Album of the Day

Thirty years ago,  Morrissey released his solo debut,  VIVA HATE. Issued less than a year after The Smiths' studio swan song, the album bears some similarity to the Manchester quartet's 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). Featuring an outstanding set of songs, including “Suedehead,” “Hairdresser On Fire” and “Everyday Is Like Sunday,” the collection went to No.1 on the U.K. album chart. Morrissey remains one of alternative rock's most distinctive voices, and VIVA HATE remains one of his best.