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| !align="center" bgcolor="orange" colspan="3"|''You Are the Quarry'' | !align="center" bgcolor="orange" colspan="3"|''You Are the Quarry'' | ||
Revision as of 04:36, 9 June 2004
| You Are the Quarry | ||
|---|---|---|
| LP by Morrissey | ||
| Released | 17 May, 2004 | |
| Recorded | 2003 | |
| Genre | Rock and Roll | |
| Length | 47 min 20 sec | |
| Record label | Sanctuary | |
| Producer | Jerry Finn | |
| Professional reviews | ||
| Allmusic.com | 4 stars out of 5 | link |
| Rolling Stone | 3.5 stars out of 5 | May 2004 |
| Morrissey Chronology | ||
| Maladjusted (1997) |
You Are the Quarry (2004) |
|
You Are The Quarry is an album by Morrissey, the former lead singer of the Smiths. The album was released on May 17, 2004 internationally, and a day later in the United States.
The release is a significant event in Morrissey's career for several reasons. Throughout the late 90s, Morrissey was treated with contempt by the British music press and subsequently became a pariah with respect to the Britpop movement, turing to prog rock in lieu of his usual indie pop. With You Are the Quarry, Morrissey returns to the musical mainstream. Because it was his first studio album in seven years, the critics and the public were more willing to give him a chance and offer a tabula rasa. As such, the blistering first single "Irish Blood, English Heart" became his highest charting single in the UK and received significant airplay in the US.
The album is in many ways unique in comparison to Morrissey's previous work. Musically, Jerry Finn's production gives the album a very mainstream, commercial feel, but it also makes the songs very appealing and polished. This is especially evident in the percussion, which is prominent and melodic. Guitarists Boz Boorer and Alian Whyte craft songs that fit somewhere between modern alternative music and AOR.
Lyrically, Morrissey touches on many themes, varying from politics to relationships to Morrissey's place in society. His seriousness and lyrical maturity vary from song to song. Yet, he displays some of his most reflective lyrics since 1994's Vauxhall and I on songs like "I Have Forgiven Jesus", "Come Back to Camden", and "You Know I Couldn't Last".
The eclectic combination of diverse lyrics and mainstream rock music make You Are the Quarry perhaps the only Morrissey album similar to his debut, Viva Hate. The songs that work best are those with powerful music that builds in a crescendo ("Irish Blood, English Heart", "I Have Forgiven Jesus") and those with an introspective, narrative theme ("Come Back to Camden", "First of the Gang to Die").
Track listing
- "America Is Not The World" (4:03)
- "Irish Blood, English Heart" (2:37)
- "I Have Forgiven Jesus" (3:41)
- "Come Back To Camden" (4:14)
- "I'm Not Sorry" (4:41)
- "The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores" (3:51)
- "How Could Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?" (3:25)
- "The First Of The Gang To Die" (3:38)
- "Let Me Kiss You" (3:30)
- "All The Lazy Dykes" (3:31)
- "I Like You" (4:11)
- "You Know I Couldn't Last" (5:51)
Singles
- "Irish Blood, English Heart" (released May 10, 2004 internationally; released May 4, 2004 in the United States)
- United States: The single's world premier occurred on the KROQ Kevin and Bean show on 22 March, 2004. The song received consistent airplay throughout April and May on such alternative rock stations as WFNX (Boston), WWCD (Columbus), CIMX (Detroit), KMRB (Monterey / Salinas), XTRA (San Diego), and of course KROQ (Los Angeles).
- United Kingdom: The song was first played by Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 1 on March 29, 2004. However, Radio 1 did not playlist the single. Only XFM, which playlisted it, provided much exposure for the single in the UK. Despite the lack of exposure on mainstream stations, "Irish Blood, English Heart" debuted at #3 on the UK charts, making it Morrissey's highest charting single with or without the Smiths.
- "The First Of The Gang To Die" (fan speculation points to this track, which was first performed live in 2002, being the follow up to "Irish Blood...")