Roy Orbison, Gary Puckett and an obscure Bacharach/David/Warwick track... The Moz remains full of surprises.
...not to mention Jobriah, and some fine female singer-songwriters like Buffy Sainte-Marie, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, Laura Nyro and Melanie
I have a label promo CD from way back which is an interview with Joni Mitchell done my Morrissey. I should listen to it again.. He is a huge fan.
I've always thought that a covers album is a good idea for Morrissey, and him singing "It's Over" almost sounds like a dream come true for me in theory, but the execution is of course disappointing. The band sounds too muscular, the tempo is too fast, and what was LP thinking with that intro? Makes it come off as ironic. Save for the ending, Moz' vocals are great, though, and I am looking forward to this album - even though it features Billy Joe Armstrong.
Sweet Jesus, I was going to try for Morrissey tickets tomorrow morning, but I just heard that the prices are much higher than usual. I guess the rationale is that it's on Broadway, but still, here's a screenshot of how much they're going for:
I liked this quite a bit. He sounds great, especially on the verses. Yes I wish Alain was still around and Jesse was elsewhere, with Steve Lillywhite or Stephen Street producing but I have hope for this album. I think it might be very listenable, maybe purely for Steven’s vocals on some well written melodies.
Maybe it's the mastering, I dunno, but this has an oddly unfinished sound to it, like this isn't the final mix or EQ. The vocals don't sit naturally in the sound field, giving it a kind of karaoke feel.
Alright, I gave It's Over a listen and I like it! Its form is quite faithful to Roy Orbison's original (though not 100%). The band is more robust '80s than delicate '60s, but it asserts itself in what I reckon are the proper places. With those little falsetto bits, I wonder if he is up to doing something by Frank Ifield? Like I Remember You, or The Wayward Wind ... ?
I’d kill for a solid reissue if Quarry or Ringleader. Prices online are nuts. They’d be a good RSD type release but I’m not clear which label has the rights and if Moz would even allow it. Frustrating.
I most certainly am. That's always been my favorite Morrissey comp. That'll be a go-to on vinyl. Do you know if the rest of the later copies will also be clear vinyl? I'm kind of hoping for black. Does better with surface noise, over time, in my experience. But an album this good, I'll take it how I can get it.
This one is very close, but I have never felt that any of the 100 Moz comps quite got it right. This album leaves off non-album singles "My Love Life" and "Interlude". My gf thinks that may be down to licensing since Moz has also been on 100 labels now. Enjoy the new slabs of vinyl and please report back on the pressing and SQ!
Morrissey is one of those difficult-to-anthologize artists. He hasn't had a great number of actual chart hits (particularly stateside), so when it comes to compilations, if you tried to include every good single he's ever released, you'd be looking at probably a 3 or 4-LP set. But this one does a better job than most in separating the wheat from the chaff. Although, yeah, "My Love Life" and "Interlude" are missed. Also, for personal preference, I'd love to see "You're the One For Me, Fatty" on here, as well. But this one still comes closer than any of the others, IMO.
Just picked up The Best of Morrissey on black vinyl (2-LP set). Here are my thoughts. As for the basics: It’s a clean, flat, quiet, centered pressing with nary a scuff. Beautiful. As for specifics: It’s a modern-sounding mix / master. Prominent (but not overpowering) low-end. A very muscular sound that really makes the more guitar-driven songs leap out of the speakers, but without compressing the detail out of the mix on the softer songs, unlike that disappointing 2010 Bona Drag 2-LP reissue. This is much better, with a surprising amount of detail in the mix. A very good job, IMO, by the folks at Rhino. I’m really liking the sound of this.
Morrissey announces new album I Am Not a Dog on a Chain New album announced, plus reissues. In a statement provided to the website Morrissey Central, the singer described his upcoming album as “the very best of me … too good to be true … too true to be considered good …” The first single, “Bobby, Don’t You Think They Know?”, features vocals by Thelma Houston. Its B-side, “Rainbow Valley”, is a cover of the UK hit by The Love Affair. To coincide with the album’s release, BMG will reissue several of Morrissey’s past solo albums, including Southpaw Grammar, Maladjusted, You Are The Quarry, Ringleader Of The Tormentors, Years Of Refusal, and Live At The Hollywood Bowl. Each reissue will feature a new remaster along with updated artwork and sleeve notes. I Am Not a Dog on a Chain Tracklist; 01. Jim Jim Falls 02. Love Is On Its Way Out 03. Bobby, Don’t You Think They Know? 04. I Am Not a Dog on a Chain 05. What Kind of People Live in These Houses? 06. Knockabout World 07. Darling, I Hug a Pillow 08. Once I Saw the River Clean 09. The Truth About Ruth 10. The Secret of Music 11. My Hurling Days Are Done
This is such a tired cliche. Quarry and Ringleader have been out of print on vinyl for 10-15 years, southpaw and Maladjusted for 20+. This is not exactly a cash grab.
Plus, people have been quoting this same tired line as criticism ever since Bona Drag. And yeah, it's gotten pretty old at this point. Quoting "Paint a Vulgar Picture" as a criticism is pretty much the Godwin's Law of Morrissey threads.