Vauxhall And I

Product Information

Ali, Lorraine (27 March 1994). "Morrissey, 'Vauxhall and I'; Sire/Reprise". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 5 December 2014. Romero, Michele (25 March 1994). " Vauxhall and I". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 18 November 2015. It then moves to the streets of Fairmont in Indiana, the boyhood home of James Dean. It features the film star’s school and the cemetery where he’s buried alongside footage of Rebel Without A Cause. Volk, Steven (7 April 1994). "Morrissey: Vauxhall and I". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 29 June 2001 . Retrieved 15 June 2020. Vauxhall And I was Morrissey’s fourth solo album and is widely regarded as one of his very best, although this writer still thinks Viva Hate has the edge. The record was produced by Steve Lillywhite and features the hit single The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get. It also saw significant commercial success for the singer with the album reaching the top 20 in the US and number one in the UK.

And then there is Morrissey himself. Probably the most crucial reason Vauxhall and I is so special is that he sounds so comfortable, charitable, and good-humored, at least for him. His downright playfulness on “The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get” helped make that song his only significant mainstream hit in the US. It’s actually tough to imagine the 2014-model Morrissey asking another human being, without irony, to “let me in”, even if doing so is to “take the easy way and give in.” Nor would it be likely, these days, to hear him advising to “hold on to your friends” at all costs because “there just might come a time when you need some.” There are hints of the bitterness and persecution complex that would color much of Morrissey’s subsequent work, but even these are good for a coy turn of phrase like “Speedway”’s “All of the rumors keeping me grounded / I never said that they were completely unfounded.”

On The Go

Of course, the presence of the Midas-blessed Steve Lillywhite on production doesn’t hurt – nor does the uncredited presence of the then Mrs Lillywhite, Kirsty MacColl, on B-sides, Used To Be A Sweet Boy and I’d Love To, which is every bit the equal of The More You Ignore Me… Sometimes though the cleverness works, as with the people concentrating on minor personal pleasures rather than world issues in the clever allegory "The Lazy Sunbathers" which sees folk sunning themselves in denial of the fact that, days earlier, Germany has invaded Poland.

The album's title may be a reference to the 1987 film Withnail and I. Vauxhall is an area of London noted for its gay clubs, and there is also a British car manufacturer of the same name. Vauxhall And I (Album) - Discogs release: https://www.discogs.com/release/9105157-Morrissey-Vauxhall-And-I Despite this, Morrissey still can’t resist ‘tweaks’ to the front cover, changing the typefaces, removing the quotation marks around ‘Vauxhall And I’ and adding a horrible red square Parlophone logo, bottom right. The latter is like a splat of blood drawing unwanted attention to itself and rather spoiling the beauty of the matinee-idol front cover image with its soft pink hues.

79 Reviews

As declarations of independence go, few come much better than Morrissey’s first single after The Smiths broke the hearts of indie fans by calling it a day. Vauxhall And I (LPAlbumGatefold, Misprint) - Discogs release: https://www.discogs.com/release/1585938-Morrissey-Vauxhall-And-I Co-written with Stephen Street, it’s still a constant in his live shows and the sheer elegance of the melody – burnished by strings – and heady, undulating chorus still takes your breath away. So, as you could expect, the record is boiling with the now-typical recipe of agony, loneliness, and melancholy coupled, however, with a new dose of bitterness. By 1994, Morrissey was certainly pretty wounded but, thankfully, he was still accompanied by the songwriting team of Alan Whyte and Boz Boorer – the exact duo of guitarists that had helped spark a new life to Moz’s solo career with 1992’s Your Arsenal. Behind the board this time was producer Steve Lilywhite, and you can tell he did his best to make the songs – and, more particularly, Morrissey’s voice – achieve the epic and pristine quality of a once-in-a-lifetime classic. Hence, from the moment you hit play and the first notes of “Now My Heart is Full” start to reverb in your head, you know you’re in for something special – not just lyrically and vocally, but also sonically.

One of the several cut-and-paste compilations that invite a wide berth. It features some until-then unheard material that would have been better left in the studio vaults. Vauxhall And I (LPAlbumReissueRemasteredGatefold) - Discogs release: https://www.discogs.com/release/5740593-Morrissey-Vauxhall-And-I Peaking at No.5 in the UK charts, it’s difficult to argue with NME‘s contention that Suedehead was: “The best No.1 1988 ever gave us.” According to Pitchfork, it was: “His most vital, entertaining and savage record since Vauxhall And I.” Read more: Johnny Marr interview Read more: Low In High School review The Essential Singles

Track listing

The second single from You Are The Quarry, after Irish Blood, English Heart, The First Of The Gang To Die gave Morrissey his first brace of Top 10 hits since The Last Of The Famous International Playboys and Interesting Drug in 1989. Another great title, another great refrain, another flurry of great couplets (“Beware! I bear more grudges/ Than lonely high court judges,” anyone?) – in short, another great single from someone who went from being a disciple of the art to one of its consummate practitioners.