THE MOZ SINGLES….

Back in November 2008 over at the old place, I began a series that looked at the 38 singles released by Morrissey.  It was intended to be a weekly series but between one thing and another,  the project took just over a year to complete. 

It was, unsurprisingly, one of the most popular features that ever appeared on TVV.  I’m now considering resurrecting it here on T(n)VV, partly as I’m guessing a number of readers are reasonably new to the stuff that I write and won’t necessarily have been around in 08/09 but also because I am finding increasingly difficult to come up with fresh stuff for the blog on a daily basis.

The thing is dear readers, if it is something that you feel is a total waste of time then please let me know and I will desist….the comments box, as ever, is all yours.

I’m going to do the series in the same random(ish) order from first time round but it won’t simply be a re-write from the first time round as I will incorporate some of the things that were said in the comments section.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the subject matter, Steven Patrick Morrissey was born on 22 Nay 1959 in Manchester. He first found fame as the lead singer with The Smiths (1982-1987) but the following quarter of a century saw him embark on a solo career that has had its highs and lows and which has so far consisted of 9 studio LPs, 2 live LPs, 1 live EP, 11 (count them!!) compilation LPs and 38 singles. Oh and 1 autobiography.

His 39th single was released as a digital download in December 2013 but the vinyl versions won’t be available until late-January 2014. The single and the b-sides are all live tracks…but that’s for a future posting.

Today’s offering dates from 1995 when the great man had just moved label to RCA after seven years with EMI. After the critical and commercial success of Vauxhall and I in 1994 which at long last had folk talking about the songs again instead of simply looking at Moz the strange and often contrary and controversial individual, the content of follow-up LP Southpaw Grammar baffled many.

It contained just 8 tracks in total, of which two were more than 10 minutes in length and a huge departure from anything else he’d done in his solo career. It was an album cover that did not feature a photograph of Morrissey – again this was a departure from anything else thus far in the solo career, albeit the single Boxers, his final record for EMI at the beginning of 1995, had also not featured the singer on the cover.

Southpaw Grammar was released at the end of August 1995 and for the main part received a critical panning, although it sold well enough with long-time fans to reach #4 in the UK charts. It is an album that most fans rate as the most disappointing of the career although there are others who rate it highly for the very reason that it is so different from anything else he has ever done (although I don’t know anyone who is a fan of the extended drum solos!)

Two singles were taken from the LP. The first was Dagenham Dave, which appeared some 7 days in advance of the album (it too had a non-Morrissey sleeve).

The second single was The Boy Racer which came out some three months later. Given the time gap between the two singles, and the fact that Morrissey appears on the sleeve of one of the two CDs that were issued, I’m making an educated guess that it was an effort by the singer and his label to try to generate some fresh interest in the LP.

It was a ploy that failed, as the single got next to no airplay and barely dented the Top 40.

The lack of new songs for the b-sides didn’t help either – all that was on offer were live recordings from a London gig in February 1995.

It’s a bit of a shame as The Boy Racer, while by no means the greatest thing ever recorded, is a reasonable single that was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s certainly the most accessible bit of music on the parent album.

But if there’s one thing it did highlight, it was that Morrissey’s performances of songs by his old band left you pining for Johnny Marr:-

mp3 : Morrissey – The Boy Racer
mp3 : Morrissey – London (live)
mp3 : Morrissey – Billy Budd (live)
mp3 : Morrissey – Spring-Heeled Jim (live)
mp3 : Morrissey – Why Don’t You Find Out For Yourself (live)

Enjoy.