Following the breakup of the Smiths, Morrissey needed to prove that he was a viable artist without Johnny Marr, and Viva Hate fulfilled that goal with grace.
Working with producer Stephen Street and guitarist Vini Reilly (of the Durutti Column), Morrissey doesn't drastically depart from the sound of Strangeways, Here We Come, offering a selection of 12 jangling guitar pop sounds.
One major concession is the presence of synthesizers -- which is ironic, considering the Smiths' adamant opposition to keyboards -- but neither the sound, nor Morrissey's wit, is diluted.
And while the music is occasionally pedestrian, Morrissey compensates with a superb batch of lyrics, ranging from his conventional despair ("Little Man, What Now?," "I Don't Mind If You Forget Me") to the savage political tirade of "Margaret on a Guillotine." Nevertheless, the two masterstrokes on the album -- the gorgeous "Everyday Is Like Sunday" and the infectious "Suedehead" -- were previously singles, and both are on the compilation Bona Drag.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alsatian CousinMorrissey, Stephen Street | Morrissey | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 2 | Little Man, What Now?Morrissey, Stephen Street | Morrissey | Play | 01:48 | 4 MB | 11 MB |
| 3 | Everyday Is Like SundayMorrissey, Stephen Street | Morrissey | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 4 | Bengali In PlatformsMorrissey, Stephen Street | Morrissey | Play | 03:55 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 5 | Angel, Angel, Down We Go TogetherMorrissey, Stephen Street | Morrissey | Play | 01:40 | 3 MB | 9 MB |
| 6 | Late Night, Maudlin StreetMorrissey, Stephen Street | Morrissey | Play | 07:41 | 17 MB | 50 MB |
| 7 | SuedeheadMorrissey, Stephen Street | Morrissey | Play | 03:55 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 8 | Break Up The FamilyMorrissey, Stephen Street | Morrissey | Play | 03:55 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 9 | Hairdresser on FireMorrissey, Stephen Street | Morrissey | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 10 | The Ordinary BoysMorrissey, Stephen Street | Morrissey | Play | 03:10 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 11 | I Don't Mind If You Forget MeMorrissey, Stephen Street | Morrissey | Play | 03:18 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 12 | Dial-A-ClichéMorrissey, Stephen Street | Morrissey | Play | 02:28 | 5 MB | 15 MB |
| 13 | Margaret on the GuillotineMorrissey, Stephen Street | Morrissey | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 46 mins | 105 MB | |||||
| 46 mins | 295 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fenella Barton | Violin |
| 2 | Anton Corbijn | Photography |
| 3 | Mark Daves | Cello |
| 4 | Mark Davies | Cello |
| 5 | Caryn Gough | Layout Assistance |
| 6 | Rick Koster | Violin |
| 7 | Steve Lillywhite | Producer |
| 8 | Eamon Macabe | Photography |
| 9 | Rachel Maguire | Cello |
| 10 | John Metcalf | Viola |
| 11 | John Metcalfe | Viola |
| 12 | Morrissey | Composer, Lyricist, Primary Artist, Sleeve Art, Vocals |
| 13 | Andrew Paresi | Drums |
| 14 | Vini Reilly | Guitar, Keyboards |
| 15 | Jo Slee | Art Coordinator |
| 16 | Linder Sterling | Photography |
| 17 | Stephen Street | Bass, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Bass), Producer, Songwriter |
| 18 | Steve Williams | Assistant Engineer |
| 19 | Alan Winstanley | Producer |
| 20 | Robert Woolhard | Cello |
| 21 | Robert Woollard | Cello |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |