Best! Morrissey! Albums!

My main man Morrissey has a new album out this week called "World Peace Is None Of Your Business", which has gone in at number two in the album charts today (in the UK at least). I've listened to it a few times so far, but don't want to judge it just yet.

Morrissey is a special artist for me. The first single I ever bought was one of his ('The Last of the Famous International Playboys') and my love of music really developed from there. (Before you think I'm trying to show off my young cool hipster 10 year old self I would add that the first album I ever bought was by Bobby Brown. So there.)

But how do his other (solo) albums rank? Here, finally, for the first time ever anywhere in the world, especially in a blog on the internet, is the definitive list of Morrissey's albums, in order of quality.

1. Your Arsenal (1992)

2. Viva Hate (1988)

3. Vauxhall And I (1994)

4. Bona Drag (1990)

5. You Are The Quarry (2004)

6. Kill Uncle (1991)

7. Southpaw Grammar (1995)

8. Maladjusted (1997)

9. Years of Refusal (2009)

10. Ringleader of the Tormentors (2006)

I think Your Arsenal is clearly the best Moz album. Anyone who says otherwise is a lunatic. It was a close call between Viva Hate, Vauxhall And I and Bona Drag for number two, but I went with Viva Hate in the end as stays more consistently strong (especially lyrically) whereas the other two have one or two weaker moments.

Interestingly, or not, his five best albums contain four of his first five albums (only Kill Uncle of the first five makes the bottom half, and still makes it to six) and You Are The Quarry. His two worst albums are his two most recent, maybe not a good sign for his latest. Or maybe he'll turn it around?

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Note: I've based this on the albums as they were released, and not on the recent reissues which have changed some track listings, though I doubt it would have made much difference. I've not included live albums or compilation albums, though I have included Bona Drag, a sort of compilation of (then) recent singles and b-sides, which always felt like a proper album to me even if some people don't count it.