Re-releases: Viva Hate and Suedehead

I'm looking forward to Mael's interpretation of Moz's work. I'm in Ron and Russelville at the moment actually, Clever City. :p
 
I'm looking forward to Mael's interpretation of Moz's work. I'm in Ron and Russelville at the moment actually, Clever City. :p

It's already out there and I believe, for free. Do a search on this website, should be here somewhere. I was a bit shocked by it at first, a bit weird to say the least and very NON-Morrissey, BUT...after time, it grows on you, I like it, but the Mael version is "different" shall we say, so be forewarned. I have to be in a certain mood for it, for sure, but it's good!

Update: Here it is on youtube, found it!

 
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The Sparks remix got a lot of stick but I thought it was pretty good. It's got a nice flow, organs add an interesting dimension etc.

The Youtube video above says "This video contains content from WMG, who has blocked it from display on this website." (still watchable on Youtube).
Didn't realize specific sites could be blocked from embedding.
 
It's vulgar, conceited, unnecessary back-slapping and he doesn't need to tout his material like that - it makes him look insecure, in much the same way as those woeful "Of Which I am Most Proud" lists. It's like he's trying to convince himself of his ability.Viva Hate was obviously successful when it first came out, and it's a strong enough album to stand on its own merit. We don't need Moz glorifying his own songs, for God's sake. What could possibly be thrilling about yet another pointless re-issue? It just insults our intelligence - does he really think new cover art and a few old b-sides is all that's needed to make us fork out money for the same stuff twice, 3 times over? "Deluxe" editions, "legacy" editions, remastered editions, live cuts, "alternative" editions..it's all the same vacuous money-making rubbish. And don't get me started on his revisionist attitude towards his back catalogue. If he focused less on this time-wasting shit, he might write some half-decent new songs.

But. He is insecure, still. And vain, still. Same as in '83.

I don't agree that he's trying to convince himself of his ability. He may be trying to convince the wider pop-cultural-sphere. Despite his claims to the contrary I would reckon he wants to be more than a minor footnote in pop history. Now while you and I would agree (hopefully?) that he warrants a whole chapter, at least, I can well imagine that he himself is beginning to wonder, given recent media skirmishes. It could be that the re-releases of recent years (that do still thrill me) are an attempt to manage his legacy, in the face of such troubles. Or they could be 'vacuous money-making rubbish'. (But, honestly, how much cash do you think he actually got from them? Nobody releases records to make money anymore. Apart from Cowell.)

As for "Viva Hate", the 'Liberty' edition, I am loathe to agree with anything '¡Viva Morrissey!' utters but it does have a point regarding 'When you've lived Morrissey's life then one can judge', etc. To wit ~ I clearly recall Smiths fans, in '87 and '88, openly stating that it would have been better if Morrissey had offed himself after The Smiths, rather than carry on solo. This was in fanzines and music papers. So, let's say your Morrissey, and you are aware, as he would have been, of that kind of reaction from fans, whilst on the other hand you have EMI Ltd. instructing you that you are legally bound to release a record for them as soon as possible under the terms of the contract you and Johnny signed (athough Johnny, funnily enough, didn't seem to be getting the same legal proddings) The whole atmosphere of that period was fraught with doubts, tensions and weirdnesses that seem almost ridiculous now, given that pop music is dead. From most accounts, not least his own, Morrissey had absolutely no clue as to the worth of the new material, and whether or not this was to be the end of the story. For at least 8 weeks after the release of 'VH' he went awol, and was pretty much uncontactable by EMI and Gail Colson.

Given all those tensions, perhaps he just wants to reclaim 'Viva Hate' for himself, "from the nearest patch of soil", as well as refreshing his legacy (awful phrase I know.)
I don't know. I'm just putting it out there as another possible theory.

Or maybe it'll help pay the hotel bills for, like, 9 months?

And, if it serves no other worthwhile purpose whatsoever, at least he now has Stephen Street's e-mail address...:)

I am pretty sure that Morrissey would far rather he were releasing a brand spanking new record than fiddling with old ones. But nobody will sign him. So, y'know...
 
I love the fact that Morrissey is remastering his old albums, and adding extra tracks. The last 'Viva Hate' re-issue was a mess, so I was thrilled to hear that Morrissey will be overseeing it himself this time. But what a disappointment this is. Having just one new track is, in itself, pretty pathetic. But to actually remove a song from the original... One that I'm actually a big fan of, at that... Ah, what a disappointment! Like the 'Maladjusted' re-release, I won't get this one.
 
As for "Viva Hate", the 'Liberty' edition, I am loathe to agree with anything '¡Viva Morrissey!' utters but it does have a point regarding 'When you've lived Morrissey's life then one can judge', etc. To wit ~ I clearly recall Smiths fans, in '87 and '88, openly stating that it would have been better if Morrissey had offed himself after The Smiths, rather than carry on solo. This was in fanzines and music papers. So, let's say your Morrissey, and you are aware, as he would have been, of that kind of reaction from fans,

Why loathe? Have I said something to offend you? Do you suspect that I am someone that I'm surely not? I'm confused. Don't remember any altercation or disagreement that I've had with you. I, on the other hand, find your post insightful and clear-headed. I remember these type of Smiths "fans" who no matter what Morrissey did or does: cures cancer, stops innocent animals dying vainly, world peace, puts an end to world hunger, or writes a new song...it will "never" be on the level with The Smiths. It has made me kind of "hate" The Smiths because these fans. I remember when people trashed Morrissey's new band around Kill Uncle and Your Arsenal and rolled their stupid f***ing hipster eyes at the band's efforts and it made me sick. Physically ill, I tell you. I CAN'T STAND TO BE AROUND THOSE PEOPLE. There are a group of these people that came from the 2004 Quarry era, same type of jerkoffs. They are blind. Not open to other possibilities and usually, fairly poor people on an intellectual level. They are also "nostalgists" and while we all flirt with such things, at some point, you have let the f***ing past GO. You can still endear yourself to The Smiths, but realize it is IN the past and I feel, rightfully so. I feel more attached to Morrissey's solo career than I do, emotionally, to The Smiths. I was and am still angry for Johnny leaving The Smiths, but of course I do understand under the circumstances, then. It's unhealthy to obsess over it and it blinds you to new things. It's funny now, all the cry babies wishing Alain was back and while I agree as I'm a big fan of Alain, I also find it absurd to trash Jessie. He plays fine. Give the guy a f***ing chance, Jesus Christ! But I digress. Morrissey has such a long career that his fan base has fragmented into several different factions, which is a credit to Morrissey reaching all kinds of different people at different times. But I don't feel cohesive with Morrissey fans, and frankly, I never have possibly because of this. Morrissey has always been "my own."

The point is, Joe, you're right. We really don't know Morrissey's perspective but God Damn Him To Hell for caring about his legacy, God Damn Him To Hell for trying to reach new audiences, he must get tired of being overlooked and ignored by the general population and I would to. It's as if Morrissey had adopted a little boy, he'd be crucified by the fans saying truly f***ing awful shit like, "Oh, he's gonna molest him..." and, "Morrissey can't have children! That's soooo not Morrissey!" f*** YOU, people, he can do what he wants, give him a break. Morrissey already addressed us fans on this issue when he wrote the song, "How Can Anyone Possibly Know How I Feel?" with the line, "The only one around here who is me...is...ME!" And as forum user King Leer has stated, "No one has a gun to your head." Very true. I guess there will always be bitchy people in this world, who, no matter what happens, even if Morrissey and the band gave their best performance, an impeccable performance, there's always someone somewhere who'll say, "Oh? But his shoelaces were untied." Dear God. So be it.

To everyone except Joe Frady: Get over yourselves and quit your bitching and enjoy Morrissey while he's here, we're lucky he still is and we are lucky that someone is willing to release Viva Hate again.

 
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I love that photo on the back. So northern. A notice for a funeral taped to the window of a lovely house in a row of terraced flats. Very good Morrissey. That horrid gothic style font has to go though. I just see it as some horrible ghetto style gangsta tattoo. Dropping songs, adding extas. It's all just editing in the long run. Something you were once proud of, doesn't always stay with you. The artist is the final judge of their own work.

I do feel that it is time that Linda put out another book of Morrissey photos though. This drip feeding of "unseen" photos is getting weary. A nicely formatted book would be just right for now.
 
It's already out there and I believe, for free. Do a search on this website, should be here somewhere. I was a bit shocked by it at first, a bit weird to say the least and very NON-Morrissey, BUT...after time, it grows on you, I like it, but the Mael version is "different" shall we say, so be forewarned. I have to be in a certain mood for it, for sure, but it's good!

Update: Here it is on youtube, found it!




Oh thanks! You know, when this was released or leaked or whatever a couple months ago, I was housesitting at a house that had crappy speakers or something, I decided to wait to listen to it until better conditions and never got to it. Now I only have my phone and no headphones and chaos. I'll listen to it in a few days though, thank you so much for the link. Maybe I should just buy it and listen to it like the old days. :p
 
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I love that photo on the back. So northern. A notice for a funeral taped to the window of a lovely house in a row of terraced flats. Very good Morrissey. That horrid gothic style font has to go though. I just see it as some horrible ghetto style gangsta tattoo. Dropping songs, adding extas. It's all just editing in the long run. Something you were once proud of, doesn't always stay with you. The artist is the final judge of their own work.

I do feel that it is time that Linda puts out another book of Morrissey photos though. This drip feeding of "unseen" photos is getting weary. A nicely formatted book would be just right for now.

The font family is "blackletter" which was used in gothic manuscripts. It could be a nod to the communication of old ideas in a new medium, the record.

Carolingian minuscule was the direct ancestor of blackletter. Blackletter developed from Carolingian as an increasingly literate 12th-century Europe required new books in many different subjects. New universities were founded, each producing books for business, law, grammar, history, and other pursuits, not solely religious works for which earlier scripts typically had been used.

These books needed to be produced quickly to keep up with demand. Carolingian, though legible, was time-consuming and labour-intensive to produce. Its large size consumed a lot of manuscript space in a time when writing materials were very costly. As early as the 11th century, different forms of Carolingian were already being used, and by the mid-12th century, a clearly distinguishable form, able to be written more quickly to meet the demand for new books, was being used in northeastern France and the Low Countries.

Just a drunk thought.
 
I love that photo on the back. So northern. A notice for a funeral taped to the window of a lovely house in a row of terraced flats. Very good Morrissey

My first thought was that it was a very Cockney / East End photo. Doesn't look Northern at all.

Dave
 
^^^^^^THIS

Amy and mcrickson are a couple of pointless people, I've given up on them both. When you've lived Morrissey's life and walked in his shoes, then you can make your judgements, for now, get back to work at McDonald's or whatever it is you do and then we'll come to your work and point fingers at you, laugh and tell YOU how you're cooking the french fries WRONG. Adieu.

Er, thanks. I think I'll resist the urge to bathe in my own tears.
 
As for "Viva Hate", the 'Liberty' edition, I am loathe to agree with anything '¡Viva Morrissey!' utters but it does have a point regarding 'When you've lived Morrissey's life then one can judge', etc.
...
I am pretty sure that Morrissey would far rather he were releasing a brand spanking new record than fiddling with old ones. But nobody will sign him. So, y'know...

Really? If you can't have an opinion unless you've lived his life, well, then what's the point of this forum at all? In fact what's the point of being a fan? Ridiculous logic. You make some very good points about the tensions surrounding "Viva Hate" at the time of release and I can understand his insecurities from that period - didn't he write a card to Stephen Street saying "I've heard that Johnny thinks the album is wonderful" or something along those lines? A revealing glimpse into his mindset at the time - but Morrissey has had over 20 years worth of solo success since then. We know VH is a great album; I just don't think we don't need him singing his own praises about it.
 
^^^^^^THIS

Amy and mcrickson are a couple of pointless people, I've given up on them both. When you've lived Morrissey's life and walked in his shoes, then you can make your judgements, for now, get back to work at McDonald's or whatever it is you do and then we'll come to your work and point fingers at you, laugh and tell YOU how you're cooking the french fries WRONG. Adieu.

And I know you from where?
Christ, you take Morrissey so seriously. It's kind of embarrassing. Does he know you're out here on the front lines fighting the good fight for him? Didn't think so. He'd probably be embarrassed by it, too, come to think of it. So, basically what you're saying in THIS gem of a post is that YOU'VE "lived Morrissey's life and walked in his shoes," because you reserve the right to make the judgement that everything he re-releases for the third time is utter f***ing gold? Fine by me, I get to keep my hard-earned McDonald's money AND still get to listen to the exact same thing you'll shell out 20 bucks for. I wonder which one of us is wiser.


Why loathe? Have I said something to offend you? Do you suspect that I am someone that I'm surely not? I'm confused. Don't remember any altercation or disagreement that I've had with you. I, on the other hand, find your post insightful and clear-headed. I remember these type of Smiths "fans" who no matter what Morrissey did or does: cures cancer, stops innocent animals dying vainly, world peace, puts an end to world hunger, or writes a new song...it will "never" be on the level with The Smiths. It has made me kind of "hate" The Smiths because these fans. I remember when people trashed Morrissey's new band around Kill Uncle and Your Arsenal and rolled their stupid f***ing hipster eyes at the band's efforts and it made me sick. Physically ill, I tell you. I CAN'T STAND TO BE AROUND THOSE PEOPLE. There are a group of these people that came from the 2004 Quarry era, same type of jerkoffs. They are blind. Not open to other possibilities and usually, fairly poor people on an intellectual level. They are also "nostalgists" and while we all flirt with such things, at some point, you have let the f***ing past GO. You can still endear yourself to The Smiths, but realize it is IN the past and I feel, rightfully so. I feel more attached to Morrissey's solo career than I do, emotionally, to The Smiths. I was and am still angry for Johnny leaving The Smiths, but of course I do understand under the circumstances, then. It's unhealthy to obsess over it and it blinds you to new things. It's funny now, all the cry babies wishing Alain was back and while I agree as I'm a big fan of Alain, I also find it absurd to trash Jessie. He plays fine. Give the guy a f***ing chance, Jesus Christ! But I digress. Morrissey has such a long career that his fan base has fragmented into several different factions, which is a credit to Morrissey reaching all kinds of different people at different times. But I don't feel cohesive with Morrissey fans, and frankly, I never have possibly because of this. Morrissey has always been "my own."

The point is, Joe, you're right. We really don't know Morrissey's perspective but God Damn Him To Hell for caring about his legacy, God Damn Him To Hell for trying to reach new audiences, he must get tired of being overlooked and ignored by the general population and I would to. It's as if Morrissey had adopted a little boy, he'd be crucified by the fans saying truly f***ing awful shit like, "Oh, he's gonna molest him..." and, "Morrissey can't have children! That's soooo not Morrissey!" f*** YOU, people, he can do what he wants, give him a break. Morrissey already addressed us fans on this issue when he wrote the song, "How Can Anyone Possibly Know How I Feel?" with the line, "The only one around here who is me...is...ME!" And as forum user King Leer has stated, "No one has a gun to your head." Very true. I guess there will always be bitchy people in this world, who, no matter what happens, even if Morrissey and the band gave their best performance, an impeccable performance, there's always someone somewhere who'll say, "Oh? But his shoelaces were untied." Dear God. So be it.

To everyone except Joe Frady: Get over yourselves and quit your bitching and enjoy Morrissey while he's here, we're lucky he still is and we are lucky that someone is willing to release Viva Hate again.

Your opinion is so valuable. Thank you for telling the internet how you feel.
 
No one has mentioned Stephen Street yet, he's a quality producer and a return to a classic like this with modern equipment and techniques could end up being really special. Look what a fine job JM did with complete. It's a positive great thing I'm looking forward to march.
 
Dear Morrissey,

Why?

Lots of love

Southport Grandma

PS.

If you had to do this sort of thing why not just get Mr Street to re-master the album, annex all the related B-sides (including Sister I'm a Poet, the full length Will Never Marry, Safe Warm Lancashire Home etc), reinstate the original sleeve, include some press photographs from 1988, and if you feel the need write a short note to explain what you now wish the album's running order had been.

PPS.

For the delux version include a DVD of the Wolverhampton concert.
 
I agree that there is no red line in the re-releases. And i don't like that he throws songs out like he did on Maladjusted and now on Viva Hate. I hope, too, that Treat Me Like A Human Being will be a different version as the previously released one and that the 'Mael Mix' of Suedehead will not just be an edit of the 2005 remix from Future Retro - but i don't have high hopes.

And why no further additions to the tracklist? e.g. Oh Well I'll Never Learn which is the only song not being re-released on any other disc than the Suedehead MXCD; Striptease With A Difference which is from that era. Demos for the songs. The first totally different version of Bengali in Platforms with the post-Marr Smiths. I Know Very Well How I Got My Note Wrong. The Woolverhampton Concert from 1988. Anything unknown from the attic.

What has happened to Major Minor, why Liberty? Wasn't there an TTY annouchement of a CD and vinyl release of Suedehead? Again this cheap-looking 'gatefold card-sleeve' that already ruined Bona Drag and Very Best Of?

Nothing against re-issues at all, but again a chance was missed. And i want to have a new record, too.
 
That photo on the back is just beautiful, nice to see Street back on. Let's hope he will be producing Moz New Album any time soon.
By the way, the hunt is on for the first promos to appear:D
Cheers Moz
 
Good points about Street -- this release (and Street's previous musings) definitely shows they're on good terms.
I'm curious about the "remaster" because his production is always "perfect," if you know what I mean. Very clean (too clean for some), not usually the kind of sound you look back on and go "well that should've been more such-and-such".

Anyway, it'd be a nice reteaming that's for sure. Moz, Street, Boz, Jesse (I'm curious what some of his stuff would sound like with Streetie at the helm), + 1 killer songwriter and it could be a classic.
 
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