Alain plays "Hold On To Your Friends"; interview on "Breakfast with The Smiths" radio show (Dec. 26)




Famous when dead posted the link:

BREAKFAST WITH ALAIN WHYTE (AND THE SMITHS)! - Alain Whyte blog

Alain just did an interview with Jose Maldonado for his “Breakfast with The Smiths” radio show on The Independent FM. Played a couple of tunes, discussed the new record, “The Experiment" EP” and recounted a story or two from the time spent with The Lads writing and touring with Morrissey. Be sure to tune in this Wednesday (Dec. 26th) at 8am Pacific/[corrected: 4pm Uk time].


Related item:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Very well done Peppermint. :tiphat::clap:

Absolutely spot on with Arsenal and Vauxhall. And yes, his Englishness is what drew me to him in the first place...if a double-decker bus crashes into us...what is this all about? And that was it...so many quintessentially England inspired lyrics.

I get that his world view has grown from the local boy he was during The Smiths and early solo day, but to discard such a great song writer like Alain to me was a huge mistake. I think Boz and Alain could have co-existed in the band together just fine.

I agree that if Morrissey writes to the music, then tunes like Spent the Day, or Jackie got the lyrical touch they deserved. Quite a low bar is being set musically now that only so so lyrics will do.
Thanks, evennow. And I agree, it surely can't be a coincidence that the decline in the standard of the music has run parallel to the decline in his lyrics.
 
Brilliantly and eloquently put! Nobody Loves Us and Swallow On My Neck are two of my favourite Moz solo songs. Used To Be A Sweet Boy is amazing too. Thanks for the list of the found. I agree that Moz has lost touch with something. I can't imagine him ever writing lyrics again as haunting as 'In a river the colour of lead, immerse the baby's head, wrap her up in the News Of The World, and dump her on a doorstep, girl'. Or 'A shoeless child on a swing reminds you of your own again'.
But one could possibly make the same comment about a lot of artists who lasted the distance. Such as Weller once singing
'The ghost of a steam train, echoes down my track
It's at the moment bound for nowhere
Just going round and round, oh
Playground kids and creaking swings
Lost laughter in the breeze'.
You don't get those kind of lyrics anymore.
Thanks Acton. And yes, I love Nobody Loves Us and Swallow as well - in fact so many of Alain's songs would be on my own personal 'Best Of' album. Great lyrics indeed. Maybe when people get older, richer, mellower and more comfortable with life, there just isn't the same internal struggle to produce greatness any more.
 
30 mins worth of the acoustic set at Kaos Records:

13 mins, different angle:

Shorter still:


Regards,
FWD.
 
Thanks Acton. And yes, I love Nobody Loves Us and Swallow as well - in fact so many of Alain's songs would be on my own personal 'Best Of' album. Great lyrics indeed. Maybe when people get older, richer, mellower and more comfortable with life, there just isn't the same internal struggle to produce greatness any more.

Without a doubt in my top three. The combination of the music and lyrics with Morrissey's singular vocal styling make it one of my favorites. The lyrics match the mood of the song perfectly, and again Morrissey at his best painting a picture with his words that is so beautiful and melancholy. Well done Alain!

 
More than a small number, in my view. I agree with your earlier post that Alain's output became more uneven after 1995, but then so did Morrissey's output in general. Certainly his contribution on Your Arsenal and Vauxhall is pretty much flawless:

Well said, Peppermint. Even if Alain's output became weaker after 1995 like some posters have claimed, he was still the one who contributed most of the songwriting. Just look at the co-writes for each album's sessions (including b-sides) post-Vauxhall.

Southpaw Grammar: Alain 8, Boz 2
Maladjusted: Alain 10, Boz 4
YATQ: Alain 16, Boz 7
Ringleader: Alain 8, Jesse, 7, Mikey Farrell 2, Boz 1

Considering how Boz's contributions shrunk so massively during the Ringleader period, I don't think its any coincidence how Alain was disposed of shortly afterwards.
 
Fek reckon mate. "Al White Day" at Loma Alta Park yesterday was TOP ACE MENTAL. Reckon there was seconds on California Burritos. french fries,
and root beer floats! At "Uncle Steve Day" in Moz Angeles last year there was no food or refreshments just Uncle Steve jumping up and down in the elevator like a giddy lad. Reckon I really like the contrast between Al and Steve. Al, the middle class boke living in a 3 bedroom house in Altadena with his wife and kid, driving a Prius, can't afford a house near the beach, and just trying his best to make it in LA. Then there is Uncle Steve, Malibu surfer dude, self proclaimed "California Son", his own table at The Sunset Marquis under the pic of him holding a baby, Hollywood elitist, hot chick life partner. Reckon there's a new sheriff in town and his name is Big Al White. Good on ya Al mate inn n n nnn n n nnnn n n din't innn n n it.
 
Last edited:
Thanks, evennow. And I agree, it surely can't be a coincidence that the decline in the standard of the music has run parallel to the decline in his lyrics.

I really don't think that's the case. There were plenty of lyrical issues on Southpaw Grammar and Maladjusted after all.

And it ignores again that some of Morrissey's recent albums have received much better reviews for the music than some of the albums that Alain wrote songs for.
 
Blikey, reckon Al White has entered his over 50 basketball team the "Rockabillys" to compete in Uncle Steve's Venice Beach League that his team the
"California Sons" have won the championship the last 3 years and are undefeated. Reckon rumor is that Al has got Flea and Anthony Kiedis to play on his team. Blinders, reckon got to say Al has got some balls. Battle lines being drawn for the battle of Moz Angeles mate inn n nn nnn n nn n n n din't n n n n n nn nn it.

Steve Dunking.jpg
Air Steve.jpg
 
Brilliantly and eloquently put! Nobody Loves Us and Swallow On My Neck are two of my favourite Moz solo songs. Used To Be A Sweet Boy is amazing too. Thanks for the list of the found. I agree that Moz has lost touch with something. I can't imagine him ever writing lyrics again as haunting as 'In a river the colour of lead, immerse the baby's head, wrap her up in the News Of The World, and dump her on a doorstep, girl'. Or 'A shoeless child on a swing reminds you of your own again'.
But one could possibly make the same comment about a lot of artists who lasted the distance. Such as Weller once singing
'The ghost of a steam train, echoes down my track
It's at the moment bound for nowhere
Just going round and round, oh
Playground kids and creaking swings
Lost laughter in the breeze'.
You don't get those kind of lyrics anymore.


Do you really think those Weller lyrics that you posted are good ?!

doh:
 
Do you really think those Weller lyrics that you posted are good ?!

doh:
I do. I bought a hardback of Weller lyrics called Suburban 100 and I love it. Especially the lyrics from The Jam songs. I'll tell you one thing: any of Weller's lyrics is (are?) better than the lyrics to Roy's Keen or Sorrow Will Come In The End, or Sweetie Pie. IMHO of course.
 
I'll tell you one thing: any of Weller's lyrics is (are?) better than the lyrics to Roy's Keen or Sorrow Will Come In The End, or Sweetie Pie. IMHO of course.

Really? :lbf: oh my.

Anyways, those are not Morrissey’s high points, though Paul would gladly lose both of his legs to have written them !

‘IMHO of course’


Though, I’m usually right.


:cool:
 
I guess I have not been following it closely, but what is the song that Alain Whyte wrote for Madonna? Whatever you think of Madonna, it is no ordinary thing to be asked to write for her.
I believe he's credited with composing on MDNA in 2012.
He's also composed for Lil Yachty, Nick 13, Cheryl Cole, Chris Brown, Will.I.Am, Kid Cudi, Rihanna and various guitar parts et al.
Regards,
FWD.
 
When the lyrics to Years Of Refusal leaked in advance of the record I did not think they were very good. Definitely no "Maladjusted" or "Late Night, Maudlin Street" intricacy there. But then the record came out and the lyrics worked really well with the music. That's still my favorite Morrissey record since YATQ, if "Swords" doesn't count.
I like the harder rock Morrissey much better than the "Friday Mourning" and "Never Played Symphonies" Morrissey. He can do that style and it can be great. I think "Come Back To Camden" is a great song but "Dear God, Please Help Me" is one I haven't listened to for years.
Here's the point. When the music is simple and driving the lyrics can be less complex. The voice becomes more of another instrument on the track.
And of course the voice is always an instrument, and the sound is always part of it, but it becomes more cerebral and the meaning of the lyrics is more important. So when the lyrics are not that great as in "Friday Mourning" I think directing attention to them with the quieter or more symphonic arrangements causes the song to suffer. You don't have to agree with which songs I like but I think you can agree that the more carefully crafted songs ask more from the lyrics than the more basic rock songs do.
And Years Of Refusal is a better record than Ringleader Of The Tormentors. I think that "I Will See You In Far Off Places" is one of the best songs on that record and kind of proves the point I'm making.
Life Is A Pigsty is one of the best songs he's produced in the post-Quarry period and manages to work with simple lyrics because his vocal performance is great. The track isn't that "rock" and does focus on the vocal but it's almost operatic. Compare that to "Never Played Symphonies" and you can see that NPS is really average at best.

To Rifke: please mark this "troll" and then tell another boring story about yourself because that is what the site really needs more of.
 
I believe he's credited with composing MDNA in 2012.
He's also composed for Lil Yachty, Nick 13, Cheryl Cole, Chris Brown, Will.I.Am, Kid Cudi, Rihanna and various guitar parts et al.
Regards,
FWD.

Thanks. Glad to read that Alain has gotten some recognition in the music industry out of his 15 years with Morrissey.
 
thanks for sharing my video!
Mine is the middle one that is 13 min

Subscribe to be alerted for more videos from other members of Moz band last and present
 
I guess I have not been following it closely, but what is the song that Alain Whyte wrote for Madonna? Whatever you think of Madonna, it is no ordinary thing to be asked to write for her.
This particular track, “Love Spent,” on MDNA is the one he wrote or co-wrote:
 

Trending Threads

Back
Top Bottom