Back in March 1994, Morrissey released what many believe (myself included) to be his best ever solo LP in the shape of Vauxhall And I.
Chock-full of great tunes and witty lyrics, not to mention some of his best ever ballads (and I include his work with The Smiths in that observation), it was preceded a month before its release by The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get – which gave him his first Top 10 single in the UK for 5 years, as well as his only ever entry in the Billboard Hot 100.
And deservedly so, for not only is it one of his best singles, it was accompanied by a couple of more than half-decent b-sides:-
mp3 : Morrissey – The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
mp3 : Morrissey – Used To Be A Sweet Boy
mp3 : Morrissey – I’d Love To
When the LP hit the shops a month or so later, it was a bit disappointing to initially discover that Used To Be A Sweet Boy was also included among its tracks, meaning only 9 of the songs were entirely new. However, if the quantity was somewhat lacking, fans were more than amply compensated with the quality on offer.
Strangely enough, only one more single was taken from Vauxhall and I and arguably, it was one of its weaker tracks….but that’s for next week.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Great lp. Viva hate just pips it for me
Three-way tie for me between Vauxhall, Yr Arsenal and Quarry. Vauxhall however does contain Now My Heart Is Full which on its own might just give it a slight edge over everything else…
I have to agree with FORW – Viva Hate is the one for me. Vauxhall and I and Your Arsenal both provide a lot of enjoyment, but there is a synergy of Artist, Producer and Musicians, which, even if it’s a lot of smoke and mirrors depending on which of those musicians you speak to, is just spot on! I have been listening to Vauxhall and I recently as Morrissey has scheduled a large number of US concerts this year and I took the risk of purchasing a ticket – we will see what percentage of those show actually happen.