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It looks like Jesse and Boz will have co-written some songs for the next album, but who would YOU like to see as the co-writers for the next album along with Jesse and Boz if any?
Frankly, if we're being asked who we would "like" to see, there would be an option that did not include Jesse.
This!!
I'd like to see Whyte/Street. In the event of new contributions from Marr, I doubt he'd allow them to be used under the "Morrissey solo" banner. It would have to be a separate project.
Well it's guaranteed that Boz and Jesse will be co-writers on the next album. People are the same Everywhere will definitely be on it and at least one of the 4 Boz songs previewed already. I was meaning along with them who would you like to see as the extra co-writer (if any) or extra co-writers in any combination as far as my last option is concerned. I agree what you say about Marr. It would have to be a separate project.
Won't vote in the poll as Tobias is featured on all of them...a whole album of Street and Moz would be great. He could throw all the other songs away on another "Swords" album.
My proposal: commission one track from each of his former bandmates/songwriting partners. No more than one from each. It would be a concept album in which a story is told about a young man who begins life as a poor teenager in Manchester, achieves incredible success, and ends up a middle-aged Byronic exile despite being one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. To make the album appealing to record companies, it would be released alongside his memoirs. As a tie-in, the collaborator in each song would be given a chapter from the memoir to read as inspiration. The collaborator would also be asked to write the music in a style reflective of that stage of Morrissey's career. Then, in the studio-- with Johnny Marr behind the desk, overseeing the whole project-- Morrissey would add his words, which would keep to the theme of the given chapter, and sing the vocals.
The album's songwriting credits would look something like this:
Chapter 1. Morrissey/Duffy
Chapter 2. Morrissey/Marr
Chapter 3. Morrissey/Street
Chapter 4. Morrissey/Reilly
Chapter 5. Morrissey/Rourke
Chapter 6. Morrissey/Nevin
Chapter 7. Morrissey/Boorer
Chapter 8. Morrissey/Whyte
Chapter 9. Morrissey/Tobias
Chapter 10. Morrissey/Morricone
Naturally, only Morricone could write the music for the final, grandiose, highly operatic chapter. It would be a nine-minute epic, infused with Marr's recent experience scoring films, delivering a beautifully cinematic conclusion to Morrissey's Life In Pop. Needless to say this would be the final recorded album of his career. A limited-engagement tour would follow, with different guitarists and players lined up to offer different interpretations of Morrissey's songs. The chosen collaborator would not just show up to play, he would be the Musical Director for the evening and would be allowed full freedom to tailor the sound of the songs however he liked (more punk here, more bombast there; a set heavy with solo songs, another with Smiths material). The only constant would be Morrissey.
1. Los Angeles (Musical Director: Boz Boorer and Jesse Tobias)
2. New York (Musical Director: Alain Whyte)
3. Rome (Musical Director: Ennio Morricone, with full orchestra backing Morrissey rather than a band)
4. London (Musical Director: Stephen Street)
5. Manchester I: Only Songs From 1983-1990 (Musical Director: Boz Boorer)
6. Manchester II: Only Songs From 1991-2012 (Musical Director: Johnny Marr)
7. Manchester III: The Final Gig-- 30 Songs-- half acoustic set with Morrissey and Marr alone, half electric set with Morrissey, Marr, Rourke, Boorer, plus "Drummer To Be Named", with special appearances by various luminaries (e.g. Howard Devoto, Tim Booth, Pete Burns, Sparks, etc) (Musical Director: Johnny Marr)
8. Manchester X: Secret Gig - Morrissey, Marr, Rourke, DTBN playing small club-- The Ritz?-- in Manchester, announced hours beforehand via Johnny's Twitter account. Only Smiths songs. No keyboards. No computers. No backdrop. Four guys on a tiny stage belting out tunes. Each audience member receives a single page of Morrissey's memoirs, handwritten by the author. At the roof-raising conclusion of the evening's final encore, "Bigmouth Strikes Again", Morrissey is kidnapped by nuns and whisked away into the night. He is not seen again in public until he accepts the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Double live album to follow. Secret gig included as bonus video DVD/Blu-Ray in the Special Edition box set.
FINIS
Brilliant stuff. Very "Criterion" in conception.
I like how you've switched Boz and Marr to direct eras they weren't a part of for the Manchester shows.
My proposal: commission one track from each of his former bandmates/songwriting partners. No more than one from each. It would be a concept album in which a story is told about a young man who begins life as a poor teenager in Manchester, achieves incredible success, and ends up a middle-aged Byronic exile despite being one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. To make the album appealing to record companies, it would be released alongside his memoirs. As a tie-in, the collaborator in each song would be given a chapter from the memoir to read as inspiration. The collaborator would also be asked to write the music in a style reflective of that stage of Morrissey's career. Then, in the studio-- with Johnny Marr behind the desk, overseeing the whole project-- Morrissey would add his words, which would keep to the theme of the given chapter, and sing the vocals.
The album's songwriting credits would look something like this:
Chapter 1. Morrissey/Duffy
Chapter 2. Morrissey/Marr
Chapter 3. Morrissey/Street
Chapter 4. Morrissey/Reilly
Chapter 5. Morrissey/Rourke
Chapter 6. Morrissey/Nevin
Chapter 7. Morrissey/Boorer
Chapter 8. Morrissey/Whyte
Chapter 9. Morrissey/Tobias
Chapter 10. Morrissey/Morricone
FINIS
I suppose there's also Langer, Armstrong and Spencer to consider as potential ex co-writers. I don't think Gary Day counts.
Gary co-wrote Pashernate Love, Mexico and You Know I Couldn't Last (anything else?). Not a lot, but hey.
Spencer definitely had potential to become a very strong songwriting partner. Would still love to hear his version of It's Hard to Walk Tall...
Gary co-wrote Pashernate Love, Mexico and You Know I Couldn't Last (anything else?). Not a lot, but hey.
The Slum Mums and Noise is the Best Revenge, too.
The Slum Mums and Noise is the Best Revenge, too.
I remember these two songs got quite a bashing (and still do?) when they were released.
Oh and Let the Right One Slip In too, of course.
Brilliant stuff. Very "Criterion" in conception.
I like how you've switched Boz and Marr to direct eras they weren't a part of for the Manchester shows.