Morrissey A-Z: "Oboe Concerto"

BookishBoy

Well-Known Member






We open up 12 days of O songs with this Morrissey/Boorer composition, the closing track on World Peace Is None of Your Business.

What do we think of this one?
 
It doesn't make me run to push the off button but it's just a fairly average song from a period I'm not that excited about.
6/10
 
A great song and ending to World Peace. The cyclical structure echoes the “rhythm of life” going round and round and the forlorn oboe (presumably) that winds its way through the instrumentation is another subtle experimental touch that its parent album was suffused in (Morrissey kinda goes free jazz, anyone?!). The lyrics are suitably reflective and pensive: when you think about it, the one-two punch of this and “Mountjoy” before it are quite a depressing way to end the album. No matter, though: although some may think this is an aimless dirge, it actually proves as a skilful reflection of ageing and death that makes a closer that will probably stick after the record’s actually stopped.
8/10
 
Another minor classic, in my humble opinion. It's like a cheeky, slightly weird cousin of "Death of a Disco Dancer" but the melody sticks in my mind and I always, always enjoy listening to this one.
 
Some great lines in this one, and of course I love the mood and the gloom, but ultimately it’s a song that doesn’t reach its full potential. The music and the melody falls short, I think. The lyrics deserve better.
 
i love this,always have,world peace is great in that there are so many different kinds of songs on it.pity whenever i ask alexa to play a track from world peace she says i dont have that one,sure some clever clogs on here will know the answer.
9 oboes/10 concertos.
 
Great track from one of my favourite albums; I really like this dark, lazy plodder with, what sounds like, an inter-twining clarinet, as opposed to oboe. Boz is listed as playing clarinet on the album, but oboe isn't mentioned, oddly. It's cleverly done lyrically with the repetition of 'there's a song I can't stand, And it's stuck in my head' which, for me, is not too dissimilar to the technique used in 'This Song Doesn't End When It's Over'...both of which do actually make the song 'stick in your mind'. Also, the bass at the start reminds me of 'Death Of A Disco Dancer', as alluded to by BB.

My favourite lines from OC are:

"The older generation have tried, sighed and died
Which pushes me to their place queue"


Excellente.
 
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Interesting facts from PJLM:

Artwork information:
Morrissey at the time of recording of the "World Peace Is None Of Your Business" album. The original image was taken in Avignon, France near the La Fabrique studio where the latter album was recorded, but the background was changed for this album's artwork. The image on some formats/origin was more altered than on others, showing a bad case of Photoshop's clone stamp tool in the form repeated patterns on the wall to Morrissey's right (our left). The artwork for the deluxe 2-cd edition suffers from this, but not the LP format.

The original image referred to is this:


wpinoyb.JPG


This one of course is what we see on the actual album:

wpinoyb2.JPG
 
A slow, mysterious number, Oboe Concerto certainly isn’t the best closer to one of Morrissey’s studio albums, but it is by no means the worst either. The music may be a little slight, but I do find that the plodding bass line and sonic flourishes do help lubricate the earworm… ‘and it’s stuck in my head.’ The lyrics are strong, enjoyable even – typical Morrissey. The biggest shock to me today is realising that ‘World Peace Is None Of Your Business’ came out 7 years ago – it feels like just 3 or 4...

Where did the years go? Why did the years go?
 
A solid song and a fitting album closer. Having said that, there is a part of me that would have preferred Art-hounds to have ended the album.

Joe Chiccarelli's production adds quite a bit to the song.

According to Wikipedia, many instruments on the album were played by snooker player Martin Gould. :LOL:

In the poll on the Hoffman board this ranked 112th from 264 solo songs.
 
A solid song and a fitting album closer. Having said that, there is a part of me that would have preferred Art-hounds to have ended the album.

Joe Chiccarelli's production adds quite a bit to the song.

According to Wikipedia, many instruments on the album were played by snooker player Martin Gould. :LOL:

In the poll on the Hoffman board this ranked 112th from 264 solo songs.
I have the dlx version of WP, which indeed ends with Art Hounds, & which closes the album nicely in an up-beat & lively fashion.
 
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BnHqRsvCAAAxNfL.jpg


2014 appears to be the time his interest in Mrs. Shufflewick peaked.
Besides the images on tour passes, rare footage in pre-gig video roll and bass drum head covers, he coughed up to use their sample on this track.
Wasn't so keen on it live myself, despite liking Boz having the woodwind opportunity, I prefer the studio version.
Regards,
FWD.
 
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2014 appears to be the time his interest in Mrs. Shufflewick peaked.
Besides the images on tour passes, rare footage in pre-gig video roll and bass drum head covers, he coughed up to use their sample on this track.
Wasn't so keen on it live myself, despite liking Boz having the woodwind opportunity, I prefer the studio version.
Regards,
FWD.
She looks like the late great Liz Smith on that picture.....
 
I really like the concept and the lyrics but it limits the music a bit and I tend to stop the album before this song finishes. World peace is one of my fav morrissey albums so I was glad this song was at the end
 
I find it a fitting and satisfying closing track to a fine album. I can very much appreciate its soothing melody and reflective words after the dark and bleak Mountjoy. And it feels closer to home now that many of the greats have passed away in recent years, pushing Morrissey even closer to the front of the queue.
8/10
 
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