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Southpaw Grammar is the fifth solo album by the singer Morrissey, formerly of Mancunian band The Smiths. It was released in August 1995 and charted at number 66 in the USA and at number 4 in the UK. The singles lifted from it were "Dagenham Dave" (which reached number 26 in the UK singles chart in August 1995) and "The Boy Racer" (which reached number 36 in the UK singles chart in October 1995). To date it is the only Morrissey album which does not feature his image on the cover.
The Record
On its release Southpaw Grammar was an eyebrow raiser with fans and critics alike. Following the success of Vauxhall and I, often considered to be Morrissey's finest solo moment, this was a change in direction.
The nature of the album is certainly different to past Morrissey releases. Musically, the inclusion of two tracks which surpass the ten minute mark, the near two and half minute drum solo courtesy of Spencer Cobrin which opens the track "The Operation" and the sampling of a Shostakovich1 symphony have led some to dub this album as 'Morrissey's flirtation with prog-rock.' Some critics were impressed by this apparent attempt at progression, while others dismissed the longer tracks as mere self-indulgence. By this album Morrissey had been writing with Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer for almost as long as he had been writing with Johnny Marr by the time of the Smiths demise. The catchy pop numbers are by no means gone, as proven by the two singles "Dagenham Dave" and "The Boy Racer". There are no ballads on this album.
According to Morrissey himself, the title refers to 'the school of hard knocks,' that is, boxing (a southpaw being boxing slang for a left-hander). Some have taken this a step further and believe Southpaw Grammar to be a concept album about boxing, or just the violence prevalent in modern society in general.
Certainly, the lyrics are different to those found in Vauxhall and I, though it could be argued the protagonist's quotation in Reader Meets Author, "no-one ever sees me when I cry", is auto-biographical, which follows in a similar path to the one left by Vauxhall and I.
Opening track "The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils" is noteworthy as it is possibly the antithesis of the ideas he put forward in the Smiths song, "The Headmaster Ritual", from their album Meat Is Murder. The theory here is that Morrissey goes from berating the over-zealous administration of discipline, as he saw it, to berating the lack of it. Whether this would be pure hypocrisy or simply a shrewd re-evaluation in light of the abolition of corporal punishment is a moot point.
The critical reception to Southpaw Grammar was mixed. Some fans still regard this as his most exciting work and a brave departure from past success with Vauxhall and I. Some critics gave it bad reviews, but it would be wrong to say there was total condemnation. Indeed, some hailed it as Morrissey's most real, intense and ambitious work yet, others lambasted it as over-orchestrated. The NME were especially damning of their one-time hero, claiming the album was 'a loud mess to sell to America.' It must be borne in mind also that many reviewers commented upon the idiosyncratically English nature of the lyrics, even by Morrissey's standards, so there is no real consensus on which market this album was aimed at.
2009 Remaster
On 30 May 2008, true-to-you.net revealed Sony-BMG will issue a remastered version of 'Southpaw Grammar'. This album, first released in 1995, will include three previously unreleased tracks and new artwork. [1] The album was originally set for a July 2008 release but was pushed back indefinitely after the delay of Morrissey's upcoming album Years of Refusal. However, on October 1, 2008 BMG announced a January 26, 2009 release date for the re-issued Southpaw Grammar.
The three new tracks are to be: "Honey You Know Where To Find Me", "Fantastic Bird", and "You Should Have Been Nice To Me". The album also features new sleeve artwork by Anthony Lui, including previously unseen photographs by Linder Sterling. Anthony had also designed the sleeves for Ringleader of the Tormentors, 'Live at Earls Court' and Greatest Hits plus the last eleven UK singles.[2]
Track listing
- "The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils" – 11:15 (Morrissey/Boorer)
- "Reader Meet Author" – 3:39 (Morrissey/Boorer)
- "The Boy Racer" – 4:55 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "The Operation" – 6:52 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "Dagenham Dave" – 3:13 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "Do Your Best and Don't Worry" – 4:05 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "Best Friend on the Payroll" – 3:48 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "Southpaw" – 10:03 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "The Boy Racer" – 4:55 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "Do Your Best and Don't Worry" – 4:05 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "Reader Meet Author" – 3:39 (Morrissey/Boorer)
- "Honey You Know Where to Find Me" - (Morrissey/Boorer)
- "Dagenham Dave" – 3:13 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "Southpaw" – 10:03 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "Best Friend on the Payroll" – 3:48 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "Fantastic Bird" - (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "The Operation" – 6:52 (Morrissey/Whyte)
- "The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils" – 11:15 (Morrissey/Boorer)
- "You Should Have Been Nice to Me" - (Morrissey/Boorer)
- "Nobody Loves Us" – 4:50 (Morrissey/Whyte)
The Fifth Symphony is sampled on "The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils".
The Band
References
- ^ Southpaw Grammar Remastered
- ^ http://true-to-you.net/morrissey_news_081001_01
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