garvey's and Andy McMaster's dynamic dual vocals… the band sings sweetly about S&M activities, disarming the entire subject in the same endearing manner as Cheap Trick joyously trivializes suicide." [source]

All of you Motors fans will know that Bram Tchaikovsky had joined the band by this point.

Morrissey: Low In High School (Édition Extrême De Luxe!) (2018)

If I had known that a deluxe edition was on the way, I probably would not have purchased the regular edition. Oddly, I bought this on December 4th 2018, and yet Discogs notes that the release date is December 7th, 2018. Did I get it three days early?

This edition has two 180 gram records. The first is Low in High School presented on clear vinyl. The second record, on purple vinyl, contains five live b-sides, three unreleased tracks, and a cover of Back on the Chain Gang, originally written and recorded by The Pretenders. I'm a huge fan of that track. It's one of my favourite tunes from The Pretenders. It's a truly magnificent pop song. Morrissey's version is OK, but it just doesn't compare to the original. In the video, Morrissey is shown playing the guitar, but that is all pretend. Maybe that's a veiled reference to The Pretenders?

This limited edition set also comes with a print or Morrissey.

Morrissey: Bona Drag (1990/2021)

From Wikipedia:

Bona Drag is a compilation album by Morrissey released on 15 October 1990. The album features an array of Morrissey's most popular songs from his early solo career, most of which had not been released on any previous album. The album name meaning nice outfits is an example of the subculture slang Polari explored further on the album's first track "Piccadilly Palare". The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on 6 December 2000. In 2010, the album was remastered and expanded to include six bonus tracks.

When I first got this CD back in 1990, I played it to death. The 2021 release is the dame as the 2010 20th anniversary release, with six bonus tracks. I picked up a discounted copy on tea coloured vinyl with the poster. Here is something else, from Wikipedia:

The following changes have been made to the original album:
"Ouija Board, Ouija Board" has a verse removed ("The glass is moving, no, I was not pushing that time")
"Piccadilly Palare" has an extra verse, as has circulated on bootlegs ("A cold-water room")
"Interesting Drug" fades into "November Spawned a Monster"
"Suedehead" edited to remove guitar fade on the intro.

I have to say that some of these changes, particularly on Piccadilly Palare are a bit jarring. 

Morrissey: California Son (2019)

I had no intention of purchasing this record after reading a few reviews. But, one day, I found a sealed copy in a used record bin in a local store for under $15, so I thought I would give it a try. It's not as dire as some would have you believe. It's not top shelf Morrissey, but I do not hate it. I mean, one can only do so much with cover versions, but, to be honest, I only knew three of four of these tracks.

Morrissey: I am Not a Dog on Chain (2020)

I sometimes wonder if the world has lost its patience for Morrissey. The negative reviews are quite common now and almost expected. It seems a bold statement to praise a Morrissey record these days. I cannot adequately explain what The Smiths meant to me (and still mean to me). So many bands were important to me, but The Smiths ... I can't find the words. I found them at the precisely correct time. It's cliched to say that they were the soundtrack, but really, they were. It was a magical time, and I honestly I wish I could thank Morrissey and Marr for everything. I suppose I do by purchasing the records. But, really, the band changed something in me or opened me up to something or made me listen in a different way. That's not quite it, but I think you understand. Just listen; don't judge.

Morrissey: This is Morrissey (2018)

I bought the record with only a cursory glance at the track listing. I knew it was a compilation, but what an odd compilation it is. Have a look at this really awesome statement from Nitrous.McBread on Discogs:

Utterly bizarre choice of scraps from beneath the table of the increasingly laughable has-been. Parlophone seem to be doling out a bunch of industry sweeteners, allotting royalties-as-favours to various chums, cohorts and back-orifice management types. This is record company machination par excellence and has virtually nil to do with any pretence of offering a coherent set of songs in any kind of thought-out sequence. This album serves two purposes: firstly, persuading marginalised Morrissey fans (looked upon now as the deluded Scientologists of the music firmament) to part with yet more cash to further feather the nest of their curdled fuhrer; and secondly, to make the lyrics of The Smiths' "Paint A Vulgar Picture" even more staggeringly prescient. [source]

Now, I wouldn't go as far as to say that, but I will say that I fail to understand the song choices. It starts off well enough, but then we get Have-a-Go Merchant. What? And, the Mael Mix of Suedehead, which is truly awful. The record starts strong and ends strong, but to argue that "this is Morrissey" is a truly mystifying statement.

Morrissey: Low in High School (2017)

I did not run out to buy this record when it was released. I wasn't even sure I wanted to buy it, but I saw it online for about $8 (plus $5 shipping) so I decided to get it. I ended up with the limited edition, pressed on green vinyl, from the UK.

I find some of Morrissey's political views to be problematic, especially his support of Brexit. I've never been able to figure out if he believes this, or if he is trolling. I'd like to believe the latter, but who can say? I do like some, but not all, of these tunes.

Morrissey: World Peace is None of Your Business (2014)

I have a number of Morrissey albums on CD that I will likely never own on LP. That is either because they are either way too expensive or because I am not interested, probably because I already have the CD and find that I don't listen to them very much. But, I did pick this up after it was released. Somehow, I ended up with the first UK pressing, rather than the US pressing, which one would have thought would have been more accessible in North America. Someone is trying to sell one of these for $164 on Discogs, which is far far more than I paid. Even the cheapest is about $55, which is more than double what I paid.

I think we are in an age where it is uncool to listen to Morrissey. All I seem to see is backlash. This is one of the things I hate about social media. Any public post about pretty much any well-known band or artist is filled with hate. The world hates The Smiths, Morrissey, Radiohead, U2, and even the Beatles. It boggles the mind, but I will say that I hate Coldplay and Nickelback :) I lack the energy to post a negative comment on a post about a band I hate. Why would anyone take the time to slag Radiohead? Do they have nothing better to do?

As uncool as it might sound, I don't mind this record. There is one thing I do not like, however, and that is the jacket. It is a tad taller than most, and it will not fit on my shelf.

Morrissey: Satellite of Love (Live) (2013)

Argh! Why did he change the lyrics? Lou Reed sang: "I like to watch things on TV." Morrissey sings: "I cannot stand the TV." This ruins the song. Maybe Morrissey missed the fact that the singer is watching the satellite launch on TV! There are other more minor lyrical changes, but none of them as irksome as this.

Hearing a live run through of Vicar in a Tutu reminds me of how much I miss the Smiths and how much better the Smiths were compared to Morrissey solo.

The other tracks on this 12" are You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side, originally from Your Arsenal, and All You Need is Me (Live), from Years of Refusal. It also appears on a greatest hits package.

Morrissey: Years of Refusal (2009)

Discogs notes that: "The USA LP was sold with a bonus 7" single of "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris" (European edition) in select stores. However, many copies were also given away with purchases of the cd, or with no purchase at all." Sadly, my copy did not have the bonus 7". Although I am not really into 7", it would have been nice to have it.

My short review would be something like, Morrissey's ninth record is pretty good. I'd say that it is one of his stronger later records. It's not The Smiths, but it's enjoyable.

Morrissey: First of the Gang To Die (2006)

First Of The Gang To Die was the second single from Your Are the Quarry, an album I have on CD. It's a pretty good song, I'd say. The b-sides are: My Life Is A Succession Of People Saying Goodbye, Teenage Dad On His Estate, and Mexico.