FROM THE ARCHIVES....A SERIES FOR SATURDAYS

FRIDAY, I'M IN LOVE WITH MORRISSEY (Part 1) - originally posted on 28th November 2008

Yet another series is launched at TVV....and the intention for the next few Fridays (not sure yet just how many), is to focus on songs recorded by Steven Patrick Morrissey since he embarked on his solo career back in 1988.

Thus far, not including compilations, he's graced us with 8 studio LPs, 2 live albums and 38 singles.

Today's offering dates from 1995 when the great man had just moved to RCA Records after seven years with EMI. After the critical and commercial success of Vauxhall and I in 1994 in which the demons of the past including accusations of racism had been almost wiped out, the content of follow-up LP Southpaw Grammar baffled many fans.

It contained just 8 tracks in total, of which two were more than 10 minutes in length and a huge departure from anything else he'd done in his solo career. It was an album cover that did not feature a photograph of Morrissey - again this was a departure from anything else thus far in the solo career, albeit the single Boxers, his final record for EMI at the beginning of 1995, had also not featured the singer on the cover.

Southpaw Grammar was released at the end of August 1995 and received a critical panning, although it sold well enough with long-time fans to reach #4 in the UK charts. Having said that, I wonder just how many, like myself, played it a couple of times and then quietly filed it away on the shelf.....

Two singles were taken from the LP. The first was Dagenham Dave, which appeared some 7 days in advance of the album (it too had a non-Morrissey sleeve).

The second single was The Boy Racer which came out some three months later. Given the time gap between the two singles, and the fact that Morrissey appears on the sleeve of one of the two CDs that were issued, I'm making an educated guess that it was an effort by the singer and his label to try and generate some fresh interest in the LP.

It was a ploy that failed, as the single got next to no airplay and barely dented the Top 40.

The lack of new songs for the b-sides didn't help either - all that was on offer were live recordings from a London gig in February 1995.

It's a bit of a shame as The Boy Racer, while by no means the greatest thing ever recorded, is a reasonable single that was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's certainly the most accessible bit of music on the parent album.

But if there's one thing it did highlight, it was that Morrissey's performances of songs by his old band left you pining for Johnny Marr:-

mp3 : Morrissey - The Boy Racer
mp3 : Morrissey - London (live)
mp3 : Morrissey - Billy Budd (live)
mp3 : Morrissey - Spring-Heeled Jim (live)
mp3 : Morrissey - Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself (live)

May 2010 update

The series ran for almost a full year with the occasional Friday off for good behaviour, ending with Part 38 on 16th October 2009. It remains one of the most popular things I've ever done at TVV and certainly played a big part in attracting loads of new readers. Having said that, not everyone always agreed with what I had to say about each single.