9. MorrisseyYou Are The Quarry
Steven Morrissey is simply one of our most underrated writers or poets who, I believe, will only be fully recognised posthumously. Morrissey has quite a lot of detractors, even now. There’s plenty of admirers out there, of course, but he’s a love-to-hate character. He rubs people up the wrong way occasionally, and those things tend to overlook what he’s most brilliant at, which is his words. I’m no expert on poetry and lyrics – it’s not the first thing I normally come at a record from – but with him, there’s something completely unique about the way he writes. He’s very evocative, and I just love that, and I think he’s got a good voice, too.
I wouldn’t say his records are particularly that interesting musically; in a way, it’s the odd one out of my collection. It’s just a general rock band, and sometimes not particularly well produced and not all that inspiring. There’s not a great depth of sound or unusual production techniques, but somehow he transcends all that because he’s so unusual with his melodies and his words. I’d be very curious to hear what he would sound like with a more interesting musical background – not necessarily electronics, but something with more depth to it. There have been one or two tracks over the years like that, where I’ve thought ‘It’s great to hear a little more invention, using different strings or sounds or musicians’. I’d love to hear more of that him from him, because I think it would take his records to another level. Would I be tempted to ask him to work together? I think I’d be a bit scared, but I wouldn’t say no.
