Morrissey A-Z: "If Saturday Ever Comes"

BookishBoy

Well-Known Member



A brief return for the A-Z, to catch us up on the three demos posted on YouTube by SER about a month ago.

This is a Morrissey/Lopez composition, seemingly from the IANADOAC sessions.

What do we think of this one?
 
Sad song. Reminds me of my foster brother who it turns out, has died.
 
What we know about it:
The YouTube comments section of the video revealed that the track was a "final mix" (time stamped as November 14, 2020).
The music appears to be co-written by Andrea Bulletti.
Then "tracked and mixed" by Alex Reverberi at their home studio (California).
Reverberi also states it was written and recorded without any vocals.
Mando Lopez had previously worked with Bulletti on a soundtrack.
Andrea Bulletti is credited on The Secret Of Music via I Am Not A Dog On A Chain's liner notes.
The image used on the video is a still from the film: The Musketeers Of Pig Alley (1912).

Regards,
FWD.
 
I think this is the best of the 'lost' tracks and would make a strong b-side. It lollops and rolls along without really going anywhere special, but the lyrics are interesting enough to raise it into the Canon.
 
Bulletti could help link it to Dog, but the 'final mix' date being 8 months after said helps link it more to Bonfire.
It could conceivably be something written earlier than 2020 though.
Given Bonfire is meant to feature Chad, a different band makeup and new producer - it would seem odd that this was tracked and mixed in a small home studio (California).
It appears that in the 6 months building up to the Bonfire announcement in May, it was dropped - which could just indicate he'd found a producer and musicians at this point and this work with Mando's friend was shelved?
Who knows!?
Regards,
FWD.

(Should add: if Andrew Watt is the producer then it could well have been recorded at his home studio, but that is more akin to a full studio going by what he's shared on YT).
 
Takes a min to sorta find its groove and feels sorta clunky the first bit especially where the brother lies part comes in, that felt very square. I do like the atmospheric interlude part and do enjoy hearing a bit of lead guitar. I’m sorta mixed. Not sure the vocal did it or me here. Felt kinda like a retred and the lyrics weren’t moving for me but nothing I’d call bad. Sounds like a more completed demo production wise. I’m ambivilant about it I guess
 
hair brushed and parted...

The usual Moz formula. Not my favorite from the 3 ‘lost demos’ recently released.
 
First and foremost let me say how much I've missed the A-Z threads... thanks @BookishBoy!

At first, I was a bit dismissive... but after a few listens it is a grower. Considering how much a song can evolve from a demo to a final track, I'd really like to see how this one would have developed. With a stronger vocal take and fleshed-out sound, it could be a strong b-side or at least an average album track.

On a separate note, I quite enjoyed this comment on this video on YT:

"I Know It's Over meets the Animals! Brilliant song. Couldn't believe the terrible comments in Morrissey-solo about this, the people there are either deaf, or completely biased against anything that Moz releases... Or both..."
 
Nice to see the A-Z back...

As for the track, it has certainly grown on me. It’s an intriguing gauzy, depressive doo-wopper that is a return to some of the more plodding mid 2010s song structures.
The drones beginning is something I wish continued throughout, though Moz puts in a fine vocal performance and it sustains itself for its pretty lengthy duration through the addition of some hard hitting keys and echoey atmospherics.
It may not be my favourite of the lost demos, not even these three, but it’s certainly nice to see Moz still straying out of his comfort zone, not regressing to stodge rock hell.
7/10
 
Would have been quite a decent b-side in another (better) era. It's a shame that it was uploaded with dodgy sound quality as that really affects it as a listening experience.
 
best of the three.9 saturdays/10 ?.
 
Do we actually know whether Mando was at all involved in BOT, as composer or musician?
SAM:
Yes, I know. ‘Ha Ha Harlem’ is the song easiest to imagine live. It has a lot of lyrics and a lot of musical changes. You also use very high falsetto. I think some people were wondering if you could even sing that way any more. Musically, it is phenomenal, yet only Jesse (Tobias) from your usual band is on the album. Was is difficult working with musicians who I suppose were strangers?
M:
No. It gave me a new curiosity because I didn’t know how anyone would play or interpret the song, but it all came together instantly and that absolutely amazed me. The moods, the twists, the precision … it’s difficult to do well, and I was blessed with a most supremely intelligent producer. He played and sang backing vocals on every track … so beautifully … and brought something that no one else could hear into each track. I felt scorched by ‘Ha Ha Harlem’ … we all just looked at each other in astonishment saying ‘where the hell did THAT come from?’. ‘Ha ha Harlem / where they want to keep you OUT OF YOUR MIND!” … the bass is a ferocious rasp … distorted at times …


Regards,
FWD.
 
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