Vauxhall And I - Morrissey

Morrissey - Vauxhall & I (1994) Producer: Steve Lillywhite Now My Heart Is Full Spring-Heeled Jim Billy Budd Hold on to Your Friend The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself I Am Hated for Loving Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning Used to Be a Sweet Boy The Lazy Sunbathers Speedway Released in 1994, Vauxhall & I is Morrissey's fourth solo album after leaving The Smiths. Less heavy-rock orientated than its immediate predecessor, Vauxhall & I blends a more acoustic leaning with some of Morrissey's finest lyrics up to this point in his career ...  Read the complete review

Widely regarded to be the best solo album produced by Morrissey after The Smiths split in 1987, 'Vauxhall and I' was released in 1994. It is a gentle, personal and haunting record quite unlike anything he has attempted since. Although Morrissey's 1992 album 'Your Arsenal' was seen as a return to form and his early nineties return to the stage had produced mass hysteria and extraordinary ticket sales in the US, Morrissey had recently been deeply affected by the deaths of his video director, manager and producer all in a short period of time. Feeling somewhat adrift, he announced that 'Vauxhall and I' would be his best and most personal album and ...  Read the complete review

'Vauxhall & I' was greeted with high acclaim from critics and fans alike and this praise hasn't dwindled over the years. Morrissey fans widely regard this as his finest album and it is easy to see why. After releasing 'Your Arsenal', which was a highly rated album which handed Morrissey huge exposure on television particularly in America, the expectations were high for this album. After his producer, manager and video director all sadly passed away, many thought Morrissey may have drifted a little and his career may have been scuppered. In a perverse way, he thrived as Morrissey is a genius in describing wrenching heartbreak, sadness and mundanity with a heavy dose ...  Read the complete review

Being only 16, obviously I haven't been around for long enough to have grown up with Morrissey and be part of his avid, scarily obsessive base of fans. Only due to his recent revival, and release of You Are The Quarry, have I began to get into him. I first saw him perform on Jools Holland, and thought 'who is this pathetic old crooner, what's the fuss?' However, when he did 'First of the Gang to Die', I thought it was a pretty cool song with a catchy chorus, and erm.. downloaded it. I was amazed by how much better the studio version sounded than his Holland performance, and decided to give him another chance. I got hold of You Are The Quarry, ...  Read the complete review

Vauxhall And I is often seen as Morrissey's best album since the demise of The Smiths. I agree with this as the album collects together eleven great tracks, which are not only good on their own, but work effortlessly together to make a fantastic album. The album sets off with the atmospheric Now My Heart Is Full, which is complete with signature Morrissey vocals and a big chorus. Spring Heeled Jim follows this and is a more downbeat track with voices littering the background adding to the feeling of the song. The album livens up on Billy Budd, a catchy song with a bouncing rhythm and catchy vocals. The epic Hold Onto Your Friends follows this and is again a ...  Read the complete review