AMG Review of Suedehead

Ned Raggett
All Music Guide

Playing it a touch safe for his debut solo release, Morrissey whipped up an extremely Smiths-sounding lead track. Stephen Street wrote the music and Vini Reilly may have played the guitar as well as chiming keyboards, but one has the feeling they did so on his specific request. Regardless, it is a memorable number, with Street's subtle orchestrations carrying the sweep of the song. The B-sides all have their points; "Hairdresser on Fire" has a melodramatic string beginning before kicking into a nice acoustic/electric groove accompanied by bells on the chorus. The other two cuts, "I Know Very Well How I Got My Name" and "Oh Well, I'll Never Learn" are short tracks, but the former has a great Reilly performance and lovely Street strings, letting Morrissey take a spotlight vocal turn. The latter track has just about all the same elements but doesn't succeed as well in comparison.