"I was never credited." With what? Playing on the album? Unless he's talking about a UK re-release the lack of credit is news to me 'cause my copy of Viva Hate has Vini's name in bold typeface.

Or is he saying he was never credited with co-writes? I always understood that -- contrary to popular belief -- V.R. didn't write any of the tunes.

Does the article clarify what Vini's talking about?

Take it like a man Vini ....... take it like a man. You can always get some high court judges to get your money from the mozzer; they're very good at that. Just ask Andy & Mike.

i just find it odd that he would wait about 15 years to say anything. why not make a fuss at the time of the release?

that Moz didn't take a chance and go with Reilly's idea of doing something a bit more "out there". Vini Reilly was/is a great, inventive guitarist - something great could have come of that I'm sure. Vini would have known that, experimental as it might be, the music needs to fit Moz's voice and so would have gone with something more "out there" but also suitable to Moz. Moz's conservatism when it comes to altering his music (or collaborators) is partly to blame for a decade's worth of musical stagnation, I feel. All truth to tell, musically YATQ isn't a massive leap from 'Maladjusted', though there are better songs on Quarry.

As far as I know Vini was brought in as a guitar player wasn't he? There was never any agreement that he should write.

From what I have heard about the way they worked on that album is that Stephen Street did the basic tracks, Morrissey came in with the lyrics and melodies and then Vini added orchestration over the top.

I suppose really Vini and Street could have shared writing credits but that really should have been agreed at the time. No point in moaning about it 15 years on.

I'm glad Morrissey didn't follow Vini's path because it sounds like an ego project for Vini. Morrissey is a mainstream pop/rock singer who has touched far more people than he ever could going avant garde. I'm sure it's all about ideas and communication for him.

If it's true that he was never paid, then it makes you wonder about Morrissey's ethics. Also, Andy and Mike have not received a dime from Morrissey. Regardless of how you feel about them, they had every right to sue Morrissey for touring royalties, and deserved to be awarded payment.

Vini Reilly Interview in MOJO (Smiths-Special)

I got the call from Stephen Street one night when I was driven over to the studio where he and Morrissey were recording. Stephen had produced two of my albums, so we were friends. He played me demos of some rudimentary songs he'd recorded and, frankly, they were awful – just C and F chords with the odd A-minor every once in a while – laughably basic stuff. Morrissey was there, squatting in a corner, visibly squirming.
Basically, they wanted me to rescue these tracks, so I went away to have a think about it. I agreed, on the condition that I could re-write all the music from scratch.
In fact, there was actually one really good song – Suedehead – which Stephen Street had written, right down to the guitar solo. But it really was the only one; all the other music on the record is mine.
Working with Morrissey didn't daunt me at all. I had a brief chat with Johnny Marr, which put me at my ease – I knew what to expect. Morrissey is a very responsive singer. He'd always surprise me by singing the chorus over what I'd written as a verse – and vice versa. Musically, I had a completely free rein. I could do anything, from wig-out solos to little Spanish trills and the full string arrangement on Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together. Even the guillotine at the end was my idea.
I've never been credited for those songs – they're attributed to Stephen Street and Morrissey. My name doesn't appear at all on the recent reissue. Don't get me wrong, I have only admiration for Mozzer – I met him in Manchester recently and we had a nice chat. I just want history to record my contribution accurately.

Jana

Dear Vini,

Stop complaining about not getting paid. Take it like a man.

Sincerely,

The Oye Esteban 2000 tour stage workers

I have a load of Vini's stuff - music like Sketch for Summer and all that is excellent.

If Morrissey had gone along with Vini's idea I think you would have had something better than Viva Hate and a really unique work.

What followed Viva Hate -> Kill Uncle !!!.
What was that but a failed experiment in blandness.

Morrissey has shown a lot of disrespect to all those he collaborated with :

* Johnny Marr - cleverly tried to blame him for ending Smiths when it was Mozzer's phone call to NME all along that pushed Johnny over the edge. A cunning stunt.

* Andy & Mike - screwed 'em from day one with secret phone calls to Geoff Travis about having 2 names on contract.

* Stephen Street - Refused to pay him due royalties.

* Vini Reilly - Refused to pay him due royalties.

* Tour Staff - refused to pay their wages.

etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.......

Not that he gives a shit....but I think Moz is a creature of habit and it took Boz and Alain to make him feel comfortable. No one else will do. I'd sooner get abused by the Gallagher brothers. Vini is an extremely talented guitarist, but Viva Hate was never a "guitarists" album. Street basically wrote the entire album on bass, added programmed orchestrations, and Vini filled-in the gaps. Vini really shines on Dial-a-cliche....you get a sense as to the substance of his playing and no one can convince me that Street wrote the music to that song. I'm sure there's a few more. When I first heard Viva Hate, I was actually not thrilled....sure, Moz was singing, wrote some beautiful lyrics and melodies..but Vini (although remarkably dressed) was repressed from really breaking out. Same goes for Mark Nevin on Kill Uncle.....a great guitarist, but a poor album. The thing with Mark was his finesse...the chord progressions were so smooth and so much was going on that you really needed to listen over and above the production value of the record. Arsenal was more obvious...you knew exactly what either guitarist was doing...here's a G chord, here's an A chord. Nothing was buried and, as I have read many critics say, it's a great album, but one that could have been written by anyone who played the guitar for a couple of years. Of course...Alain & Boz ARE so much more than that..but perhaps Mick just wanted a 4/4 record..

It was bound to be better than Kill Uncle, but one wonders what qualifies as "out there" in Vini Reilly's world? Progressive folk? Jangly rock with an acid beat? Oh, he's already tried that with "dykes" and "I Like You."

Anyway, you get the general idea, as someone once said.