Album of the Day

How do you follow an act like The Smiths? Quickly, at least in Morrissey's case; his solo debut VIVA HATE was released less than a year after his old band's studio swan song. Not surprisingly, the album bears some similarity to The Smiths' shimmering music, with longtime engineer/producer Stephen Street at the helm (both Street and The Durutti Column's Vini Reilly helped fill the compositional and instrumental roles vacated by Johnny Marr). An outstanding set of songs helped spur the collection's success; “Suedehead” and “Everyday Is Like Sunday” rank with the performer's most memorable, and the anti-Thatcher screed “Margaret On The Guillotine” ranks with his most controversial. One of alternative rock's most distinctive voices, Morrissey was born on this day in 1959, and we'll wish him a happy birthday with VIVA HATE.