Morrissey Central “BONFIRE DOUSED” (February 7, 2023)

BONFIRE DOUSED: - MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY - MORRISSEY CENTRAL - BONFIRE DOUSED:

MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY on MORRISSEY CENTRAL

www.morrisseycentral.com

Morrissey is ‘too diverse’ for Universal Music Group.
Capitol Records (Los Angeles) will not, after all, release Morrissey’s 2021 album ‘Bonfire of Teenagers’. At the same time, Capitol Records (Los Angeles) are holding on to the album.

Although Morrissey officially signed to Capitol Records Los Angeles, there has been no mention of Morrissey on Capitol’s website or on their Artists roster.

Morrissey has said that although he does not believe that Capitol Records in Los Angeles signed ‘Bonfire of Teenagers’ in order to sabotage it, he is quickly coming around to that belief.

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Related items:

• Fiona Dodwell: "Why An Unsigned Morrissey Proves A Lack Of True Diversity In Music" (February 5, 2023)
• [Morrissey Central] "Bonfire Unlit" (November 14, 2022)

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Media item:

• NME: "Morrissey is “quickly coming around to that belief” that Capitol is “sabotaging” his new album" - February 7, 2023

 

[Abrahan]

And to think... Merck Mercuriadis - who managed Morrissey in the past - has been buying entire back catalogs from artists for the past few years. I wonder how damaged that bridge is.

 

[Phranc & Open]

re-record the songs under J.C. and release on his own website...

Just No! Re-recording never worked out for no one.

 

[Surface]

I don't doubt that Morrissey is a difficult person to work with, but the music industry is full of conformists, not rebels. Being signed to a major label is like working for a big company - if you don't fall in line you're out.

So he should stop wanting big labels to sign him if he doesn't want to conform.

 

[Thewlis]

So he should stop wanting big labels to sign him if he doesn't want to conform.

He was on a smaller label in the 80s, but that didn't work very well either

 

[caramel sea salt]

So he should stop wanting big labels to sign him if he doesn't want to conform.

That's not very rock 'n' roll, is it?

 

[gashonthenail]

Just No! Re-recording never worked out for no one.

Believe it or not the topic has its own Wikipedia page...

Re-recording (music) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[skull]

Whilst it's frustrating, I do believe that in the long term, Capitol NOT releasing it might be the best thing for all of us.

1) This might finally be the straw that breaks the camel's back, and convince Morrissey to self-release in future, instead of trying to sign with the old major labels he idolised as a kid. The result would be he could release records whenever he wanted, and we'd no longer have to go into a 3-5 year 'wilderness years' period between each contract as he shops himself around.

2)He's in the studio right at this minute, and can re-record the 'Bonfire' songs and release a new version of the album himself. He's licensed out the masters for the previous version, but Capitol would not own any new recordings. And based on the engineering on 'Rebels', it would probably sound a lot better.

He has the finances to set up his own vanity label and self-release. At this stage, the only person holding Morrissey back is himself.

I hope you are right, but I doubt he will record those songs again

 

[Surface]

He was on a smaller label in the 80s, but that didn't work very well either

He wasn't, The Smiths were.

 

[Thewlis]

He wasn't, The Smiths were.

He was as part of The Smiths, and he wasn't happy.

 

[Surface]

He was as part of The Smiths, and he wasn't happy.

So he struggles with big labels and he struggles with small labels so his only option appears to be self release.

 

[Thewlis]

So he struggles with big labels and he struggles with small labels so his only option appears to be self release.

He has managed to release dozens of albums and singles over the past 40 years so I'm sure he will know very well what works for him.

Nothing quite so unlike Morrissey as to self release.

 

[gordyboy9]

we have hardly been starved of M output in the last 5 and a bit years,97---04,thats starvation.
there is people going through hell on earth in turkey right now with the worst earthquake in a hundred years and all people on here can moan about is a record not coming out,geez peace.

 

[Surface]

He has managed to release dozens of albums and singles over the past 40 years so I'm sure he will know very well what works for him.

Nothing quite so unlike Morrissey as to self release.

Yes it certainly looks that way

 

[Juan Dulces]

He was on a smaller label in the 80s, but that didn't work very well either

It worked out pretty nicely for Rough Trade though.

we have hardly been starved of M output in the last 5 and a bit years,97---04,thats starvation.
there is people going through hell on earth in turkey right now with the worst earthquake in a hundred years and all people on here can moan about is a record not coming out,geez peace.

May grace take care of the people suffering in Turkey, and all over the world suffering in similar ways.

 

[Ryan]

Bonfire lives in oblivion, and it suits him very well.

 

[goinghome]

Lack of diversity. Of what?

Verbal attacks so lightly thrown in public on characters can cost.

Re, diversity, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges clearly explains how diversity tropes are often being abused - https://scheerpost.com/2023/02/05/chris-hedges-woke-imperialism/

For the album, if channels of communication were still open, might some 'frank and open' help?

 

[jmb066]

Just No! Re-recording never worked out for no one.

Cracker band rerecorded their greatest hits as a protest to Virgin records, I think it sold well and the new versions were excellent.

 

[Phranc & Open]

Cracker band rerecorded their greatest hits as a protest to Virgin records, I think it sold well and the new versions were excellent.

Look at U2s new album. Who really needs new versions of their biggest hits? For me, it's a sign of a creative dead end street.
And even if? It would also be contractually not really easy to re-record the already sold record with the same tracks promptly and possibly release it before the original. Simply even more problems.

 

[Ryan]

It's really bizarre to have released the Rebels single, though. I mean, why even do that?

 

[Thewlis]

It's really bizarre to have released the Rebels single, though. I mean, why even do that?

The struggles happened áfter the release of Rebels.