BMG's Korda Marshall mentions Morrissey in question about taking risk

Not too unexpected or strange at all, but there is a brief Moz mention in Music Week from last month’s issue in an interview with Korda Marshall. (It’s behind a paywall, but a great family friend who works in music publishing was kind enough to screenshot it for me!)

 

[Ugly Devil]

 

[Famous when dead]

The gap of 65 days from the 17th of December until yesterday with no activity on the 'official' Twitter isn't really evidence any current 'investment' is it?
Regards,
FWD.

 

[NealCassidy]

Presumably LIhs was profitable? Shifted quite a few copies.

 

[Anonymous]

Presumably LIhs was profitable? Shifted quite a few copies.

Doubt it. Had a lot more money spent on it than World Peace (videos, TV ads etc.) and only sold marginally more in its first week (and presumably since).
A big radio hit would bring it back into the charts, though,and help it break even.
The Bob Clearmountain mix of All the Young People could well do the trick.

 

[ninetimesfined]

Comments like this generally don't usually go down well in Camp Moz.

Somewhere in LA there's a slogan-writing t-shirt company that's gearing up their printing press...

 

[Orson Swells]

Doubt it. Had a lot more money spent on it than World Peace (videos, TV ads etc.) and only sold marginally more in its first week.

It sold 30% more in its first week.

 

[gordyboy9]

It sold 30% more in its first week.

iv been through the numbers with people on here before,they just wont accept that it sold well.

 

[Anonymous]

there was a tv ad?

 

[The Wild Turkey]

After all the scoop-de-boops that Korda has had to deal with in the music industry, ya know he's got respect for a artist like Moz.
According to all the things that've been posted, they seem to have a mutual respect for each other.
This thing is a good relationship.

 

[Anonymous]

It sold 30% more in its first week.

Only in the UK - in the whole of the rest of the world it sold just 2,000 more copies than World Peace which itself was by far the worst selling album since Maladjusted.
I'm an optimist. Release Clearmountain's All the Young People mix or an edit of Girl from Tel Aviv, gain another radio hit, and the album is revived and reaches a critical threshold of sales.
But as things stand, it's a relative commercial flop which has soaked up a large marketing budget.

 

[Anonymous]

Many people on here would say it's a huge risk to be the 15th label to take a punt on Steve and his present-piss-poor Lawnmowers line up, their only claim to fame is being consistent at submitting very poor chugapub-rock arrangements for Steve and his attempts to achieve the worldwide chart domination he craves.

Benny-the-British-Butcher

 

[swift eclipse]

View attachment 43759

Yikes! Please put a shirt on grandpa and stop smiling at me like that.

 

[swift eclipse]

Doubt it. Had a lot more money spent on it than World Peace (videos, TV ads etc.) and only sold marginally more in its first week (and presumably since).
A big radio hit would bring it back into the charts, though,and help it break even.
The Bob Clearmountain mix of All the Young People could well do the trick.

Yes, Bob Clearmountain is going to save this album and Morrissey's career.

Korda made a bad gamble and is paying for it. Moz is done at BMG. Period. Now it's back to looking for another indie sucker to pony up.

MORRISSEY WILL NEVER HAVE A "HIT" AGAIN. Not in the real sense of the term. Sure, "Spent..." made a moderate showing in England on Moz's personal scale, but for other artists this is considered a failure.

 

[Anonymous]

Many people on here would say it's a huge risk to be the 15th label to take a punt on Steve and his present-piss-poor Lawnmowers line up, their only claim to fame is being consistent at submitting very poor chugapub-rock arrangements for Steve and his attempts to achieve the worldwide chart domination he craves.

Benny-the-British-Butcher

Credit where due - the musicians have done really well on the new album in both the composing and the playing. If you think Israel, In your lap, Tel Aviv, or When you open your legs in bed are chug/pub rock, you're an idiot. Nope, this time it's Steve's lyrics which have let the side down.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, Bob Clearmountain is going to save this album and Morrissey's career.

Korda made a bad gamble and is paying for it. Moz is done at BMG. Period. Now it's back to looking for another indie sucker to pony up.

MORRISSEY WILL NEVER HAVE A "HIT" AGAIN. Not in the real sense of the term. Sure, "Spent..." made a moderate showing in England on Moz's personal scale, but for other artists this is considered a failure.

You're wrong there. It was a decent radio hit. More successful than any recent songs by the likes of U2, Paul Weller, Blondie etc, all of a vaguely similar generation to Morrissey. Even the singles off the last two hugely acclaimed Bowie albums didn't get close. The single was a pretty big success - the album was a critical failure (maybe his most panned to date), and has done commercially pretty badly so far but that can still change, although it is a little unlikely.

 

[swift eclipse]

Credit where due - the musicians have done really well on the new album in both the composing and the playing. If you think Israel, In your lap, Tel Aviv, or When you open your legs in bed are chug/pub rock, you're an idiot. Nope, this time it's Steve's lyrics which have let the side down.

The entire album is boring and overproduced. It's time for a long overdue change in personnel. He should record the next one live in studio with no overdubs. Keep it raw and real. If there is a next one.

 

[swift eclipse]

You're wrong there. It was a decent radio hit. More successful than any recent songs by the likes of U2, Paul Weller, Blondie etc, all of a vaguely similar generation to Morrissey. Even the singles off the last two hugely acclaimed Bowie albums didn't get close. The single was a pretty big success - the album was a critical failure (maybe his most panned to date), and has done commercially pretty badly so far but that can still change, although it is a little unlikely.

I was talking about sales not radio play. I have a hard time believing U2 got less airplay or sold less than Morrissey. Prove it.

 

[Anonymous]

The entire album is boring and overproduced. It's time for a long overdue change in personnel. He should record the next one live in studio with no overdubs. Keep it raw and real. If there is a next one.

Long overdue change in personnel? What? Half the album was written by new songwriters (one completely new, and one who had only written songs on World Peace). Like it or not, the Joe Chicarelli era is a musical complete break from the awful plodding pub rock we had to put up with from 1995 to 2013. The main change in personnel required is a decent lyricist. An album of covers may now be the only way forward...

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]