Viva Hate

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This article is about the Morrissey album. For the band, see Viva Hate (band).
Viva Hate
File:Morrissey-Viva Hate.jpg
Studio album by Morrissey
Released 14 March 1988
Recorded October–December 1987
Genre Jangle pop
Length 42:16
Label HMV
Producer Stephen Street
Morrissey chronology
Viva Hate
(1988)		 Bona Drag
(1990)Bona Drag1990
1997 re-release cover
1997 re-release cover
Singles from Viva Hate
  1. "Suedehead"
    Released: 15 February 1988
  2. "Everyday Is Like Sunday"
    Released: 31 May 1988

Viva Hate is the debut solo studio album by English musician Morrissey. It was released on 14 March 1988 by record label HMV, six months after the final album by Morrissey's band The Smiths, Strangeways, Here We Come.

Background

Although credited to Morrissey and producer Stephen Street, every song on the album bar "Suedehead" was composed by Morrissey and The Durutti Column guitarist Vini Reilly, who had been drafted into the sessions by Street.[1] EMI Australia considered Viva Hate too harsh a title and renamed the album Education in Reverse for LP release in Australia and New Zealand,[2] the same title appearing as an etching on the vinyl. The album was recorded between October and December 1987.[3]

Release

Viva Hate was released on 14 March 1988 by record label HMV.

There was some controversy caused by the track "Margaret on the Guillotine", which described the death of prime minister Margaret Thatcher as a "wonderful dream".[4]

The American release included the track "Hairdresser on Fire", which had been released in the UK as a B-side to "Suedehead", as track 9. This same track was released on a 7" single that was sold with the album in Japan.

It was certified Gold by the RIAA on 16 November 1993.

In 1997, EMI, in celebration of their 100th anniversary, released a remastered special edition of this album in the UK. It features different cover art and a different booklet (it has a photograph of a billboard for Beethoven Was Deaf and drops the lyrics) as well as eight bonus tracks – only one of which was contemporaneous with the album. "Hairdresser on Fire" does not appear on this version.

A newly remastered, special edition of Viva Hate, supervised by Stephen Street, was released on 2 April 2012. This edition controversially omits, along with the name of Vini Reilly, one of the original album's tracks, "The Ordinary Boys", and includes the session outtake "Treat Me Like a Human Being". Also, the extended fadeout of "Late Night, Maudlin Street" has been changed. Stephen Street has said that he felt these changes were a mistake but that the track selection was changed at Morrissey's insistence.[3] "Hairdresser on Fire", again, is also not included on this edition. Additionally, the typeface font on the front cover has been changed.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4.5/5 stars[5]
Robert Christgau B[6]
Pitchfork 7.3/10[7]
Rolling Stone 4/5 stars[8]
Spin unfavourable[9]

Viva Hate was generally well received by critics. Rolling Stone called the album "a tight, fairly disciplined affair", in comparison of its sound to that of The Smiths.[8] In its retrospective review, Pitchfork called the album "one of Morrissey's most interesting records, and certainly his riskiest", and that its "strange mix of pomp and minimal languor makes Viva Hate the only Morrissey LP you'd consider listening to just for its music".[7]

A negative review came from Spin, who wrote "without guitarist/composer Johnny Marr at his side, the mahatma of mope rock seems to have gone out for a nice depressing stroll without noticing that he didn't have a stitch to wear".[9]

Viva Hate was listed by Q as one of the top 50 albums of 1988.[10]

Track listing

No. Title Length
1. "Alsatian Cousin"   3:13
2. "Little Man, What Now?"   1:48
3. "Everyday Is Like Sunday"   3:32
4. "Bengali in Platforms"   3:55
5. "Angel, Angel Down We Go Together"   1:40
6. "Late Night, Maudlin Street"   7:40
7. "Suedehead"   3:56
8. "Break Up the Family"   3:55
9. "The Ordinary Boys"   3:10
10. "I Don't Mind If You Forget Me"   3:17
11. "Dial-a-Cliché"   2:28
12. "Margaret on the Guillotine"   3:42
Total length:
 42:16

Etchings on vinyl

Original version: EDUCATION IN REVERSE/none

2012 version: BLOOD BATHS I HAVE KNOWN/S####################BA

Personnel

Additional personnel
  • Richard Koster – violin
  • Fenella Barton – violin
  • Rachel Maguire – cello
  • Mark Davies – cello
  • Robert Woolhard – cello
  • John Metcalf – viola
  • Steve Williams – assistant engineer
  • Anton Corbijn – photography
  • Linder Sterling – photography
  • Eamon Macabe – photography
  • Jo Slee – art coordinator
  • Caryn Gough – layout assistance

Charts

Album

Chart (1988) Peak
position
Dutch Albums[11] 12
German Albums[12] 33
New Zealand Albums[13] 8
Norwegian Albums[14] 20
Swedish Albums[15] 27
UK Albums Chart[16] 1
US Billboard 200[17] 48

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Reilly felt sad about it and would have wished a better treatment. He nevertheless expressed no regret and recognized Morissey as a gifted artist and Street as a skilled technician; he admitted that it was his mistake to have accepted such an agreement in the first place. From his side, Street denied all of this. Tony Wilson's version would confirm Reilly's and reported also money-related issues, which makes this case even more unacceptable for him (See an interview of Tony Wilson with Prism Films: Prism Archives Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.)
  2. ↑ Autobiography (2013), p. 390. Penguin Classics.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Morrissey&titel=Viva+Hate&cat=a
  12. ↑ https://www.offiziellecharts.de/album-details-32477
  13. ↑ http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Morrissey&titel=Viva+Hate&cat=a
  14. ↑ http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Morrissey&titel=Viva+Hate&cat=a
  15. ↑ http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Smiths&titel=Meat+Is+Murder&cat=a
  16. ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/viva%20hate/
  17. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/311824/morrissey/chart?page=1&f=305

External links

Preceded by UK number one album
March 26, 1988 – April 1, 1988		 Succeeded by
Now That's What I Call Music 11 by Various Artists
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