posted by davidt on Monday May 26 2003, @09:00AM
Under The Influence - a compilation of Morrissey's inspirations, is released on May 26, 2003 (UK), June 10, 2003 (US). Post your reviews/info regarding this release in the comments section below.
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  • I got home today all excited about my new CD (the first I'd purchased legitimitely in a year), put it in my E: drive, kicked off my shoes, shut my eyes and..... erm... what the.... no disc in the drive? Took it out and looked for scratches... nothing. Tried another disc, it worked fine... And then I looked a little closer at the print on the CD... 'This CD is copy protected and cannot be played on PCs or Macs'. What a load of bollocks! It's going straight back to the shop tomorrow as my computer is my only player. I think I'll just download the tracks from Soulseek or KaZaa instead. Up yours DMC this is ridiculous. PETA can expect my cheque in the post directly.
    Anonymous -- Monday May 26 2003, @02:38PM (#62749)
  • Oh dear. Since my cd player broke, i can only play discos on my computer. So i won't be buying this at all.
    austere -- Tuesday May 27 2003, @01:26AM (#62847)
    (User #103 Info)
  • Copied (Score:2, Informative)

    http://www.zeropaid.com/news/articles/auto/04072002a

    I followed these instructions, minus the Celine Dion, and it worked fine for me.
    fut -- Tuesday May 27 2003, @05:00PM (#62964)
    (User #401 Info | http://www.omgmyblog.com/)
    • Re:Copied by Brighton Rich (Score:1) Tuesday May 27 2003, @11:20PM
    • Re:Copied by Anonymous (Score:0) Wednesday May 28 2003, @05:24AM
  • Bought it yesterday, and what else can I say other than that it's absolutely wonderful.
    It feels like getting a gift or a mix-tape from a dear old friend that you've known for ages... only to find out that he still can surprise and inspire you.
    Thank you Morrissey, without this record I probobly would've never found the way to the greatness of Diana Dors and Ludus.
    Martin -- Wednesday May 28 2003, @05:16AM (#63027)
    (User #278 Info | http://www.thefarm.cjb.net/)
    A Slight Case of Overcombing
  • Got this yesterday, and for the main part it rocks. There are loads of really, really obscure tracks here, stuff you've never heard and will probably never, ever see off of this compilation.
    I would say that if you're not interested in Moz's roots or don't like rockabilly, don't get this.
    1.THE SUNDOWN PLAYBOYS: saturday nite special
    Probably the weirdest track on the album, it's sung in some strange French dialect, but it sounds more German. It's very accordian esque. Nice, cheesy but nice!

    2. NEW YORK DOLLS: trash
    What can I say? The only song I heard prior to getting this album. It's great, and as usual you'll see how Morrissey left out the vast majority of the lyrics when covering it! This is probably the inspiration behind punk. It's a great song. Kind of like The Strokes in the early '70s!

    3. NAT COUTY: woodpecker rock
    Morrissey's 'making silly noises on-stage' inspiration? or the Woody Woodpecker inspiration? Another kind of cheesy song, very Rockabilly, like Elvis. Nice lyrics: 'Jack and Jill went uptown'

    4. DIANA DORS: so little time
    It's like 60's pop really. She has an ultra sexy voice. It's lovely, very urgent.

    5. LUDUS: breaking the rules
    Brilliant song by Moz's fag hag and her band. it's basically about orgies, breaking the rules of sex and stuff. There's a great bit when Linder's going through the 'different situations, the different.. cominations' and she sings 'FEMALE PLUS FEMALE PLUS FEMALE PLUS FEMALE.. MALE PLUS MALE PLUS MALE PLUS MALE'and there's also a lyric 'my how sex intrudes'.. inspiration for a similar lyric in the Moz song 'Stretch Out And Wait?'

    6. CHARLIE FEATHERS: one hand loose
    Another dose of quite cheesy rockabilly. He has a nice voice though. Makes me want to buy a stetson hat. Maybe...

    7. T-REX: great horse
    The song that makes me want to become a much bigger fan of T-Rex! It's short but typically Bolan, very dreamy. Can't really hear what he's singing, but that really doesn't matter at all!

    8. JIMMY RADCLIFFE (there goes) the forgotten man
    It's like Burt bacharac really, strings and brass and stuff. It's nice, but I guess instantly forgettable!

    9. JAYBEE WASDON: de castrow
    More really weird rockabilly type music. Reminds me of the that theme to Raw Hide, but kind of softer. It's kind of crazy. So lame it's cool, I guess

    10. RAMONES: judy is a punk
    Have to say, this under-two-minutes affair is growing on me. It's a bit feisty. More Buzzcocks than Sex Pistols. You know what to expect.

    11. SPARKS: arts and crafts spectacular
    One of the best songs on here, it's an unreleased demo, but it's lovely, weird but nice. You may remember it from the 2002 tour intermission tape.

    12. THE CATS: swan lake
    'Reggae is vile' to quote Mister Morrissey in 1986. It's a lovely ska-d up version of the Thiacosky (spelled wrong, inevitabely) ballet. Lovely flutes.

    13. NICO: all that is my own
    We were all expecting Innocent and Vain, now, weren't we? It's still a nice track, but a bit weaker than other Nico songs. Still soothing though, and her voice is amazing.

    14. PATTI SMITH: hey joe
    My favourite song on the compilation. There's a big spoken word part at the beginning, her voice is amazing, and the song is just so bluesey, and the lyrics are amazing.

    15. KLAUS NOMI: death
    Opera, anyone? Yes, Klaus is male.. very strange character, tragic German harlequin clown type person who dies of AIDS. It'll make you cry if you think about it too deeply, it'll make you cry. He recorded it and then died.
    'Remember me, forget my fate'

    Overall, this is a great, but kind of short album, most of the songs (all but the last two) are under three minutes and overall, 41 minutes for fifteen tracks is a bit short. But it's definately worth getting hold of this album, especially if you're really into (obsessed by???) Moz's inspirations and likes.
    The personally-written sleevenotes are wonderfully, wonderfully over the top, and the whole package looks lovely.

    Hope this helped, but it probably didn't!!

    J x
    the_tatty_truth -- Wednesday May 28 2003, @05:32AM (#63035)
    (User #7359 Info)
    FAMOUS WHEN DEAD
  • Just got the album today, and I think it is really quite lovely.

    Even if one does not like all the songs I'd have to say it is a really interesting look into Morrissey's record-collection.

    Like someone said before, it's like getting a nice and interesting 'mixtape' from a friend.
    bjaebb -- Wednesday May 28 2003, @10:12AM (#63093)
    (User #8393 Info)
  • bought this with no expectations...

    listened to it and discovered why Morrissey who he is.
    carnal artist -- Wednesday May 28 2003, @05:22PM (#63131)
    (User #7076 Info)
  • It's a good record, it would have been absolutely fantastic as a 2CD set though, bundled with the pre-show tape from last years tour.
    Hairdresser on Fire -- Thursday May 29 2003, @04:03AM (#63156)
    (User #1016 Info)
    "The typewriter is holy the poem is holy the voice is holy the hearers are holy the ecstasy is holy!" Allen Ginsberg.
  • Don't know how, but it played straight off on my PC!!!!!!!!!!
    Anonymous -- Thursday May 29 2003, @10:55AM (#63205)
  • At the very least, this CD was always going to be interesting, but would it be any good to actually listen to? The answer is a surprising yes! The only tracks I already had were the usual - Ramones, Patti Smith and New York Dolls, which are all great of course. The three rockabilly effigies are pretty good, being a fan of Elvis' Sun Records days. But the real surprise was Ludus, whom I'd never heard before, and from the stories I'd heard I expected some bizarre Yoko Ono megamix, but this track is very good, and like Morrissey says, Linders voice is kinda sexy. The only track I cannot begin to like is the closing Klaus Nomi for opera reasons!
    Baz -- Thursday May 29 2003, @12:56PM (#63218)
    (User #2872 Info | http://geocities.com/smiths82_87)
  • I was interested to read on Morrissey's sleeve notes to the 'Under The Influence' collection that in 1989 Morrissey used the above song, especially the vocal as a guide to a song he was recording. I suspect that the song to which Morrissey is referring is 'Get Off The Stage' which bears more than a passing resemblance to 'Saturday Night Special' which is characterised by its wobbly accordions and crooned french-acadian language vocal. I always thought of 'Get Off The Stage' as a real curiosity among Moz's work since it stands alone from much of his other stuff in terms of the general style. Perhaps we now know why, the song was in part a parody of this truly curious yet charming song Morrissey had heard as a child on the radio. If this is the case then I personally consider this to be a fascinating discovery. Sad, I know.
    JonnersB -- Tuesday June 03 2003, @03:23AM (#63610)
    (User #8247 Info)
    Would you like to note my inside-leg?
  • I bought this CD today and it Jammed the CD drive of my computer for an hour. The computer kept trying to boot from it. In small print on the inside of the CD is the information "This CD is copy protected and cannot be played on PCs or MACs". I am furious I usually play CDs on my computer while I'm working at home and on my computer at work while I'm working. Morrissey influences or no Morrissey influences I'm taking it back. I've read that these disks can do serious damage to MACs. Just a warning to anyone buying it.
    Anonymous -- Wednesday June 11 2003, @04:20AM (#65003)
    • well result. I got a nice email today from DMC who are regretting copy protecting the album and not making it clear on the front and who offered me a normal copy. They say they will not be using copy protection in the future. It's a good thing I didn't take it back , I'm really enjoying it particularly the New York Dolls and Ludus. All is forgiven DMC.
      Anonymous -- Thursday June 26 2003, @02:25PM (#66969)
  • Pierre van Hooydonk. Feyenoord kampieoenen!
    Spineless Swine <[email protected]> -- Monday May 26 2003, @11:45AM (#62740)
    (User #4968 Info)
    Leave your future behind you.
  • If you're going to post insults, fine...but at least be brave enough to do them unanonymously!!
    veradicere -- Monday May 26 2003, @12:29PM (#62743)
    (User #8315 Info)
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