Under the Hood of Morrissey’s ‘World Peace...’ With Producer Joe Chiccarelli - Radio.com

Totally agree. Nobody wants to waste a minute and a half on a blast of nothingness. Especially if you're old school and like listening to the album in the car on a cd. That intro will probably cause a few crashes as people try to fast forward and go too far and then have to rewind and then before you know it the song plays and you're listening to it with your head through the windscreen. The sound of approaching ambulance makes you wonder "did they feckin put 'The youngest was the most loved" back on the new album??? Twats!". And then when you hear faint French incoherent dialogue you'll know you're dying for real.

Hahaha, now that would be a heavenly way to die.
 
Totally agree. Nobody wants to waste a minute and a half on a blast of nothingness. Especially if you're old school and like listening to the album in the car on a cd. That intro will probably cause a few crashes as people try to fast forward and go too far and then have to rewind and then before you know it the song plays and you're listening to it with your head through the windscreen. The sound of approaching ambulance makes you wonder "did they feckin put 'The youngest was the most loved" back on the new album??? Twats!". And then when you hear faint French incoherent dialogue you'll know you're dying for real.

Thanks for the genuine laugh! I was scrolling through anonymously (sp?) but had to sign in just to give you the thumbs up and a kudos!
 
Unimpressed with Chicca's "production". It's a mess, IMHO and he let Moz strong arm him too much from the sounds of it.
 
I don't know if this is a praise-worthy comment of the producer's doing or what, but this is the first album where you can really hear Morrissey's voice. I don't know how to explain it, it's so clear and beautiful in every song.
 
Totally agree. Nobody wants to waste a minute and a half on a blast of nothingness. Especially if you're old school and like listening to the album in the car on a cd. That intro will probably cause a few crashes as people try to fast forward and go too far and then have to rewind and then before you know it the song plays and you're listening to it with your head through the windscreen. The sound of approaching ambulance makes you wonder "did they feckin put 'The youngest was the most loved" back on the new album??? Twats!". And then when you hear faint French incoherent dialogue you'll know you're dying for real.

:lbf:

The deluxe version is a little under two minutes too long to burn onto a standard blank CD, so something will have to go for the "car copy". Chopping out this section and a few other bits of pratting about should make it fit without having to lose a song. Car-related catastrophe neatly avoided. :)
 
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Interesting read. Joe Chiccarelli and Gustavo Manzur really upped Morrissey's musical game on this one (and just in time). One more heavy-handed rocker and it would have been over.

I was surprised to read that Morrissey felt that the album overall was a bit too dark, and so included "Kiss Me A Lot". He was absolutely right. Joe obviously tried (and failed) to curb some of Morrissey's more misguided musical tics (much to his chagrin apparently): that "ambient" intro to "I'm Not a Man" would have worked at a few seconds, but (as others have said) it goes on long enough to resemble self-sabotage of the best song on the album.

Morrissey's voice - holy mother of god - still magnificent. I'm not surprised that he tends to nail it on the first (or very early) take: his phrasing is so idiosyncratic and urgent that punch-ins or multiple takes would kill it.

As someone who has spent many years in recording studios with both heavy-handed producers and electronic noodlers, I can attest to the fact that it takes a light and sophisticated touch to balance acoustic and electronic sounds. Bravo to Joe: he created a fantastic setting for a real gem.
 
Joe obviously tried (and failed) to curb some of Morrissey's more misguided musical tics (much to his chagrin apparently): that "ambient" intro to "I'm Not a Man" would have worked at a few seconds, but (as others have said) it goes on long enough to resemble self-sabotage of the best song on the album.

Not that it was the best track on YATQ, but this has shades of Jerry Finn trying to convince Morrissey to remove the video game lasers from Irish Blood, English Heart.

There's a minor overuse of light "synthesizer diarrhoea" and random blips and bloops on the album. On many albums, they seem like space fillers to give the impression that a song is more than the sum of its parts.
 
Not that it was the best track on YATQ, but this has shades of Jerry Finn trying to convince Morrissey to remove the video game lasers from Irish Blood, English Heart.

There's a minor overuse of light "synthesizer diarrhoea" and random blips and bloops on the album. On many albums, they seem like space fillers to give the impression that a song is more than the sum of its parts.

I was never sure just how much of YATQ's cheap production moments were Morrissey, and how much Jerry Finn. I would assume that Morrissey would avoid the overuse of electronic blips and burps, given his musical proclivities. Still, it's apparent that (as in most things) Morrissey gets his way in the studio. It's his vision and, ultimately, his responsibility.

As for the "synthesizer diarrhea" on this album: I come from an electronic music background, and have a very high tolerance for that sort of thing (as long as it's done imaginatively). To my ears this is very good (and well-balanced) production, but I understand that others might not feel the same. It doesn't feel like filler here so much as emotional emphasis (Joe Chiccarelli seems to say as much). Another poster compared this album to Conor Obersts "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" and I agree: it feels experimental enough to satisfy, whereas Quarry just sounded a bit cheap.

My only problem with WPINOYB is the relative laxity of some of the melodies, which I attribute to the fact that most of these songs were never played live (or even really rehearsed). They haven't been properly worked through and toughened up. YATQ really benefitted from the fact that some of those songs had been toured and chewed over by the band. Put Quarry songwriting together with World Peace sensibility, and you've got a real masterpiece.
 
I was never sure just how much of YATQ's cheap production moments were Morrissey, and how much Jerry Finn. I would assume that Morrissey would avoid the overuse of electronic blips and burps, given his musical proclivities. Still, it's apparent that (as in most things) Morrissey gets his way in the studio. It's his vision and, ultimately, his responsibility.

As for the "synthesizer diarrhea" on this album: I come from an electronic music background, and have a very high tolerance for that sort of thing (as long as it's done imaginatively). To my ears this is very good (and well-balanced) production, but I understand that others might not feel the same. It doesn't feel like filler here so much as emotional emphasis (Joe Chiccarelli seems to say as much). Another poster compared this album to Conor Obersts "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" and I agree: it feels experimental enough to satisfy, whereas Quarry just sounded a bit cheap.

My only problem with WPINOYB is the relative laxity of some of the melodies, which I attribute to the fact that most of these songs were never played live (or even really rehearsed). They haven't been properly worked through and toughened up. YATQ really benefitted from the fact that some of those songs had been toured and chewed over by the band. Put Quarry songwriting together with World Peace sensibility, and you've got a real masterpiece.


What the album really needs is some BANJO.

Behind Madonna's LOVE SPENT - in the studio with …: http://youtu.be/YJdW6PIJshk
 
What the album really needs is some BANJO.

Behind Madonna's LOVE SPENT - in the studio with …: http://youtu.be/YJdW6PIJshk

Ah yes: in all the hubbub no one's been calling for Alain Whyte's return. He is a fantastic songwriter and, up until this point, it looked like Morrissey was sunk without him. Morrissey has managed to put out a very, very good record with this band but I do agree, it could have been even better with a few of Alain's strong, beautiful melodies (which is a part of what made YATQ so powerful).

I hope that Mr. Whyte is having the rewarding career that he deserves. :)
 
Ah yes: in all the hubbub no one's been calling for Alain Whyte's return. He is a fantastic songwriter and, up until this point, it looked like Morrissey was sunk without him. Morrissey has managed to put out a very, very good record with this band but I do agree, it could have been even better with a few of Alain's strong, beautiful melodies (which is a part of what made YATQ so powerful).

I hope that Mr. Whyte is having the rewarding career that he deserves. :)

I mentioned in another thread that he has alluded on Facebook to starting work on his own solo material, in addition to his other endeavors. I liked Red Lightning, Setting Fires, and his solo demos so it should be interesting to see what he comes up with.

I'll be the first to admit skepticism of a Boz/Jesse/Gustavo effort. I think Kiss Me A Lot is the closest track to an "Alain single," hence its promotion to the album. I do temper my enthusiasm for the second Harvest album (should it come to be) for the following reasons: (1) if you strip down a lot of the production choices/added instruments and remove Morrissey's melodies from the equation, much of what is on the album is not a sea change from previous albums; (2) how deep is the well of material for the three co-writers?
 
right producer to the core!


god bless mr. ciccarelli, he enlightened us.



p.s %
 

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