Alain Whyte and Gary Day reminisce about "Your Arsenal" on Facebook

Re: Alain Whyte on Facebook today

Gary posted the same video today with his own lovely reminiscence.

https://www.facebook.com/shakey.lavonne/posts/375674495974984

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Bernard Butler with Moz would have been great but Mozzer with Richard Hawley is even better. He has been a consistent artist for so long. When I hear, "Tonight The Streets Are Ours", I can't help but think that Morrissey would have sounded so good over that tune.
 
Hawley would have been a great collaboration. The thought never crossed my mind until I read your post. What amazing songs we could have heard.

That being said, last two albums were pretty bad and knowing I have to look/listen at Tobias butcher Smiths and Moz songs for yet another tour makes this article all the more depressing. I can take Matt/Spike/Gustavo/Butterworth etc. etc...but Tobias is a really bitter pill. Horrible song writing, even worse stage presence. Perhaps he's a good guitar player, but he never seemed to fit Moz, why he's still around is beyond me.
 
Bernard Butler with Moz would have been great but Mozzer with Richard Hawley is even better. He has been a consistent artist for so long. When I hear, "Tonight The Streets Are Ours", I can't help but think that Morrissey would have sounded so good over that tune.

Hawley failed the audition if I remember correctly. He had the temerity to sing, and Morrissey is the singer. "Next!"

It would have been an interesting collaboration, and certainly joining forces with a songwriter from oop North might well have delivered something more entertaining than this current mariachi drivel.
 
lol at people who would take Spencer, who by his own admission literally Could Not Play Drums Very Well, over a sought after drummer like Matt Walker.

Hate on the current world of Morrissey all you want and bemoan the current malaise creatively, but he has good musicians behind him. The main gripe appears to be they are not Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke nor Mike Joyce.

Solomon is the one I miss, funnily enough.
 
Solomon had a presence about him that is sorely lacking in the band. Spence was great for that era but I seriously doubt he could come in and take the place of Matt Walker.
lol at people who would take Spencer, who by his own admission literally Could Not Play Drums Very Well, over a sought after drummer like Matt Walker.

Hate on the current world of Morrissey all you want and bemoan the current malaise creatively, but he has good musicians behind him. The main gripe appears to be they are not Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke nor Mike Joyce.

Solomon is the one I miss, funnily enough.
 
Has anyone in his band(s) ever been asked a question in any of those old interviews? I would hate to be in the band and just sit there like a piece of furniture and not get asked anything! How awkward. I remember a radio interview years ago like that too. Everyone in the studio and predictably not a single question for anyone but Morrissey. After a while they must have stopped doing that just out of predictability of result.
 

Yep Richard attended around the time of Kill Uncle but I think he made two mistakes: he was smoking when he came in and during a song he started singing, to show he could sing or do backing vocals. Apparently Moz didn't like it. What a loss for Morrissey as Richard is an ace songwriter. I've seen him in concert a couple of times and he doesn't take any crap from hecklers in the audience. Perhaps his steely approach came through in the audition and Moz didn't warm to it. Hard to know. But he's a top bloke and he loves to see people in his audience wearing quiffs and turned up jeans, so i reckon he would have fit in perfectly for the Kill Uncle tour and beyond.
 
Solomon had a presence about him that is sorely lacking in the band. Spence was great for that era but I seriously doubt he could come in and take the place of Matt Walker.

Isn't Spencer a real estate agent now? In the Mozipedia it mentions Moz sending a very insulting fax/postcard to Spence when they parted ways, and that it was step too far. Maybe Moz questioned his drumming abilities, which is a pity considering he played so well on so many tracks. I think drummers don't get the recognition they deserve on most bands. Mike Joyce was great, so too was Boris Williams back in the hey-day of The Cure. I wonder how Suede would have turned out if Mike Joyce had accepted their job offer. He should have done it (although Simon Gilbert is ace too!).
 
Maybe Moz questioned his drumming abilities, which is a pity considering he played so well on so many tracks. I think drummers don't get the recognition they deserve on most bands

Spencer BECAME quite good. He wasn't initially. I think Moz cares very much about drumming because he has a soft spot for it. I think it is his favorite instrument. Remember the drum kit Dean Butterworth gave him to "bash around on"? That's quite telling, I think.
 
Spencer BECAME quite good. He wasn't initially. I think Moz cares very much about drumming because he has a soft spot for it. I think it is his favorite instrument. Remember the drum kit Dean Butterworth gave him to "bash around on"? That's quite telling, I think.

I also thought Gary improved a lot in his second stint in the band. Although I still think Jonny Bridgewood was a better bassist than either Gary or Solomon.
 
I also thought Gary improved a lot in his second stint in the band. Although I still think Jonny Bridgewood was a better bassist than either Gary or Solomon.


In the interest of discussion what makes you think that? I'm intrigued as to how one can differentiate bassists and their abilities. As far as I can tell all of Moz's bassists have been great, from Gary to Johnny to Solomon to Mando but they're basically playing the same notes night after night. Possibly the most replaceable part of a band?

Looking forward to the bassists furiously responding to this...
 
Jonny Bridgwood has always been my favorite Moz bassist. His lines always seemed to stand out in my opinion in particular that bridge in Alma Matters..Intro to Spring Heeled Jim..His bassline in Boxers..I dunno he just always stuck out in my head as the most impactful of the bunch. Seems like a heck of a nice guy too.
 
lol at people who would take Spencer, who by his own admission literally Could Not Play Drums Very Well, over a sought after drummer like Matt Walker.

I'll take energy and personality with average musicianship over a muso any day.
 
Some additional perspective to consider with regards to Mr. Cobrin:

He was not a “finesse” drummer, but you have to look at the overall body of work with Morrissey from 1991-1997. His chops grew exponentially. For instance, whatever you may think of Southpaw Grammar with regards to the material, it would be hard to argue that his style did not fit the songs. The fills he deployed were sparing but well-chosen – that is, he picked his spots (e.g., the rabbit punches before the middle eight in “Reader Meet Author”, the snare/hi-hat hiccups leading into the verses of "Best Friend on the Payroll"). Look at the cross-sticking patterns on “Alma Matters” – that is not the performance of a naïf. I don’t think he was ever given the opportunity to show the stylistic range he developed as a drummer – which may not put him in the same league as Walker, but is certainly not amateur. Hell, almost 20 years have gone by and NOBODY has been able to play “Speedway” CORRECTLY AND TO ITS FULL RHYTHMIC POTENTIAL live (cf. Introducing Morrissey). That is saying something.

I think you also have to consider the contributions he could have added over time as a songwriter and a keyboardist. Morrissey didn’t just lose a drummer – he lost a real collaborator that showed the potential for real artistic vision and an ear for melody.

If you have not done so already, I would try to locate the Elva Snow material online. I believe the whole EP was on YouTube at one point. “Drinking & Driving,” “Could Ya,” and “Hold Me” are melodies that Morrissey would have been privileged to use. I feel they stand up to any number of Whyte, Boorer, or Tobias co-writes - and even surpass some.

EDIT: I would also throw my hat into the crowd that considers Jonny B his most skilled player, technically in service to the song. But I would also add that Gary Day was never surpassed in terms of feel and tone (e.g., "Dear God, Please Help Me," "Tomorrow" - where the bass is absolutely INTEGRAL to the overall success of the songs). Any road, Morrissey was lucky to have all of these talented men as collaborators throughout his career.
 
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Some additional perspective to consider with regards to Mr. Cobrin:

He was not a “finesse” drummer, but you have to look at the overall body of work with Morrissey from 1991-1997. His chops grew exponentially. For instance, whatever you may think of Southpaw Grammar with regards to the material, it would be hard to argue that his style did not fit the songs. The fills he deployed were sparing but well-chosen – that is, he picked his spots (e.g., the rabbit punches before the middle eight in “Reader Meet Author”, the snare/hi-hat hiccups leading into the verses of "Best Friend on the Payroll"). Look at the cross-sticking patterns on “Alma Matters” – that is not the performance of a naïf. I don’t think he was ever given the opportunity to show the stylistic range he developed as a drummer – which may not put him in the same league as Walker, but is certainly not amateur. Hell, almost 20 years have gone by and NOBODY has been able to play “Speedway” CORRECTLY AND TO ITS FULL RHYTHMIC POTENTIAL live (cf. Introducing Morrissey). That is saying something.

I think you also have to consider the contributions he could have added over time as a songwriter and a keyboardist. Morrissey didn’t just lose a drummer – he lost a real collaborator that showed the potential for real artistic vision and an ear for melody.

If you have not done so already, I would try to locate the Elva Snow material online. I believe the whole EP was on YouTube at one point. “Drinking & Driving,” “Could Ya,” and “Hold Me” are melodies that Morrissey would have been privileged to use. I feel they stand up to any number of Whyte, Boorer, or Tobias co-writes - and even surpass some.

EDIT: I would also throw my hat into the crowd that considers Jonny B his most skilled player, technically in service to the song. But I would also add that Gary Day was never surpassed in terms of feel and tone (e.g., "Dear God, Please Help Me," "Tomorrow" - where the bass is absolutely INTEGRAL to the overall success of the songs). Any road, Morrissey was lucky to have all of these talented men as collaborators throughout his career.

Jamie, I checked out Spencer's MySpace music page like back in 2008/2009, and he had some excellent rocking instrumentals up on there. I have no idea what the names were, or even if they're still available online anywhere, but I believe they were his own writings. I would have loved to see Moz put some lyrics to those tunes.

Also, do you know why Jonny left the band? He kind of just disappeared and then pop, Gary's back on the scene in 2000.
 
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