South Paw Grammar

I have a bad habit of unintentionally giving up on an artist I really like since I'm a fickle music fan. I guess it's really more because I'm always looking for new & different music and sounds. I loved The Smiths and Morrissey's solo work up till "Kill Uncle" which I enjoyed, but then got diverted by other artists putting out more interesting music since "Kill Uncle" was just more of the same to me. I finally picked up "Your Arsenal" 4 or 5 years ago. Well, I was listening to Pandora(the internet radio site)earlier this week and they played "The Boy Racer" and I thought 'my god this is good'. I listened to samples of the entire cd and decided I needed to have it in my collection. I'm listening to it now as I write this review and am loving it. I also had read some of these reviews on Amazon as well. When I realized "Southpaw Grammar" was a major diversion from usual Morrissey fare, I had to check it out myself. I sure am glad I gave it a chance! This is Morrissey at his most inventive and creative. Some have called this prog rock, which it might be to some extent but I think there's definitely some glam rock influences and even some psychedelia like on "The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils" and "Southpaw" with the amazing guitar and bass work and the atmospheric noises in the background. Some reviewers have stated that they dislike both of these songs because they are overlong and overwrought but I find them fascinating because they're so different from anything Moz has done before. I enjoy more offbeat unusual songs and artists anyway so this is right down my alley. "Reader Meet Author", "Dagenham Dave" & "Best Friend On The Payroll" are more succinct pop songs and catchy but with a bit more rock in their sound. "The Operation" is another unusually long song for the Moz that starts out w/a long drum solo that is hypnotizing at the beginning but it rocks as well once the melody starts. Of course "The Boy Racer" is what drew me to this cd in the first place and is a great song as is "Do Your Best & Don't Worry". If you like more experimental/progressive music then you will enjoy this cd. I think perhaps if this cd were released now it might be better recieved initially due to the rise of prog rock groups like Coheed & Cambria, et al. But then again, as long as some of us secretly long for The Smiths to reunite(me included), there will be that expectation that Morrissey has to make up for the gap in the universe where The Smiths once were. Now that "Southpaw Grammar" has won me back over I think I've finally accepted Moz on his own terms. It's about f'n time eh?

For a number of reasons, 1995's Southpaw Grammar isn't Morrissey's most wildly popular or highly regarded. When a rep at his label later confessed they buried the album because they knew he wouldn't extend his contract, Morrissey dead pans in the liner notes, "How very,very lovely". True, the original was hit and miss but this 2009 edition is a knock out. Expanded and re-sequenced by Morrissey, his wittily self-deprecating liner notes also shed light on why this album never landed the way it should. I suppose it all could be summed up in Reader Meet Author when it begs the question, "have you ever escaped from a shipwrecked life" ? Southpaw was never intended to be accessible anymore than it was a self-indulgent vanity project. It's aim was to take risks and give the band a chance to stretch their muscles. But if Teachers overwhelmed as opening track, here Boy Racer greets you, kicking things off on more concise, if deceptively chipper note. Placed near the end, Teachers acts as climax where it served as oppressor before. Same can be said for placing the brooding 10 minute epic, Southpaw in the middle. Elsewhere Reader Meet Author and Dangenham Dave are highlights as they were then. And if the rousing but schizophrenic Operation seemed disjointed before, now it lands with a punch. Beyond the re-sequencing what sends this into 5 star Morrissey territory are the inclusion of some very choice but essential unreleased tracks. Lord knows why they never made the original. Among them Fantastic Bird lives up its name. You Should Have Been Nice To Me comes in after Teachers and lends both much more poignancy. As for the sweeping ballad Nobody Loves Us, its up there with the likes of I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday. One of his finest love songs. A soaring end to daring album that never quite was but whose ambitions have finally paid off. While we're all sick of the reissue game by now, this Morrissey approved reworking is no scam but a real gift to fans from the heart. So call this Southpaw Grammar Revisted. And consider it one of the finest Morrissey albums that never happened till now.

First off: I'm a fan for about 25 years. I've listed to countless bootleg concerts/demos/outtakes of his CDs and demos of some of the songs from this CD. I'm such a hard-core fan that I had an advance release tape of this CD in 1995 before the public had ever heard it. And played the tape maybe 150 times. This CD is SO SO SO Underrated. It actually ROCKS. It was a travesty this CD was basically "shelved" If you read the liner notes on the expanded and remastered edition, a record exec was quoted that the recored company buried this CD (meaning ZERO promotion), because Morrissey was not going to extend his contract with the label. The only CD I like more is the Bona Drag compilation, so this is my 2nd fave. I've seen 15 Morrissey shows between 1991 and 1997 and the 1997 tour which featured these songs in the setlists was his 2nd best tour besides his 1st 1991 American tour. Listen to the samples here at Amazon. This CD is better than any CD he has put out since this release. I've bought this CD 3 times. It's my "happy" Morrissey go-to CD. Desert-Island disk league. The extra tracks on this edition are just gravy to me. Stand-out tracks: Best Friend on the Payroll, Do Your Best and Don't Worry and Southpaw.

UK Buyer. Crazy as it sounds, I couldn't get this as a CD or download in the UK, so was happy to see it available in the US. Last time I heard the CD was in the late 90s, so I am very happy. Morrissey excels, sounding as forlorn as ever. Great musicianship and different to his other work. Dagenham Dave was a single from the album. Part arrived as advised and packaging perfect for transport across the pond.

I like this version of this album much better than the first one. Morrissey re-ordered the songs and oversaw the remastering himself, and the addition of the singles at the end is very welcome - much improved Southpaw Grammar. As Moz himself said, this is what it should've all along.

What a perfect way to revisit one of my favorite Morrissey albums! Newly remastered, new track sequence, 3 previously unreleased tracks, interesting liner notes by Moz himself, and vastly improved artwork/photos from that time period. In the liner notes, he admits that the original cover art (the grainy photo of a 1960's boxer) was unappealing & that he had shot himself in the foot, marketing-wise. My only complaint here is that the dramatic, 11-minute opus, "The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils", should've remained the opening track. Otherwise, this expanded edition should be a necessity for any Morrissey collector.

Disk arrived quick and like new condition , no scratches or marks. thank you!

Moz's the most underrated album. Great stuff ...

This is an eccentric album. Not for the faint of heart for sure. To me it’s what makes it so incredibly good. I adore both the expanded version and my original vinyl and now cd pressing. Viva Morrissey!

I'm not normally a fan of the "reimagined" album...but Morrissey's Southpaw Grammar is an exception to the rule. In its original 1995 format, it had some great songs but didn't feel quite right in its overall presentation (i.e. cover artwork, number of tracks and the running order of the tracks themselves). The original cover art has been replaced here with a much more iconic image / typeface and the LP's track listing seems more thought out. Starting with "The Boy Racer" kick starts proceedings much better than the original's ominous (but brilliant) "The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils..." The new previously unreleased tracks ("Honey..." "Fantastic Bird" and "You Should Have Been Nice To me") are a nice addition but what really makes it better is the inclusion of the tragically overlooked B Side "Nobody Loves Us", which is Morrissey at his absolute best. Great packaging (a bit like a small hardcover book) and with a high quality inlay containing sleeve notes and reminiscences from Morrissey about making the LP. This is not a cash in / cash grab. It's done right here. Highly recommended.

O Morrissey de sempre, vale a pena

このアルバムの元の盤が出たのは95年。自分は正直「クソ」だと思った。どの曲も大味で、特に元の曲順での１曲目とラストの曲の大仰さに閉口してしまった。実際そのように感じたファンは多かったらしく、このアルバムの後のツアーでの反応は散々なものだったと聞く。 それが今この再発盤を聴いて「こんなにいい音楽だったのか…」と目からウロコである。特に1stシングルだった「ダガンハム・デイヴ」は「めっちゃいい曲やん！！」とビックリしてしまった。曲順を大幅に変更して、かつ未発表曲を何曲かを途中に挿入することによって全く印象の異なる作品に生まれ変わっている。今回発掘されて追加された曲がいずれもクオリティが高い曲揃いで、かつ微妙に『ユア・アーセナル』や『マルアジャステッド』といったこのアルバムとは違う時期のアルバムの雰囲気や持ち味を彷彿とさせる事もプラスに働いている。言わばこのアルバムを聴くことでモリッシーのソロのキャリアを包括的に俯瞰できるような仕上がりになっているのだ。 曲順に関しても、2004年の劇的な復活のきっかけになった「アイリッシュ・ブラッド・イングリッシュ・ハート」と似た曲調の「ボーイ・レイサー」を１曲目に持ってきたり、元の盤で重たい印象を与えていた「サウスポー」と「ティーチャーズ…」をそれぞれ６曲目と10曲目に持ってきて前後の曲の流れをうまく調節したり…その結果か、７曲目の「ベスト・フレンド・オン・ザ・ペイロール」がすごくカッコよく聴こえたりという副産物まで産み出している。 でも、一番大きいのは実は私自身が39才になって、このアルバムをリリースした時のモリッシーの年齢（３６才）を越えてしまった、というのが大きいのかも知れない。そもそも『マルアジャステッド』を出した時の彼が３８才で、その後『ユー・アー・ザ・クワーリー』で復活するまで７年間引き籠らざるを得なかった（編集盤はたくさん出ていたが）…という事実に気付いて、今回の再発盤に手を出してみようと思い立った訳だから。 最近改めてスミスにどっぷりで、改めて「バンドとしての」技量やポテンシャルの高さに舌を巻いているのだが、ソロになったモリッシーはそれとは全く別の形で、他の誰とも違うサバイバビリティを示す存在として勇気付けられるなあ、と。

L'ennesimo grande album di Morrissey. Non so perchè ma all'epoca della sua uscita l'avevo sottovalutato, invece contiene 8 tracce eccellenti. L'unico appunto l'amore per me inspiegabile di Morrissey per le intro lunghissime, come gli oltre due minuti di batteria di The Operation