Your Arsenal
Your Arsenal is the third studio album by English singer Morrissey, released on 27 July 1992 by record label HMV.
| Your Arsenal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 27 July 1992 | |||
| Recorded | February 1992 at Utopia Studios, Primrose Hill; March 1992 at The Wool Hall, Bath, England | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:45 | |||
| Label | HMV | |||
| Producer | Mick Ronson | |||
| Morrissey chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Your Arsenal | ||||
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The album received critical acclaim and reached number 4 on the UK Albums Chart.
Content
Morrissey had been rehearsing with a new band prior to the release of Your Arsenal, which was the first official album of this new line-up.
Commencing with "You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side", the album represents a clear change in direction for Morrissey from indie pop to a more muscular rock sound;[4] with some elements of rockabilly. It also contains a glam rock influence, due to the involvement of ex-David Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson. Songs such as "Certain People I Know", "Glamorous Glue" and "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday", which are respectively influenced by T. Rex,[5] and David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust period songs (e.g. "The Jean Genie" and the latter by "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide").[6] David Bowie later covered the track "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday" on his 1993 album Black Tie White Noise.
Release
Your Arsenal was released on 27 July 1992 by record label HMV. It reached number 4 on the UK Albums Chart.[7]
The album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Music Album.[8]
In 2014, Rhino Records issued a "Definitive Master" of the album. This version was remastered and substitutes the original album version of "Tomorrow" for the U.S. single mix. It also includes a bonus DVD of a 1991 concert from Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California.[4]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Blender |  [10] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[11] |
| Los Angeles Times | [12] |
| NME | 7/10[13] |
| Pitchfork | 7.3/10[14] |
| Q | [15] |
| Rolling Stone | [16] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [17] |
| The Village Voice | A−[18] |
Your Arsenal was praised by critics. Robert Christgau of The Village Voice called it his "most consistent solo set to date".[18] Bill Wyman of Entertainment Weekly wrote that guitarist Alain Whyte "provides the very melodic, sometimes rockabilly-inflected settings Morrissey demands, and frequently they end up triumphant."[11]
Referring to the album as "a dynamic, invigorating fusion of glam rock and rockabilly" and noting that it "rocks harder than any other record Morrissey ever made", Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic cited Your Arsenal as Morrissey's "finest solo record and his best work since The Queen Is Dead."[9]
Your Arsenal was listed as one of the top 50 albums of 1992 by Q.[19]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Morrissey; all music is composed by Alain Whyte, except as noted.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side" | Mark E. Nevin | 3:38 |
| 2. | "Glamorous Glue" | 4:01 | |
| 3. | "We'll Let You Know" | 5:17 | |
| 4. | "The National Front Disco" | 4:23 | |
| 5. | "Certain People I Know" | 3:11 | |
| 6. | "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" | 2:29 | |
| 7. | "You're the One for Me, Fatty" | 2:58 | |
| 8. | "Seasick, Yet Still Docked" | 5:07 | |
| 9. | "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday" | Mark E. Nevin | 4:20 |
| 10. | "Tomorrow" | 4:05 |
Personnel
- Morrissey – vocals
- Alain Whyte – guitars
- Boz Boorer – guitars
- Gary Day – bass guitar
- Spencer Cobrin – drums
- Mick Ronson – production
Charts
| Chart (1992) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[20] | 4 |
| US Billboard 200 | 21 |
| Chart (2014) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[20] | 49 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[21] | 18 |
References
- Pitchfork review
- 2004
- "Out Now: Morrissey – Your Arsenal – The Definitive Master". rhino.com. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18999-morrissey-your-arsenal/
- http://www.uncut.co.uk/features/morrissey-it-sounds-too-much-like-waitrose-it-needs-to-be-more-harrods-16913
- https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/your-arsenal/
- Grein, Paul (3 January 1993). "The Grammy Tip Sheet : U2 and Eric Clapton are favored to lead the pack in nominations--and take home top honors--in our annual handicapping". Los Angeles Times.
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Your Arsenal – Morrissey". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- Power, Tony (15 September 2004). "Morrissey: Your Arsenal". Blender. Archived from the original on 30 June 2006. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- Wyman, Bill (14 August 1992). "Your Arsenal". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- Hochman, Steve (16 August 1992). "Morrissey Back On Track". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
- Collins, Andrew (25 July 1992). "Morrissey – Your Arsenal". NME. Archived from the original on 3 October 2000. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- Wolk, Douglas (21 February 2014). "Morrissey: Your Arsenal". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- Aizlewood, John (September 1992). "Morrissey: Your Arsenal". Q (72): 72.
- Coleman, Mark (29 October 1992). "Your Arsenal". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Morrissey". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 561–62. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- Christgau, Robert (9 March 1993). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- "Rocklist.net ... Q Magazine Recordings of the Year". Rocklist.net. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- "Morrissey | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
- "Album Top 40 slágerlista – {{{year}}}. {{{week}}}. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ.
- Duffy, Thom (13 February 1993). "The British Invasion Continues - United States" (PDF). Billboard. p. B-4. Retrieved 30 September 2020 – via World Radio History.
