SINGLE OF THE WEEK
Blimey! Joe Orton arm-wrestles with Gene Vincent - and Morrissey wins! A lovely little music hall ditty, courtesy of Mark Nevin, knocked into shape by Boz Boorer and his rocka-rocka-rocka-rocka-rockabilly guys. This is far more sprightly and accessible than most of 'Kill Uncle'; Mozzer's best single since 'November Spawned A Lobster' and his funniest lyric since 'Is It Really So Strange?' The diehard Smiths fans who've been turning their backs on Morrissey over the last couple of years (the chart position for 'Sing Your Life' was nothing short of a disgrace) would be wise to give this a spin and do jerky, twisty dancey type things in their front room.
Flip the plastic over (or let the CD carry on, you post-modern types) and you'll hear Morrissey turn Bradford's 'Skin Storm' into a heart-wrenching ballad of Brechtian proportions (or something like that). Top music, top value for dosh, and top of the charts if there's anything resembling a God on the other side of that clear blue sky.
- Terry Staunton, New Musical Express, 6/20/91