The Smiths A-Z: "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" (live cover)

BookishBoy

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Next up in our A-Z project is this (partial) live cover of a Pomus/Shuman composition which was first recorded by Del Shannon but then made famous only a couple of months later by Elvis who released it in August 1961.

The Smiths performed the (start of the) song 29 times during 1985 and 1986, always leading into "Rusholme Ruffians" as documented on the Rank live album of 1988.

What do we think?
 
This was in response to the music press reviews of Rusholme ruffians being a rip off of Maries the name, i think Morrissey sings it beautifully and makes it his own, its a pity there isnt a full length studio version.
 
Johnny had always admitted that using the riff was blatant, so fair enough that they acknowledged it in concert.

It's fine for what it is, but recording a full length version would have been a little redundant imo.
 
Excellently performed by everyone involved. Not an easy task to take on a song made famous by the greatest singer/artist that has ever lived, but The Smiths do it amazingly well. This is the type of music I want Moz to cover. Not old dusty folk music from the sixties. An entire album of Elvis covers would be more interesting to me than a new album of new material.
 
Always enjoy listening to it especially as my dad - a massive Elvis fan - used to get irate whenever he heard it. This and the Shoplifter's cover used to drive him mad.
 
Always enjoy listening to it especially as my dad - a massive Elvis fan - used to get irate whenever he heard it. This and the Shoplifter's cover used to drive him mad.
Once I was in a poster Framing store and someone come to get their shoplifters poster that had been framed. This was in London.

The assistant thought the picture was Morrissey. "NO!" I screamed, in much the same way as a child who hears someone say "Boss Cat (instead of Top Cat) or Dr Spock (instead of Mr Spock)
"Then muttered, its Elvis" .. The assistant said, " Well,, why is he on a Smiths poster, look it says "Smiths"
I then realized I was in the presence of an idiot, asked for the pictures back I was getting framed (A Bryan Ferry photo and Oscar Wilde poster)

As I walked off, I think I said " Stupid cow" under my breath


In regards to the cover, I liked it. I would have liked to have heard a full live version, as a b-side
I think Morrissey, much like Bryon Ferry does the best cover versions. in as much as, once he does them the song becomes his.
Which is, rather rare.
I mean A hard Rain and Jealous Guy, is pure Ferry. Actually, in an odd way Morrissey himself, is a cover version of Bryan Ferry
I think he said his mum loves Roxy Music and didn't he get Bryan to write to him? So it must have stung when Johnny went off to do a song with Bryon
 
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Once I was in a poster Framing store and someone come to get their shoplifters poster that had been framed. This was in London.

The assistant thought the picture was Morrissey. "NO!" I screamed, in much the same way as a child who hears someone say "Boss Cat (instead of Top Cat) or Dr Spock (instead of Mr Spock)
"Then muttered, its Elvis" .. The assistant said, " Well,, why is he on a Smiths poster, look it says "Smiths"
I then realized I was in the presence of an idiot, asked for the pictures back I was getting framed (A Bryan Ferry photo and Oscar Wilde poster)

As I walked off, I think I said " Stupid cow" under my breath


In regards to the cover, I liked it. I would have liked to have heard a full live version, as a b-side
I think Morrissey, much like Bryon Ferry does the best cover versions. in as much as, once he does them the song becomes his.
Which is, rather rare.
I mean A hard Rain and Jealous Guy, is pure Ferry. Actually, in an odd way Morrissey himself, is a cover version of Bryan Ferry
I think he said his mum loves Roxy Music and didn't he get Bryan to write to him? So it must have stung when Johnny went off to do a song with Bryon
Brilliant story. I wonder how many thought that the Elvis pic was Moz? It didn't fool my dad for a microsecond..."That upstart should not be mentioned in the same breath as the king!" He's touching 80 and still listens to Elvis most days...I'm touching 50 and still listen to Moz most days...that's the power of brilliance, I guess.
 
Brilliant story. I wonder how many thought that the Elvis pic was Moz? It didn't fool my dad for a microsecond..."That upstart should not be mentioned in the same breath as the king!" He's touching 80 and still listens to Elvis most days...I'm touching 50 and still listen to Moz most days...that's the power of brilliance, I guess.
Yes, music is a power.
We try to think we are beyond it, the older I get the more I see how important it was, to me.
if you are a fan of something, there is nothing you can do about it, it really is a form of love.

I read something you wrote once, and I thought you were Paul Joseph Wattson for flying minute .... Now, does that sound sad
 
Yes, music is a power.
We try to think we are beyond it, the older I get the more I see how important it was, to me.
if you are a fan of something, there is nothing you can do about it, it really is a form of love.

I read something you wrote once, and I thought you were Paul Joseph Wattson for flying minute .... Now, does that sound sad
I sounded like a far right nut job?!?! My goodness, what did I write? It must have been a bad day at school (I teach at a SEN school) or too much gin.
 
Pfft,
No thats not what I meant, he had said something about M and you said something similar, and your name was Wattson
That was the sum total of it

Sorry didn't mean it in an insulting way.
I actually don't think he is "far right " by the way but I'd rather not get lost in all that

I was on a Bryan Ferry website once and someone said " Are you Morrissey' so, its easy to make mistakes.
Actually,I was on a suede one as well, that was probably the worst site. Full of people who either try to batter Brett with " i preferred Suede when BB was in it" and others who say "i hate BB" (sound familiar )
You get the odd stalker,on there as well. One kept saying "I can see you are in America" , it didn't occur to them I use a very good proxy and Brave
 
Ah no offense taken...I'm just surprised someone reads my drivel.
 
I think it's one of the highlights of The Smiths discography. Rank is great and this is one of my favorite tracks on it. When I heard this the first few hundred times I always interpreted Morrissey's lyrics as being from a gay perspective and I saw the object of his affection as being the "very old friend" who is talking about his latest flame. I thought he was singing another song about wanting the one he can't have, being disappointed to hear his friend talking about Marie. It would kind of fit in with lots of his other lyrics.
It wasn't until I heard Elvis' version that I realized the original point of the song was about being attracted to a woman and discovering that she is now with one of your old friends. I thought Morrissey was doing a sly and intentional twist but it's probably not that complicated.
 
I was in an Army/Navy store back in the 80s, just after Rank came out.....I had never heard the Elvis version of this song.....and then I was like "Wait!?!....it's a cover-snippet?"......
 
Why did they choose (Marie’s the Name) His Latest Flame as their choice of a Elvis cover?
Was this a personal favorite of Morrissey’s?
 
The Rank medley is absolutely brilliant.
 
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