New Rogan book- Morrissey

[left out]

I looked back over a few thread pages and havn't seen this topic so;

This book might be interesting if you know next to nothing about Morrissey.
For the rest of you, it looks at each song, album by album, giving a tame and unadventurous interpretation of each, nothing you havn’t read before or couldn’t have worked out for yourself. “Songs that saved your life” has more detail. My impression, from the snippets that I browsed, is he’s shy of causing an upset, and doesn’t go near controversial. However, I skimmed my way through on a lunch break, so this is first impressions…

It has some snippets of “background”. Predictably, it contains some home grown opinions and bits from interviews and reviews that I expect you would have read before. And a request at the beginning for anyone with information about M to contact him.

Can't see the point of producing a book without the co-operation of the subject. And Morrissey purposely makes the lyrics open to different interpretations, to make them more interesting, witty, and for a wide an audience as possible, so it’s not an easy task Rogan has set himself, especially as the sources closest to M would have been the most reluctant to co-operate…

It’s thirteen quid, paperback.

 

[ellekari]

If anyone wants mine, pm me.

 

[Maurice E]

Have to disagree, I’m afraid, Mr Left Out. I’ve found it a really interesting read. Unlike Songs that Saved, it covers nearly all Moz solo songs (there’s nearly a whole page on ‘This is not your Country’) with in-depth analysis by lots of the musicialns involved e.g. Andrew Paresi, Johnny Bridgwood, Mark Nevin etc. It’s particularly good if you’re interested in the music beneath the songs. Didn’t realise, for example, that Trouble Loves Me uses a ‘blues turnaround’; been forced to review my policy on hating all blues music! Also explains stuff like why Jack the Ripper studio version is not great (band had just two days to record it before flying to American tour). Loads of fascinating stuff that we never get from Moz interviews because they are so rarely about the music and the way it is made.

 

[Nikita]

Also explains stuff like why Jack the Ripper studio version is not great (band had just two days to record it before flying to American tour).

I think it is far better than the live versions

 

[spleenhead]

I was excited by the prospect of this but in the end it was mostly Rogan's opinion, none of it too exciting, and not even that well written in my opinion. Probably worth a purchase for the odd picture of Rogan inside the back cover.

 

[stux]

I think the book is extremely inconsistent in it's approach. Some songs have quite in depth analysis of the recording process and for me, that sort of stuff is really interesting. In other parts, the comments are no more than song reviews.

I guess that's down to the fact that anyone who currently works Morrissey won't dare contribute to this type of book and certainly not to this author.

 

[dawn_raider]

It’s thirteen quid, paperback.

I got it for £9 from Amazon. - It's ok for 9 quid.

 

[Joe Benzon]

I'll probably pick it up eventually. Can't see how anyone would really have any high expectations on it.

 

[BillyBudd]

Yeah this book sucks. I more or less expected it, but bought it anyway - I'm such a completist. What a meagre effort by the man who wrote 'The Severed alliance'.

Of course, it doesn't suck half as much as David Bret's books.

 

[Nikita]

A few intersting information about the Troy tate sessions and the first couple of years of the solo career, but lacks a lot about the rest - and not only because he could not approach the musicians anymore

 

[Anaesthesine]

I've never read a book about Morrissey or The Smiths. I've never read a book about any living musician, writer, painter, etc. For some reason, it just feels wrong to me.

As soon as someone has been dead for a few decades, then I feel comfortable reading about them. They belong to history at that point.

In the meantime, I just let the artist, their work, my memory and journalists (who hopefully don't lie) spin the narrative.

I trust the incredible erudition of the Mozscholars here at Solo for an accurate, real-time consensus on what is fact, what is fiction and what is bulls**t.

 

[gasmeter]

There are 3 reviews of this book on Amazon all very complimentary giving it 5 stars each.

One reviewer also mentions that Rogan hints at an unreleased Smiths track called 'Jodie's still alive' . Never heard about that one before . I wasn't planning on buying this book but am now curious so I think it will be added to my Santa list

 

[Tomi]

Well not that many musicians were involved ... only the ones Rogan could lay his hands on ... and the few 'quotes' from Boz, Gary and Alain all seem to be second hand as well.
I couldn't resist it and ordered it ... but I should have trusted my better judgement and left it alone. I didn't have the feeling I learned anything new ... it is all predictable stuff, most of which is available online somewhere or other. (Interesting that Rogan claims not to have Internet access. Is all that stuff true about no bank card etc.? It doesn't bode well for his journalistic stature in this day and age)
But the bottom line is that it is poorly written. You can genuinely enjoy the books by Simon Goddard and Mark Simpson on their own terms, but Rogan's stlye is very tedious and plodding. And as somebody else has pointed out, it is very inconsistent in its approach.
Borrow it from a library or a friend by all means to gain your own opinion, but be wary about spending too much money on it. I was more than disappointed.

 

[Wild Oscar]

You can genuinely enjoy the books by Simon Goddard and Mark Simpson on their own terms, but Rogan's stlye is very tedious and plodding. And as somebody else has pointed out, it is very inconsistent in its approach.
Borrow it from a library or a friend by all means to gain your own opinion, but be wary about spending too much money on it. I was more than disappointed.

I'd go along with this view. I've had it for a few weeks and I'm struggling with it. Whereas with Goddard, Simpson and even Rogan's Severed Alliance, i didn't want to put the books down, this is a plodder - perhaps, in part, due to there being no new matter in the first half of the book.

But it sounds as if it doesn't pick up after that anyway. Severed Alliance was decently written - maybe it's just impossible to make it sound interesting again when it's being regurgitated.

After failing to grab me early on, the book never made it back to the top of the 'to do' pile and sits there like a half-eaten apple.

 

[nightandday]

I looked back over a few thread pages and havn't seen this topic so;

This book might be interesting if you know next to nothing about Morrissey.
For the rest of you, it looks at each song, album by album, giving a tame and unadventurous interpretation of each, nothing you havn’t read before or couldn’t have worked out for yourself. “Songs that saved your life” has more detail. My impression, from the snippets that I browsed, is he’s shy of causing an upset, and doesn’t go near controversial. However, I skimmed my way through on a lunch break, so this is first impressions…

It has some snippets of “background”. Predictably, it contains some home grown opinions and bits from interviews and reviews that I expect you would have read before. And a request at the beginning for anyone with information about M to contact him.

Can't see the point of producing a book without the co-operation of the subject. And Morrissey purposely makes the lyrics open to different interpretations, to make them more interesting, witty, and for a wide an audience as possible, so it’s not an easy task Rogan has set himself, especially as the sources closest to M would have been the most reluctant to co-operate…

It’s thirteen quid, paperback.

I really couldn't care less about writers giving their interpretations of Morrissey's songs. Everybody has their own interpretations, and if I wanted to read that, I'd take the 'Song Meanings' thread on this forum over any book any day. If someone wanted to make a book with an emphasis on song meanings, the only way I'd want to read it were if they made a compilation of various completely different interpetation taken from articles, books, Internet forums etc., to illustrate different approaches, instead of naming one intepretation as a definite one and a 'fact'. Besides, interpretation of songs was never Johnny Rogan's stronger side.

What I want from this kind of book is actual information: info on the recording process, quotes from musicians who worked with Morrissey, quotes from Morrissey, info on different versions, when,where and how many times the song was performed live, videos, album and singles sleeves, literary and film quotes and allusions, etc. The kind of things that Simon Goddard put in his book. I didn't agree with some of his song interpretations, either, but that didn't matter much, as I considered it a less important part of the book anyway.

So, the important question for me while I'm deciding whether to cancel my amazon pre-order or not is: how much information is there in the book that can't be found on the Internet?

 

[plug]

It's not all that bad...There are a few snippets in there, and a few interesting theories......Worth adding to the collection more than the Brett book...

 

[nightandday]

It's not all that bad...There are a few snippets in there, and a few interesting theories......Worth adding to the collection more than the Brett book...

That really isn't saying much...

Collected works of mike joyce (the poster, not the Smiths drummer) would probably be more worth adding to the collection than the Brett books.

 

[plug]

You are correct....

It's just not as bad as has been made out..

 

[Johan de Witt]

I picked the book up yesterday and must say i'm really enjoying it.

I skipped The Smiths' part and started with Viva Hate and there was lots of recording background information that I didn't know about (Like Angel Angel being inspired by Cloudbusting...), from Paresi and Street, so if the book continues like this it will be worth every penny of it.

 

[slum mum 1974]

Of course, it doesn't suck half as much as David Bret's books.

I beg to differ, i really enjoyed Scandal and Passion. It was my first look into Morrissey.