Customer Reviews

Maladjusted

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Morrissey never loses a step; he never disappoints. As far as solo work goes, I can rank this among my two favorite solo albums, Bona Drag and Vauxhall. Along with these two albums, Maladjusted is a third of the essential Morrissey trilogy. The only song that I didn't do cartwheels for was "Papa Jack" (sorry MOZ). It wasn't an aweful song, but the others were just SO GREAT. I've never seen Morrissey in concert; I had front-row tickets to a Minneapolis show that he had to cancel, but he is THE MOST HONEST, RELATIVE, AND ORIGINAL ARTIST IN THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS. Maladjusted is Morrissey at his best (and he's been there many times before). I love the Smiths, but in my opinion, Morrissey's solos have been just as powerful as any Smiths' song. If Moz ever wants a good vegetarian meal, he is certainly welcome at my house. Come on over! As far as this album goes, "Wide to Receive" is a nice commentary on the cyberworld today. "Roy's Keen" is a very fun not-much-too-think-about song. The last two songs on this Maladjusted album are so powerful that words cannot even begin to comment on them. Morrissey is the greatest; there's no doubt about it. This is one of the best (it's quite difficult to say which one is THE BEST from him).

This is simply songwriting at its finest. Period. I'm baffled by some of the bad reviews I've seen. Are you people tone-deaf or just lacking in any musical taste. This album is a classic from start to finish. Wide to Receive is an all-time classic. It's good enough to be on the Beatles White album, or U2's Joshua Tree, or REM's Green, or The Cure's Wish album. If you like the forementioned albums than you will love this album. Trouble loves me is another beatlesque ballad. Satan Rejected My Soul is hilarious. With lyrics like "Satan rejected my soul, as low as he goes he never quite goes this low," you get a sense that Morrissey, although very much in tune with his misery also knows how to laugh at himself. The musicianship and production (thanks to Steve Lillywhite)is FLAWLESS. Even if your a hard-headed and stubborn fan of his early stuff, you should love this album. I'm a fan of The Smiths, but come on!...everyone has to mature, and this album is maturation at its finest. Morrissey has truly come into his own. I can only be so lucky that his next album is half as good.

'Maladjusted' is a step below some of Morrissey's other albums (namely: 'Viva Hate', 'Vauxhaul and I', and 'You are the Quarry') nevertheless, it does not deserve the negative reviews it gets - and is an interesting portrait of an artist who has come to the edge of frustration - and uses this frustration to create art. 'Alma Matters' is a classic Morrissey tune as is 'Ammunition' and 'Wide to Receive' - there are also a few tunes that are lower than classic Morrissey - 'Maladjusted' and 'Roy's Keen' - but are still good! This is a highly playable album - and I find it strangeley comforting when I'm in a bad mood - you should check it out - underrated!

Look, I'm not giving SPM less than 5 stars, and the songs on this cd are worth listening to year after year. Morrissey is simply a little brighter and more interesting than the run of doofuses who put out highly marketed products. STILL... on this cd, on tracks like "Papa Jack", "Alma Matters" and "Sorrow Will Come in the End", he sounds a bit sorry for himself. Contrary to what a lot of people think, Morrissey has never been a whiner; his songs hilariously poke fun at himself. Imagine Madonna or Eddie Vedder laughing at their heavy and self-important images - doesn't happen. Unfortunately, on this product, Morrissey gets all sincere and seems to lose his edge slightly. Maybe the career downturn that followed the poor reception of this album will spur him to get it back. I can't wait for the next Morrissey. "The Teachers Are Afraid.." on the last album was a groundbreaking track. Maybe that suggests a new direction for one of pop's resident geniuses.

The album Maladjusted yes is not a complete album with all his best work, but the songs i believe touch on all his different types of music. The song "Trouble loves me" has to be one of Morrissey's best songs. It takes a little while to get in to it but once you get it you are hooked. The words scream to you and the chorus really gets you going. I think the other people who wrote these reviews need to go home and listen to the album again because they are trying to hold on to the Smiths and taking it out on Morrissey.

If you want to hear great singing, this is the record for you. Popular recordings of singing are rapidly becomeing a lost art. Here, you have someone trying to capture the male voice in a beautiful form. This, like other Morrissey recordings, is compared to other songs he has created with other people, but as Morrissey has stated in inteviews in recent years, the vocal melodies are more important to him then the lyrics or music. What I like about this record is the beautiful singing of Morrissey. If you are looking for a vocal performance - someone who can combine physical vocal expression with emotion and feeling, this is a record you will enjoy.

This album is GREAT! Along with Vauxhall and I, this is one of my favorite of Morrisey's albums.

"Maladjusted" covers a lot of emotional ground and the guitar work is some of the best I've heard in terms of tightness, melodicism, and lyricism. This album rates very high in the sing-along factor - it's great played loudly in your car. It's a great up-lifter for me.

Wide to Receive is a song I must admit that, when I'm in a funk, feeling lonely/down/blue and this song really drills into your head and allows you to wallow big time. Stylistically, this song to me is the most unique the MOZ has made. I especially love the addition of the accompanying background vocals crooning behind Morrissey. If the Morisey's music resonates with those because his music has accompanied you through your dark blue days, than I can't think of a more beautiful song than this. I think this song is an outright miracle. It's as as artsy and non-commercial as you can get while staying true to his "art" - the flute solo is the middle is heart-wrenching!

Ammunition is a very sure-footed piece and has a very uplifting message: basically you don't beat yourself down for whatever reason as there is already "ammunition" out there you have to deal with already. I love the music and the lyrics, oneofmy all-time favorites songs form ANY artist.

Trouble Loves Me starts off slow with piano accompaniments but develops into a full-orchestral sounding and lush piece, the ending is majestic! I wish someone on Broadway would use this song (and other songs form this CD for that matter), it's so dramatic and wide-ranging lyrically.

He Cried is a short piece but I love the imagery that the song elicits, also very lyrical.
Roy's Keen, Alma Matters, are also standout songs to me.

By the way, Steve Lilywhite produced this album, who is behind many of my absolutely favorite albums (U2, Siouxsie, Echo/Bunnymen, Big Country, etc...) .... If you like his productions (soaring, dynamic, tight) then you should give this album a try.

UPDATE: It seems like they re-issued this CD and I am SO SO SO glad Morrissey decided to do this because
it is a very beautiful album album overall. The new album art is OK, he looks TOO "adjusted", I like the original
art better, he does look a bit "Maladjusted" LOL.

I was surprised to find out how critically reviled this album was. The only song I didn't care for was, oddly enough the opener, 'Maladjusted'. But the rest of this is great stuff. Sweeping melodies abound starting with the best track, Alma Matters and continuing through Papa Jack, Trouble Loves Me, Ammunition, and on. Man this grabbed me on the first listen. I got into Morrissey way late, and quickly devoured the entire back catalog, and some of The Smiths, too. I find I like Morrissey's solo material more, though. Song for song, his solo catalog contains a huge percentage of high quality songs. Very little 'filler'. Good stuff!

Opinions differ widely on this album; those who loved Southpaw Grammar seem to dislike Maladjusted, while those who found Southpaw rather difficult to get through usually rave about this album. I tend towards the latter view. Maladjusted finds Morrissey covering familiar territory, true. Themes of melancholy and isolation, always Mozzer's particular specialty, crop up in tracks like the excellent "Trouble Loves Me," while Morrissey takes a humourous poke at his infamous "mopey" image in the catchy "Satan Rejected My Soul." The title track reveals his skill at narrative songwriting is still sharp, and "Alma Matters" is an excellent pop song, with deceptively simple lyrics.

This album is, as a whole, a remarkably cohesive effort, much akin to the reflective Vauxhall and I, though not quite up to that high standard. Critics were less than kind to Maladjusted, but criticism of Morrissey's solo work should usually be taken with a grain of salt. It's not his best work, perhaps, but it's far from the worst, and well worth buying. Why don't you find out for yourself?

Just when you thought you'd seen the last of the infamous Morrissey, along comes Maladjusted and blows you right out of the water. True to his form, Morrissey brings his audience yet another compilation of original songs deemed too morbid for the general listening public, yet too beautiful for listeners to ignore out-right. Compared to his previous CDs, Morrissey captures a slightly different sound while remaining true to his signature crooning. Songs like Trouble Loves Me, Papa Jack and He Cried highlight Moz's saddened vocals while Alma Matters, Roy's Keen and Satan Rejected My Soul show the stark contrast with sharper stylings and ripping instrumentals. And amid the parallel samples, we also get to see a bit of Morrissey's angry side in Sorrow Will Come In The End, a public statement of Moz's feelings toward a previous British court ruling against his favor. Funny enough, he was not allowed to include that track in the UK release of Maladjusted. I think Morrissey followers will, of coarse, love this CD, but I honestly think that new listeners, if given the chance, will enjoy it also. It has a tremendous amount of heart put into it, which can most definately be seen in the soul searching vocals, and it's accompanying music arrangements.