Vauxhall and I

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Untitled

Vauxhall and I is the fourth studio album by English alternative rock musician Morrissey. It was released on 14 March 1994, by the record label Parlophone in the UK and Sire/Reprise in the USA.

Background

The album's title may be a reference to the 1987 film Withnail and I. Vauxhall is an area of London noted for its gay clubs, and there is also a British car manufacturer of the same name.

"Spring Heeled Jim" contains bits of dialogue from We Are the Lambeth Boys, a 1959 documentary that follows the lives of members of a south London youth club.[2] The line "Don't leave us in the dark" at the end of "Billy Budd" is sampled from the 1948 David Lean film adaptation of Dickens' Oliver Twist. This was said by one of Fagin's pickpockets to Fagin when the mob was closing in on their hiding place. The song itself shares the title with a novella by Herman Melville.

Release

Vauxhall and I was a success in the United States, making the top 20. It was also Morrissey's second solo album to reach the top of the charts in Britain, the first being Viva Hate.

The lead single off the album, "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get", became the only song by Morrissey or The Smiths to achieve chart success in the United States, where it reached number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. In the United Kingdom, the song hit number 8 in the UK Singles Chart and was the only single by Morrissey to reach the top ten during the 1990s.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Blender[4]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
NME8/10[7]
Pitchfork7.8/10[8]
Q[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[11]
Select5/5[12]

Q listed it as one of the top ten albums of 1994.[13] In February 2006, the same magazine voted it at number 91 on its list of the best albums ever.[citation needed] In January 2006, NME voted it number 57 in its list of the "Top 100 British Albums".[citation needed]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Morrissey

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Now My Heart Is Full"Boz Boorer4:57
2."Spring-Heeled Jim"Boorer3:47
3."Billy Budd"Alain Whyte2:08
4."Hold On to Your Friends"Whyte4:02
5."The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get"Boorer3:44
6."Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself"Whyte3:20
7."I Am Hated for Loving"Whyte3:41
8."Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning"Boorer3:42
9."Used to Be a Sweet Boy"Whyte2:49
10."The Lazy Sunbathers"Whyte3:08
11."Speedway"Boorer4:30

Etchings on vinyl

Definitive Edition., 20th Anniversary Remaster

DISC 2

Billy Budd (Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane) Have-A-Go Merchant (Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane) Spring-Heeled Jim (Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane) London (Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane) You're The One For Me Fatty (Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane) Boxers (Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane) Jack The Ripper (Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane) We'll Let You Know (Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane) Whatever Happens I Love You (Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane) Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself (Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane) The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get (Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane) National Front Disco (Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane) Moon River (Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane) Now My Heart Is Full (Live At The Theatre Royal Drury Lane)

Personnel

  • Morrissey – vocals
  • Alain Whyte – guitar
  • Boz Boorer – guitar
  • Jonny Bridgwood – bass
  • Woodie Taylor – drums
Technical
  • Greg Ross – art direction
  • Dean Freeman – photography
  • Chris Dickie – producer, engineer
  • Steve Lillywhite – producer
  • Danton Supple – assistant engineer

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[14] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[16] none 293,017[15]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.


References

  1. ^ Gallucci, Michael. "Morrissey's 'Vauxhall and I' – A Look Back at an Alt-Rock Classic". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  2. ^ "The Smiths / Morrissey FAQ: Lyrics". compsoc.man.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Vauxhall and I – Morrissey". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  4. ^ Power, Tony (15 September 2004). "Morrissey: Vauxhall and I". Blender. Archived from the original on 30 June 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  5. ^ Romero, Michele (25 March 1994). "Vauxhall and I". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  6. ^ Ali, Lorraine (27 March 1994). "Morrissey, "Vauxhall and I"; Sire/Reprise". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  7. ^ Bailie, Stuart (12 March 1994). "His Astra's Voice". NME.
  8. ^ Heller, Jason (5 June 2014). "Morrissey: Vauxhall and I". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  9. ^ Collins, Andrew (April 1994). "Morrissey: Vauxhall and I". Q (91).
  10. ^ Volk, Steven (7 April 1994). "Morrissey: Vauxhall and I". Rolling Stone: 73.
  11. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Morrissey". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 561–62. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  12. ^ Harrison, Andrew (April 1994). "Vauxhall Viva!". Select (46).
  13. ^ "Rocklist.net ...Q magazine Recordings of the Year". Rocklist.net. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  14. ^ "British album certifications – Morrissey – Vauxhall and I". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Vauxhall and I in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  15. ^ https://www.morrissey-solo.com/threads/morrisseys-record-sales.141301/
  16. ^ "American certifications – Morrissey". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

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