Morrissey and the Kill Uncle/rockabilly era

[Sidnettle]

It absolutely was a great period and I quite liked the rockabilly influence as I didn't know much about that music.
It felt like he dived in, nose forward, completely absorbed by the energy, the more or less restricted style using it to his own advance and of course in the beginning relying heavily on his friends, as they were to him like that. Boz, Gary and Alain.

I disagree with some other posters saying the sound was watery and thin during the Kill Uncle tour.
I saw Moz and the band live in Utrecht and they were tight, energetic and giving all they had.
The first song, " Interesting Drug" set the tone. It was great.
Don't remember anymore how many life concerts were done before that and if Paris was before or after Utrecht.
But it was a great concert despite Moz having some throat troubles.
They really gave all. Maybe because they were more or less surprised by the great reception from the audience.
By the way, I think in hindsight "Certain People I Know" is one of his best rockabilly songs.
But at the time I missed that. That one was a grower.

I saw him at the Brighton Dome in 1991.

Are you the one who grabbed the microphone and shouted "Morrissey" at the end of Disappointed?



Certain People I Know is a good song, a bit derivative of Ride a White Swan.

 

[Quando quando quando]

I saw him at the Brighton Dome in 1991.

Are you the one who grabbed the microphone and shouted "Morrissey" at the end of Disappointed?



Certain People I Know is a good song, a bit derivative of Ride a White Swan.

Great! Thanks for the video footage!
Ha, no I wasn't that one fan. Much too shy, but not anymore.
Do you remember a fan more high up in the audience drawing much attention and even catched in the searchlight and Moz pointing to him an giving him a acknowledging hand sign?
He was sort of climbing up and making dangerous movements and it looked like he would fall to pieces?
I thought it was just before Cosmic Dancer or right after it.
That wasn't you Sidnette?

 

[Jamie]

The "rockabilly band" trope is a case where there was a small grain of truth that journalists latched onto, writ larger than reality and became received wisdom to Joe & Jane Public who weren't closely following Morrissey's career. The rockabilly fashion of the group was far more prevalent than a true rockabilly sound beyond select recordings. While it's true that Boz's hollow body guitar workouts predominated on the Kill Uncle tour, Alain ruled the mix for the most part by the Your Arsenal tour by which time Boz more often favored a Telecaster. Not only is a Les Paul not your typical rockabilly guitar, but Alain's sound "spectrum" generally pivoted between a cleaner, somewhat jangly ("Smithsian") sound and distorted power chordage that was more redolent of glam.

Frankly, if Alain had been interviewed more frequently in the early days and there hadn't been an "anti-Smiths" party line to toe, I suspect he would have been more apt to declare love for the Smiths, Clash, Echo, and The Cult. No question that rockabilly influenced Th'Lads, but their Morrissey music only contains occasional rockabilly accents. By Southpaw, even those small splashes of color had been virtually excised.

 

[roky]

Striptease was part of the Bona Drag sessions, before Kill Uncle. Bona Drag was never released as an album, of course, and instead became the compilation. I think Oh Phony was part of the same sessions.

That's right. Oh Phoney and Striptease were going to be on Bona, but fell apart. Then the singles added. It was Born To Hang and Pregnant that were to be part of the Rockabilly ep.

 

[Sidnettle]

That's right. Oh Phoney and Striptease were going to be on Bona, but fell apart. Then the singles added. It was Born To Hang and Pregnant that were to be part of the Rockabilly ep.

Bona Drag sessions

Winter 1989/90, Hook End Manor (Outside Studios), Oxfordshire

Kevin Armstrong (guitar), Matthew Seligman (bass), Andrew Paresi (drums), Steve Hopkin (piano)

Producers: Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley

Songs recorded:

Yes, I am Blind (music written by Andy Rourke, Spring 1989)
East, West (recorded September 1989) (cover of Hermann's Hermits song)
November Spawned a Monster (music written by Clive Langer) (Mary Margaret O'Hara on backing vocals)
Girl Least Likely To (music written by Andy Rourke, Spring 1989) (bass: Andy Rourke)
Ouija Board, Ouija Board (music written by Stephen Street)
He Knows I'd Love to See Him (music written by Kevin Armstrong) (bass: Rourke, double bass: Danny Thompson, backing vocals: Mary Margaret O'Hara)
Get Off the Stage (music written by Andy Rourke, Spring 1989) (bass: Rourke) (backing vocals: Suggs) (originally a totally different version that came together in March 1988)
Piccadilly Palare (music written by Kevin Armstrong) (speech: Suggs)
Oh Phoney (music written by Kevin Armstrong)
Striptease with a Difference (music written by Clive Langer)
At Amber (during these sessions Morrissey invited Stephen Street to join him and re-touch the recording of The Bed Took Fire, which was recorded in the Playboys/Interesting Drug sessions; they did so and then Alan Winstanley did some final mixing) (music written by Street)

 

[roky]

Bona Drag sessions

Winter 1989/90, Hook End Manor (Outside Studios), Oxfordshire

Kevin Armstrong (guitar), Matthew Seligman (bass), Andrew Paresi (drums), Steve Hopkin (piano)

Producers: Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley

Songs recorded:

Yes, I am Blind (music written by Andy Rourke, Spring 1989)
East West (recorded September 1989) (cover of Hermann's Hermits song)
November Spawned a Monster (music written by Clive Langer) (Mary Margaret O'Hara on backing vocals)
Girl Least Likely To (music written by Andy Rourke, Spring 1989) (bass: Andy Rourke)
Ouija Board, Ouija Board (music written by Stephen Street)
He Knows I'd Love to See Him (music written by Kevin Armstrong) (bass: Rourke, double bass: Danny Thompson, backing vocals: Mary Margaret O'Hara)
Get Off the Stage (music written by Andy Rourke, Spring 1989) (bass: Rourke) (backing vocals: Suggs) (originally a totally different version that came together in March 1988)
Piccadilly Palare (music written by Kevin Armstrong) (speech: Suggs)
Oh Phoney (music written by Kevin Armstrong)
Striptease with a Difference (music written by Clive Langer)
At Amber (during these sessions Morrissey invited Stephen Street to join him and re-touch the recording of The Bed Took Fire, which was recorded in the Playboys/Interesting Drug sessions; they did so and then Alan Winstanley did some final mixing) (music written by Street)

Yeah, and?

 

[Sidnettle]

Yeah, and?

and what?

 

[SuedeMoz]

Bona Drag sessions

Winter 1989/90, Hook End Manor (Outside Studios), Oxfordshire

Kevin Armstrong (guitar), Matthew Seligman (bass), Andrew Paresi (drums), Steve Hopkin (piano)

Producers: Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley

Songs recorded:

Yes, I am Blind (music written by Andy Rourke, Spring 1989)
East West (recorded September 1989) (cover of Hermann's Hermits song)
November Spawned a Monster (music written by Clive Langer) (Mary Margaret O'Hara on backing vocals)
Girl Least Likely To (music written by Andy Rourke, Spring 1989) (bass: Andy Rourke)
Ouija Board, Ouija Board (music written by Stephen Street)
He Knows I'd Love to See Him (music written by Kevin Armstrong) (bass: Rourke, double bass: Danny Thompson, backing vocals: Mary Margaret O'Hara)
Get Off the Stage (music written by Andy Rourke, Spring 1989) (bass: Rourke) (backing vocals: Suggs) (originally a totally different version that came together in March 1988)
Piccadilly Palare (music written by Kevin Armstrong) (speech: Suggs)
Oh Phoney (music written by Kevin Armstrong)
Striptease with a Difference (music written by Clive Langer)
At Amber (during these sessions Morrissey invited Stephen Street to join him and re-touch the recording of The Bed Took Fire, which was recorded in the Playboys/Interesting Drug sessions; they did so and then Alan Winstanley did some final mixing) (music written by Street)

Nice research. Reads like a bunch of disparate songs - they work as singles - but can't really imagine it as one album.

 

[Musician]

Nice research. Reads like a bunch of disparate songs - they work as singles - but can't really imagine it as one album.

True. However, Piccadilly - Striptease - Phoney sounds like a thread to me that could have been a very nice 2nd album.

 

[Orson Swells]

And lest we forget How Soon Is Now was partially inspired by That's All Right.

 

[roky]

and what?

Oh, you quoted my reply. I thought you were pointing something out. My mistake

 

[Sidnettle]

Oh, you quoted my reply. I thought you were pointing something out. My mistake

No, sorry, I was just expanding on your most excellent point!

 

[roky]

Thanks for your post on the Bona recording session.

 

[SuedeMoz]

So was "Please Help The Cause Against Loneliness" part of the Viva Hate sessions?

 

[Famous when dead]

So was "Please Help The Cause Against Loneliness" part of the Viva Hate sessions?

Yes, all sources cite it to be created circa '87 and recorded during those sessions at Wool Hall.
Sandie Shaw wrote 'Take Him' at this time which describes taking Moz to a disco in Bath.
So her getting the song to use in '88 was probably due to both being in Bath for this recording session (to provide backing vocals for his version).
Regards,
FWD.

 

[Jamie]

Bona Drag sessions

Winter 1989/90, Hook End Manor (Outside Studios), Oxfordshire

Kevin Armstrong (guitar), Matthew Seligman (bass), Andrew Paresi (drums), Steve Hopkin (piano)

Producers: Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley

Songs recorded:

Yes, I am Blind (music written by Andy Rourke, Spring 1989)
East West (recorded September 1989) (cover of Hermann's Hermits song)
November Spawned a Monster (music written by Clive Langer) (Mary Margaret O'Hara on backing vocals)
Girl Least Likely To (music written by Andy Rourke, Spring 1989) (bass: Andy Rourke)
Ouija Board, Ouija Board (music written by Stephen Street)
He Knows I'd Love to See Him (music written by Kevin Armstrong) (bass: Rourke, double bass: Danny Thompson, backing vocals: Mary Margaret O'Hara)
Get Off the Stage (music written by Andy Rourke, Spring 1989) (bass: Rourke) (backing vocals: Suggs) (originally a totally different version that came together in March 1988)
Piccadilly Palare (music written by Kevin Armstrong) (speech: Suggs)
Oh Phoney (music written by Kevin Armstrong)
Striptease with a Difference (music written by Clive Langer)
At Amber (during these sessions Morrissey invited Stephen Street to join him and re-touch the recording of The Bed Took Fire, which was recorded in the Playboys/Interesting Drug sessions; they did so and then Alan Winstanley did some final mixing) (music written by Street)

Nice write-up, Sid. Barring the double bass on "He Knows I'd Love To See Him," I'm fairly sure - to the extent that one can trust Morrissey's sleeve credits and/or Simon Goddard's Mozipedia and Wikipedia - that Andy Rourke plays bass on all of these songs with the exception of the three songs on the "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" single.

 

[Sidnettle]

Nice write-up, Sid. Barring the double bass on "He Knows I'd Love To See Him," I'm fairly sure - to the extent that one can trust Morrissey's sleeve credits and/or Simon Goddard's Mozipedia and Wikipedia - that Andy Rourke plays bass on all of these songs with the exception of the three songs on the "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" single.

That's totally feasible. Come to think of it I never imagined that was Rourke playing bass on November, but then Barbarism Does Begin at Home I suppose...

 

[Quando quando quando]

That's totally feasible. Come to think of it I never imagined that was Rourke playing bass on November, but then Barbarism Does Begin at Home I suppose...

Which is a questionmark?
I mean home.

 

[MozIsGod]

While it's true that Boz's hollow body guitar workouts predominated on the Kill Uncle tour, Alain ruled the mix for the most part by the Your Arsenal tour by which time Boz more often favored a Telecaster.

Funny you mention this, Jamie. I recently watched the Hammersmith 1991 show on YouTube and was surprised to see Boz use a black Rickenbacker on a few tracks. Certainly a rare occurrence to see a Rick being played in the Morrissey camp by anyone not named Johnny Marr!

 

[Quando quando quando]

Funny you mention this, Jamie. I recently watched the Hammersmith 1991 show on YouTube and was surprised to see Boz use a black Rickenbacker on a few tracks. Certainly a rare occurrence to see a Rick being played in the Morrissey camp by anyone not named Johnny Marr!

I "learned" Mando Lopez plays the Rickenbacker bassguitar as was seen on some recent photos on here, after the studio sessions in Rome. Don't know if it really is one of his favourite instruments and if he uses it live as much too.

I think it is really interesting Mando Lopez wrote some of the music for a couple of songs on the new album.
It contributes to a more various musical expression.
Not that this is a sure condition for having great songs.
It's just a contribution for a more variously musical expression.