Ringleader Of The Tormentors

I previously wrote a five star review to this album, but after reviewing Years of Refusal I realised that this album is not worth five stars. With Refusal, Morrissey's lyrics are strong and his voice is at its strongest, but musically it does lack. In this album it is pretty much the opposite of that. Morrissey's voice is still great but the lyrics sometimes ruin the songs, some of which also seem to fail to take off.The opening tracks are all really strong. Far Off Places is a great rocker and I really like the eastern feel, the lyrics are also okay here, as they are on the following two tracks. Dear God Please Help Me ranks as one of Morrissey's most beautiful ballads and the following single, You Have Killed me is equally strong. The fourth track however, is a bit of a dirge, with the irritating children's choir.In The Future When All's Well is catchy and optomistic, but really quite throwaway, but I really love The Father Who Must Be Killed. I think this is one of the best tracks on the album and one of the best lyrical deliveries too. Perhaps it is because I have a stepfather who I hate, so I can really relate to this song.The centrepiece of the album is Life Is A Pigsty, but it is the lyrics here that prevent it from reaching the heights it could have. "It's the same old SOS... ect" is just a really bad line, although I do like the part about being thrown off a train, as it is Morrissey being humourously overdramatic. It is the music that really carries this track to its climatic ending.Following this are probably a mixed bag of tracks. I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now sounds quite cinematic, though it is the weakest ballad on the album. On the Streets I ran has the potential to be a great song, but never takes off for me. To Me You Are A Work Of Art is the worst track lyrically. The line "I see the world it makes me puke" makes me puke to hear, especially as it is repeated. As a poet, Morrissey is capable of so much better. The album peaks again with I Just Want To See The Boy Happy, another of my favourite tracks, and the music on the closer, At Last I Am Born, makes it up to be a lot better than it is.It is because of this that Ringleader is the worst of Morrissey's comeback albums. The lyrics (for me) have always been what carried the work, so if they fail, then the music has to be really great for it to work. It is fortunate that the music here is strong, otherwise this would have been a complete failure.

This another ingenious effort from my all-time idol S P Morrissey . I felt this is one of his more depressing albums , more than for instance You are The Quarry .The songs are brilliantly writed unsurprisingly, The 3 singles (The youngest was the most loved, In the future when is all is well and The Father who must be killed) are brilliantly catchy . Grows on you after every listen. 8.5/10 .

rare and great album of morrissey

i do prefer his more boppier and rockabilly songs, which this album only really has one of. the album seems to trail off toward the last tracks, like its running out of petrol. previous album "you are the quarry" is his best for me, and his later album "years of refusal" was an improvement on this outing, although it's still good and has his acidic wit, which we all love.

Really like to have a copy but poor that you don’t also get download

Never been an absolute fan of Morrissey but was very impressed with " You are the Quarry". To date,this does'nt come close,but seems to warm-up in the second-half of the cd. I will persevere, and give a further report at a later date!

better than some but not as good as some others - probably best to stick to his greatest hits compilations

ok