(1988) Morrissey - Viva Hate (2012 Remaster) [FLAC+.cue] {100.XY}

Wikipedia:
Viva Hate is Morrissey's debut solo album, released on 14 March 1988 by HMV Records. The album was considered a very strong foray into Morrissey's solo career, as he used his traditional lyrical style and retained the basic sound that The Smiths had developed by the time they broke up. It was listed by Q as one of the top 50 albums of 1988. The album was originally going to be called Education in Reverse; some LPs in Australia and New Zealand were released with this title.
The album was released a mere six months after The Smiths' final album, Strangeways, Here We Come. The title predicts the content as Morrissey's lyrics are sardonic and invective, while some of the tracks deal with the harshness of the breakup of The Smiths.
The album was produced by Stephen Street, who enlisted Vini Reilly of The Durutti Column as the guitarist. Reilly's distinctive style is evident throughout the entire album, especially in tracks such as "Late Night, Maudlin Street" and "Bengali in Platforms". The record remains one of Morrissey's best known recordings and was certified Gold by the RIAA on 16 November 1993. Some of the tracks caused controversy such as the track "Margaret on the Guillotine", which described the death of prime minister Margaret Thatcher as a "wonderful dream".


Review:
On producer Stephen Street's website there's a fascinating Morrissey letter from 1987 and the birth of Viva Hate. It's a reply to Street's unsolicited offer of demos as possible backing tracks for a post-Smiths B-Side or two. Morrissey writes that he's done with the Smiths, that he's keen for his solo career to start as soon as possible, and could these demos perhaps form the basis of a full album?
The letter shows a hungry, impatient Morrissey, ambitious for more than just artistic success-- he also frets over the marketing and midweek chart position for "Girlfriend in a Coma". After 20 years of stalled comebacks and scorned collaborators it seems odd to think of Morrissey as a mainstream contender, but in 1988 he was, and he had a record label willing to throw serious money at making the idea stick. The result was one of Morrissey's most energetic and prominent phases: an acclaimed album, singles thick with new tracks, and a year-end surprise gig at Wolverhampton which saw him mobbed by his delirious cultists. The perfect subject for a deluxe reissue package, you'd say, and that's just what EMI announced last year, a remastered Viva Hate filled with bonus material and the Wolverhampton gig in full.
By Tom Ewing
Full review at pitchfork.com





Country: UK
Genre: Alternative rock
Quality: FLAC/tracks+.cue

Tracklist:
1 Alsatian Cousin
2 Little Man, What Now
3 Everyday Is Like Sunday
4 Bengali in Platforms
5 Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together
6 Late Night, Maudlin Street
7 Suedehead
8 Break Up the Family
9 Treat Me Like A Human Being
10 I Don't Mind If You Forget Me
11 Dial A Cliché
12 Margaret on the Guillotine