Maladjusted

Maladjusted
Studio album by Morrissey
Released 11 August 1997
Recorded January 1997 at Hook End Manor, Oxfordshire, England
Genre Alternative rock, indie pop, pop rock
Length 42:54
Label Island
Producer Steve Lillywhite
Morrissey chronology

Southpaw Grammar
(1995)		 Maladjusted
(1997)		 You Are the Quarry
(2004)
Singles from Maladjusted
  1. "Alma Matters"
    Released: 21 July 1997
  2. "Roy's Keen"
    Released: 6 October 1997
  3. "Satan Rejected My Soul"
    Released: 29 December 1997
Alternate cover
2009 reissue cover

Maladjusted is the sixth studio album by English alternative rock singer Morrissey, released on 11 August 1997 by record label Island.

The album received a lukewarm reception from fans and critics alike, and was Morrissey's last studio album for seven years.

Content

Maladjusted was Morrissey's attempt to integrate the torch songs that he experimented with on Vauxhall and I with the indie rock of his earlier career. In addition to "Alma Matters", the tracks "Trouble Loves Me", "Ammunition" and "Roy's Keen" stand out as reminiscent of the Vauxhall and I and Your Arsenal era.

The album caused a small amount of controversy over what was to be the penultimate track. Entitled "Sorrow Will Come in the End", it featured Morrissey intoning, rather than singing, over a backing of manic strings and the beat of a judge's gavel. The song is clearly about the Mike Joyce royalties dispute, and lyrically takes the form of, essentially, an extended threatening message to him and his representatives. "Don't close your eyes/Don't ever close your eyes/A man who slits throats/Has time on his hands/And I'm gonna get you". Island Records, Morrissey's label at the time, dropped the track from UK versions of the album for fear of libel action. Joyce, for his part, said of the song, "I just found it funny. If Lemmy had written it, I might be concerned."[1]

On the inside sleeve of the LP is printed "John Bindon 1943–1993", a reference to the British underworld figure and actor.

Release

Morrissey released "Alma Matters" on 21 July 1997 to support the album. The song premiered on the KROQ-FM Jed the Fish show on 4 July 1997. It was well received by fans and critics alike, praised for its surprisingly upbeat sound. The single reached number 16 in the UK Singles Chart, making it Morrissey's highest charting single in the decade between the Vauxhall and I and You Are the Quarry releases.

Maladjusted was released on 11 August 1997 by record label Island. The album was not a huge commercial success, bowing at a respectable but underwhelming No. 8 in the UK Albums Chart. The follow-up singles "Roy's Keen" and "Satan Rejected My Soul" peaked at numbers 42 and 39, respectively. Still, the album reached number 61 in the US and has sold 88,000 copies to Southpaw Grammar‍ '​s 65,000.

Island Records released a remastered and redesigned version of Maladjusted on 4 May 2009.[2] It included a new album cover and track listing, several rare B-sides and the first UK release of "Sorrow Will Come in the End". However, two songs ("Roy's Keen" and "Papa Jack") were left off the new track list. In the initial press release, "Ambitious Outsiders" was incorrectly listed as "Ambitious Lovers". It was released on the Polydor label.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [3]
Drowned in Sound 3/10[4]
Q [5]
Rolling Stone [6]

Maladjusted received a mixed-to-unfavourable response from critics.

Matt Hendrickson of Rolling Stone wrote, "despite his predictability, Maladjusted is Morrissey's strongest musical effort since his 1988 solo debut, Viva Hate."[6] Andrzej Lukowski of Drowned in Sound, on the other hand, panned the album, writing, "The whole record is appalling, turgid, over-orchestrated and self-absorbed in an entirely tedious way", calling it "the worst album of Morrissey's career".[4]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Morrissey, all music composed by Alain Whyte, except where noted.

No. TitleMusic Length
1. "Maladjusted"  Boorer 4:42
2. "Alma Matters"    4:48
3. "Ambitious Outsiders"    3:56
4. "Trouble Loves Me"    4:40
5. "Papa Jack"    4:33
6. "Ammunition"  Boorer 3:38
7. "Wide to Receive"  Cobrin 3:53
8. "Roy's Keen"    3:36
9. "He Cried"    3:21
10. "Sorrow Will Come in the End" (not included on UK release)  2:51
11. "Satan Rejected My Soul"  Boorer 2:56

The band

Technical

References

  1. ↑ "The Smiths and Morrissey". Q. 2004.
  2. ↑ "Morrissey-solo | Maladjusted Reissue Details from Press Release". Morrissey-solo. 4 March 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  3. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Maladjusted – Morrissey | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lukowski, Andrzej (29 April 2009). "Morrissey: Southpaw Grammar and Maladjusted (Expanded Editions) / In Depth // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  5. ↑ Q. July 1997. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hendrickson, Matt (14 August 1997). "[Maladjusted review]". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 February 2015.

External links