Beethoven Was Deaf [Live]

The first studio album this band tackled was "Your Arsenal"---but "Beethoven Was Deaf", The live disc from a Paris, France date on the tour for "Arsenal" in late '92, is so good that it essentially renders that disc unnecessary. Nine of the ten "Your Arsenal" songs are performed in this Paris concert, and almost unanimously these performances improve upon, enhance, or downright stomp the album versions. Many extraneous production techniques used on the "Arsenal" album on songs like "Seasick Yet Still Docked" or especially "I Know It's Going To Happen Someday" are gone in this setting and replaced by a more straitforward band performance. The one exception to the live-version-is-better feeling is "The National Front Disco". About thee and a half minutes into an impressive version, the proceedings degenerate into a total slash-and-burn, feedback-and-distortion, random bashings-on-the-bass-and-drums, shredded-guitar noisefest. This would be fine for a quick ending, but this goes on for a nearly interminable three minutes or so! Be ready to hit the skip button as this endless caterwauling ensues. As the last screech is emitted, Morrisey says, "We're thinking of making that our next single..do you think it'd be a hit?" To which those in the crowd who know English and can still hear over the ringing in their ears scream, "Non!"

This small annoyance notwithstanding, the sound of this live disc is among the best ever for such a recording--the instruments, vocals, drums, etc are all very clear and very close to studio quality. Of course, there is a loud French crowd singing along on hits like "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" to let you know that this is indeed a live recording.

There are some interesting song choices for the 7 non-"Arsenal" tunes. Most of the songs were from his many late eighties and early nineties singles and not from his prior albums--although a couple were on the US-singles-compliation disc called "Bona Drag". "Suedehead", his first single and a track on the "Viva Hate" disc, makes an appearance, and "Such a Little Thing..." is drastically truncated from its studio form and used as a lead in to the anthemic "I Know It's Going To Happen Someday". "The Loop" is probably the closest thing to Rockabilly on the disc, and the menacing sound of "Jack The Ripper" (not to be confused with the Link Wray instrumental of the same name) is effectively duplicated.

In all, there has scarcely been a better live album than this, and its quality stands as a sort of double-edged sword for Morrisey, because he hasn't really been able to produce anything quite this good, either before or since. Going into subsequent years/discs/tours, his band has not been solely made up of the musicians from this disc, and that probably contributes to a gradual sense of slipping quality in his releases of late(not that there has been anything new in a few years.) Live albums are hardly ever among the strongest statements an artist makes (The Who's "Live At Leeds" being a notable exception, ), but I would recommend anyone looking for the real 'best of Morrisey' to begin with this disc, because there really isn't anything in his whole catalog with quite the visceral power and amazing overall quality as this disc.