Alain Whyte: "Tell Me" teaser video & lineup/tour update (August 2, 2020)



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Anyone can hear this fiercely raging sound of the 5-man Smiths on the live album Rank.

Yes, good point. The first time I saw them, they are good but the sound was weedy, 2nd time it was immense. I actually saw them 3 times but the Preston gig in 86 ended after The Queen Is Dead as someone threw something at Morrissey which hit him on the head.
 
what is 'Gannet''s most noticeable contribution, audibly, to a Smiths record?
 
Well it's never been punched so maybe not.
Lucky! I've been punched, choked, spat on (queuing for a Moz concert in Glasgow Barrowlands back before Quarry was recorded). But the worst was getting punched off my bike in Dublin in the 90's by a random thug. His girlfriend laughed when I ended up as a mangled heap in the road. My consolation is I quickly got over it while they will always me ignorant mindless morons.
 
It's documented in Autobiog to the effect that:

"In the year that preceded the final album, the Smiths had become a quintet, for reasons that furrowed my brow. It was Johnny’s will, and that seemed good enough on face value, but the reality of Craig Gannon was a fascinating bungle. Ripe from a Salford two-up two-down, Craig had a sullen expression, and said nothing. He lumbered onto the payroll and the Smiths were no longer a foursome. I understood Johnny’s need to be released of basic rhythm parts and to then be free for more complicated lead riffs, but I struggled to notice any specific assistance to the sound. It seemed to me that Johnny was still playing everything."

Plus owing his nut-job hotel antics, which are also documented, they sort of got rid of him, through ignoring him, after the US Tour:

"Word quickly circulates that Craig is probably unhinged at this point and – worse – that he has little interest in being a Smith. Once the US tour has ended, Johnny suggests that we do not make contact with Craig, in order to test whether he would actually bother to contact any of us. Unsurprisingly, Craig does not contact anyone, and it becomes evident that nothing useful vibrates in Craig’s upper storey."

So basically, if we believe any of the above excerpts, he was surplus to requirements, he was a bit of a misfit, added nothing of value to The Smiths sound, created merry hell in hotels, resulting in a bad reputation & huge bills for The Smiths, owing to his unpredictable behaviour.

I reckon AW is welcome to him. Good luck there.

PS: & then Gannon sues The Smiths for loss of earnings, and also claims co-authorship with Johnny Marr of certain Smiths songs.

Johnny is a bit more sympathetic to Gannon but makes some of the same points. The Smiths were a closed unit and he couldn't 'fit in', for whatever reason.

"He'd always been quiet, but he became more remote from the rest of us and had even taken to travelling on his own to shows. I thought he should be more enthusiastic about the band and the more he retreated, the more I took it as a sign of disinterest. He trashed some hotel rooms, which was his way of letting off steam, but it was extreme and anathema to the rest of us.

In the end, like of all us, Craig was a youngster trying to deal with pressure in a crazy situation. On the face of it he'd landed a dream job, but he'd walked into an intense situation with a tightly knit group of people who had an unconventional way of going about things. We tried to make him feel like he belonged and it worked well for a while, but he had to either fit in with our craziness or remain on the outside."


Gannon was also involved in Classically Smiths, supposedly.
 
Lucky! I've been punched, choked, spat on (queuing for a Moz concert in Glasgow Barrowlands back before Quarry was recorded). But the worst was getting punched off my bike in Dublin in the 90's by a random thug. His girlfriend laughed when I ended up as a mangled heap in the road. My consolation is I quickly got over it while they will always me ignorant mindless morons.
You really must have one of 'those' faces. How unfortunate.
 
You really must have one of 'those' faces. How unfortunate.
Not really. But there are scumbags everywhere. I'd say most people have been punched during their lives (primary school playground brawls, etc.). The guy who choked me went on to become a policeman. Which makes a kind of sense. He was fired, which is almost impossible, so he must have matured into a right sleezebag.
 
Perhaps Alain is forming a band to mainly play his new material (especially as the video that names the band is attached to a 'new' song - not to mention him describing it as his new band on FB). That doesn't have to require anything to do with a band focused around playing expressly Morrissey only songs does it? He already had band mates turn up in the studio previously with far less scrutiny. He's played many small scale gigs - I doubt they are looking to fill arenas. I think the criticism is best left until the whole concept is fully known rather than preemptive fist waving maybe?
Gary:
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Regards,
FWD.
 
It's documented in Autobiog to the effect that:

"In the year that preceded the final album, the Smiths had become a quintet, for reasons that furrowed my brow.....
You make it sound like everything Moz says should be taken as fact. I'm sure some bits of Autobiography were heavily re-imagined by Moz. He's hardly a 100% reliable source of information.
 
Johnny is a bit more sympathetic to Gannon but makes some of the same points. The Smiths were a closed unit and he couldn't 'fit in', for whatever reason.

"He'd always been quiet, but he became more remote from the rest of us and had even taken to travelling on his own to shows. I thought he should be more enthusiastic about the band and the more he retreated, the more I took it as a sign of disinterest. He trashed some hotel rooms, which was his way of letting off steam, but it was extreme and anathema to the rest of us.

In the end, like of all us, Craig was a youngster trying to deal with pressure in a crazy situation. On the face of it he'd landed a dream job, but he'd walked into an intense situation with a tightly knit group of people who had an unconventional way of going about things. We tried to make him feel like he belonged and it worked well for a while, but he had to either fit in with our craziness or remain on the outside."


Gannon was also involved in Classically Smiths, supposedly.
Yes, I think that's true. Probably fortunate that it never came to pass, as the legal system may have been unable to cope with the high number of court cases & appeals which may have arisen. Would have been interesting watching these three cross-sue each other though...and Oh the irony.
 
You make it sound like everything Moz says should be taken as fact. I'm sure some bits of Autobiography were heavily re-imagined by Moz. He's hardly a 100% reliable source of information.
Not at all...if you'd read my full post you would have noticed a caveat in there.
 
You really must be an ignorant, insulting inbred idiot. How unfortunate for the people who have to clean out your cage.
I see sincerity is lost on you. Never mind, I'll not show it you again. Obv you're jaded after spending too much time in this sewer.
Never mind.
 
Worth remembering that Steve brought Craig back for 'Last of the Famous...'and possibly one or two other bits that ended up on Bona D.

Johnny is a bit more sympathetic to Gannon but makes some of the same points. The Smiths were a closed unit and he couldn't 'fit in', for whatever reason.

"He'd always been quiet, but he became more remote from the rest of us and had even taken to travelling on his own to shows. I thought he should be more enthusiastic about the band and the more he retreated, the more I took it as a sign of disinterest. He trashed some hotel rooms, which was his way of letting off steam, but it was extreme and anathema to the rest of us.

In the end, like of all us, Craig was a youngster trying to deal with pressure in a crazy situation. On the face of it he'd landed a dream job, but he'd walked into an intense situation with a tightly knit group of people who had an unconventional way of going about things. We tried to make him feel like he belonged and it worked well for a while, but he had to either fit in with our craziness or remain on the outside."


Gannon was also involved in Classically Smiths, supposedly.
 
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