Michael Farrell: Ringleader Of The Tormentors Twitter listening party 8pm UK time (May 31, 2020)

I think the production is fine - it's the brick-walled mastering that kills it.

Yes I agree. to me starting with you have killed me tracks / instruments start to separate. I’ve come to really like the songs and the lyrics are really good on this album. they drop a bit on refusal but here it’s classical romantic morrissey. Brow of my beloved kinda reminds me of a ringleader era song
 


Via the Mozarmyquiz Twitter.
Look to this thread for highlights and interesting facts from Michael.
(the V is an inside joke when incorrectly being credited).
Regards,
FWD.


I wonder if those who work, follow or associate with racist Morrissey reflect on the impact that has on their character.
 
I wonder if those who work, follow or associate with racist Morrissey reflect on the impact that has on their character.
As Morrissey isn’t racist this seems a strange, motivated, question. Doesn’t reflect well on you—just in case you were wondering.
 
Funny, I find Quarry unlistenable due to the production. Nowt as queer as folk.
I agree Quarry sucks. It's my least favourite Morrissey album (apart from maybe Refusal) since 2004. I don't HATE it but I listen to it very rarely and when I do I'm reminded why i listen to it very rarely. Especially as there were some absolutely gorgeous b-sides floating around at the time.
 
Just a non-racist who prefers his own race huh? Some immigrants think they are superior to others.

I am just wondering the value of integrity. I get why thick people find that difficult to grasp and why for some it is financially worthwhile but
I do not care about the opinion of the daft.
 
This thread is about a Ringleader Of The Tormentors listening party on Twitter.
If it continues to veer away from that topic (with threads already directly discussing 'racism' existing) posts will be moved to the o/t cluttering thread.
I'd suggest rather than rhetorical questions, you try communicating with band members directly instead of posting the same type of thing over several threads.
Here's Michael Farrell's contact details to be getting on with - he seems more than capable of answering your question:


FWD.
 


Via the Mozarmyquiz Twitter.
Look to this thread for highlights and interesting facts from Michael.
(the V is an inside joke when incorrectly being credited).
Regards,
FWD.

I was curious about the 'V' so googled it to find out. If anyone else didn't know, here's what wiki says:

Michael Kevin Farrell is an American keyboardist, musical director, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work both recording and touring with Morrissey...

Farrell was the featured keyboardist and percussionist on the album Live at Earls Court (where he is erroneously billed as 'Mikey V. Farrell), the "Let Me Kiss You" and "I Have Forgiven Jesus" single B-sides and the live concert DVD, Who Put the M in Manchester?.


Maybe it was the way someone wrote down the 'K', and the reader thought it was a 'V'. Reasonable mistake I guess.
 
I was curious about the 'V' so googled it to find out. If anyone else didn't know, here's what wiki says:

Michael Kevin Farrell is an American keyboardist, musical director, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work both recording and touring with Morrissey...

Farrell was the featured keyboardist and percussionist on the album Live at Earls Court (where he is erroneously billed as 'Mikey V. Farrell), the "Let Me Kiss You" and "I Have Forgiven Jesus" single B-sides and the live concert DVD, Who Put the M in Manchester?.


Maybe it was the way someone wrote down the 'K', and the reader thought it was a 'V'. Reasonable mistake I guess.
I only alluded to it as he was using it on Twitter and thought it might confuse people - I'd have happily expanded on it if asked.
Regards,
FWD.
 
I only alluded to it as he was using it on Twitter and thought it might confuse people - I'd have happily expanded on it if asked.
Regards,
FWD.
No, that's fine FWD, ...it just intrigued me based on your note in the opening post.
 
No, that's fine FWD, ...it just intrigued me based on your note in the opening post.
Please excuse the potato quality - it was small text.
You should be able to read it.

hi_2005_earls12_2.png


FWD.
 
"potato"? are they working you too hard these days??
? potato as in colloquial term for crap quality (as per Urban Dictionary).
FWD.
 
For me, Ringleader is Morrissey’s weakest album. I judge an LP on a start to finish listen, on vinyl. Side one opens great (esp. tracks 1, 2 & 3) and Dear God is as good as anything that Morrissey as ever done. And then the returns diminish. Flip over, and it kicks back into life with Pigsty. But then the life drains out of it and the listening feels like a tyre being let down—with each song offering less and less. By the time At Last I am Born concludes, I feel empty and I’ve disengaged; it all feels overwrought (like the sleeve artwork).

I wasn’t entirely bowled over by Quarry, and I had massive hopes for this recording. I think that added to my disappointment.

One of the reasons I continue to enjoy Refusal so much is that I listen to it in the context on my Ringleader experience, and feel lifted again. But I had to wait until World Peace before hearing a truly great 21st century Morrissey album. That album realises so much, in terms of lyrical content, sound and production that Morrissey was merely grasping for on Ringleader.

Ringleader is a threshold album for sure, with Morrissey evidently looking for a fresh defining sound and sensibility. But by Morrissey’s standards, I think it’s also a bit crap.

In the end, it wasn’t Morricone but rather Herb Alpert’s influence that would come to reignite Morrissey. Who’d have guessed that?
 
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Kinda wonderin' if the Chairman Of The Board record that Moz played for
Mikey was Bravo :clap:, Hooray :partypooper:.
It kinda sounds like the trumpet on I Just Want To See The Boy Happy.

 
I was curious about the 'V' so googled it to find out. If anyone else didn't know, here's what wiki says:

Michael Kevin Farrell is an American keyboardist, musical director, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work both recording and touring with Morrissey...

Farrell was the featured keyboardist and percussionist on the album Live at Earls Court (where he is erroneously billed as 'Mikey V. Farrell), the "Let Me Kiss You" and "I Have Forgiven Jesus" single B-sides and the live concert DVD, Who Put the M in Manchester?.


Maybe it was the way someone wrote down the 'K', and the reader thought it was a 'V'. Reasonable mistake I guess.

Mikey explained where the "V" is coming from in an interview he did with Julie some years ago.


"Julie: You’re Michael Kevin Farrell, and yet you’re credited on ‘You Are The Quarry’ (Deluxe Edition) as ‘Mikey V Farrell’. Please explain the ‘V’?

Mike: Ha ha! Yes. Well, I mentioned my grandfather, Michael Kevin Farrell the first. It is a name in our family. I have cousins named Michael; various other people in my life are named Michael. So I am Michael Kevin and my cousin is Michael Sean, so I’m Mike Kev. So if you put that in an email I’m ‘Mikev’. So Morrissey, having seen my email, started calling me Mikey ‘V’ Farrell, because he was reading MikeV Farrell. A year later he said ‘What does the V stand for?’ and I said ‘Kevin’. He kind of raised one eyebrow and that was the end of the conversation. All the people in the Morrissey camp call me Mikey. My wife calls me Michael. When people say ‘hi Mikey’ I know that they’re Morrissey people"

Credit in You Are The Quarry Deluxe Edition:
20200601_193858.jpg


Link to full interview (definitely worth reading):

 
In Autobiography he strikes me as the one ex-band member who Morrissey doesn't hold a grudge against. I'm afraid I don't like Twitter and don't want to listen to session musos dissecting albums - otherwise I'd have asked a question.
 
In Autobiography he strikes me as the one ex-band member who Morrissey doesn't hold a grudge against. I'm afraid I don't like Twitter and don't want to listen to session musos dissecting albums - otherwise I'd have asked a question.

If my recollection is good, Morrissey was actually quite fond of Mikey V, but Boz didn't think he was good enough a songwriter for Morrissey, so he left the band. I find it a bit odd that Boz would have the last word on who is in the band and who is allowed to submit songs, so perhaps Mikey left for other reasons.
 
If my recollection is good, Morrissey was actually quite fond of Mikey V, but Boz didn't think he was good enough a songwriter for Morrissey, so he left the band. I find it a bit odd that Boz would have the last word on who is in the band and who is allowed to submit songs, so perhaps Mikey left for other reasons.
Never heard that Boz story. Not doubting you, but do you have a source? Very curious.
 
Mikey explained where the "V" is coming from in an interview he did with Julie some years ago.


"Julie: You’re Michael Kevin Farrell, and yet you’re credited on ‘You Are The Quarry’ (Deluxe Edition) as ‘Mikey V Farrell’. Please explain the ‘V’?

Mike: Ha ha! Yes. Well, I mentioned my grandfather, Michael Kevin Farrell the first. It is a name in our family. I have cousins named Michael; various other people in my life are named Michael. So I am Michael Kevin and my cousin is Michael Sean, so I’m Mike Kev. So if you put that in an email I’m ‘Mikev’. So Morrissey, having seen my email, started calling me Mikey ‘V’ Farrell, because he was reading MikeV Farrell. A year later he said ‘What does the V stand for?’ and I said ‘Kevin’. He kind of raised one eyebrow and that was the end of the conversation. All the people in the Morrissey camp call me Mikey. My wife calls me Michael. When people say ‘hi Mikey’ I know that they’re Morrissey people"

Credit in You Are The Quarry Deluxe Edition:

Morrissey basically calls people whatever he feels like, doesn't he? Didn't he rename keyboardist Steve Nieve "Steven Heart" for the liner notes of Kill Uncle?
 

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