Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Radcliffe and Maconie

UPDATE 5:30PM PT:

Response from Morrissey's rep:

'The Smiths will NEVER get back together,' says rep, despite new rumors - HitFix


This is what was just said on Radcliffe and Maconie on BBC6Music. The claim is that the next Coachella festival is to be meat free and 3 of the 4 Smiths will be playing there together.
The 1 missing was not named. You can listen to it online on BBc I-player, after 4 0 clock today when the show ends.
I hope it's true.




Other rumors at Holy Moly! (link posted by ToDieByYourSide):

The Smiths will reform in 2013 - confirmed by several sources with rumour of Glastonbury - Holy Moly!

Excerpt:

We’ve now heard from several credible sources that The Smiths have agreed to reform in 2013 for four UK shows. And despite such rumours turning out to be total balls in the past, this one has enough weight to it that we’re prepared to call it confirmed, and hang the consequences.



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Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

Here's question, apart from a few million quid for the participants, what would be the point of a reunion?

For Morrissey, it would mean that, as part of the Smiths (or just Morrissey/Marr) he would pretty much instantly be offered extremely attractive record deals.
He would get to tour (and sell out) the arena circuit including the odd stadium, and would be offered the very best slots at festivals across the world (no more supporting U2/Muse etc).
Any new album would be guaranteed to sell at least half a million (even if not very good), instead of 50,000, and he would be back in one of the most critically acclaimed bands (or partnerships) of all time, rather than continuing the struggle as a mediocre, controversial solo act, with a shrinking fan base. He would also be able to put out new albums pretty much as often as he wanted (e.g. every 18 months) and any singles produced would be guaranteed massively more radio airplay than he would otherwise get. Is that enough?
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

No joke...as they say in sports :"Don't defeat yourself" Morrissey has a strange habit of defeating himself over and over. He had 3 opportunities to be huge...
1) The Smiths - he literally drove Marr out because he was such a diva and could not handle having a manager
2) Early Solo career - had the right team in place and wrote 3 great records - before Southpaw and Mal were released to a loud thump
3) Comeback...Quarry was a good return record then he released 2 terrible records...and now his band look like a off off off broadway dance line.

If he was sort of savy, reforming the smiths now would solidify him as a super super star.

Which is what he really wants deep down.

I know that you are saying, that said he is huge...Just because he hasn't got a label he is still huge. He still sells out arenas faster than most..Also, just because you don't like some of his records it doesn't mean they aren't any good.
Quarry was his most uninteresting LP-it was a middle of the road comeback record. I much prefer the LPs that followed.
As for the Manchester gig, they may have sold out in the end but it took a while.I saw the venue selling tickets on the day-considering this is Manchester thats shocking-he should have sold that place out in 24hours.
The trouble with this touring is, its taking the magic away.
Morrissey put on a great show in Manchester but some of the other gigs just aren't as he was. He seems tired and going through
the motions.
The newest songs I hear aren't very good at all. People make out Scandinavia is a "Classic" but it really isn't.
I really think he needs to stop relying on none west folk who are happy to see anyone from the west and American fans, who lets be honest never quite get it and think hes a god.
The man has great talent, he should come back to the UK and make his record with fellow Brits.
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

Which means there's some truth to it. Doubt that the Coachella folks would go spouting off about something unless they had some kind of truth to it.
Its an old trick trying to force his hand...The wrong person to do that with though.
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

Here's question, apart from a few million quid for the participants, what would be the point of a reunion?

For who - the group or for the fans?

The group: Brings attention to their solo careers and helps pave the way for getting new record deals that they wouldn't get otherwise unless they could prove they were still a draw.

The fans: A full show of Smiths songs played right by the people who wrote them.
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

Which means there's some truth to it. Doubt that the Coachella folks would go spouting off about something unless they had some kind of truth to it.

you MUST be joking. it's called publicity and ANYTHING will be floated about to try to get it. my daughter did an internship a few summers ago with a concert promoter who consistently started rumors with no truth to them whatsoever. a very small percentage got picked up, but when they did, the company celebrated it, regardless of the fact they were complete fabrications.
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

For Morrissey, it would mean that, as part of the Smiths (or just Morrissey/Marr) he would pretty much instantly be offered extremely attractive record deals

Yes...for a new Smiths album. Does anyone truly think that a reunion would be anything but a short-term, possibly one-time venture? He wants a record deal for himself, not for him, JM, Andy, and the hired replacement drummer.

You can all point and laugh at me for a disbeliever if it ever happens, but I really can't believe we still have this discussion in 2012 when all evidence and quotes by the principals point to the futility of this dream. It's only slightly less annoying than the people who go to his shows strictly for the Smiths songs and talk/check their iPhone or head to the beer vendors when he plays a solo B-side.
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

For Morrissey, it would mean that, as part of the Smiths (or just Morrissey/Marr) he would pretty much instantly be offered extremely attractive record deals.
He would get to tour (and sell out) the arena circuit including the odd stadium, and would be offered the very best slots at festivals across the world (no more supporting U2/Muse etc).
Any new album would be guaranteed to sell at least half a million (even if not very good), instead of 50,000, and he would be back in one of the most critically acclaimed bands (or partnerships) of all time, rather than continuing the struggle as a mediocre, controversial solo act, with a shrinking fan base. He would also be able to put out new albums pretty much as often as he wanted (e.g. every 18 months) and any singles produced would be guaranteed massively more radio airplay than he would otherwise get. Is that enough?
Yeah I guess so, although all of the reasons you give can be summarised as 'a few million quid for the participants'. I was looking for reasons that would interest the likes of you and me, that would mean something musically interesting and worthwhile/
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

For who - the group or for the fans?

The group: Brings attention to their solo careers and helps pave the way for getting new record deals that they wouldn't get otherwise unless they could prove they were still a draw.

The fans: A full show of Smiths songs played right by the people who wrote them.
Hi Viva, good to see a post from you.
In response to your answers, obviously the band would make a lot of money and that doesn't particularly interest me (nor you I'd guess).
As for hearing the songs performed by the people who wrote the songs, well I think I'd rather hear the songs be performed as well as they could be and I'm not sure a reformed Smiths would be the best choice for that. I would agree, though, that it would definitely need to include the Moz and Marr.
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

you MUST be joking. it's called publicity and ANYTHING will be floated about to try to get it. my daughter did an internship a few summers ago with a concert promoter who consistently started rumors with no truth to them whatsoever. a very small percentage got picked up, but when they did, the company celebrated it, regardless of the fact they were complete fabrications.

Correct. The Coachella team is the biggest rumour-starter on the planet. How many times has Bowie been slated to perform Ziggy Stardust a Coachella?
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

Yeah I guess so, although all of the reasons you give can be summarised as 'a few million quid for the participants'. I was looking for reasons that would interest the likes of you and me, that would mean something musically interesting and worthwhile/

The benefits to you and me? The simple answer is that we would get new Morrissey-sung albums more frequently, and that the quality of the music will probably be much, much higher than we're getting in the current set-up.
I've not really heard them but most people seem to agree that Marr's new songs are really good which would put them in a different league to the likes of People Are The Same and Kids a Looker.
So, basically, we would have more songs to enjoy, and the quality would almost inevitably be much higher. As fans of Morrissey's singing and lyrics, what could be better?
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

It's only slightly less annoying than the people who go to his shows strictly for the Smiths songs and talk/check their iPhone or head to the beer vendors when he plays a solo B-side.

I wouldn't judge these people too harshly, Jamie, as without them the concerts would be 3/4 empty.
Also, there are lots of older acts around who I'd love to see e.g. Pulp, The Cure, The Human League etc but I would have zero interest in hearing anything they'd written since their heyday.
Maurice
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

You can all point and laugh at me for a disbeliever if it ever happens, but I really can't believe we still have this discussion in 2012 when all evidence and quotes by the principals point to the futility of this dream.

And to respond to your other point!
I would completely disagree with this. Morrissey's stock is at an all-time low in the UK. Just one concert all year in England and it didn't even sell out (despite dishonestly marketing it as the only UK concert). His recent singles and compilation albums have recorded his worst ever chart positions. He has pretty much ruined all his relationships with the UK music press and music sections of newspapers - this is reflected in the fact only one national paper and music mag covered his MEN concert. It would seem that he has severed ties with Alain Whyte, his best (and most prolific) music composer of the last 20 years.
He has more Smiths songs in the set-list than ever before. He is showing no signs of humbly accepting his reduced status in the music biz, and signing a deal just to get an album out which could be done so easily (go into your local HMV and you will see Boz Boorer's new 2012 album on the shelves).
Johnny Marr has started playing tons of Smiths songs for the first time since the band split (why on earth is he not also playing the Electronic, Billy Bragg, The The, Cribs songs he wrote?). He's never been more positive about the Smiths legacy.
The Stone Roses, the other big indie band of the late 80s, have reformed and it's been a massive success. Stadiums sold out on multiple nights in Manchester, headlining festivals around the world, generally glowing reviews, and contracts signed for international record deals.
There has never been a better/more likely time for Marr and Morrissey to do something together again. I'm not saying it will definitely happen, only that it is more likely than ever, especially if Marr's new album and tour are a commercial and critical failure (the former more likely than the latter).
Maurice
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

The benefits to you and me? The simple answer is that we would get new Morrissey-sung albums more frequently, and that the quality of the music will probably be much, much higher than we're getting in the current set-up.
I've not really heard them but most people seem to agree that Marr's new songs are really good which would put them in a different league to the likes of People Are The Same and Kids a Looker.
So, basically, we would have more songs to enjoy, and the quality would almost inevitably be much higher. As fans of Morrissey's singing and lyrics, what could be better?
So you're talking about a Morrissey-Marr collaboration? That's very different to a Smiths reunion.
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

So you're talking about a Morrissey-Marr collaboration? That's very different to a Smiths reunion.

Yes, indeed and fair point. To be honest, it's not even worth discussing a Smiths reunion. Morrissey hates Joyce probably more than anyone else on the planet (which is saying something), and Marr doesn't like him much either.
Joyce didn't write any Smiths songs and, for most people, as long as they're reasonably competent, the choice of drummer doesn't make much difference to enjoyment of the recordings or the live performances.
We've had polls here before about Smiths reunions and Marr/Morrissey reunions, and more people would rather see the latter.
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

Yes, indeed and fair point. To be honest, it's not even worth discussing a Smiths reunion. Morrissey hates Joyce probably more than anyone else on the planet (which is saying something), and Marr doesn't like him much either.
Joyce didn't write any Smiths songs and, for most people, as long as they're reasonably competent, the choice of drummer doesn't make much difference to enjoyment of the recordings or the live performances.
We've had polls here before about Smiths reunions and Marr/Morrissey reunions, and more people would rather see the latter.
Agreed. In fact, Morrissey-Marr and a good band would be a marvellous thing!
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

I would be much rather, in all honesty and seriousness, see Alain back with Morrissey.
 
Re: Article: 75% of The Smiths to re-unite at Coachella Festival 2013 according to Ra

Whether the rumour is true or not, it's bound to happen. Can anyone name five bands who could headline Glastonbury if they reformed but haven't?

It doesn't count if the singer is dead.
 

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