Ringleader of the Tormentors

Studio album by Morrissey

Released

3 April 2006

Recorded

September–November 2005 at Forum Music Village, Rome, Italy

Genre

Alternative rock

Length

50:05

Morrissey chronology

You Are the Quarry
(2004)

Ringleader
of the Tormentors
(2006)

Years of Refusal
(2009)

Singles from Ringleader of the Tormentors

"You Have Killed Me"
Released: 27 March 2006
"The Youngest Was the Most Loved"
Released: 5 June 2006
"In the Future When All's Well"
Released: 21 August 2006
"I Just Want to See the Boy Happy"
Released: 3 December 2006

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Blender
The Guardian
The Independent
NME	8/10
Pitchfork	8/10
Rolling Stone
The Times

Ringleader of the Tormentors is the eighth studio album by English alternative rock singer Morrissey. It was released on 3 April 2006 by record label Attack. The album was described as showcasing "a thicker, more rock-driven sound", which Morrissey attributes to new guitarist Jesse Tobias.

The album debuted at number 1 in the UK Albums Chart and number 27 in the US, and also reached number 1 in Sweden, Malta and Greece.

Recording for the album commenced in late August 2005 in Rome, Italy. Mixing began in late October 2005. Originally Morrissey was to record the album with producer Jeff Saltzman, however, he could not undertake the project. Early in recording Morrissey's publicist described it, contradictingly, as "the most full-on rock record Morrissey's ever done. It's a balls-to-the-wall rock record, not a slow one like the last one".

Producer Tony Visconti, of T. Rex and David Bowie fame, took over the production role and Morrissey announced that Ringleader of the Tormentors is to be "the most beautiful—perhaps the most gentle—so far". Visconti wrote on his website:

The musicians recording with Morrissey in Rome were Alain Whyte, Boz Boorer, Jesse Tobias, Gary Day, Michael Farrell and Matt Chamberlain. Chamberlain replaced Dean Butterworth, who decided to continue drumming for the band Good Charlotte. Marco Origel, from the San Francisco area, handled engineering on the album.

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Wikipedia