Harvest ends contract with Morrissey - TTY

Re: Harvest Ends Contract with Morrissey - TTY

Moontastic with the name there, buddy. Seeya in 20 minutes.

 

[darkeyelids]

There are some absolutely delusional people on this site.

The lack of physical material, radio play, television appearances and interviews can hardly be attributed to the *publicly* unsuccessful nature of this album, its all fan service in this day and age.

In the 80s, 90s and early 2000s? yes all those played a crucial part, but not now they play a very minimal role *in most cases*.

To be honest, this is an album for Morrissey fans, it doesnt have the capacity to win over a plethora of new fans or reintroduce old fans like YATQ.

 

[Thewlis]

At an enormodome near you in 2015:

 

[smiler]

I've told this story before, but I think it still very much applies to Morrissey. When Leonard Cohen dropped the finished tapes to his Various Positions album the record label refused to release it. Cohen demanded a meeting with the CEO to get some answers, and was told "Leonard, we know you're great. We just aren't sure if you're any good." That's where Morrissey finds himself, and has done for a decade or more. His reputation goes before him.

If this was a traditional record deal, which is what Morrissey was looking for, doesn't that mean that every penny of expenditure is met by the artist and recouped through sales? Perhaps Morrissey didn't want to end up paying for all the bells and whistles, for the physical singles, and huge promotional outlay. A single piece of poorly photoshopped artwork for the entire project seems strange in itself.

I still don't think even Morrissey himself was fully behind this album. It's a brave record, and an interesting record, but it isn't a great record. You can create a brave, interesting and great record: Kevin Rowland's My Beauty falls into that category for me and still sold extremely poorly, but World Peace, sadly, just didn't click.

As I've said from the beginning, after his dreadful self-created PR disasters he needed something absolutely top drawer to bring in not only new listeners, but many old fans who had become disillusioned by his shenanigans.

There will be a lot of people busy putting lipstick on a pig in this thread, but this was not a problem created by Harvest in the last six months. It is the culmination of poor songwriting, poor luck and poor judgement over many years which can be laid wholly at the feet of Morrissey himself.

rubbish the album isn't the problem. It was excellent

 

[smiler]

There are some absolutely delusional people on this site.

The lack of physical material, radio play, television appearances and interviews can hardly be attributed to the *publicly* unsuccessful nature of this album, its all fan service in this day and age.

In the 80s, 90s and early 2000s? yes all those played a crucial part, but not now they play a very minimal role *in most cases*.

To be honest, this is an album for Morrissey fans, it doesnt have the capacity to win over a plethora of new fans or reintroduce old fans like YATQ.

hmmmmm so why does Miley Cyrus bother with those things then if they have no impact?

 

[Anonymous]

At an enormodome near you in 2015:

That's a brilliant picture, excellent work; but it kind of brings it home to me how sad it would be to see them all reform.
Looking at that just does not fill me with anticipation or excitement, just a kind of sadness at the passing of time.
I don't want to listen to Smiths albums and be reminded of the time they reformed and they all looked really old and uncomfortable around each other and Morrissey said some terrible things about the others and it all ended acrimoniously again and all we got was some not-as-good-as-they-used-to-be performances of the old songs and the cynical aftertaste of people you once looked up to doing absolutely the wrong thing purely for monetary gain....

 

[Anonymous]

At an enormodome near you in 2015:

That`s the reason. M doesn`t need a record company, because The Smiths will get a major deal in 2015, with a new album and world tour.
I believe in George Michaels secret:

http://www.morrissey-solo.com/content/2009-George-Michael-lets-us-in-on-a-secret

 

[Johnny Barleycorn]

rubbish the album isn't the problem. It was excellent

If the criterion for commercial success was it was excellent he would still be with Harvest. Instead its excellence is purely subjective, while its success is measured, very precisely, in Pounds Sterling.

 

[Anonymous]

If this is the only option for Morrissey - to get back with Marr - then he/they should follow the brilliant Grant McLennan/Robert Forster example. The Go Betweens split around the same time as The Smiths, but McLennan and Forster - while putting out great solo albums themselves - also performed here and there together throughout the '90s as "Forster and McLennan".
They eventually reformed The Go-Betweens (with new band members) in the early 2000s and released some absolutely wunderbar albums/singles that were as great as anything they did in the '80s (which was pretty pretty pretty great itself).
Unfortunately, McLennan died of a heart-attack and it was all over, but I always thought their example of still performing together and always maintaining their artistic brilliance was so great and a beautiful antidote to the cliched band splitting up and never speaking again acrimony bullshit that The Smiths and so many other bands have gone through.

 

[No1uno]

Disappointing but honestly I don't blame them. Fair enough they didn't put a lot of effort into the promotion but Morrissey contributed almost zero to it. Morrissey didn't even use illness as an excuse. He said he had no offers of promotion from anyone else. He blames the label and he blames media for not handing him promotions on a plate. f*** if I had his work ethic I'd have been sacked from every job I'd ever done. And that's basically what this is, sacking.

This is very interesting, so other than rough trade, he has been fired from every job (label) he has had?, really, every label. And he has talked bad about each one during and after he left? I could be corrected on this but it's my overall impression. You can't do that in my career, it's a big profession but a small world. When looking at new ones, I listen for that and they are red flagged and ignored. Come to think of it, who can get away with talking poorly about every employer they have had and get another offer.

Question. Over the years, I have heard a lot of negative talk about labels from Moz. Has any label of Moz talked shit about him?

 

[Thewlis]

That's a brilliant picture, excellent work; but it kind of brings it home to me how sad it would be to see them all reform.
Looking at that just does not fill me with anticipation or excitement, just a kind of sadness at the passing of time.
I don't want to listen to Smiths albums and be reminded of the time they reformed and they all looked really old and uncomfortable around each other and Morrissey said some terrible things about the others and it all ended acrimoniously again and all we got was some not-as-good-as-they-used-to-be performances of the old songs and the cynical aftertaste of people you once looked up to doing absolutely the wrong thing purely for monetary gain....

Well, I don't honestly think it will happen either, certainly not with Joyce around, but there is a generation or two of music lovers around who have never seen The Smiths and who would die to hear a full Smiths-set done by Morrissey and Marr. And I think these two still have it in them to produce magic together, so it doesn't necessary have to be the bleak scenario you're picturing.

 

[No1uno]

This is so dissapointing. I couldn't help but give out a big sigh when reading the title of this thread. I adore this new album and It was so exciting, knowing there was another one on the horizon.

Perhaps the critical acclaim and chart success of WPINOYB will help this time around. But with the last 2 record label searches taking 7 and 5 years. I can't help but fear for another long torturous wait.

It's surly time all of us fans set up a label. I think by now we all know enough about morrissey, what he likes, what he expects from a record company. I'm sure we could keep him happy and signed up on a permanent basis for say a 10 album contract.

Although I like the sentiment, it's morrissey's job to keep me happy, not the other way around. I'm the one spending my money, he the entertainer, the hired.

 

[darkeyelids]

hmmmmm so why does Miley Cyrus bother with those things then if they have no impact?

Err i don't think you can compare the marketing tactics of a former teen pop star who has automatic radio play and can sell out an arena with little to no effort to that of Morrissey but nice try.

 

[BrummieBoy]

I'm in a "train heave on to London" situation to see Arsenal vs Man City with the BrummieGooners.

Last night: Robert Plant at Glastonbury Abbey was AWESOME!!!Wonder if Nonesuch will take Morrissey on?

This development was inevitable once Morrissey refused to be a Corporate Rock Whore Tour Bus Prison Bitch- why did he sign the deal?

 

[No1uno]

Does all this affect the value of my collection of Morrissey memorabilia?

I have thought about this myself. I think the only thing that will really increase the value would be his passing.

 

[Irregular Regular]

Although I like the sentiment, it's morrissey's job to keep me happy, not the other way around. I'm the one spending my money, he the entertainer, the hired.

Morrissey owes you nothing, he did not force you to spend any money on his music.
Your choice, take it or leave it.

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe after he posted that boozed-up nonsensical rant at true-to-you about meat consumption being responsible for downed airliners and Harvest not harvesting videos he (in his infinite wisdom) drunk-dialed management at Harvest! Of course he won't remember doing any of it, drunk as he was, and will most surely post another rant saying his departure from Harvest came out of nowhere and for no reason, then ramble on about Prince William and how his eating meatloaf is why the Ukraine is in turmoil.

 

[marred]

Although I like the sentiment, it's morrissey's job to keep me happy, not the other way around. I'm the one spending my money, he the entertainer, the hired.

This has to be one of the most bizarre statements yet. Unless it's a joke. Is it a joke? If it is I apologise. If not, then i don't know what to say.

 

[Anonymous]

This has to be one of the stupidest statements yet. Unless it's a joke. Is it a joke? If it is I apologise. If not try growing up.

Why? Morrissey is an entertainer. It is his job to entertain. Unless you think he's some sort of precious artist, in which case grow up.

 

[marred]

I've told this story before, but I think it still very much applies to Morrissey. When Leonard Cohen dropped the finished tapes to his Various Positions album the record label refused to release it. Cohen demanded a meeting with the CEO to get some answers, and was told "Leonard, we know you're great. We just aren't sure if you're any good." That's where Morrissey finds himself, and has done for a decade or more. His reputation goes before him.

If this was a traditional record deal, which is what Morrissey was looking for, doesn't that mean that every penny of expenditure is met by the artist and recouped through sales? Perhaps Morrissey didn't want to end up paying for all the bells and whistles, for the physical singles, and huge promotional outlay. A single piece of poorly photoshopped artwork for the entire project seems strange in itself.

I still don't think even Morrissey himself was fully behind this album. It's a brave record, and an interesting record, but it isn't a great record. You can create a brave, interesting and great record: Kevin Rowland's My Beauty falls into that category for me and still sold extremely poorly, but World Peace, sadly, just didn't click.

As I've said from the beginning, after his dreadful self-created PR disasters he needed something absolutely top drawer to bring in not only new listeners, but many old fans who had become disillusioned by his shenanigans.

There will be a lot of people busy putting lipstick on a pig in this thread, but this was not a problem created by Harvest in the last six months. It is the culmination of poor songwriting, poor luck and poor judgement over many years which can be laid wholly at the feet of Morrissey himself.

More wisdom from the oracle... yawn.

 

[Johnny Barleycorn]

More wisdom from the oracle... yawn.

For some reason I always picture you with a white stick.