Morrissey's back

[mayer]

listened to the album through a few times (thanks to lazyhour for the download).

it's good. really good. not brilliant, and not touching Vauxhall & I or  Your Arsenal, but definitely one of the best albums the guy's put out.

i hope it does well, it deserves to, and with all the promotion Moz is putting in this is probably make-or-break time r.e. Moz having any sort of position in the pop charts ever again.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Thanks for that, I always enjoy reading Moz interviews. I agree with a lot of his more "controversial" opinions...

Including the stuff about asylum seekers?

I don't really see anything wrong with his views, they're hardly very strong. He's just saying there's a lot of asylum seekers flooding into a country which is miniscule in size, which is true.

[chand]

But when you consider the amount of people who are emigrating from the UK (you and Morrissey for a start!), it becomes much less like a 'flood'.

[El Unicornio, mang]

The difference being that I had to spend a year and a half and thousands of pounds to get in legally.

[chand]

That wasn't really my point, my point was plenty of people are leaving or have left, so therefore it's no just a flow of people coming in adding to the population, thousands upon thousands of people leave every year as well, lessening the impact of desperate people (sorry 'money-grabbing economic migrants, why can't they come here legally?!') seeking asylum here.

I'm sure people would come here legally if they could, but it is tremendously difficult if you don't come from the right country.

[Malachi Constant]

Yeah well, what you say may well be true but Morrissey hardly said anything inflammatory did he? He did also say that he realises that people often come from lands where they are persecuted so its a complex issue. Stop looking for controversy when it clearly isn't there. The whole line of questioning in the interview just smacks of a rather pathetic attempt by the NME to get him to say something controversial so they could run a ridiculous "Morrissey hates assylum seekers" headline in their shitty rag.

[chand]

I never said he was controversial, I merely disagreed with his use of the word 'flood'.

I don't think he's very controversial at all, in fact I found him a bit boring, sniping at Pop Idol is oooooold news. And I agree with you about the NME's lines of questioning, the NME is a crap old rag.

[mayer]

picked up the single (CD 1 and CD2... though not the 7", i'm a sucker, but not that much of a sucker) today.

B-Sides are great stuff, especially "It's Hard To Walk Tall When You're Small"... it's lovely that Moz has enough quality material to spread it over some singles, though he has of course had enough time ot get it together.


i noticed today that the Keane single is at Number Four in the pop charts. Anything less than a top five for Moz will be a disappointment.

[Peking O]

The whole line of questioning in the interview just smacks of a rather pathetic attempt by the NME to get him to say something controversial so they could run a ridiculous "Morrissey hates assylum seekers" headline in their shitty rag.

'Course it did. That's what NME does. Not just to Morrissey either. Thing is, if the pop stars bite and follow the line of questioning they've only got themselves to blame afterwards. They know what NME's game is, especially if they're in the limelight fairly often. Saying that Britain is 'flooded' with asylum seekers is a pretty daft thing to say. I don't think the UK ranks very highly in terms of the amount of asylum seekers being let in, it's certainly outside the top 10.

[mayer]

The Bluetones

[Peking O]

Are they seeking asylum somewhere? I wouldn't be surprised....

[mayer]

oops.... dodgy connection there.....

the whole post actually said....


The Bluetones


a medicocre indie band who had a few lovely tracks (Slight Return, If..., Bluetonic)... who were ripped apart by the NME for saying that they liked the "English" way of life and wanted it to be preserved (when they released the dull "Keep The Homefires Burning").

this the same magazine who are openly masturbating over the both the defiantly "English" Libertines and the brazen new Moz single.

journalism is full of lazy wankers constructing bullshit stories to sell papers, but nearly every other bloody music journalist (the fantastic Jon Savage aside for sure), seems to be a Piers Morgan type.

[Peking O]

journalism is full of lazy wankers constructing bullshit stories to sell papers, but nearly every other bloody music journalist (the fantastic Jon Savage aside for sure), seems to be a Piers Morgan type.

I think the problem is that the personalities in the music scene lack....well, personality. A few well-constructed half truths do sell more papers than saying "Libertines album is quite good" or "Morrissey is an alright bloke really."  There are alternatives that do focus more on the music, but most of them are very very dull (like The Wire for example). I am a journalist by the way...

[chand]

a medicocre indie band who had a few lovely tracks (Slight Return, If..., Bluetonic)... who were ripped apart by the NME for saying that they liked the "English" way of life and wanted it to be preserved (when they released the dull "Keep The Homefires Burning").

I don't think the Bluetones even put it that strongly. But anyway, the NME then went on to insinuate that the single 'Mudslide' referred to an invasion of brown-skinned folk onto our isle.

I always find it ironic from music mags, who seem to obsess about the nationality of music to a ridiculous extent. 'The 10 New British Bands To Watch Out For This Year', they proclaim, every year, as if music only comes from Britain or whichever city in the US is 'hot' this year (New York/Detroit).

I bought the NME the other week having not done for a while, and it's still the same old shite. You know which bands will get an uncritical 9/10, you know which bands will get slagged, you know most of the interesting music is gonna be completely ignored, and you know that the letters editor is gonna print 2 'The Darkness are shit' letters which he can sneer at, a couple of 'Wow the NME is great!' letters, and a bunch of fawning letters about whichever skinny guitar band is relevant at the moment.  It induces a jaw-breaking yawn.

[mr rou-rou]

You are the Quarry

how many listens are we up to and are we enjoying it yet?

I've heard the entire album twice and tracks 1 - 5 about five times a piece because I keep wandering off.

A few interesting lyrics have floated out at me, but from the twelve tracks I can't really say the same about the music.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what I start singing.

[El Unicornio, mang]

where'd you get it rou? Last time I checked Soulseek the files were all old Moz songs renamed by some tool

[mayer]

i've listened to it through a good 15 times or so now

(soulseek username mayernissim, My Music/Morrissey/You Are The Quarry - though some folk can't seem to search me... i got it off lazyhour who may be about)

it's growing on me. weirdly for a Moz album the weakest part in places seems to be the lyrics in places.... some great lines here and there though still.

i think the strongest tracks are the 2002 tour ones (IBEH, I Like You, next single The First of The Gang To Die and ....Crashing Bores), though that might just be familiarity talking. i also like "How Could Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel" and "I Have Forgiven Jesus".

in fact the only tracks i can't seem to get into are "Come Back To Camden" and "All The Lazy Dykes", and the former was being wanked over in reviews everywhwere, so maybe they need a bit more time.

overall i think its good, really good. but not brilliant, and not as good as Vauxhall & I.

[Rats]

Ah, I really like come back to camden

Your leg came to rest against mine, Then you lounged with knees up and apart
And me and my heart, we knew, We just knew, For evermore

that's just lovely

[lazyhour]

Ah, I really like come back to camden

Your leg came to rest against mine, Then you lounged with knees up and apart
And me and my heart, we knew, We just knew, For evermore

that's just lovely

But that just makes it more of a pity that the song is a dreadful dirge, wouldn't you say?

[Rats]

You think? I really really like that song, it was the first one that I loved instantly listening to the album.

[Rev]

I like that one too, but then again, I really like 'You know I wouldn't last', which is just bombastic nonsense when you put it under a microscope.  Bah, cranked-up, it sounds good to me.

The album as a whole is kind of underwhelming, though.  No really duff tracks, but nothing I'd want played at my funeral either.  'First of the Gang to Die' is nice and catchy, but it's like a sketch of a song that he never got around to finishing, and if you put a gun to my head I wouldn't be able to remember what 'America is not the World' sounds like.  Even after half a dozen listens.

[Ghost of Troubled Joe]

Still haven't heard the album, but the single B-sides are fantabulosa.

Moz had better do a UK tour in the autumn.

[Rats]

Just a reminder that our chinny lord fop is on telly tonight. I want to see everyone swinging gladiola and "accidently" ripping their shirts off like big bloody nancy's.

[Ghost of Troubled Joe]

Is that on Jonathan Ross?

[Rats]

Yeah, it's gonna be a total friday night fop fest, even Dale Winton's turning up, forever the apprentice fop but good luck to the lad.

[mayer]

a round of of the la's heavy promotional shtick

May 14 - "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross", BBC1
May 16 - "Razor Cuts", Virgin Radio
May 19 - Maida Vale - Live at Maida Vale session, BBC Radio 1
May 21 - Top Of The Pops, BBC1
May 21 - Later with Jools Holland, BBC2

[mr rou-rou]

a round of of the la's heavy promotional shtick

May 14 - "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross", BBC1

Morrissey attacks Bowie

[mayer]

Morrissey attacks Bowie

tis' an old story... i'm not sure what Ross said for Moz to bring it up again, to recap my thoughts i said on another forum (sorry)....

the Bowie-Moz spat is an old one, and yes, it's all personal. they fell out very openly when Moz was touring with Bowie on the 1. Outside tour. egos clashing, Moz feeling that Bowie was fucking with his support slot, etc.

they used to get on... when Moz heard Bowie's cover of "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday" he was reported to have said "ooooh, it's grand!".  obviously Moz had a lot of respect for Bowie as recently as 1995, it was the first time Moz had supported *anybody* since the early Smiths days.


Moz is a wanker for sure, as is Bowie, but i still love them both.

also Bowie has released loads of brilliant albums since Ziggy though (Low, "Heroes" Scary Monsters..., The Buddha of Suburbia, Black Tie White Noise, 1. Outside, Earthling). this "Bowie was shit after 1980" is usually spouted by people who've read that in the press and never heard a record he's made since.


that Moz may be bitching like a whiny queen now may be unpalatable for some, but surely not surprising, it's his stock in trade... the things he has to say about Rourke/Joyce/Judges are far worse. the new album is full of fantastic whinging, it's not called You Are The Quarry for nothing.


edit:

I was at the recording of the Jonathan Ross last night and Morrissey sang IBEH and Everyday is Like Sunday. Morrissey appeared very nervous during hte interview and didn't really take to Jonathan Ross' chummy line of questioning. During a break while they set up cameras Ross asked him if he should call him Steven and Morrissey nobody calls him that and the name has bad connotations for him. Everyone calls him Morrissey. Nothing much came out of the interview that wasn't already known, he talked about his autobiography and launched a stinging attack on David Bowie (among others).

[pretty dead boy]

a round of of the la's heavy promotional shtick

May 14 - "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross", BBC1
May 16 - "Razor Cuts", Virgin Radio
May 19 - Maida Vale - Live at Maida Vale session, BBC Radio 1
May 21 - Top Of The Pops, BBC1
May 21 - Later with Jools Holland, BBC2

and ...
on sunday, but-technically-monday-morning, a repeat of 'the importance of being morrissey', at one forty five in the morning.  so sunday night, really.

[fanny splendid]

Well, that was good.

I liked the new single, and really liked the version of EILS.

Shame Ross persisted with the interview. He should have just got him to do another song.