Remake a Morrissey album

[nothappynotsad]

Pick an album you want to remake.

Describe aspects of the production you would change (add strings, more pronounced bass, remove cowbell, etc,). Songs you would edit/lengthen/omit/add. Resequence the track list, limit to no more than 12 songs, please. And finally, pick 2 singles (with 2 b-sides) off the album.

[nothappynotsad]

'Years Of Refusal'

Tracklist:

1. One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
2. Something Is Squeezing My Skull
3. All You Need Is Me
4. I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
5. When Last I Spoke To Carol
6. Shame Is The Name
7. Black Cloud
8. My Dearest Love
9. It's Not Your Birthday Anymore
10. You Were Good In Your Time
11. Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed
12. I'm OK By Myself

Overall, the guitars on this album should be crystal clear and easily distinguishable unless the song requires otherwise (All You Need Is Me). Boz should be in the left speaker. Jesse in right. Ease up on distortion. Backing vocals should be much clearer on songs like 'Black Cloud' and 'Paris.'

One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell - should begin with Mikey Farrell's solo trumpet intro (2007 version) into Solomon's slow solo bass buildup it has in live performances (2010-present).

Something Is Squeezing My Skull - the guitars should have a bit more bite to them.

All You Need Is Me - Boz's descending solo should be more distinguishable.

I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris - The song should be played on keyboard rather than guitar like it originally was by Mikey Farrell during the Greatest Hits tour.

When Last I Spoke To Carol - Boz's lead guitar should be more distinguishable.

Shame Is The Name - Edit out the "politician can you listen" verse.

Black Cloud - Allow Jeff Beck to have a 30 second solo in the middle and at the end. He IS Jeff Beck after all. May as well use him for something.

My Dearest Love - As is.

It's Not Your Birthday Anymore - As is.

You Were Good In Your Time - shorten the ending noise.

Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed - Needs to sound more lush and harder. Keep the Morricone spaghetti western feel the track had in it's live debut. And slight wahwah fx to guitar during chorus.

I'm OK By Myself - Extend the outro with Solomon's extended solo bass like in live performances.

[Skylarker]

'Years Of Refusal'

Tracklist:

1. One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
2. Something Is Squeezing My Skull
3. All You Need Is Me
4. I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
5. When Last I Spoke To Carol
6. Shame Is The Name
7. Black Cloud
8. My Dearest Love
9. It's Not Your Birthday Anymore
10. You Were Good In Your Time
11. Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed
12. I'm OK By Myself

I agree mostly, and I definitely agree that Farewell should be the opener. I actually think it's a kind of shitty song, but burying it in the middle doesn't do it an favors. My only other real point of dissent with you is the inclusion of Shame, a song that has never grown on me. The lyrics are SO bad.

Shame Is The Name - Edit out the "politician can you listen" verse.

My Dearest Love - As is.

A great song which may be his most criminally underused track ever.

You Were Good In Your Time - shorten the ending noise.

Agreed 100 percent. The idea of a sonic symbolic journey through the underworld is interesting and I think he had a good idea with it, but let's remember, this is music not cinema. In cinema this concept is beautiful and would work great, with accompanying surrealistic imagery. In pop music though it is pretentious and unlistenable and it deadens what I consider to be the album's best track.

[Skylarker]

Didn't you and I do this thread last year?

Oh well, it was fun then and it's fun now.

[Skylarker]

Ringleader

At Last At Am Born
Dear God Please Help Me (full strings intact like the fan edit)
You Have Killed Me
On The Streets I Ran
Ganglord
In The Future When All's Well
If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look At Me
Life Is A Pigsty
I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now
The Youngest Was The Most Loved
Christian Dior
I Will See You In Far Off Places

Singles:
Killed Me b/w Good Looking Man and Floorboards
Future b/w Human Being and Sweetie Pie

[Skylarker]

Your Arsenal

I'll start off by saying that I love this album.

To that I will add that it is HORRIBLY mixed. It sounds like SHIT and I have no regard for whether Ronson or Jesus was the producer, it's a horrible mixing job.

Having said that...

You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side
Let The Right One Slip In (Bona Drag Mk. 2 version; I actually prefer the b-side version but this version is more sonically thematic with the album)
You're The One For Me Fatty
We'll Let You Know
Glamorous Glue
Certain People I Know
We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful
Seasick
I Know It's Gonna Happen
Tomorrow
The National Front Disco

Singles:

Tomorrow b/w Pashernate Love and the originally released mix of Right One

...followed quickly by the non LP single Jack The Ripper, recorded post Your Arsenal and b/w You've Had Her and the album outtake Fantastic Bird.

I would make the guitar line in Ripper a little louder; evoking the prominent melody and muscle of the live version but retaining the mystery and overall subtlety of the excellent studio version.

[Skylarker]

Southpaw Grammar

As with Arsenal, this album is ALMOST perfect as is but if I'm allowed a few imaginary revisions....

Teachers
The Boy Racer
Do Your Best and Don't Worry
Dagenham Dave
Reader Meet Author
The Operation
Honey You Know Where To Find Me
Nobody Loves Us
You Must Please Remember
Best Friend On The Payroll
You Should Have Ben Nice To Me
Southpaw

Singles:

The Boy Racer b/w the acoustic demos of Reader and Honey
Nobody Loves Us, with the Drury Lane live b-sides from 1995.

[Skylarker]

Quarry

First of the Gang to Die
The World is Full of Crashing Bores (closer to the live arrangement, with the punchier chord changes and piano flourishes)
I'm Not Sorry (I prefer the way he sings the chorus in concert though; much more melodic than on the record)
I Like You (closer to the 2002 Janice Long arrangement)
It's Hard To Walk Tall When You're Small
Come Back To Camden
I Have Forgiven Jesus
Let Me Kiss You
How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel
Irish Blood English Heart
The Never Played Symphonies
You Know I Couldn't Last

Singles:
IBEH b/w My Life Is A Succession of People Saying Goodbye, Friday Mourning*, and Don't Make Fun of Daddy's Voice

First Of The Gang To Die b/w All The Lazy Dykes and I Am Two People

*this is album track quality but it was recorded with Jesse after the sessions ended, I believe.

[Skylarker]

Vauxhall and I

Basically the same except I would scrap the novelty song Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning and replace it with the excellent outtake A Swallow on my Neck.

I would also add the MEBY version of I'd Love To the LP after Speedway, closing it out.

And I'd completely remix this record, it sounds like it's stuffed with cotton and being held underwater. I'd make the whole thing much louder and crisper and give the songs the feel they have in concert.


Singles:

The More You Ignore Me b/w the short version of Moonriver and Black Eyed Susan
Billy Budd b/w the Morrissey-only version of Interlude and Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning

[Skylarker]

Pick an album you want to remake.

Describe aspects of the production you would change (add strings, more pronounced bass, remove cowbell, etc,). Songs you would edit/lengthen/omit/add. Resequence the track list, limit it to no more than 12 songs, please. And finally, pick 2 singles (with 2 b-sides) off the album.

NO album should have more than twelve songs, or less than ten. Ever.

[DAVIE]

NO album should have more than twelve songs, or less than ten. Ever.

Try saying that to David Bowie's Station To Station. I think if you have a very short album, every single song would have to be a massive hit.

[nothappynotsad]

Try saying that to David Bowie's Station To Station. I think if you have a very short album, every single song would have to be a massive hit.

Are you participating in the spirit of this thread, Davie?

[DAVIE]

Are you participating in the spirit of this thread, Davie?

They need to remake Your Arsenal completely....Remix it or just remake the album again (vocals and instruments). The songs are amazing, but the recordings are terrible! Although I think Ronson is an amazing guitarist and Bowie should never have dropped the poor sod!

I'm not sure how they could possibly improve YOR? I don't like any of the songs really. Maybe if they changed the instruments and made it less "rocky" then it would make it more accessible for people like myself Why can't they make Kill Uncle a guitar album and YOR a piano album? Do a swap!

I do like this thread though I just don't have the brains to completely figure out what I'd want to happen through every track.

[Skylarker]

Try saying that to David Bowie's Station To Station. I think if you have a very short album, every single song would have to be a massive hit.

I don't generally speak to inanimate objects, but I know what you mean. However, since I detest Bowie aside from maybe an album's worth of songs over the course of his entire career (ALL OF WHICH ARE BRILLIANT) I really can't be bothered anyway. I've never heard Station to Station and I don't intend to.

I'm not sure how they could possibly improve YOR?

It would involve a time machine and a hired assassin.

[DAVIE]

I like David Bowie's Space Oddity album. Maybe Low, Heathen and Earthling are okay too.

[neverdream]

You are the Quarry

1. First Of The Gang to die
2. Let me kiss you
3. I Have Forgiven Jesus
4. This World is Full of Crashing Bores
5. I'm Not Sorry
6. Irish Blood English Heart
7. Slum Mums
8. All the Lazy Dikes
9. You Know I Couldn't Last
10. The Public Image

Alan Wilder said he want's to work with Morrissey, I would send him a fax.
Maybe not on Quarry, it is already near flawless.

[stux]

Definitely Kill Uncle

if there is one Morrissey album crying out for a remake it is this one. Only Driving Your Girlfriend Home comes close to working as it is, as for the rest, well I would re-record the whole album with a new producers.

I'm sure Mute Witness could be a real gem, sing your life was miles better live. I would have to drop Found Found Found and Harsh truth.

[123xyz]

Your Arsenal

I'll start off by saying that I love this album.

To that I will add that it is HORRIBLY mixed. It sounds like SHIT and I have no regard for whether Ronson or Jesus was the producer, it's a horrible mixing job.

Having said that...

You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side
Let The Right One Slip In (Bona Drag Mk. 2 version; I actually prefer the b-side version but this version is more sonically thematic with the album)
You're The One For Me Fatty
We'll Let You Know
Glamorous Glue
Certain People I Know
We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful
Seasick
I Know It's Gonna Happen
Tomorrow
The National Front Disco

Singles:

Tomorrow b/w Pashernate Love and the originally released mix of Right One

...followed quickly by the non LP single Jack The Ripper, recorded post Your Arsenal and b/w You've Had Her and the album outtake Fantastic Bird.

I would make the guitar line in Ripper a little louder; evoking the prominent melody and muscle of the live version but retaining the mystery and overall subtlety of the excellent studio version.

I know I'm probably quibbling but is it the production or ,indeed, the mixing that you hate on YA ( I'm not sure I actually know the difference)? Any general examples ? I would say the production (mixing ?) on this album is possibly my favourite of all Morrissey/Smiths albums. I really love the tight guitars and the vocals sunk deeper in the song. Oh, and that well - textured , ambient feel to "I know it's gonna..." and "We'll let you know"...

[Guernie]

On ' Maladjusted' I would drop song number 10 "Sorrow will come in the end " . Ok may-be keep it but at least sing the words. Currently that song make Moz sound like a 3rd rate rap artist or a chanting Tibitan monk . I have often wondered what is the reason this song was placed on the album. Rest of the line up of music on ' Maladjusted ' is great sound wise to my ears ......( even the kind of silly worded Roy's Keen with the backing oooos and aaaas and lalalalas )
I would not know what other songs to add to bring the cd up to 12 because I haven't got a clue of unreleased suff he has during this time period (1997 ) .
Single would be Alma Matters with Ammunition on B side. May- be Wide to recieve with He Cried as B side

[Skylarker]

I know I'm probably quibbling but is it the production or ,indeed, the mixing that you hate on YA ( I'm not sure I actually know the difference)? Any general examples ? I would say the production (mixing ?) on this album is possibly my favourite of all Morrissey/Smiths albums. I really love the tight guitars and the vocals sunk deeper in the song. Oh, and that well - textured , ambient feel to "I know it's gonna..." and "We'll let you know"...

Listen to the album version of Glamorous Glue and then listen to the version from Saturday Night Live or Beethoven Was Deaf.

Ronson stuffed Alain's solo right up his bum.