"California Son" reviews in Salford Star (4/5 stars), Daily Mail (2/5 stars)

CAN MORRISSEY ESCAPE POLITICAL FALL-OUT WITH NEW ALBUM? - Salford Star
By Ian Leslie
Four out Five Salford Stars ****
Star date: 19th May 2019

DOES MORRISSEY STILL HAVE ANY CRED LEFT AT ALL?

Morrissey, who once had his photo taken outside Salford Lads Club, has a new album out called California Son, which itself is ironic considering his moronic right wing outbursts of late. Here, Ian Leslie reviews the tracks and ponders whether the Trafford singer and American immigrant can overcome 'commercial suicide'...



California Son review by Tim De Lisle (2 of 5 stars) - Daily Mail. Scan of print review posted by Alexi below.
 
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The Star review likes the music, but thinks that Moz's opinions are at odds with his fans. Are there fans that agree with M?

Yes 100%. But to be honest. He hasn't really said much so I am really not sure what I am agreeing with. It's just Brits latch on to one word and then call you a racist. In the UsA we aren't obsessed with it. Matter of fact, only had one conversation in my entire life in the UsA about racism. And I think we are a bit more diverse than UK.

You really need to ask yourselves in the UK what the racist label is really about. I think it's a way you all try to degrade each other and hate on each other. You all have to hate on everything. You are the angriest <which makes you boring> people. Maybe its because you have no future because you pi ss it away .


Btw, why you white people in UK so obsessed with racism. It's not like you will ever be a victim to it??? Oh, ya that's right. Its about hating others with a bit of self righteousness indignation.
 
Definitely. Whereas only Moz's true fans (who always buy his releases) bought that one, this will have a more diffuse appeal.

He's got a lot of admirers. Famous people are never very admirable - they exist in their own untouchable bubbles. They rarely do or say anything that your average man on the street can relate to - whereas Morrissey, despite accusations of egotism or diva-ism, still seems grounded in the blunt everyday reality of a rainy Northern street.

It's an unusual appeal. He has a strong emotional intelligence and is very perceptive at reading the mood of his country. I've noticed this time and again. He's like the last true working class hero of his generation. In this way there's a similarity to London boy Johnny Rotten. You could say Moz is a true eccentric: contrary, stubborn, old-fashioned to the last - and Brits love their eccentrics. But he's also bang on the ball also. If you've got the appeal, charisma and sense of mystique like Moz has - and the ability to always surprise (and therefore effectuate headlines) - you'll always sell.

Wrong - almost definitely not. You are unbelievably deluded to think otherwise.
Despite all the technological advances of the last 20 years, radio airplay is the fuel that powers album sales. Radio 2 have A-listed Wedding Blues as they A-listed Spent Today in Bed but literally no other station is playing it (unlike Spent which got heavy rotation on indie stations across the land).
LIHS sold 25,000 in week 1 on the back of the airplay for Spent.
California won't hit 20,000 in week 1 (and might not reach 15,000) due to less airplay and massive bad vibes resulting from his idiotic support for toxic twats, For Bigots.
So, the first week sales will be way down on LIHS. The album will exit from the charts rapidly like all Morrissey albums (except VH and YATQ) unless there is a radio A-listed follow-up single, which there almost certainly won't be. BBC will be embarrassed that they're giving so much support for Wedding Blues (pingate hadn't erupted when they made the A-listing decision) and will give no similar support to any more singles released off the album. Mark my words.
 
Yes 100%. But to be honest. He hasn't really said much so I am really not sure what I am agreeing with. It's just Brits latch on to one word and then call you a racist. In the UsA we aren't obsessed with it. Matter of fact, only had one conversation in my entire life in the UsA about racism. And I think we are a bit more diverse than UK.

You really need to ask yourselves in the UK what the racist label is really about. I think it's a way you all try to degrade each other and hate on each other. You all have to hate on everything. You are the angriest <which makes you boring> people. Maybe its because you have no future because you pi ss it away .


Btw, why you white people in UK so obsessed with racism. It's not like you will ever be a victim to it??? Oh, ya that's right. Its about hating others with a bit of self righteousness indignation.
You raise several good points my friend
 
Not surprised by hack music journalists but i really wish they would stop with the far right stuff. If Morrissey is identifying as anything at the moment it's as a Nationalist. He's criticized both left & right wing parties
 
Eh for me it’s complicated. He’s not super specific or detailed about a lot of his opinions, people just read into a lot of the somewhat cryptic stuff he says, so that makes it harder. I agree with his opinion on immigration from like 2002 where he said mass immigration is a problem and that people have a right to feel uneasy about it but also said that the people come from such difficult places that it’s impossible not to feel for them. I to am conflicted much like everyone else. People keep saying racism but it’s really the culture and religion aspect he reacts to. Racism and racists think that something biological is the cause which I don’t think applies in morrisseys case. He thinks that religion and culture is the issue and it’s incompatibility with whatever place is taking people in and that mostly the poor and average people will bare the brunt of the negative consequences which isn’t necessarily untrue. I don’t wanna live in Iran or Saudi Arabia and think a lot of the values there are not great and to some extent the people there support those values. Not everything is equal and free from judgement including culture
Your considerations are so spot on and sensible. I endorse everything you wrote
 
Wrong - almost definitely not. You are unbelievably deluded to think otherwise.
Despite all the technological advances of the last 20 years, radio airplay is the fuel that powers album sales. Radio 2 have A-listed Wedding Blues as they A-listed Spent Today in Bed but literally no other station is playing it (unlike Spent which got heavy rotation on indie stations across the land).
LIHS sold 25,000 in week 1 on the back of the airplay for Spent.
California won't hit 20,000 in week 1 (and might not reach 15,000) due to less airplay and massive bad vibes resulting from his idiotic support for toxic twats, For Bigots.
So, the first week sales will be way down on LIHS. The album will exit from the charts rapidly like all Morrissey albums (except VH and YATQ) unless there is a radio A-listed follow-up single, which there almost certainly won't be. BBC will be embarrassed that they're giving so much support for Wedding Blues (pingate hadn't erupted when they made the A-listing decision) and will give no similar support to any more singles released off the album. Mark my words.

Weird how they keep playing Michael Jackson - despite the child abuse allegations. Or Bowie - since the underage sex stories came out. It seems having odd views is far worse.
 
He takes a shot at Autobiography in a record review (seemingly forgetting how successful it was)

Not that it's great and I agree with the rest of your post, but what are you talking about here? Literally the only mention IS about how Autobiography was successful!

They call it "a big hit". If anything, they highlight Autobiography as successful to crap on the rest of his output, of which their understanding of is far more backward
 
Wrong - almost definitely not. You are unbelievably deluded to think otherwise.
Despite all the technological advances of the last 20 years, radio airplay is the fuel that powers album sales. Radio 2 have A-listed Wedding Blues as they A-listed Spent Today in Bed but literally no other station is playing it (unlike Spent which got heavy rotation on indie stations across the land).
LIHS sold 25,000 in week 1 on the back of the airplay for Spent.
California won't hit 20,000 in week 1 (and might not reach 15,000) due to less airplay and massive bad vibes resulting from his idiotic support for toxic twats, For Bigots.
So, the first week sales will be way down on LIHS. The album will exit from the charts rapidly like all Morrissey albums (except VH and YATQ) unless there is a radio A-listed follow-up single, which there almost certainly won't be. BBC will be embarrassed that they're giving so much support for Wedding Blues (pingate hadn't erupted when they made the A-listing decision) and will give no similar support to any more singles released off the album. Mark my words.
ok mark if you say so.
 
Weird how they keep playing Michael Jackson - despite the child abuse allegations. Or Bowie - since the underage sex stories came out. It seems having odd views is far worse.
nothing to see here, move on.
 
It was always the case that if a review is poor, the fans decry it. Always. The good ones get exalted. Let's stop pretending it's anything else.
I'm no Morrissey defender, neither of the man himself or most of the music he's released since 2006. But the "review" in question was absolutely terrible, for reasons already mentioned in this thread. It deserves all the negativity it's received here and more.
 
Not that it's great and I agree with the rest of your post, but what are you talking about here? Literally the only mention IS about how Autobiography was successful!

They call it "a big hit". If anything, they highlight Autobiography as successful to crap on the rest of his output, of which their understanding of is far more backward
Here's something to consider:
Backhanded compliments.
When you say something positive ('big hit') to then diminish it with negative terms ('got away with it', 'that went on for').
The writer is bordering on incredulity at this point and is already setting the tone for the rest of the "review".
Regards,
FWD.
 
Here's something to consider:
Backhanded compliments.
When you say something positive ('big hit') to then diminish it with negative terms ('got away with it', 'that went on for').
The writer is bordering on incredulity at this point and is already setting the tone for the rest of the "review".
Regards,
FWD.
Agree 100%. The review has less credibility. Not just because I don't like it, which I don't.
 
Just in case anyone wasn't aware, Tim de Lisle was educated at Eton and Oxford, and his full name is: Timothy John March Phillipps de Lisle.
 
Can't Wait .... My Patient Will Be Nearly Over !
 

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I think the most amusing thing about this whole Morrissey has some new right wing fans now etc is that if they go buy the last album they’re gonna get an album with a love song to Israel plus a female hero from Tel Aviv, a song with middle eastern influenced music possibly about gay sex, another praising the Arab spring and the fall of fascist dictators, a song comparing soldiers to terrorists, another calling soldiers fools for there causes plus just for good measure a song based on a hippie jam. Hope they have fun with all of that
 
I relented and came into work early to have a listen on the stores soundsystem .
Its pretty good ... Dylan track is done a bit gaelic and Lennys tune is minimal piano backing . Dont like the arrangement of carly simon track and that was the one i was lookin forward to . Lonliness is pretty faithful to original as is phil ochs one . Buffy one is good and devil is quite dramatic .... 8/10 i say
 
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