''Maladjusted'' is the sixth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by English singer

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...

, released on 11 August 1997 by

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

. On release, the album received a lukewarm reception from fans and critics alike, and was Morrissey's last studio album for seven years, until 2004's ''

You Are the Quarry ''You Are the Quarry'' is the seventh studio album by English alternative rock singer Morrissey. It was released on 17 May 2004 by record label Attack, and was his first album in seven years following 1997's '' Maladjusted''. The album was a hu ...

''.

Content

''Maladjusted'' was Morrissey's attempt to integrate the

torch song A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affecte ...

s that he experimented with on ''

Vauxhall and I ''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 US. Background The album's title may be a refer ...

'' with the

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

of his earlier career. In addition to "

Alma Matters "Alma Matters" is a song by Morrissey, released as a single in July 1997. It was the first single to be taken from the '' Maladjusted'' album and was released one week before the album. The single reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart, bec ...

", the tracks "Trouble Loves Me", "Ammunition" and "Wide to Receive" stand out as reminiscent of the ''Vauxhall and I'' era. The album caused a small amount of controversy over what was to be the penultimate track. Entitled "Sorrow Will Come in the End", it featured Morrissey intoning, rather than singing, over a backing of manic strings and the beat of a judge's

gavel A gavel is a small ceremonial mallet commonly made of hardwood, typically fashioned with a handle. It can be used to call for attention or to punctuate rulings and proclamations and is a symbol of the authority and right to act officially in the ...

. The song is clearly about the Mike Joyce royalties dispute, and lyrically takes the form of, essentially, an extended threatening message to him and his representatives. "Don't close your eyes/Don't ever close your eyes/A man who slits throats/Has time on his hands/And I'm gonna get you".

, Morrissey's label at the time, dropped the track from UK versions of the album for fear of libel action. Joyce, for his part, said of the song, "I just found it funny. If Lemmy had written it, I might be concerned." On the inside sleeve of the LP is printed "

John Bindon John Dennis Arthur Bindon (4 October 1943 – 10 October 1993) was an English actor and bodyguard who had close links with the London underworld. The son of a London cab driver, Bindon was frequently in trouble as a youth for getting into figh ...

1943–1993", a reference to the English actor and

bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...

who had close links with the London

underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

Release

Morrissey released "

" on 21 July 1997 to support the album. The song premiered on the

KROQ-FM KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The stat ...

Jed the Fish show on 4 July 1997. ''Maladjusted'' was released on 11 August 1997 by record label

Island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

. The follow-up singles "

Roy's Keen "Roy's Keen" is a song by Morrissey, released as a single in October 1997. It was the second single to be taken from the ''Maladjusted'' album and was the third solo Morrissey single not to feature himself in the cover picture, instead using a ...

" and "

Satan Rejected My Soul "Satan Rejected My Soul" is a song by Morrissey, released as a single in December 1997. It was the third single to be taken from the ''Maladjusted'' album. The single reached number 39 on the UK Singles Chart—an improvement on the preceding ...

" peaked at numbers 42 and 39, respectively. Island Records released a remastered and redesigned version of ''Maladjusted'' on 4 May 2009. It included a new album cover and track listing, several rare B-sides and the first UK release of "Sorrow Will Come in the End". However, two songs ("Roy's Keen" and "Papa Jack") were left off the new track list. In the initial press release, "Ambitious Outsiders" was incorrectly listed as "Ambitious Lovers". It was released on the Polydor label.

Critical reception

''Maladjusted'' received a mixed-to-unfavourable response from critics. Matt Hendrickson of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' wrote, "despite his predictability, ''Maladjusted'' is Morrissey's strongest musical effort since his 1988 solo debut, ''

Viva Hate ''Viva Hate'' is the debut solo studio album by English singer Morrissey. It was released on 14 March 1988 by HMV, six months after the final studio album by the Smiths, '' Strangeways, Here We Come'' (1987). Vini Reilly, the leader of the E ...

''."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the ''Maladjusted'' liner notes. *

– vocals *

Alain Whyte Alain Gordon Whyte (pronounced Alan) (born 3 July 1967) is an English musician, songwriter, composer and singer. He was Morrissey's main songwriting partner and guitarist between 1991 and 2007. Prior to 1991, Whyte previously been in the bands ...

– guitar; piano; backing vocals *

Boz Boorer Martin James "Boz" Boorer (born 19 May 1962 in Edgware, Middlesex, England) is an English guitarist and producer most known for his work founding the new wave rockabilly group the Polecats; and later for his work as a co-writer, guitarist and m ...

–

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

, guitar *Jonny Bridgwood – bass guitar *Spencer Cobrin drums *

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Big ...

– producer

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control Morrissey albums 1997 albums Albums produced by Steve Lillywhite