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Yea-Sayers:
"After
Viva Hate, Morrissey wisely concentrated on writing for the
British singles chart, scoring a number of hits that are gathered together
along with their B-sides on Bona Drag. His collaboration with
producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley and former Smiths producer
Stephen Street had gelled, much to the chagrin of critics who insisted
Morrissey was nothing without Marr. The album contained some brilliant
songs like the suave "Interesting Drug" and the lovely "Everyday
Is Like Sunday." And Morrissey's tacky wit was on the money in
songs like "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" ("No I was NOT
pushing that time")."
- Dan O'Kane, CD Review, April 1994
"Something
of a singles and B-sides holding operation but, like The Smiths' Hatful
Of Hollow and The World Won't Listen, an excellent collection in its
own right. Features the exquisite He Knows I'd Love To See him, the
lludicrous Hairdresser On Fire, "repressed" singles November
Spawned A Monster and Interesting Drug and the ultimate closing track,
Disappointed." (****)
- Q, September, 1992
INTERESTING
DRAG
"If, having once been God, you then watched most of your disciples
slope off to the church of Northside, I think you might be a little
disappointed. Morrissey currently enjoys a critical standing roughly
akin to a Saddam Hussein. Cat Stevens stands a better chance of getting
a positive review than Moz these days. And woe betide the writer who
has a good word for him.
"The irony is that, in the immediate wake of The Smiths' dissolution,
it was Morrissey who quickly got on with the business of making excellent
records. The lapses of taste were all Johnny's. But via The Pet Shop
Boys and Electronic, Marr has become one of the boys again whilst Moz
is increasingly seen as that moaning jessie, largely due to two of the
most mocked and derided singles of recent years. The songs are here,
along with 13 others, and form 'Bona Drag,' an album that Morrissey
himself seems spectacularly unconcerned about and is quite unashamedly
a stopgap. It's also terrific.
"But let's address the unpalatable first. 'Ouija Board, Ouija Board'
and 'November Spawned A Monster' are perhaps the worst things here,
though neither is quite as bad as some of the more lurid attacks would
have you believe. 'Ouija Board' is a ditty. So was 'Frankly Mr Shankly,'
come to that. But 'Ouija Board' lacks the latter's humour. It's tolerable
enough, and does contain some good seance jokes but feels lame and dithery,
and is sullied by great swathes of panto-mental guitars. 'November'
is a huge error of judgement. Though the tune is actually quite gritty
in parts, the mood is morbid and cheerless, untouched by the wit and
pathos that characterises most of Moz's work. It's yards too long, has
no discernible tune and has that ghastly middle bit where Mary M O'Hara
gurgles over what sounds like an old Genesis track. Callous bad taste
or plain dumb; either way it's what we expect from some art nitwit like
Lydia Lunch and not the most singular pop talent of his generation.
"What did he say? Look, I mean it. There's ample evidence here
that for all the false moves and makeweights, Morrissey still has what
it takes by the cartload. The truth is that 'Suedehead,' 'Hairdresser
On Fire,' and 'Everyday Is Like Sunday' are right up there with the
very best of The Smiths. 'Suedehead''s clean, autumnal melancholy and
the frosty exuberance of Vini Reilly's guitar make it a lasting joy.
'Hairdresser' is perfect, from the warm lyricism of the string introduction
to those great lines about 'busy scissors' - funny, tender and sad.
'Everyday Is Like Sunday' is a noble, heartfelt song that cleverly echoes
Betjeman's 'Slough' without being smartarse.
"Morrissey apparently expects "blanket horrendous" reviews
for 'Piccadilly Palare' and he'll no doubt get his wish. Which is sad
because it's something of a return to form. I can't disentangle the
'50's rent boy slang but the mood of washed out nostalgia is unmistakeable.
Neat chorus, too. At the time of its release, I was rather mealy-mouthed
about 'Playboys' so let me take this chance of saying I was wrong about
this sterling tune full of stomping boot boy romanticism. 'Interesting
Drug' is no classic but it is quite sprightly and does contain that
drumbeat in full.
"Of the remaining tracks, all are never less than listenable and
often wonderful. 'Will Never Marry' and 'He Knows I'd Love To See Him'
are both lovely, particularly the latter, and the title invites a rash
of speculation, of course. 'Yes, I Am Blind' is despairing but pulls
up short of self-pity. 'Lucky Lisp' is a spirited little gem hiding
its light on the B-side of 'Playboys' whilst 'Disappointed' pulls off
the clever trick of being both a witty pastiche of 'How Soon Is Now'
and a bold, bright song in its own right.
"Just one thing. If you're going to do this sort of thing, why
not do it properly? How can anyone justify the omission of 'I Know Very
Well How I Got My Name'? And where is 'East West'; a Herman's Hermits
number that could have been written for the lad and which he turns into
the paean of an exiled northerner. Either of these would have made more
sense than the rather dull 'Such A Little Thing'.
"In the end this record succeeds in everything it sets out to do.
If it were a debut release, it would have the music biz agog. But the
towering corpus of genius that hangs over Moz means he can never be
treated that simply. For all the hyperbole, most of the acts we cover
are ultimately labouring under the crushing burden of their own mediocrity.
Not so this man. We watch his search for a soulmate with bitten nails.
Roll on February. "He knows we'd love to see him."
- Stuart Maconie, NME, October 20, 1990
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