Morrissey: CD release - "L.A. TURNAROUND" - Greek Theatre, '97 (released February 5, 2021)

Famous when dead

Vulgarian
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L.A. TURNAROUND by MORRISSEY Compact Disc UNCD035.jpg


*New Release*

Released on 5/2/2021

Label: UNICORN

EXTRAORDINARY MORRISSEY BROADCAST FROM HIS MALADJUSTED TOUR

After his solo-contract with EMI expired, Morrissey signed to RCA in 1995. On his new label he recorded his next album, Southpaw Grammar, at the Miraval Studios in southern France. It reached number 4 in the UK album charts, but made little impact compared to its two predecessors. In September 1995, Morrissey served as the support act for the European leg of David Bowie's Outside Tour. Backstage at the Aberdeen gig, Morrissey was taken ill and taken to hospital; he did not return for the rest of the tour. Later referring to the tour critically, he stated that when you become involved with Bowie, "you have to worship at the Temple of David". • Morrissey returned on Island Records in 1997, releasing the single ‘Alma Matters’ in July, followed by his next album Maladjusted in August. The album peaked at number 8 in the UK album charts. Its further two singles, ‘Roy's Keen’ and ‘Satan Rejected My Soul’, both peaked outside the top 30 on the UK singles chart. • The Maladjusted Tour began in Toronto on 12th September ’97, and ended its first leg on 12th October at LA’s Greek Theatre, where Moz and his band performed probably the finest show of the tour. Recorded for live broadcast on West Coast Radio, the gig remains previously unreleased but is now finally available on this new CD. • Bonus tracks here come from an earlier broadcast made in the KROQ studio on 16th August ’97, for the station’s Modern Rock Live segment.

1. The Operation 2:25
2. The Boy Racer 4:31
3. Alma Matters 4:19
4. Billy Budd 2:45
5. Reader Meet Author 3:51
6. Nobody Loves Us 4:48
7. Wide To Receive 4:03
8. Roy's Keen 3:30
9. Speedway 4:29
10. The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get 4:04
11. Ambitious Outsiders 4:11
12. Paint A Vulgar Picture 5:32
13. Now My Heart Is Full 5:05
14. Shoplifters Of The World Unite 1:19
15. Maladjusted 4:06
16. Trouble Loves Me 4:28
17. Satan Rejected My Soul 2:45

£12.50

Just showing on Ebay now too.


Another well shared gig becoming a physical product. Extra tracks tacked on to flesh it out.
As with all of these mysteriously 'recorded for radio' products, they are seldom an upgrade and simply previously shared FLAC/soundboard sources from the community labelled as for radio . This gig was never amazingly, sparkling quality, so this will be interesting to hear.
Soundboard first shared via Smithstorrents November, 2006.
The title shares its name with a Bert Jansch album.
Regards,
FWD.

Here's a MP3 transfer from FLAC to see if you like the gig before shelling out for it:
 
View attachment 67358

*New Release*

Released on 5/2/2021

Label: UNICORN

EXTRAORDINARY MORRISSEY BROADCAST FROM HIS MALADJUSTED TOUR

After his solo-contract with EMI expired, Morrissey signed to RCA in 1995. On his new label he recorded his next album, Southpaw Grammar, at the Miraval Studios in southern France. It reached number 4 in the UK album charts, but made little impact compared to its two predecessors. In September 1995, Morrissey served as the support act for the European leg of David Bowie's Outside Tour. Backstage at the Aberdeen gig, Morrissey was taken ill and taken to hospital; he did not return for the rest of the tour. Later referring to the tour critically, he stated that when you become involved with Bowie, "you have to worship at the Temple of David". • Morrissey returned on Island Records in 1997, releasing the single ‘Alma Matters’ in July, followed by his next album Maladjusted in August. The album peaked at number 8 in the UK album charts. Its further two singles, ‘Roy's Keen’ and ‘Satan Rejected My Soul’, both peaked outside the top 30 on the UK singles chart. • The Maladjusted Tour began in Toronto on 12th September ’97, and ended its first leg on 12th October at LA’s Greek Theatre, where Moz and his band performed probably the finest show of the tour. Recorded for live broadcast on West Coast Radio, the gig remains previously unreleased but is now finally available on this new CD. • Bonus tracks here come from an earlier broadcast made in the KROQ studio on 16th August ’97, for the station’s Modern Rock Live segment.

1. The Operation 2:25
2. The Boy Racer 4:31
3. Alma Matters 4:19
4. Billy Budd 2:45
5. Reader Meet Author 3:51
6. Nobody Loves Us 4:48
7. Wide To Receive 4:03
8. Roy's Keen 3:30
9. Speedway 4:29
10. The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get 4:04
11. Ambitious Outsiders 4:11
12. Paint A Vulgar Picture 5:32
13. Now My Heart Is Full 5:05
14. Shoplifters Of The World Unite 1:19
15. Maladjusted 4:06
16. Trouble Loves Me 4:28
17. Satan Rejected My Soul 2:45

£12.50

Just showing in Ebay now too.


Another well shared gig becoming a physical product. Extra tracks tacked on to flesh it out.
As with all of these mysteriously 'recorded for radio' products, they are seldom an upgrade and simply previously shared FLAC/soundboard sources from the community labelled as for radio . This gig was never amazingly, sparking quality, so this will be interesting to hear.
Soundboard first shared via Smithstorrents November, 2006.
The title shares its name with a Bert Jansch album.
Regards,
FWD.

Here's a MP3 transfer from FLAC to see if you like the gig before shelling out for it:

Hospital in Aberdeen??????
 
Hospital in Aberdeen??????
Suicide attempt, hiding from Bowie fans or just 'ill' - suggested at the time in the archive.
"Morrissey has been released from an Aberdeen hospital and is now resting at home, though the nature and severity of his ailment remain a mystery." - mystery indeed.

TTWD's explanation:


Regards,
FWD.
 
If I recall correctly, that was the "emergency" that Morrissey used to abandon the tour.

There will have been something genuinely wrong (I assume it was a mental health crisis of some kind) - it can't have been ego or sloth if they're still drawing a veil over it.
 
There will have been something genuinely wrong (I assume it was a mental health crisis of some kind) - it can't have been ego or sloth if they're still drawing a veil over it.

Bowie in a Outside press conference when asked about the tour said he thinks Morrissey approached him with the idea of touring together. So it seems M wanted to do it, and didn’t leave over a clash of egos. I believe as Jo Slee mentioned (?) it was because of his depression or mental state at the time.
 
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Bowie talks about M at around 9:40
and also at 33:30 in

 
Bassist Johnny Bridgwood told Goddard that Morrissey took the tour bus in Aberdeen to go home to Manchester. So the whole hospital thing is debatable.

"After ten dates in two weeks, Morrissey had endured enough. On 29 November, the tour arrived at Aberdeen’s S.E.C.C. The group sound-checked as normal and all appeared well until 20 minutes before stage time. ‘The tour manager came in the dressing room,’ says bassist Jonny Bridgwood. ‘He called in all the crew, all the personnel. He tells us that we won’t be playing tonight and the rest of the tour’s off, which is bad enough. Then he says, “Morrissey’s gone. And he’s taken the tour bus.” Which is what he did. Half an hour before the gig he just walked on the bus and told the driver to drive. I think he went back to his mum’s in Manchester. So not only were we not playing that night, we were also stranded in Aberdeen. Everybody just went back to the hotel and got drunk. Then the next day we flew home, paying our own way.’

Perhaps it's also worth mentioning that Morrissey embarked on a 4 date Japanese mini tour on his own just 16 days after he left the Outside tour.


Morrissey himself has made clear why he left on more than one occasion. Bowie put too much pressure on him, wanted him to sing Bowie songs etc.
Not hard too imagine how that would lead to him being overwhelmed and make him leave as a knee jerk reaction.

From Michael Bracewell's The Times interview, 1999:

"I have never spoken about this up until now because, in spite of everything, I do respect David," he says. "I simply have to play Star Man or Drive-in Saturday and I will forgive him for anything. But I left that tour because he put me under a lot of pressure, and I found it too exhausting.
But then, Bowie is principally a business, and I can't imagine he would have telephoned his own mother without considering the career implications. David surrounded himself with very strong people, and that's the secret of his power: that everything he does will be seen in a certain light. But it certainly wasn't the greatest career move that I ever made, even though they gave 6,000 refunds in Manchester when I didn't appear - but I don't think you'd have read about that in the Manchester Evening News..."
(the last part is quite contrary to Bowie's report posted by Ket. He mentioned 422 people who wanted their money back and said the incident was blown up by the papers.)


And quoted in Mozipedia:

"'He put me under a lot of pressure, and I found it too exhausting,' he claimed. 'He was very odd to me and he asked me to sing a few of his songs in my set which I thought was wrong. Then after a few nights he asked to join me in my set which I thought was wrong. I said, “I can’t do this.” And then he would ask me if he could come on at the end and he would appear and I would disappear so there would be no end, no encore for me. When we played Dublin, I went off and he came on and a lot of the crowd were still calling my name. He was doing his set and he said, “Don’t worry, Morrissey will be back later.” But I was 100 miles down the road. I thought it was really showbiz and, really, this is David Showie.’"
 
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Bowie in a Outside press conference when asked about the tour said he thinks Morrissey approached him with the idea of touring together. So it seems M wanted to do it, and didn’t leave over a clash of egos. I believe as Jo Slee mentioned (?) it was because of his depression or mental state at the time.

It was indeed Jo Slee.
From Dave Simpson's "Manchester's Answer To The H-Bomb", Uncut, 1998

"'He was very ill with depression,' says Jo Slee. 'He wasn't really fit to go on the road, although I didn't know how ill he was until he really began to come apart at the seams.'

Jo won't say what Mozzer was depressed about.

'I really couldn't say,' she insists. 'Morrissey's suffered from depression all his life, more than anyone else I know. It's about repressed feelings, repressed emotions, repressed pain. It needs treatment. He was taking anti-depressants at the time because he was desperate to get out on the road, he really wanted to do the dates. But it was just too much for him.'"

Don't think this necessarily contradicts Morrissey's explanation. It's no secret that he needs everything to go his way to function properly and feel remotely comfortable, so someone like Bowie putting further pressure on him, when he was already in a bad state, must have been unbearable.

Interesting that he went to Japan just shortly after. Perhaps he felt more comfortable with it because it was something he had more control over.

(Bit of a sidenote but the notion implied by the author that "Mozzer" needed something to be depressed about is ridiculous and shows how misunderstood this mental illness was and still is.)
 
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I did often wonder how those refunds worked. What was to stop the whole audiences who had purchased tickets asking for a refund?
 
It was indeed Jo Slee.
From Dave Simpson's "Manchester's Answer To The H-Bomb", Uncut, 1998
"'He was very ill with depression,' says Jo Slee. 'He wasn't really fit to go on the road, although I didn't know how ill he was until he really began to come apart at the seams.'

Jo won't say what Mozzer was depressed about.

'I really couldn't say,' she insists. 'Morrissey's suffered from depression all his life, more than anyone else I know. It's about repressed feelings, repressed emotions, repressed pain. It needs treatment. He was taking anti-depressants at the time because he was desperate to get out on the road, he really wanted to do the dates. But it was just too much for him.'"

Don't think this necessarily contradicts Morrissey's explanation. It's no secret that he needs everything to go his way to function properly and feel remotely comfortable, so someone like Bowie putting further pressure on him, when he was already in a bad state, must have been unbearable.

Interesting that he went to Japan just shortly after. Perhaps he felt more comfortable with it because it was something he had more control over.

(Bit of a sidenote but the notion implied by the author that "Mozzer" needed something to be depressed about is ridiculous and shows how misunderstood this mental illness was and still is.)


Sounds reasonable to deduce that the combination of Bowie’s pressures (exhaustive and annoying) and his own mental state
at the time drove him to crack and just leave the tour.


I’m guessing for him to resume touring 16 days after? well, time (and the right meds ) heal all wounds. Also the shows in Japan were without Bowie and M smart enough not to want to break anymore contracts (if that was the case, I don’t know).


Anyway, I always thought the combination of Outside Bowie and Morrissey touring together a bit of a clash, and the NIN tour collaboration (which I saw) made perfect sense, Trent being more willing to collaborate anyway.
 
Anyway, I always thought the combination of Outside Bowie and Morrissey touring together a bit of a clash, and the NIN tour collaboration (which I saw) made perfect sense, Trent being more willing to collaborate anyway.
I was thinking the same watching the press conference earlier. What Bowie said about being tired of songs and being more interested in evolving and changing music is completely contrary to what Morrissey's vision is primarily about: songs and melodies and emotions rather than concepts.

Outside and Southpaw Grammar are really on opposite sites of the "conceptual" spectrum.

I thought the way he talked about Moz was nice though. I like to think he would have liked the "50s personality" part and of course the Alan Bennett comparison as well.
 
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I was thinking the same watching the press conference earlier. What Bowie said about being tired of songs and being more interested in evolving and changing music is completely contrary to what Morrissey's vision is primarily about: songs and melodies and emotions rather than concepts.

Outside and Southpaw Grammar are really on opposite sites of the "conceptual" spectrum.

I really liked the way he talked about Moz though. I like to think he would have liked the "50s personality" part and of course the Alan Bennett comparison.

Yeah, don’t think M budges much from his vision of how he wants his
art to be, especially in the studio, which may explain why Eno chose not to produce him, Maladjusted I think it was.

Or maybe Bowie tipped Eno off ?
 
Yeah, don’t think M budges much from his vision of how he wants his
art to be, especially in the studio, which may explain why Eno chose not to produce him, Maladjusted I think it was.

Or maybe Bowie tipped Eno off ?
Think it was actually Southpaw Grammar! Maladjusted was Strummer.

One thing that they have (had) in common though was what Bowie described as being a great decision maker in the studio. That's something many Moz collaborators have also said about him.
 
Think it was actually Southpaw Grammar! Maladjusted was Strummer.

One thing that they have (had) in common though was what Bowie described as being a great decision maker in the studio. That's something many Moz collaborators have also said about him.

I guess you would know. :thumb:

Im not sure, Eno really likes to shake things up, dismantling songs,etc I don’t think Morrissey would be pleased to find that a song
no longer resembles the demo and that his lyric and mood don’t fit the new version of the song. I wonder if Morrissey really knew what he was going to get into if Eno did agree to produce him.
 
I guess you would know. :thumb:

Im not sure, Eno really likes to shake things up, dismantling songs,etc I don’t think Morrissey would be pleased to find that a song
no longer resembles the demo and that his lyric and mood don’t fit the new version of the song. I wonder if Morrissey really knew what he was going to get into if Eno did agree to produce him.
Yep, I don't think that would have been a good fit. Especially for Southpaw Grammar, which really comes to life through the roughness of the material.
 
It’s been on eBay since Sunday. Nowt being sold anywhere else (or there wasn’t on Sunday)
 
Yep, I don't think that would have been a good fit. Especially for Southpaw Grammar, which really comes to life through the roughness of the material.

Strummer would have been a good choice for Southpaw.
 
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