My Amazon Reviews: Morrissey "Swords"

Years Are The Quarry of Tormentors

4 Out of 5 Stars

Morrissey has been a remarkably prolific fellow in the last four years, and this collection funnels his leftovers onto one eighteen song CD. "Swords" is the remainders bin from Years of Refusal(2008), Ringleader of the Tormentors(2006) and You Are The Quarry(2004). While all of those records were strong, the songs on "Swords" are so good that the collection stands on its own as an album.

The usual villains are here; unrequited love, tender hooligans and a tongue in cheek humor. There's also some adventurous music rearing its quizzical head, like the Arabic feel on the disc's opener, "Good Looking Man About Town." There's a truckload of glam-guitar crunch on "It's Hard to Walk Tall When You're Small," plus a tip of the hat to David Bowie, whose "Drive In Saturday" gets a Moz overhaul. Morrissey gives the song a bit of a tweak by changing a line to reference The New York Dolls(whom Morrissey talked into reforming). One of my other favorites here is Chrissie Hynde dropping in on "Shame Is The Name."

Not everything here is worthy; "Sweetie Pie" gets irritating quickly. It's also easy to see how a couple songs here didn't make the cut for their proper albums. Despite the very Morrissey-esque title for "My Life Is A Succession of People Saying Goodbye," its the kind of song he's done a million times over, and better. The punchline of "Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice" gets dry after a few listens as well. But that's two out of 18, which is a pretty darn good ratio. "Swords" stands next to Morrissey's other odds/ends discs (World of Morrissey, Bona Drag) as side journeys into one of England's great musical minds, and wits.