A Return to a Quarry-styled Era -- A Good Thing, Yes?

A Return to a Quarry-styled Era -- A Good Thing, Yes?

  • Good riddance to Ringleader -- Quickly get back to Quarry-styled goodness!

    Votes: 13 23.6%
  • All the news looks like a big step backwards. Get a new producer and musicians!

    Votes: 10 18.2%
  • I'm adopting a wait and see attitude.

    Votes: 32 58.2%

  • Total voters
    55

King Leer

Leering since '97
With the confirmation of Jerry Finn as producer on Morrissey's upcoming album, Alain weighing in with some strong tracks, and the excitement surrounding the new single and Greatest Hits package (complaining diehards -- try to see it from a much wider perspective that includes young/new/reconnecting fans) it looks as if Morrissey is poised for a big You Are the Quarry-styled 2008.

Do you think this is a good thing, or a step backwards?
 
With the confirmation of Jerry Finn as producer on Morrissey's upcoming album, Alain weighing in with some strong tracks, and the excitement surrounding the new single and Greatest Hits package (complaining diehards -- try to see it from a much wider perspective that includes young/new/reconnecting fans) it looks as if Morrissey is poised for a big You Are the Quarry-styled 2008.

Do you think this is a good thing, or a step backwards?

Sometimes one has to take a step back inorder to be able leap forward.

We'll see though.
 
I actually couldn't vote on my own poll!

I liked Ringleader slightly more than Quarry, mainly due to tracks such as Pigsty and Dear God, not to mention more organic production (though Finn's treatment of Morrissey's vocals is much better) but taking into account Quarry b-sides and the whole excitement of that era, I'm pretty positive about the news. I've been listening to Quarry again in the lead up.

His clothes were much better on the recent tours, though!
 
A wait and see approach is necessary on this album. Quarry made Morrissey pop friendly again with FOTGTD and IBEH and perhaps that is what is necessary as he gets older and wishes to retain and add on to his younger fan base. He cannot rely on a cult fanbase forever.
 
Sometimes one has to take a step back inorder to be able leap forward.

We'll see though.

aww, that's the sweetest thing I've heard you say yet. Srsly.
Now, get back to HATING! :mad: :D

A wait and see approach is necessary on this album. Quarry made Morrissey pop friendly again with FOTGTD and IBEH and perhaps that is what is necessary as he gets older and wishes to retain and add on to his younger fan base. He cannot rely on a cult fanbase forever.

All points agreed to :)
 
It's good for anyone who likes to see Morrissey making mainstream pop.

Personally, I'd hoped Ringleader was a step towards a less pop approach though and towards a more interesting, mature direction. I think he is a bit old to keep releasing bouncy pop singles and was hoping, under Visconti's influence, he was going to stop bothering himself with his chart positions and do something a bit more obscure.
 
It's good for anyone who likes to see Morrissey making mainstream pop.

Personally, I'd hoped Ringleader was a step towards a less pop approach though and towards a more interesting, mature direction. I think he is a bit old to keep releasing bouncy pop singles and was hoping, under Visconti's influence, he was going to stop bothering himself with his chart positions and do something a bit more obscure.

but has he EVER really bothered himself with chart positions??? no, not really.

Ringleader might have been a bit more "obscure" but it was also a bit more sucky. bring back Quarry-style!!!
 
Viva Hate is magnificent, Vauxhall is sensational, but Quarry is simply Morrissey's high water mark as a complete album. Yes, there have been better songs, but not a better album. It's absolutely beautiful.

It was a make or break album and returned him to the top of the tree after years away. This is a man with the balls to cast the dice by opening with the eminently easy to deliberately misunderstand by the tabloids "America Is Not the World" and contains achingly wonderful songs such as "I Have Forgiven Jesus", "Come Back To Camden", "I'm Not Sorry", "The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores", "Let Me Kiss You", "I Like You" and I haven't even mentioned the first two singles either. Eight classics out of 12 is a great album by any standard known to humankind. Nick Cave has "The Boatman's Call", Morrissey has "You Are The Quarry". It's a thing of self reflective beauty unparalleled in his canon.

Without Quarry he'd be living in comfortable retirement in Rome, Paris or Tarporley, edging towards his Quentin Crisp years. A revisitation of the themes explored on Quarry after the disappointing Boom Bang-A-Bang of Ringleaders is to be welcomed like a old friend with a gramme of ketamine.
 
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but has he EVER really bothered himself with chart positions??? no, not really.

Ringleader might have been a bit more "obscure" but it was also a bit more sucky. bring back Quarry-style!!!

In the history of recorded music, no pop person has ever bothered themselves with chart positins more than Morrissey. Fact.

When his records stop selling, record companies lose interest, and Moz gets stranded in the wilderness for years.

Moz is right to be v concerned with sales and chart positions. And you should be too!


Finn v Visconti? Makes practically no difference. All that matters is the quality of the songs. The Street compositions were so strong that even I can make them sound good strumming away on a knackered old spanish guitar...
 
Off the top of my head I can't think of another artist who has so clearly proved that he can do exactly that. 25 years and still going.

The Grateful Dead. They actually had on a proportional scale less chart success than Morrissey.
 
In the history of recorded music, no pop person has ever bothered themselves with chart positions more than Morrissey. Fact.

You forget Cliff Richard !!! He is always carping on about his chart positions.

But after,Cliff I agree with you on M
 
It's all about the lyrics now. A return to Morrissey sounding like Morrissey would be a good thing. Quarry still sparkled, where Ringleader was a bit dull. Quarry brought people in/back on the strength of The Master's Voice - Morrissey's personality in full effect. Alain can be a very good songwriter, but he's only half the story. Finn is a mediocre producer who added little to a wonderful album.

So it's all down to the most fragile, mercurial and critical thing of all: Morrissey's inspiration.

I'm hoping that somehow, somewhere between Zagreb and Waukeegan he reconnected with his genius.
 
I'm just ecstatic that Alain is working on the album. His songs on ROTT are simply beautiful, especially Dear God, Pigsty and Work of Art.
I was going to write that I prefered YATQ to ROTT, but now I'm just not sure. YATQ is an excellent album and the songs are simply gorgeous, the sheer emotion on tracks such as I Have Forgiven Jesus is breathtaking. However, ROTT has it's fair share of emotion and I just love the atmosphere.
So, I'm just going to sit on pins and needles and wait for the new album to come out. What else is there to do? :)
 
It's all about the lyrics now.

I'm hoping that somehow, somewhere between Zagreb and Waukeegan he reconnected with his genius.

Well, by Waukegan he had, at least, relearned how to dance a little, so there is hope.

I agree that's its the lyrics that matter most. Crossing my fingers and hoping he's found a muse or some inspiration, somewhere. Or still has some of the last batch...
 
Quarry sounds thin compared to Tomentors. Jerry Finn is an awful choice for producer. I'm worried what the new album will sound like especially as I don't like the new single much either so I'm not confident of the new songs.
 
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