4/5 for I am Two People (although this one was closer to 3.5 than the last couple of songs). The third 4 in a row after a loooong string of lower scores ...
Friday Mourning and I Am Two People. First time hearing both of these. I like them a lot. They’re shot through with the same passion and determination that drives the best of You Are The Quarry, but the album already had enough of those songs. Most artists would kill for b-Sides this good. I think a lot of people have just stopped loving or need to take a break. Strong 4/5’s.
Today’s song is No One Can Hold a Candle to You: I guess the hope for any cover is that it will either be different or (ideally) better than the original. This succeeds on the second point, simply due to the fact Morrissey has an infinitely superior voice to his friend James Maker. In fact, Maker’s voice reminds me of Harry Hill doing his Moz impression on Stars in Their Eyes. It was typical of Morrissey to choose an obscure track like this to add to the live set and it was a smart move to issue a studio version. By the fourth single the barrel was being scraped in terms of original b-sides (as we will discuss more tomorrow), so this was a welcome change. A good piece of songwriting and a nice move from Morrissey to shine a light on his mate’s song. 3.5/5.
Another okay b-side. The song itself sounds like a pale imitation of a Morrissey original, but it’s well sung, of course. I actually like one of the other Jesus b-sides quite a lot. Anyway, for Morrissey’s vocal if nothing else: 3.5/5.
The deluxe came out in the October, I think, and the Jesus single and b-sides didn't come out until December.
Yep. Nobody would buy the Jesus single if those b-sides were included on the Quarry reissue. IIRC, "I'm Playing Easy To Get" was also recorded at the July 2004 L.A. sessions which spanned Daddy's Voice, Friday Mourning, I Am Two People, and Candle, but ultimately scrapped. It's a shame because I would have much preferred a studio version of "Easy To Get" over Candle, but we'll get to that song shortly. Anyway, I quite like Morrissey's cover of Candle but my favorite performance is the live version on "Who Put The 'M' In Manchester?"
I was at the Glastonbury gig, it was such an odd choice considering it hadn't even been released yet. I think only he'd played it at a few gigs so far. 'No One Can Hold A Candle To You' was also played and unreleased by him at that point. Clearly no one tells Morrissey what to do when curating a Pyramid Stage appearance.
"No One Can Hold a Candle To You" Awesome cover. Band sounds great and the vocal is delivered with passion, even though I get the sense he doesn't feel this way about anyone. It made me go seek out the original and much like "Skin Storm", Morrissey's version is better. 4.5/5.0
No One Can Hold a Candle To You" 4/5 This one slipped away from me, first time hearing this song. Now I have to track down the single for the b side. I also checked out the original, very good also.
No One Can Hold A Candle To You Awesome cover. Really forceful vocals and dramatic music. The Peel Session version is also decent but not as good as the b side version. Was going to give it 4.5 but it gets the extra half for the changed lyric in the last line. Typical Morrissey... 5/5
No one can... Sorry but doesn’t resonate with me like it does for some others , competent b side though , 3/5
"No One Can Hold a Candle to You" Sounds OK to me - would never have guessed it was a cover if I hadn't been told. 3/5.
Sorry for missing the past few days, they've been a bit hectic. "Friday Mourning" is another highlight of the many Quarry B-sides. It contains both a beautiful performance, and equally complimenting music. Other than "Ganglord" and "Munich" it's my favorite on Swords. I'll settle with a 4.5/5, but it could definitely be a 5 on another day. As for "I Am Two People," I've actually never heard this one before, as I only own the aforementioned Swords and the "Let Me Kiss You" 7". Shame it's not on either, a very good song. A strong 3.5/5. "No One Can Hold a Candle to You" is also great. I think nearly all of Moz's covers are at the very least solid, and this is no exception. 4/5.
Today’s song is The Slum Mums: With 24 songs required in one year, there was always likely to be a dip in quality somewhere along the line… Nothing about this song impresses as the music is fairly tuneless, the lyrics feel rushed and half-baked and even Morrissey’s voice is less impressive than usual. A generous 2/5.
The Slum Mums would have been good if Bowie wrote it and sang it. I still don't hate it but it kind of just floats by. I had actually never heard it before this. It seems pretty hard to come by. 3/5
I listened to this yesterday for the first time in years (in preparation for today) and actually quite enjoyed it. I think I prefer it to, say, Teenage Dad for example. There is something nicely Bowie-esque about the feel of it. Not sure how to rate it as it doesn't offend me or leave a great impression, so 3.25/5
The Slum Mums Not a classic, by any means. The music is average at best, the dirgy guitar, and even the vocals are a bit lame. Bit too much falsetto, and even the lyrics feel clunky and contrived. 2/5