Disagree with most of what is said here. Still, each their own.

And the kids choir on Youngest is fantastic in my opinion.

Pigsty HAS lived up to the hype.

And it's 'Get It On'.

Visconti didn't step in for Jerry Finn

Every song he liked was the weakest on the album By far the best song is Dear God Please Help Me.... IKIGHSD without the balls - come on champ, get it right

..this record seems to be dividing the fanbase. MOJO gives it 4 stars, the Observer raves, some of the fans here hate it, other reviewers just give it the so-so. To me it seems the record is that much more of a gem for those that love it. I just hope I'm one of them.

I was hoping for an album wintery.

The last sentence critiquing “I Know It’s Over” on www.oz.net/~moz/lyrics concludes that it’s “An incredibly beautiful song that proves unlistenable for many fans due its almost unbearable emotional intensity.”

This summation could allude to several of the new ROTT songs, with exceptions, especially the fantastic single-needed-by-the-world IWSYIFOP, and the ebullient At Last I am Born, which is outright Klaus Nomi, if not treading Monty Python territory, e.g. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, and ???. Sanctuary etc were right when promising a more beautiful gentle sound, overall. Different effects and phrases are going to call for individual responses, which is why it’s so legitimate to disagree with a song-by-song analysis like this. There may just be something for everybody on this album; blah blah blah!

I thought Alain supposedly wrote five songs on the album?

The reviewer did get many things wrong (i.e. Visconti filling in for Finn) so I doubt that he only wrote one song.

Spent the day listening to an advance copy. This record needs to be listened to on good equipment, the production is wonderful, the vocal is outstanding and Life is a pigsty is truely remarkable. Do not waste time downloading a copy as to do so will ruin this record for you.Dear God please help me is sublime, the morricone influence can be lost if the lyrical "content" is dwelled upon too long and what a shame that would be.The Childrens choir singing "there is no such thing in life as normal" should make you laugh or cry...fantastic!!
Do not underestimate the sterling work that Visconti has done on this record and play alone, loud and very late....remarkable record....9/10 and nothing less

I thought the review was rather poorly written. I had absolutely no interest in the reviewer detailing his current state of depression. I was willing to just ignore it all together, until I saw his 2/10 rating for Dear God, Please Help Me. For me, this song is, far and away, the best song I have heard on this album. Furthermore, I think it is the best song he has written since 'Why Don't you find out for yourself.' Hearing Morrissey sing at the end of the song "I am walking through Rome and there is no room to move, but the heart is free" is absolutely revelatory. In many ways, its the most open and honest love song in his catalogue. I think it is beautiful and I will certainly buy the album if, for no other reason then that, it is included.

I agree with some of his points- as it did take several listens for me to really start to like it. (It really IS a a "grower") I intially liked it okay at first, then almost hated it the next day. But since then I have been playing it a lot - and now I absolutely love it. Still a few dodgy parts here and there- but overall an EXCELLENT album!

Cheers,

Jay

"I Just Want.." is wonderful.

Otherwise, didn't think much of this.

His view that "The Youngest..." isn't a good choice of single is bizarre, as is the idea
that the album would have been significantly improved by dropping two tracks and
rearranging the rest.

Here's a superior review that was linked on the message board yesterday.

elliptic blog [typepad.com]

This Pitchfork review cites 'I Just Want to see the Boy Happy' as the 10/10 track on the album. After solid listening for a couple of days the only two songs on ROTT which I think are B-side quality are that song, 'I Just Want to See the Boy Happy' and 'The Father Who Must Be Killed'. They are either too tuneless in the case of the former or too obvious and boring in the case of the latter.

Generally, this record is a flawed masterpiece, let down by either misjudgemeents in key areas or the standard Morrissey laziness. Most of the other songs are flawed in some way but have an otstanding element. And Visconti has done a very very good job because in terms of the music this isn't a million miles from any Moz record of the last 10 years.

I think 'I'll never be Anybody's Hero Now' could have been the best ever Morrissey song, if it had been presented as a string-accompanied torch song, but bizarrely it it is accompanied by a stodgy Maladjusted-era arrangement. A missed opportunity yet again. Why does Moz always snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?

It is like on Quarry when some brilliant songs like 'First of the Gang' and '..Crashing Bores' were ruined with dismal arrangements. if those two songs had been given the Visconti treatment like 'The Youngest Was the Most Loved' or 'You Have Killed Me' they would have been career highlights. As it was they were not as good as they should have been.

Also, the drumming on ROTT is brillaint, a notch above Butterworth's amateurish efforts on Quarry. But I am afraid Gary Day is still an unimaginative plodding bass guitarist. He never manages to impart any melody in his arrangements. Obviously an excellent player but a shit arranger.

Rant over.

I think, in this case, the reviewer was far too gracious.

Your Lucky Uncle.

What a load of crap. Giving "Dear God" 2 out of 10 and giving such high ratings to the filler on Side 2.

Oh well......

what a load of hot crap this review is. so far off the mark. i want the 4 minutes it took to read this back, now!

It is clear to me that the reviewer is coming at this album from a Rock persective. The suggestion of deleting some of the slower tracks is ridiculous IMO.

Clearly, a case of another un-educated listener not grasping the concept of Morrisey.

Ridiculous.

I think this record is going to be my Morrissey-era Meat Is Murder. Luscious arrangements, lilting, natural vocals, and real growers (remember hearing Rusholme or What She Said for the first time). I,ve only heard the new single so far, and I already think that that is the best song he has ever written. Yamaha

Morrissey needs to get the books out again, and pinch a view quotes like he used to in the good old days.

In fact after listening to ROTT, all I have to say is, " it just wasn't like the old days anymore".

It's not a bad album, but we expect more from Moz.

Why does no one like 'The father who must be killed' as much as I do?

From what I have read, people seem to be liking/hating different things on the album. Interesting.

Not happy with the lack of sensitivity about Alain in this review. And he was way off on quite a few things. 'I just want to see the boy happy' doesn't do as much for me as a lot of the others do. Don't know where this guy is getting his thoughts from.

And everyone loves 'Dear God..'

Not really a serious review is it? The writing is poor and the facts are all wrong.

If we all set up a blog and write a "review" does that mean it will become a news item? This site is going to be very busy presenting each fan's opinion as a worthy news item.