Morrissey Rockabilly EP 1990 - Background/ Tracks?

A

Alma Matter

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I have read that Morrissey was planning to release a Rockabilly EP back in 1990 but the idea was scrapped for Pregnant 12". Interesting that this was prior to the Lads. With that said, here is my understanding of the potential track listing. Any deeper insight on the track list and the reason it was canceled would be interesting:

Tracks:
1) Pregnant for the Last Time
2) Striptease with a Difference
3) Oh Phoney
4) Piccadilly Palare
5) I've Changed my Plea to Guilty

Other Potential Candidates:
1) Tony the Pony
2) Journalists Who Lie
3) The Loop
4) My Love Life

This was an interesting point in Morrissey's history. He was a major star with top singles, but he aborted his second album Bona Drag, aborted a Rockabilly EP and recorded Kill Uncle, which was an unusual group of songs and sonic approach. Soon after The Lads show up and BOOM Morrissey becomes huge in the US.
 
Fair. But that came later. This is prior to Kill Uncle.
 
Striptease and Oh Phoney were part of the Bona Drag project when it was still going to be a studio album. It has nothing to do with the Kill Uncle/rockabilly project. I am not sure there is any evidence that any of those other songs, besides Born to Hang, were anything other than Kill Uncle outtakes/afterthoughts (albeit great ones). It's certainly true that some of them, like Tony and The Loop and Pregnant, have a definite rockabilly feel but I don't know if it's ever been definitively proven that they were originally conceived as part of the so-called "rockabilly" EP project. I think the closest that thing ever came to fruition was the Live At KROQ single, LOL.
 
I have read that Morrissey was planning to release a Rockabilly EP back in 1990 but the idea was scrapped for Pregnant 12". Interesting that this was prior to the Lads. With that said, here is my understanding of the potential track listing. Any deeper insight on the track list and the reason it was canceled would be interesting:

Tracks:
1) Pregnant for the Last Time
2) Striptease with a Difference
3) Oh Phoney
4) Piccadilly Palare
5) I've Changed my Plea to Guilty

Other Potential Candidates:
1) Tony the Pony
2) Journalists Who Lie
3) The Loop
4) My Love Life

This was an interesting point in Morrissey's history. He was a major star with top singles, but he aborted his second album Bona Drag, aborted a Rockabilly EP and recorded Kill Uncle, which was an unusual group of songs and sonic approach. Soon after The Lads show up and BOOM Morrissey becomes huge in the US.

According to Mark Nevin, it was more than a simple rockabilly EP that was considered.

Morrissey was immediately dissatisfied with the Kill Uncle sessions and before it had even finished being mixed, wanted to go straight back into the studio to record some songs for a rockabilly album.

Ultimately he (and the record company presumably) decided that as they had already scrapped one album and put plenty of work into Kill Uncle, it should be released despite his ambivalence towards the contents. Pregnant for the Last Time, Born to Hang and The Loop were the only songs that were completed.

The 7 songs from the Bona Drag sessions (November Spawned a Monster, He Knows I'd Love to See Him, Girl Least Likely To, Oh Phoney, Piccadilly Palare, Striptease With a Difference and Get Off the Stage) were pretty old by this point and I doubt any would have been considered.
 
According to Mark Nevin, it was more than a simple rockabilly EP that was considered.

Morrissey was immediately dissatisfied with the Kill Uncle sessions and before it had even finished being mixed, wanted to go straight back into the studio to record some songs for a rockabilly album.

Ultimately he (and the record company presumably) decided that as they had already scrapped one album and put plenty of work into Kill Uncle, it should be released despite his ambivalence towards the contents. Pregnant for the Last Time, Born to Hang and The Loop were the only songs that were completed.

The 7 songs from the Bona Drag sessions (November Spawned a Monster, He Knows I'd Love to See Him, Girl Least Likely To, Oh Phoney, Piccadilly Palare, Striptease With a Difference and Get Off the Stage) were pretty old by this point and I doubt any would have been considered.
This makes a ton of sense. It’s interesting to me and it bridges to why he rethought the songs so quickly for the tour with The Lads
 
Morrissey was immediately dissatisfied with the Kill Uncle sessions and before it had even finished being mixed, wanted to go straight back into the studio to record some songs for a rockabilly album.

Ultimately he (and the record company presumably) decided that as they had already scrapped one album and put plenty of work into Kill Uncle, it should be released despite his ambivalence towards the contents. Pregnant for the Last Time, Born to Hang and The Loop were the only songs that were completed.

The 7 songs from the Bona Drag sessions (November Spawned a Monster, He Knows I'd Love to See Him, Girl Least Likely To, Oh Phoney, Piccadilly Palare, Striptease With a Difference and Get Off the Stage) were pretty old by this point and I doubt any would have been considered.

At the end of the day, Morrissey just wants to rock ! :rock: :guitar:




 
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There was
According to Mark Nevin, it was more than a simple rockabilly EP that was considered.

Morrissey was immediately dissatisfied with the Kill Uncle sessions and before it had even finished being mixed, wanted to go straight back into the studio to record some songs for a rockabilly album.

Ultimately he (and the record company presumably) decided that as they had already scrapped one album and put plenty of work into Kill Uncle, it should be released despite his ambivalence towards the contents. Pregnant for the Last Time, Born to Hang and The Loop were the only songs that were completed.

The 7 songs from the Bona Drag sessions (November Spawned a Monster, He Knows I'd Love to See Him, Girl Least Likely To, Oh Phoney, Piccadilly Palare, Striptease With a Difference and Get Off the Stage) were pretty old by this point and I doubt any would have been considered.

That's interesting. All my CDs are in some 10 huge boxes (I do no longer listen to CDs), but I have a Japanese EP, I am unable to check the release date and I don't know the title because my version has a Japanese title (the names of the song are written in English though) that gets very close to your list.
I remember it has some 6 songs and I am sure that the songs The Loop, Pregnant for the last time, That's Entertainment are there (I can't remember the remaining songs).

I don't know the background behind this EP. It is certainly from Japan and I think it is not a bootleg (though it may be, hard to know). All the songs are studio versions, that's for sure.

Born to hang is not there, I am sure.
 
There was


That's interesting. All my CDs are in some 10 huge boxes (I do no longer listen to CDs), but I have a Japanese EP, I am unable to check the release date and I don't know the title because my version has a Japanese title (the names of the song are written in English though) that gets very close to your list.
I remember it has some 6 songs and I am sure that the songs The Loop, Pregnant for the last time, That's Entertainment are there (I can't remember the remaining songs).

I don't know the background behind this EP. It is certainly from Japan and I think it is not a bootleg (though it may be, hard to know). All the songs are studio versions, that's for sure.

Born to hang is not there, I am sure.
These 6 songs?

My Love Life (UK version)
The Loop
Skin Storm
That's Entertainment
Pregnant For The Last Time
I've Changed My Plea to Guilty (UK version)
 
These 6 songs?

My Love Life (UK version)
The Loop
Skin Storm
That's Entertainment
Pregnant For The Last Time
I've Changed My Plea to Guilty (UK version)

Yes, that's the one. Those 6 songs and I think that even in that order, so we are talking about te same EP for sure.
 
These 6 songs?

My Love Life (UK version)
The Loop
Skin Storm
That's Entertainment
Pregnant For The Last Time
I've Changed My Plea to Guilty (UK version)

What’s special about the UK version of Plea? Different vocal take?
 
What’s special about the UK version of Plea? Different vocal take?
The UK version is 28 seconds longer than the USA one.
Regards,
FWD.
 
The UK version is 28 seconds longer than the USA one.
Regards,
FWD.

Thanks!

Hey, it’s 2021! Reckon we’ll find that non-abrupt-ending version of There Speaks A True Friend this year?

For shits and giggles can you post the image of the abandoned YA reissue that it was going to appear on?
 
There was


That's interesting. All my CDs are in some 10 huge boxes (I do no longer listen to CDs), but I have a Japanese EP, I am unable to check the release date and I don't know the title because my version has a Japanese title (the names of the song are written in English though) that gets very close to your list.
I remember it has some 6 songs and I am sure that the songs The Loop, Pregnant for the last time, That's Entertainment are there (I can't remember the remaining songs).

I don't know the background behind this EP. It is certainly from Japan and I think it is not a bootleg (though it may be, hard to know). All the songs are studio versions, that's for sure.

Born to hang is not there, I am sure.
Japanese My Love Life CD?

This one

 
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I have read that Morrissey was planning to release a Rockabilly EP back in 1990 but the idea was scrapped for Pregnant 12". Interesting that this was prior to the Lads. With that said, here is my understanding of the potential track listing. Any deeper insight on the track list and the reason it was canceled would be interesting:

Tracks:
1) Pregnant for the Last Time
2) Striptease with a Difference
3) Oh Phoney
4) Piccadilly Palare
5) I've Changed my Plea to Guilty

Other Potential Candidates:
1) Tony the Pony
2) Journalists Who Lie
3) The Loop
4) My Love Life

This was an interesting point in Morrissey's history. He was a major star with top singles, but he aborted his second album Bona Drag, aborted a Rockabilly EP and recorded Kill Uncle, which was an unusual group of songs and sonic approach. Soon after The Lads show up and BOOM Morrissey becomes huge in the US.
To my understanding there was one recording session in December 1990 at Hook End Manor with Boorer and Nevin on guitar, Bridgwood on bass, Paresi on drums and apparently Whyte on harmonica.
Pregnant For The Last Time and Born To Hang were both recorded as potential entries for the rockabilly mini album. Not sure if The Loop was recorded at the same time, but probably close to it.

Interestingly, I've Changed My Plea To Guilty (decidedly less rockabilly influenced) was also recorded in December 1991, possibly with the same musicians, during the same sessions and named as a potential new single by Morrissey.
My Love Life (clearly not rockabilly in its original version) was recorded later, in early 1991, as a potential b-side for Sing Your Life and part of the last session Morrissey did with the Kill Uncle team.

Any inclusion of earlier songs, like songs originally planned for the Bona Drag album, seems unlikely, especially since the studio versions of Piccadilly Palare, Striptease With A Difference and Oh Phoney don't sound like rockabilly at all. (And Piccadilly had already been a single at that point.)

Information about these sessions is, as usual with Morrissey, patchy at best.

I'd be interested in hearing from himself what made him abandon the idea.
Maybe he just realised rockabilly wasn't quite right for him and rather "just one of those things that seem like a good idea when I read it somewhere", as he told Steven Daly in January 1991. An interesting quote considering the heavily rockabilly-influenced tour that followed later that year...
 
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this thread has reminded me I need to listen to the Loop again
 
this thread has reminded me I need to listen to the Loop again

Superior was the live version...




Aaaah, remember live shows?




from 92 (above) on it sounded great live, the 91 live version is not so hot though.

Anyway, a real rocker !
 
Superior was the live version...




Aaaah, remember live shows?




from 92 (above) on it sounded great live, the 91 live version is not so hot though.

Anyway, a real rocker !


And one of only two songs from that era that have survived well into the 21st century in terms of live performances. All around fab track.

 
And one of only two songs from that era that have survived well into the 21st century in terms of live performances. All around fab track.



Judging by the studio version, I wonder if Morrissey was surprised to find how great it is as a live song.

Also gives his voice a little break in the set. Drums on this version you posted sound great. :thumb:


Btw, in regards to the JapaneseMy Love Life EP cd, the cover (front and back) of Alain and Gary holding up Jobriath’s debut album has to be one of my favorite Morrissey covers!
 
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