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). 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.
"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). 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. "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.
The next track, "The Harsh Truth of the Camera Eye", is often cited as Morrissey's most misunderstood song. 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.
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.
| rev2 = Chicago Tribune
| rev2Score =
| rev3 = Entertainment Weekly
| rev3Score = A−
| rev4 = Los Angeles Times
| rev4Score =
| rev5 = NME
| rev5Score = 8/10
| rev6 = Pitchfork
| rev6Score = 6.0/10
| rev7 = Q
| rev7Score =
| rev8 = Rolling Stone
| rev8Score =
| rev9 = Select
| rev9Score = 4/5
| rev10 = The Village Voice
| rev10Score = B+
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". 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".
Musicians
- Morrissey – vocals
- Mark E. Nevin – guitar
- Mark Bedford – bass guitar
- Andrew Paresi – drums; percussion
- Seamus Beaghen – keyboards
- Steven Heart – keyboards
- Nawazish Ali Khan – violin
- Linder Sterling – backing vocals
Production and artwork
- Alan Winstanley – production
- Clive Langer – production
- Simon Metcalfe – engineering assistance
- Gino Sprio – sleeve photography
- Jo Slee – sleeve art coordinator
Charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Chart performance for Kill Uncle
!scope="col"| Chart (1991)
!scope="col"| Peak<br />position
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