They're nowhere near as good as The Smiths!

..'cos we all know that this band are truly, truly RANK!

to describe my utter contempt for them.

Useless hand puppets that are embarrasing to the extreme.

I miss Mikey V. Farrell

The Walker brothers (specially the drummer Matt), Boz Boorer and Jesse Tobias are fantastic.

Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke are the best musicians Morrissey has ever worked with. Respect is due to Vini Reilly as well. What a shame that Moz and Ivor Perry didn't hit it off, I think they could have been a great match.

The current lot is the pits, it's embarrassing that the world's most gifted artist has been wasting his talents by writing album after album with mediocrities like Whyte, Boorer and now Tobias. Boz is a great guy, but let's not forget he and Alain were in a pub band when Morrissey came calling.

...if they take Gary back and Mike learnt when not to play (NFD on Hollywood Bowl...)

Anyway, I think Matt Walker is the best drummer Morrissey has ever had, tied with Andrew Paresi. I've never gotten why people like Spencer so much.
It's really added to the live shows to have a keyboard player & Mike Farrell is pretty good. The band had never done a really good Everday Is Like Sunday before then. Is he still in the live band?
I've not seen or heard enough of Soloman Walker to make a judgement but Gary Day is a tough act to follow. Maybe Gary is just on paternity leave.
Jesse Tobias is a competent player. I like most of the songs he's written although only loved a couple of them. No major complaints.
And Boz is just Boz. It helps Moz to have an old face around though he doesn't seem to do much musically any more. If he ever did?

I honestly don't know why people have got such a beef against the current band. Moz's live shows just keep getting better. Having loud guitars means Moz has to try harder. He's nearly 50 & still writing songs with some bite. About the same age as Paul Weller & look how shit he is!

Certain critics are quick to say mean-spirited things about Morrissey's band. Since the advent of "youtube," all I can say is this: if anyone can play better, then post it so we all can see. If not, shut your loving mouth (good and proper--forever).

With love,
Ken S.

I can't believe Mikey is not in the band anymore. It's such a shame. He had great talent that really added something to the band. He will be missed.

Alain, Gary, and Spence, absolutely loved them. They were the first and the best. Vauxhall and I says it all to me.

The only band member with any talent is Jesse Tobias.

Matt Walker is the best drummer he's had .. he is lively and not completely dull like Deano .. sorry but Dean Butterworth may have well been a drum machine, set on dull. Solomon Walker brings a bit of stage presence, he gets into the show, his bass work has been good too, nothing against Gary who's good too, but I prefer Solomon.
Boz is always Boz, he's not an outstanding guitar player, but he does his part.

Jesse replicates Johnny Marr's guitar for Smiths songs better than Alain did, Alain is definitely the better song writer but I'd prefer Jesse on stage. Mikey is amazing, very talented and I hope the Chris Pooley guy is only temporary because he's not that great.

the core of the band that wrote Your Arsenal, Vauxhall And I and Southpaw Grammar is still there- Alain and Boz- but it hasnt been the same over the last three albums. there hav been flashes of brilliance- "Maladjusted", "Good Looking Man About Town"- yet they are fewer and further between now.

Alain, Boz, Gary, really liked Deano
Mikey helped round out the live sound fine
on the other hand i'd like to pull a 'jack ruby' on jesse

Anyone that actually saw the Smiths live cant, hand on heart, say that on a PURELY live musical level these guys aren't light years ahead. Long may they continue!

As a fan of Morrisseys work, I have a right to express an opinion on his songs and those who play them.
I can't play guitar, bass or drums - but one thing is for sure, Marr, Rourke and Joyce were all fantastic at what they did, Marr in particular.

No disrespect to the current guys, but they simply aren't AS good as The Smiths were, in terms of playing ability and creativity and thus Morrisseys work becomes mediocre.

How anyone could prefer the music of Morrissey as a soloist to the work of the Smiths, I'll just never know.

Boz and the Lads are very good at what they do. They are fine musicians. I think the problem is having Moz writing songs with them for such a long time. He needs some new collaborators to add some spark to the music.

I always felt that Morrissey regarded 'the band' as the backdrop to the lyrical musings from his diaries/poetry books.

I don't think he ever set out to be a 'musical visionary'. He doesn't play an instrument. But he is a musician and creates beautiful vocal melodies above what are often fairly nondescript backing tracks. In doing so, he takes them to a whole new level, in my view.

I don't listen to Morrissey for 'cutting edge' musical experimentation. Yes, it would be great if he did just 'throw out' the current radio-friendly indie-lite sound. But only if he's inspired to do so.

It may well be that the chemistry of the current band members, their friendship, professionalism and ability to 'get on' for long periods of touring is just as important to Morrissey as having Miles Davies playing the trumpet.

Morrissey seems to have an eclectic taste in music, but if he's found a comfort zone that he's happy with, so long as the quality of the output is above average, what else is fair to ask for?

I think he's done enough to just sit back and enjoy the autumn of his career. I don't find the band particularly inspiring or unspiring. There's just there and doing a sterling job mostly.
In any event, given his views of backing musicians as just 'replaceable lawnmower parts', he might have some trouble recruiting cutting-edge talent anyway!

Johhny Marr left, partly, because he was bored of the rigid, formulaic template that Morrissey seemed to want as backdrop to his musings.
Morrissey gives us The Words. And The Voice. But, as a result of his upbringing and opportunites, if not lack of ability - he is not a traditional musician and perhaps has difficulty in orchestrating such talents.
If you want it all, there's plenty of artists out there who offer it. An example?

Neil Young who I saw last night in London. He did an 80 minutes acoustic set and a blistering 100 minutes electric firestorm set.
He has it all. The Voice. The Words. The Signature Guitar Sounds. The Band.

There was a lavish embossed programme for sale last night for £10. 40 pages, at least, of high-quality photos. How can some artists 'go the extra mile' for their Audience,yet others don't seem to think it's important?....

But it's not a competition! Enjoy Morrissey for what he is/has/offers for so long as he's motivated to do it. Or find someone else to enjoy.
I can't imagine the band ever being so inept as to ruin the Main Event. Which, for me, is to hear the fascinating diary entries set to the vocal melodies he writes.
I never expected him to be confronting the ageing process and naturally mortality.

Niel Young in in his Sixties. Leonard Cohen returns this summer in his mid-70's. Morrissey is only a youngster! The best may yet be to come..

I think the raw energy and sense of excitement in the '91 and '92 shows provided by Boz, Alain, Gary and Spencer was terrific. That was almost superceded recently, by the sheer musical range of the '06 touring group; songs like 'Dear God please help me' and 'Life is a pigsty' were sonically devastating, whereas 'Stop me..' absolutely hit you in the face. Even simpler Smiths songs like 'William' and 'Girlfriend' were treated with real respect and yet given a fuller sound which did not detract from the tune.

I feel that the current group are good but not quite as good as the '06 group. They seem to be a bit too heavy, I was a bit disappointed by 'playboys' and 'sister I'm a poet' at Camden in January, the boys gave the songs energy but the sound was a bit too hard for these songs.

In terms of writing, Jesse is good and Boz is also good, he can come out with some outstanding songs: Jack the Ripper!!! But I do wish Alain was more involved. His song writing, whether pop rock or acoustic, really suits Moz's vocals and his stage presence is ace!!!

Overall, though, I am just happy to see the man himself, it is always a treat!!!

And everything would be fine.

It's time for the Jesse Tobias era to end.

First there is the musicianship of the individual group members. As performers they are fine. Their playfulness on stage is certainly a strength and they are a reasonably tight rock unit. As a musician myself for the past two and a half decades, I have played with better and worse. Their musical leanings don't lie as deep in the moody and sensitive style of much of Moz's Smiths and early solo material, but we can't go back anyway. You can really hear this rock leaning when they play older tracks.

The second issue is the songwriting itself - not so much the voice but the melodies and arrangements. The songs - especially in the Jesse era - are simply unimaginative and weak.

Perhaps better musicians might find more interesting arrangements instead of using percussive playing and volume to create a sense of appeal, but even if Johnny Marr were to appear as a session player on the ROTT tracks, I doubt he could make them sound anywhere near as interesting as anything on Vauxhall, Viva Hate or even Strangeways.

In short, its not the band so much as what it is they have to play.

i'd love to see alain back, and if gary & spencer came back along with him, it would be perfect!

Solomon, the guy replacing Gazza on bass is just plain awful. Have you heard his bass sound? It's thick, american, MOR sounding and extremely dull. Hearing him ruin old classics makes my heart freeze.
And I do miss Mikey also. His trumpet and trombone were great contributions to the sound, and it sounds pathetic when the new guy tries to play those parts – on his keyboard. Plastic isn't always fantastic...

Boz is always the heart and soul, Jesse is one great performer and Matt Walker is, imho, the best drummer Morrissey has ever worked with. But that bass playing brother of his needs to be shown the door.

Let's not forget the splendid contribution that Woodie Taylor made to Vauxhall and Boxers. He is a gem that Moz wore but for a short time and misplaced all too suddenly. And a truely nice guy. I remember you Woodie and the great conversation at that pub in London back in '96. Hope you are still drummin'!

-Don Rice Okc, Oklahoma

bloody awful Healers!

I love it when journalists and amateur critics alike fix their astute gaze on Morrissey's band and witter on about how they do an "adequate" version of some Smiths song but unfortunately they can never come close to what Marr could do.

Usually missing the point that the Smiths song they are discussing was never performed live by Marr at all and the effect in the studio was created by him putting about 10 layers of guitars on top of each other.

I've seen this said about more or less all the Strangeways songs. Idiots.

Being as most of us have no control over whoever Moz records/tours with and how he or his work is marketed or publicized (all of which affect sound & impression overall, imo)...

I'm just thankful he and all band members are there (the lads from 92' through 2005-ish? and today's crew, or as I've been differentiating and possibly lifted from someone somewhere, the boyz). As for the Boyz, 2 straight years of touring and continuing...? They (including Mikey) are awesome for making that commitment to Moz and his fans. In that situation, it's probably hard to maintain any sort of personal life. So I thank them for giving their music and musicianship to us. I've quite enjoyed them and their energy and how well they seem to all get along, play together and rock out onstage. They and Moz together all enjoy good audiences who are able to express their support (just my observation) and I feel lucky to have been in such audiences. The give back, the energy, is wonderful.

I can't say anything re. the Smiths live because I'd never been able to see them play (what's an 8-year-old to do?!). But hey, without their recordings and being the foundation of Moz's career, where would we be? It would be a different discussion altogether. I think all bandmembers of Morrissey as solo appreciate that foundation/history and respect it enough to not attempt to repeat it. It's impossible, of course! Even if The Smiths continued, they would have evolved by now into something, well, we'll never know. But that's life. At least it happened (and quite a few albums at that, unlike other great bands who weren't as lucky).

From the gigs that I have attended, I found it rather strange that during the band introductions Matt Walker only claps for Solomon.

Nothing to get worked up over, I guess.

Still...

Oh well.

I prefer Alain, Boz, Gaz and Spence. Those guys really sounded and looked cool.
Johnny Marr is of course in a class of his own.

The excellence of Arsenal and the magnificence of Vauxhall cannot obscure the fact that the band have run out of steam - long ago. Boz seems to have suffered the most - his songs since "Reader Meet Author" really have been very poor overall and seem to be getting worse -"Noise" and "Grow Up" are phenomenally bad. I quite enjoy "All You Need Is Me" and think "Goodbye/Farewell" is good, but overall I'm not that sure J Tobias had much steam in the first place. And for all those wishing for A Whyte's return, yes he is talented, yes he can be a good sogsmith, but since 1995 he's put out about six good songs and about 30 mediocre to poor ones - worth remembering.

To add to all this, you have Vini Reilly and Frank Black saying they'd still work with Moz, Richard Hawley and Maurice Deebank (Felt) having auditioned and STILL Moz doesn't bother to try any of them. OK, so Reilly's as bit strange but by GOD he's more inspired than the current employees.

I regard it as astonishing that Morrissey - potentially our most vital artist - seems to care less about the quality of his recorded output (and therefore legacy) than staying in his comfort zone. Strange.

And the singer had an awful voice : he should be replaced by Phil Collins

When seeing Boz & Alain and the whoever was backing them, both live and on video/DVD, the guitar parts were separate (at least, the listener heard them that way.) Now when I hear Jesse, Boz, and the current band, it's just this loud sludgey(?!), overpowering guitar song with Morrissey straining to make himself heard. Lots of power chords, etc. A lot of the earlier work and Smiths songs beauty is lost. Remember how slight the guitars sounded in Live in Dallas and how well it worked? Or even when rocking out a la Your Arsnenal/Deaf...you could still pick out a rhythm and a nice lead part. Now it's just WRANNNGGG!!

I'd like opinions on this (if I'm being clear at all) so please comment!

I saw Morrissey live at the Hammerstein 3 times, and no one in the band smiled ONCE.

Not ONCE. For the entire 3 shows.

The shows were incredible, I had a great time and I was moved by the music. But I couldn't help but notice how the band did not seem to be having a good time, and kept straight faces the entire time.

I play music live and I find it incredibly hard NOT to smile, because it's so fun. How do they do it?

-Jordan

Best line ups

1992
Gary Day
Spencer Cobrin
Boz Boorer
Alain Whyte

2004
Boz
Gary
Alain
Dean

That's what he needs!!!

Jesse's version of "The Headmaster Ritual" in 2004 was splendid.

The band are good at what they do. They work together as a unit.
But they are not great. Talented, but not inspiring.
And perhaps not inspired.
I think the reason lies in Morrissey's choices -
Who he is prepared/able to work with.
What he is prepared/able to do.

A poster above put it succuinctly - He stays too much within his comfort zone. The end product is as much about his personality as his talent and the talents of his band.

There's not much point in worrying over "wasted potential" or what might have been. That's just the way he is.

Here is my Morrissey Dream Team:

Morrissey - Voice
Vini Reilly - Guitar
Peter Hook - Bass
Stewart Copeland - Drums

Ahh, but only in a perfect world.

Is fine. Let's not forget that Morrissey is the main act and that town ain't big enough for two or more geniuses.

I think Boz, Alain and the others have been solid and wonderful suppliers of songs to Moz's lyrics. Both Boz and Alain have written some real gems. If you don't like the music, stop listening to the records and just read the lyric sheet.

That's what Morrissey has created. They're alright live but with the amount of band members he has they bloody well should be able to bang a bit of noise out.

The live performance is irrelevent when the dirge which is served up on disc is truly terrible. I didn't even bother to buy the last single because it's utter shit. And it comes to something as I'm a bit of a completist when it comes to collecting Morrissey's music.

So to sum up, Morrissey needs to get out of his comfort zone and employ some musicians who are capable of creating something that doesn't bore your pants off so when you see them live you can get excited instead of yawning through an hour of dad rock.

My cousin hired them for his wedding once.

Anyone with me?

who co-wrote and played on a pretty good rock album (YA), a tenderly mocking indie record (V&I) and one of the finest comeback records of all-time (YATQ); they have, however, also contributed some truly dire songs, shown little or no musical development since 1994 and deserve to have been fired many times over by 2008.

Erm, Whyte remains an excellent songsmith but WHY oh WHY is Morrissey still playing with, and writing with, the others?

New band, new sound, new ideas, new aspirations. That is what is needed - no more, no less.

The final stage of Morrissey's career is being undermined by mediocre musicians: he remains as committed and passionate as ever but his middle aged musicians are not.

such a shame.

broken

nobody liked the smiths when they were going (well ok a few did)but it was frowned upon to be into them, oh your miserable etc, and i dont see bass player and drummer doin much now, apart from ohh yes living of the smiths daze, move on folks

did jesse really attend a red lightning gig?

They were great when Your Arsenal came out up until about 95 and then they lost steam. I can hardly listen to Live at Earls Court and I usually love live recordings, it is just bland and seems souless but the line up on Beethoven was Deaf was spot on, that recording has so much more energy. It is sad to me that Morrissey makes them wear matching outfits too, its like they are not their own people. It just seems like his shows now are all about him, I mean he is great but I liked it when the band seemed like part of the show too. Its not that they are bad musicians but it just seems like they are bored as hell and put no umph into the songs. I think they can do so much better!

they are all drug abusing alcoholics

Check out Jesse rocking with one of his former bands, Mother Tongue, a few light years ago!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OEHP4Zjy_Ug

I was listening to The Queen is Dead today and it's sad that a man once released such a masterpiece and 22 years later is putting out such uttererly awful, souless crap.