You Are the Quarry

Recorded in autumn 2003 with Jerry Finn at Hook End Manor and Conway in Hollywood, it followed a break from recording that began after 1997. Most songs are credited to Morrissey and Whyte, with Boorer writing several and Gary Day sharing one credit. It reached number two in Britain and number 11 in the United States, his best American placing, and went platinum in Britain. It topped the chart in Sweden.

Four singles reached the British top ten: "Irish Blood, English Heart", "First of the Gang to Die", "Let Me Kiss You" and "I Have Forgiven Jesus". Nancy Sinatra's version of "Let Me Kiss You" also charted in Britain. A deluxe edition in October 2004 added nine B-sides and videos.

Reviews were mostly positive. Metacritic scored it 72 from 31 reviews, Pitchfork gave it 8.9, NME eight out of ten, and Mojo four out of five. Guardian and Q gave it two out of five. Tiny Mix Tapes called it a fantastic record for fans, though the sound was largely unchanged.

It was his first album in seven years, since Maladjusted in 1997. Some versions of the packaging crop the cover to his face and leave out the machine gun. The October 2004 deluxe edition included his appearances on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. Concerts planned for 26 and 27 January 2024 to play the album in full, in Anaheim and Los Angeles, were cancelled when Morrissey was ordered to remain in Zurich with physical exhaustion.