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Revision as of 14:39, 4 September 2004 by 64.12.116.65 (talk) (categories)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| You Are the Quarry | ||
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| 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) |
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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 first single "Irish Blood, English Heart" became his highest charting single in the UK at #3 and received significant airplay in the US, going to #36 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The album charted at #2 in the UK and became Morrissey's highest charting album in the US, reaching #11.
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 indie rock 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"
- B-sides: "It's Hard to Walk Tall When You're Small", "Munich Air Disaster 1958", "The Never-Played Symphonies"
- 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). The single's airplay increased over the next few months and upon its release spent two weeks at #4 on Billboard's Singles Sales chart. It also reached #36 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.
- 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"
- B-sides: "My Life Is an Endless Succession of People Saying Goodbye", "Teenage Dad on his Estate", "Mexico"
- Released July 12, 2004 internationally
- Released July 13, 2004 in the United States
- United Kingdom: The single was A-Listed by BBC Radio 2 and received much more exposure than "Irish Blood...", propelling it onto the top forty airplay chart. It entered the official singles chart at #6, making it the third-highest charting song and most successful follow-up single of Morrissey's career. The single stayed in the top 40 for five weeks, which is as long as any Morrissey single has spent in the top 75.
- United States: The single failed to quickly achieve widespread airplay success like "Irish Blood, English Heart". However, it debuted at #12 on the Billboard Singles Sales chart on July 31, causing "Irish Blood, English Heart" to re-enter the chart. By early August, it was slowly being added to the playlists several stations that supported the last single, including WNNX (Atlanta), KROQ, WHTG (Monmouth / Ocean), and XTRA.
- "Let Me Kiss You"
- There is speculation that this will be the third single, to be released on September 20, 2004. Nancy Sinatra is releasing a cover version of the song on September 14 in the US.