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Morrissey - Viva Hate
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| Morrissey - Viva Hate | ||||
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| Studio album by
Morrissey
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| Released | 14 March 1988 | |||
| Recorded | October–December 1987 | |||
| Studio | Wool Hall Studios | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 42:16 | |||
| Label | HMV (UK) Sire/Reprise (US & Canada) EMI (Australia & New Zealand) |
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| Producer | Stephen Street | |||
| Morrissey chronology | ||||
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| 1997 re-release cover (not for sale) | ||||
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| Singles from Viva Hate | ||||
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"Viva Hate" is the debut solo studio album by English singer Morrissey. It was released on 14 March 1988 by HMV, six months after the final album by The Smiths, "Strangeways, Here We Come".
Contents
Background
Although credited to Morrissey and producer Stephen Street, the Durutti Column's guitarist Vini Reilly, who had been drafted into the sessions by Street, later claimed every song on the album except "Suedehead" had been composed by Morrissey and Reilly. Street has denied this. In an interview in 2014 Vini Reilly said "I want to talk about Stephen Street about whom I've said wrong things in the past; this is not an excuse, this is fact, I have suffered from what they call 'displaced anger' and this is where you're very angry with yourself and you don't understand, you just shout at people you really care about." EMI Australia considered "Viva Hate" too harsh a title and renamed the album "Education in Reverse" for LP release in Australia and New Zealand, the same title appearing as an etching on the vinyl. The album was recorded between October and December 1987.
Release
"Viva Hate" was released on 14 March 1988 by record label HMV.
The track "Margaret on the Guillotine", which described the death of then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher as a "wonderful dream", led to Morrissey briefly being questioned by the Special Branch.
The American release included the track "Hairdresser on Fire", which had been released in the UK as a B-side to "Suedehead", as track 9. This same track was released on a 7" single that was sold with the album in Japan.
It was certified Gold by the RIAA on 16 November 1993.
In 1997, EMI, in celebration of their 100th anniversary, released a remastered special edition of this album in the UK. It features different cover art and a different booklet (it has a photograph of a billboard for Beethoven Was Deaf and drops the lyrics) as well as eight bonus tracks – only one of which was contemporaneous with the album. "Hairdresser on Fire" does not appear on this version.
A newly remastered, special edition of Viva Hate, supervised by Stephen Street, was released on 2 April 2012. This edition controversially omits, along with the name of Vini Reilly, one of the original album's tracks, "The Ordinary Boys", and includes the session outtake "Treat Me Like a Human Being". Also, the extended fadeout of "Late Night, Maudlin Street" has been changed. Stephen Street has said that he felt these changes were a mistake but that the track selection was changed at Morrissey's insistence. "Hairdresser on Fire", again, is also not included on this edition. Additionally, the typeface font on the front cover had been changed.
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Chicago Sun-Times | |
| Chicago Tribune |  |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| NME | 8/10 |
| Pitchfork | 7.3/10 |
| Q | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| The Village Voice | B |
Viva Hate was generally well received by critics. Rolling Stone called the album "a tight, fairly disciplined affair", in comparison of its sound to that of The Smiths. In its retrospective review, Pitchfork called the album "one of Morrissey's most interesting records, and certainly his riskiest", and that its "strange mix of pomp and minimal languor makes Viva Hate the only Morrissey LP you'd consider listening to just for its music".
A negative review came from Spin, who wrote "without guitarist/composer Johnny Marr at his side, the mahatma of mope rock seems to have gone out for a nice depressing stroll without noticing that he didn't have a stitch to wear".
"Viva Hate" was listed by Q as one of the top 50 albums of 1988. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Track listing
All lyrics by Morrissey. All music by Stephen Street.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Alsatian Cousin" | 3:13 |
| 2. | "Little Man, What Now?" | 1:48 |
| 3. | "Everyday Is Like Sunday" | 3:32 |
| 4. | "Bengali in Platforms" | 3:55 |
| 5. | "Angel, Angel Down We Go Together" | 1:40 |
| 6. | "Late Night, Maudin Street" | 7:40 |
| 7. | "Suedehead" | 3:56 |
| 8. | "Break Up the Family" | 3:55 |
| 9. | "The Ordinary Boys" | 3:10 |
| 10. | "I Don't Mind If You Forget Me" | 3:17 |
| 11. | "Dial-a-Cliché" | 2:28 |
| 12. | "Margaret on the Guillotine" | 3:42 |
| Total length: | 42:16 | |
Etchings on vinyl
Original version: EDUCATION IN REVERSE/none
Personnel
- Morrissey – vocals, lyricist, sleeve art
- Stephen Street – bass guitar, guitar, songwriter, producer
- Vini Reilly – guitars, keyboards
- Andrew Paresi – drums
- Richard Koster – violin
- Fenella Barton – violin
- Rachel Maguire – cello
- Mark Davies – cello
- Robert Woolhard – cello
- John Metcalf – viola
- Steve Williams – assistant engineer
- Anton Corbijn – photography
- Linder Sterling – photography
- Eamon Macabe – photography
- Jo Slee – art coordinator
- Caryn Gough – layout assistance
Charts
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Australian Music Report) | 21 |
| Dutch Albums | 12 |
| German Albums | 33 |
| New Zealand Albums | 8 |
| Norwegian Albums | 20 |
| Swedish Albums | 27 |
| UK Albums Chart | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 | 48 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA) | Gold | 500,000^ |
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^shipments figures based on certification alone |
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Morrissey - Viva Hate
German His Master's Voice 064-79 0180-1 stereo (1988) 1st press.
Album manufactured in Germany.
The vinyl record has remained in excellent condition.
Audio quality is very clear and strong throughout.
Both record centre labels are clean, unmarked, and free from tears, stains or stickers.
The album cover is in excellent condition, displaying only minimal signs of wear.
The album cover has a strong, undamaged spine, displaying very clear, printed script.
The original colour, printed inner sleeve is excellently presented.