Seeing as MTCicero has been banned, it falls on me to pick up (briefly) where he left off. I’m not going to continue with every Morrissey album as there isn’t enough interest (and the albums get progressively weaker) but Vauxhall and I is the absolute pinnacle (in my opinion) of Mozzer’s career and deserves a poll.
This one is the toughest for me to decide. I finally came down in favor of Speedway followed closely by Why Don’t You Find Out for Yourself.
Agree with you on all counts–V & I is by far Morrissey’s best album, and I think “Speedway” is the best song out of many strong contenders. For second best, I’m torn between “Now My Heart is Full” and “Why Don’t You Find Out for Yourself.” I consider “Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning” as the weakest song–it seems over-the-top even by Moz’s standards.
IMO, Viva Hate is the best of Morrissey’s solo albums, followed closely by You Are the Quarry, then Kill Uncle. I’ll admit to a fair degree of nostalgia regarding Viva Hate, but it’s still a really strong album.
I’m going with Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning for my Vauxhall and I track.
So many great songs to choose from. I was thinking perhaps about choosing Now My Heart Is Full, but wanted to give the whole album a listen before making a decision. Within three seconds of listening to Speedway, it was clear that it blows everything else out of the water. It’s seriously unfair to all those other amazing songs.
God I love this album. Thank you for reminding me to listen to it again.
I always get goosebumps when I hear the motor start revving in “Speedway.” I read an interview with the producer Steve Lillywhite where he said they brought a chainsaw into the studio for the sound effect and the fumes and exhaust smoked everyone out. I believe they ended up just using a drill for the album version.