Ringleader of the Tormentors

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 attributed 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 and production
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.

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:

We have been working on the music and each day it just sounds better and better. I find every musician in the band a joy to work with. Morrissey's vocals are passionate and confident. Right now I'm at the mixing stage and most of the musicians have gone home. I am two-thirds of the way through one of the best albums I've ever worked on, with not only Morrissey at his best, but the plot has twists and turns which somehow involve film composer Ennio Morricone and an Italian children's choir. That should whet your appetite, you Moz fans, you!"

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.

Release
The album's opening track, "I Will See You in Far-off Places", was leaked on the internet on 2 February 2006.

"In the Future When All's Well" received some airplay in the United States on alternative rock radio.

Ringleader of the Tormentors was released on 3 April 2006. It became Morrissey's third number 1 album on the UK Albums Chart, selling 62,000 copies in its first week of release in the UK. It was also the first British album charting to include download sales, 1,200 of which were full album downloads of Ringleader of the Tormentors. The album peaked in its debut week at number 27 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., and according to Nielsen SoundScan, has sold 98,000 in the U.S. as of August 2008.

Reception
Ringleader of the Tormentors received positive reviews from most critics. According to critic review aggregator Metacritic, the album received an average review score of 75/100, based on 34 critical reviews, indicating "Generally favorable reviews". Andy Gill of The Independent wrote "Musically, it's both tougher and lusher than You Are the Quarry, with proper orchestrations replacing that album's nasty synthetic strings." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote "it's easy to enjoy Ringleader of the Tormentors as merely an everyday Morrissey record, but it's hard not to shake the suspicion that this album is the closest he's ever been to forgettable."

Personnel

 * Morrissey – vocals
 * Alain Whyte – guitar, backing vocals
 * Boz Boorer – guitar
 * Jesse Tobias – guitar
 * Gary Day – bass guitar
 * Matt Chamberlain – drums
 * Michael Farrell – piano, organ, keyboards, trumpet, trombone, percussion

Additional personnel
 * Ennio Morricone – string arrangement on "Dear God Please Help Me"

Children's choir on "The Youngest Was the Most Loved", "The Father Who Must Be Killed" and "At Last I Am Born"
 * Laura Adriani
 * Gaia e Andrea Baroni
 * Niccolo Centioni
 * Julia D'Andrea
 * Alice e Ester Diodovich
 * Marco Lorecchio
 * Charlotte Patrignani