Kill Uncle

Kill Uncle
Studio album by
Morrissey
Released4 March 1991
Recorded1990–1991
StudioHook End Manor (Oxfordshire, England)
Genre
Length33:02
Label
Producer
Morrissey chronology
Bona Drag
(1990) 		Kill Uncle
(1991) 		Your Arsenal
(1992)
Singles from Kill Uncle
  1. "Our Frank"
    Released: 11 February 1991
  2. "Sing Your Life"
    Released: 1 April 1991
2013 remaster cover

Kill Uncle is the second solo studio album by the English alternative rock singer Morrissey, released on 4 March 1991 by EMI Records and His Master's Voice. The title comes from the black comedy film Let's Kill Uncle (1966).[1] The album was preceded by the single "Our Frank".

Recording

Kill Uncle was recorded during a transitional phase for Morrissey, having parted ways with record producer Stephen Street but not yet working with his future long-term team of guitarists Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer. The album was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley with most of the music written by Fairground Attraction's guitarist Mark E. Nevin.

Content

The opening track, "Our Frank", describes "frank and open, deep conversations" that get the singer nowhere and leave him disheartened. The final verse, however, sees Morrissey singing "Won't somebody stop me from thinking? From thinking all the time. So deeply, so bleakly ...", which critic David Thompson interprets as indicating that the conversations he so dreads are in fact with himself.[2]

"Asian Rut" tells of the murder of an Asian boy by three English boys, in which Morrissey's vocals are backed only by strings, bass, and sound effects. The song continues the trope of Morrissey writing about English racism from a unique angle, as with "Bengali in Platforms" on his debut solo studio album Viva Hate (1988).[3]

"Sing Your Life" has Morrissey encouraging the listener to express themselves, as he sings, "Walk right up to the microphone and name all the things you love, all the things you loathe."[4] A rockabilly version of the song also exists, recorded live at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles after Morrissey started working with new guitarists Boz Boorer and Alain Whyte.

"Mute Witness" tells of an attempt to get information out of a shocked witness who cannot speak at a trial, featuring piano backing composed by Clive Langer.[3] "King Leer" follows, a relaxed tune with sardonic lyrical puns.[5][6] "Found Found Found", another Langer track, is the only heavy song on the album. Morrissey sings that he's found "someone who's worth it in this murkiness" but ends complaining this person is "somebody who wants to be with me... all the time".

"Driving Your Girlfriend Home" is a ballad in which Morrissey tells of driving home the girlfriend of an unspecified person.[3] He reveals she asks him, "'How did I end up so deeply involved in the very existence I planned on avoiding?'" and that "She's laughing to stop herself crying." These outpourings are interspersed with directional instructions. Morrissey tells us "I can't tell her" the answer to her question and that the ride concludes with them "shaking hands goodnight so politely."[7]

The next track, "The Harsh Truth of the Camera Eye", is often cited as Morrissey's most misunderstood song.[8] The lyric is describing the "pain because of the strain of smiling" and the dichotomy between one's public image and private personality. The music consists of a carnival-like synthesizer and also features sound effects like a door slamming and a camera shutter snapping, along with piano accompaniment.

In "(I'm) The End of the Family Line", the singer rues he will never have children, an insult into the "fifteen generations... of mine" that produced him. The lyric is complemented by a subdued guitar backing, and ends with a similar 'false' fadeout similar to such Smiths songs as "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore".

The original album closes with "There Is a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends", a simple piano piece that reflects the existential longing of the album and showcases Morrissey's torch song influence.[3]

Release

Kill Uncle was released on 4 March 1991 by record labels EMI and His Master's Voice.

"Our Frank", the album's lead single and opening track, reached No. 26 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 2 in the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Sing Your Life" was also released as a single, reaching No. 33 in the UK and No. 10 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart.

On 5 February 2013, Morrissey announced the reissue of the album, along with a remastered version of his 1989 single "The Last of the Famous International Playboys", both to be released 8 April as part of an ongoing Morrissey reissue campaign by Parlophone. The album was available as a gatefold CD and heavyweight gatefold LP, and both the picture disc single and album featured new cover artwork.[9]

The 2013 edition includes the additional tracks "East West" and "Pashernate Love", replaces "There's a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends" with the version from the live EP At KROQ, and rearranges the running order.[10] The press release mentioned that "the album has a revitalised quality, which accentuates some of its more subtle, experimental qualities and nuances; in particular, some of the more unusual musical styles which Morrissey explored for the first time".[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Chicago Tribune[12]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[13]
Los Angeles Times[14]
NME8/10[15]
Pitchfork6.0/10[10]
Q[3]
Rolling Stone[16]
Select4/5[17]
The Village VoiceB+[18]

In a review rated eight out of ten, NME praised the album saying: "Kill Uncle is a collection of songs that are both very good and like nothing much else in pop. They range every which way across styles and themes and still they sound like only Morrissey could have sung them".[15] NME then placed the album at number 25 on their best fifty albums of 1991 list.[19] In a four-out-of-five square review, Select hailed it as "a pleased and pleasing work", adding "the album's only problem" was "it all ends too soon", nevertheless dubbing it "a success".[17] in a negative reviex, Mat Snow in Q magazine described it as "further evidence of woodworm in the creative rafters" and highlighted the short running time of the album.[3]

In the US, Entertainment Weekly published a glowing review, saying: "repeated listens reveal an oddly queasy charm. And there are plenty of cuts like ”Our Frank” that recall the strange perkiness of early-’70s hits from the arty British group Roxy Music." Assesing the lyrics, reviewer Jim Farber wrote that Morrissey "offers some of his most artful expressions of discomfort ever". He concluded by promising the readers: "the record will hook you".[13] In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic panned the album, describing it as "Morrissey's least distinguished record" with "neither melody nor much wit".[11] Mark Hogan of Pitchfork wrote that the album "is best appreciated as a campy celebration of the decorative and artificial."[10]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Morrissey; all music is composed by Mark E. Nevin, except where noted.

Kill Uncle track listing
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Our Frank" 3:25
2."Asian Rut" 3:22
3."Sing Your Life" 3:27
4."Mute Witness"Clive Langer3:32
5."King Leer" 2:55
6."Found Found Found"Langer1:59
7."Driving Your Girlfriend Home" 3:23
8."The Harsh Truth of the Camera Eye" 5:34
9."(I'm) The End of the Family Line" 3:30
10."There's a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends" 1:52
Total length:33:02
US bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."Tony the Pony"4:11
2013 expanded edition
No.TitleLength
1."Our Frank"3:22
2."Sing Your Life"3:20
3."Mute Witness"3:31
4."King Leer"2:55
5."Asian Rut"3:19
6."Pashernate Love"2:19
7."East West"2:33
8."Found Found Found"1:58
9."Driving Your Girlfriend Home"3:18
10."The Harsh Truth of the Camera Eye"5:34
11."There's a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends (At KROQ Version)"2:20
12."(I'm) The End of the Family Line"3:27
Total length:37:56

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the Kill Uncle liner notes.[20]

Musicians

Production and artwork

Charts

Chart performance for Kill Uncle
Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[21] 45
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[22] 53
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] 61
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[24] 30
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 27
UK Albums (OCC)[26] 8
US Billboard 200[27] 52

Certifications

Certifications for Kill Uncle
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ David La Monaca, The Wor(l)d of Morrissey, 'Album: Kill Uncle'
  2. ^ Thompson, Dave. "Our Frank – Morrissey | Listen, Appearances, Song Review | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Snow, Mat (April 1991). "Morrissey: Kill Uncle". Q (55): 71.
  4. ^ Thompson, Dave. "Sing Your Life – Morrissey | Listen, Appearances, Song Review | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  5. ^ Dingwall, John (18 April 2006). "The Worst Lyrics in the World..Ever – The Daily Record". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  6. ^ "LASID – King Leer". compsoc.man.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  7. ^ "LASID – Driving Your Girlfriend Home". compsoc.man.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  8. ^ "LASID – The Harsh Truth of the Camera Eye". compsoc.man.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Press Release: The Last of the Famous International Playboys: Special Edition Single; Kill Uncle: Album Remastered | True to You". True to You. 5 February 2013. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  10. ^ a b c Hogan, Mark (12 April 2013). "Morrissey: Kill Uncle". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  11. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Kill Uncle – Morrissey". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  12. ^ Kot, Greg (7 July 1991). "The Smiths And Solo". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 15 August 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  13. ^ a b Farber, Jim (5 April 1991). "Kill Uncle". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 15 August 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  14. ^ Hochman, Steve (24 March 1991). "Morrissey 'Kill Uncle' Sire/Reprise". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  15. ^ a b Quantick, David (2 March 1991). "Better Relate Than Never". NME.
  16. ^ Felder, Rachel (22 August 1991). "Morrissey: Kill Uncle". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  17. ^ a b Linehan, Graham (April 1991). "Viva Drama [Morrissey: Kill Uncle album review]". Select.
  18. ^ Christgau, Robert (7 May 1991). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  19. ^ "Planet of Sound NME's Best Fifthy LPs of 1991". NME. 21 December 1991.
  20. ^ Morrissey (1991). Kill Uncle (CD liner notes). His Master's Voice. CDCSD 3789.
  21. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Morrissey – Kill Uncle". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1491". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  23. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Morrissey – Kill Uncle" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  24. ^ "Charts.nz – Morrissey – Kill Uncle". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  25. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Morrissey – Kill Uncle". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  26. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  27. ^ "Morrissey Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  28. ^ "British album certifications – Morrissey – Kill Uncle". British Phonographic Industry.
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