Morrissey Solo Albums: Ranked

For no real reason other than the fact that I'm trying to find reasons not to do actual work to today, I thought I'd rank all of Morrissey's solo albums. A little background: Morrissey's debut solo album, Viva Hate, came out in 1988 (on my 16th birthday, no less!), and as huge Smiths fan I bought it immediately. I've been faithfully buying his solo albums, for better or worse, ever since. I still spend SO MUCH FUCKING TIME listening to these albums, far more time than I spend listening to most other music, new or old. I have something wrong with me.

Please note: For the sake of simplicity I'm excluding most of Morrissey's many compilation albums, save for Bona Drag, which stands alone well enough despite its overlap with Viva Hate (and also because we all had no idea back then that Morrissey was going to turn into such on obsessive self-cannibalizer, discography-wise). I'm also leaving out the live album Beethoven's Deaf, despite how awesome it is. Oh, and in all cases, I'm using the most recent reissue of said album--especially in the case of my #1 pick, which particularly benefits from its reissue bonus tracks. And yes, this is all 100% subjective. Do I really even need to say that?

1. Southpaw Grammar (1995)

2. Vauxhall and I (1994)

3. Your Arsenal (1992)

4. Bona Drag (1990)

5. Viva Hate (1988)

6. You Are the Quarry (2004)

7. Maladjusted (1997)

8. Ringleader of the Tormentors (2006)

9. Years of Refusal (2009)

10. Kill Uncle (1991)

11. World Peace Is None of Your Business (2014)

Now go listen to Southpaw Grammar five hundred times in a row and try to tell me I'm wrong.