posted by davidt on Wednesday April 21 2004, @10:00AM
allikazoo writes:

On page E2 of the LA Times (Orange County Edition) Calendar section there's a review of the show at the Grove and a picture. I am told there is also an article in the Orange County Register, but I don't have one here.

(photo: Genaro Molina / LAT)


April 20, 2004
POP MUSIC REVIEW
The feeling rock cult figure returns
If you want to see a man who's in touch with his feelings, get yourself into one of Morrissey's five sold-out shows.

By Richard Cromelin, Times Staff Writer


If you want to see a man who's in touch with his feelings, get yourself into one of Morrissey's five sold-out shows at the Wiltern LG starting Thursday. The Englishman has carved a niche in rock as the ultra-emotive outsider, the misunderstood loner conflicted by drives for both contact and solitude.

That stance has helped him build a cult audience larger and more emotionally involved than those of most any other rock cult figure, and a gap of seven years between albums has only sharpened the intensity of his fans' worship. "Mozzy! Mozzy! Mozzy!" chanted the sellout crowd at the 1,700-capacity Grove of Anaheim on Sunday, calling for their hero by his nickname as they waited for him to take the stage.

As it turned out, Mozzy hasn't spent his hiatus redefining himself. At the Grove, the second date of a brief U.S. tour that precedes some European dates and then a stint at this summer's Lollapalooza festival, he was the same playful, pugnacious, preening dandy, extending his jaw to a hostile world, taking a hit and then striking back with lines of lacerating wit.

The time off hasn't diminished Morrissey's craft either, and while there have been times when his precious persona has overshadowed his music, Sunday's concert found a fine balance between his character and the sound that gives that character its distinctive contours. Remember, Morrissey fronted the Smiths, one of the great bands of the '80s, and its legacy has been well served in his post-Smiths solo career.

He started the concert with "The First of the Gang to Die," a song from the upcoming "You Are the Quarry" album that has all the bite and buoyancy of his vintage work. (It also reflects his current Los Angeles residency, opening with the lines "You have never been in love until you've seen the stars reflect in the reservoir.") The set mixed six other new songs into a bedding of Smiths and older Morrissey material, and they held their own.

Beyond the romantic initial image, "First of the Gang" is actually a disquieting look at a tragic fate, set to a peppy pop tune. "I Have Forgiven Jesus" is the passion according to Moz, an irreverent castigation of the Lord for leaving him full of desire that can't be fulfilled. He skipped the song about U.S. political and cultural shortcomings, but he encored with "Irish Blood, English Heart," which comes down heartily in favor of the Irish side of his dual heritage.

Morrissey's frequently disarming, self-deprecating observations were carried by the powerful playing of his five-piece band, which combined rock aggression with pop finesse to create a Brit-pop vision. Oasis would kill to have such a rich array of hooks and swooning melodies and spirit-lifting dynamics, with their evocative echoes of Beatles, Bowie and Kinks.

There was a plan several years ago to build Morrissey into a mainstream star in the U.S., but it never happened. In the end, he's too quirky for crossover, and maybe that's for the best. We wouldn't want him to get too happy.
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  • Mozzy! Mozzy! Mozzy! Never heard that one before. Orange County is weird.
    fut -- Wednesday April 21 2004, @10:04AM (#96802)
    (User #401 Info | http://www.omgmyblog.com/)
    • Re:Hahahaha by edith (Score:1) Wednesday April 21 2004, @10:14AM
    • Re:Hahahaha by suededisco (Score:1) Wednesday April 21 2004, @10:17AM
    • Re:Hahahaha by Anonymous (Score:0) Wednesday April 21 2004, @10:45AM
      • Re:Hahahaha by Anonymous (Score:0) Wednesday April 21 2004, @10:59AM
    • Re:Hahahaha by azraela (Score:1) Wednesday April 21 2004, @01:00PM
    • Morrissey-morrissey-morrissey by Brutalful (Score:1) Wednesday April 21 2004, @04:20PM
    • Re:Hahahaha by JAMSDEAN (Score:0) Wednesday April 21 2004, @04:26PM
    • Re:Hahahaha by Stan (Score:0) Wednesday April 21 2004, @04:41PM
  • "Oasis would kill to have such a rich array of hooks and swooning melodies and spirit-lifting dynamics, with their evocative echoes of Beatles, Bowie and Kinks."

    Sometimes, we actually forget how good the music is as we are so focused on Moz, his lyrics, vocal lay down / delivery, and his performances. The band is excellent.

    Outstanding article. The writer clearly did his/her homework, painting a flattering and accurate picture of Moz.

    And as to that plan to make him a really big star in the USA, Vauxhall should have done it. The song is catchy and perfect pop. The video is better than REM's Loosing My Religion. That it happened for the latter and not the former, that's life.

    And ultimately it does not matter, right? Morrissey is playing gigs, releasing a new album, there's been more books written on him than his peers who have sold more records and the annals of pop will judge him kindly.

    Plus, he's just too good looking. :+]

    Nice article. More than just a concert review.
    Belligerent Ghoul -- Wednesday April 21 2004, @10:17AM (#96807)
    (User #9224 Info)
    There is a light that never goes out...


  • "...he was the same playful, pugnacious, preening dandy, extending his jaw to a hostile world, taking a hit and then striking back with lines of lacerating wit."

    Marvelous stuff.
    Nine Times Fine -- Wednesday April 21 2004, @10:41AM (#96811)
    (User #9704 Info)
    for haven’t you me with you now?
  • A fine article, recognising Morrissey's unique talents - and also something of a counterbalance to all the negativity about the Anaheim show we saw from many users of this site.

    I think it was Belligerent Ghoul who quite rightly said that we sometimes forget just how good Morrissey actually is. We can find ourselves slipping into hypercritical mode and focussing on the negative things (his weaker songs, lyrics we're not keen on etc). Perhaps we should remember (as no doubt we do but forget to say it) the sheer brilliance of quite a lot of his work.I think in his best work he has set himself such high standards that our expectations are often sky-high!That the new songs stand proud with the vintage material (according to this reviewer) is tremendous - it gives me further hope for the quality of this new record.

    Splendid stuff!
    Anonymous -- Wednesday April 21 2004, @10:50AM (#96815)
  • It's interesting how in these days many journalists are writing much more enthusiastic reviews of Moz gigs than many of his "fans" are...
    Anonymous -- Wednesday April 21 2004, @10:55AM (#96819)
  • Yeah, The Anaheim show was horrible(because of the fans,not Moz)but everyone was chanting M-O-R-R-I-S-S-E-YYYY!!! Not M-O-Z-Z-YYY!!! Hilarious!!! Oh, welll these newbies will learn someday. Tomorrow will it ever come???
    Anonymous -- Wednesday April 21 2004, @11:01AM (#96823)
  • The Los Angeles Times, Orange County Edition. That's Lame!
    Anonymous -- Wednesday April 21 2004, @11:04AM (#96824)
  • for posting the Times article. here's a link to The Register article for all the witty cynics here to bash about: http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=91128

    Anaheim/OC shows are always put down no matter who the artist or venue when in fact the shows there are just as good as those elsewhere if the performance is good which it most frequently is.

    An audience is just fringe. Pity those who let their perceptions re the surroundings detract from the wonderful opportunity to see such amazing performances that they are fortunate enough to experience.
    Anonymous -- Wednesday April 21 2004, @11:53AM (#96834)
    • What gives? by Anonymous (Score:0) Wednesday April 21 2004, @12:07PM
      • The O.C. Baby by Anonymous (Score:0) Wednesday April 21 2004, @12:20PM
        • Re:The O.C. Baby by Anonymous (Score:0) Wednesday April 21 2004, @01:02PM
        • At least... by king leer (Score:1) Wednesday April 21 2004, @09:16PM

  • is that pronounced like mosey?
    bernard -- Wednesday April 21 2004, @12:05PM (#96837)
    (User #3004 Info)
    ...and like all ugly things, it fell in love.
  • FYI--Morrissey is the cover story in Spin Magazine this month!
    BobC -- Wednesday April 21 2004, @03:55PM (#96885)
    (User #5785 Info)
  • It's apparent that the reviewer here is a bit confused...I don't think the first line of "First of the Gang" has anything to do with Morrissey being "star struck" over his move to L.A. and this stuff about a plan to make morrissey a mainstream artist in the U.S.? It must have been top secret info, cus I've never heard that one. Also if it was true than in the early to mid-nineties his videos would have been plastered all over the MTV and they weren't..."Tomorrow" and "The More You Ignore Me" got a bit of play, but he was mostly relagated to 120 Minutes...but still it was a nice enough piece of positive press from one of the dullest places on the planet, so I'll stop my petty complaints now...
    defari -- Thursday April 22 2004, @01:33AM (#96942)
    (User #10050 Info)


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