Saturday, October 25, 2008

Morrissey's "Years of Refusal"


Which refusal(s) could he possibly mean?

To reform The Smiths (not happening despite recent rumors printed in The Sun)? To reestablish a permanent residence in Ol' Blighty? To marry? To break his celibacy (which he eventually did)? To write mainstream pop songs? To give in to Joyce and O'Rourke's pecuniary demands? To reach across the isle (to pervert a phrase from the bipartisan rhetoric used in this presidential election) and collaborate with bands like Radiohead (not a shabby idea in my opinion)? To eat meat? To appear in films? Morrissey will perhaps elucidate for us what he is referring to on his forthcoming album, Years of Refusal (which will be released February 2, 2009), but being a notoriously slippery subject to pin down, only as much as the mystique that he and the media have developed around him permits. I must say, I am biased towards his earlier records Viva Hate, Vauxhall and I, Your Arsenal, and his work with The Smiths. When I measure the earlier albums against his recent output, 2006's Ringleader of the Tormentors and 2004's You Are the Quarry are invariably dwarfed by the comparison. Anyway, I am an unrepentant admirer of the man and the music so I look forward to the new album. The cover for it is above and links to downloads are below.

Morrissey - Sister, I'm A Poet (World of Morrissey, 1994)
Morrissey - The Loop (World of Morrissey, 1994)
Morrissey - Jack The Ripper (World of Morrissey, 1994)

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