[CD] MORRISSEY • VIVA HATE • 1988 SOLO DEBUT • U.K. IMPORT

Viva Hate is the debut solo studio album by Morrissey. It was released on 14 March 1988 by HMV, six months after the final album by The Smiths, Strangeways, Here We Come.

The track Margaret on the Guillotine, which described the death of then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher as a "wonderful dream", led to Morrissey briefly being questioned by the UK Police Special Branch.

Viva Hate was generally well received by critics. Rolling Stone called the album "a tight, fairly disciplined affair," in comparison of its sound to that of The Smiths. In its retrospective review, Pitchfork called the album "one of Morrissey's most interesting records, and certainly his riskiest", and that its "strange mix of pomp and minimal languor makes Viva Hate the only Morrissey LP you'd consider listening to just for its music."

Viva Hate was listed by Q as one of the top 50 albums of 1988. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Listen To Before You Die.