The Uncut revelation about unreleased songs...

[Uncleskinny]

Text from Uncut:

Previously unreported plans for a 1984 collaboration between The Smiths and unknown female vocalist Amanda Malone are revealed in the updated edition of The Smiths:Songs That Saved Your Life written by Uncut's own Simon Goddard.

Morrissey, in an apparent attempt to repeat the top 30 success of the version of "Hand In Glove" the band recorded with '60s icon Sandie Shaw, cut covers of Smiths classics "This Charming Man" and "Girl Afraid" with the then 18-year-old Malone at sessions described by guitarist Johnny Marr as "comical". The band's label, Rough Trade, were similarly unimpressed, and refused to release the proposed on-off single.

"It was terrible" says Amanda Hallay (as Malone's known today - se now works as a writer and fashion editor in Paris). "Prior to that I'd been singing in the bathroom and then suddenly I found myself in this really intimidating studio. Morrissey came into the recording booth and sang along with me the first time to keep my nerves at bay and to give me the starting note. I was that lame!"

"Morrissey knew more about her than we did," Marr says, "even though we had to endure playing behind it. She was very odd."

The Smiths:Songs That Saved Your Life is republished by Renolds & Hearn this October, and has been fully revised with the cooperation of Marr himself.

Elsewhere in this month's uncut: reviews of the New York Dolls and Sparks from Meltdown; obituary of Arthur 'Killer' Kane, unpublished interview with Jeff Buckley, reviews of new albums by The Libertines, Durutti Column, Damien Dempseyand a review of the just-released Singles album by the wondrous Associates.

Sithee,

Sk.

 

[suzanne]

> Text from Uncut:

> Previously unreported plans for a 1984 collaboration between The Smiths
> and unknown female vocalist Amanda Malone are revealed in the updated
> edition of The Smiths:Songs That Saved Your Life written by Uncut's own
> Simon Goddard.

> Morrissey, in an apparent attempt to repeat the top 30 success of the
> version of "Hand In Glove" the band recorded with '60s icon
> Sandie Shaw, cut covers of Smiths classics "This Charming Man"
> and "Girl Afraid" with the then 18-year-old Malone at sessions
> described by guitarist Johnny Marr as "comical". The band's
> label, Rough Trade, were similarly unimpressed, and refused to release the
> proposed on-off single.

> "It was terrible" says Amanda Hallay (as Malone's known today -
> se now works as a writer and fashion editor in Paris). "Prior to that
> I'd been singing in the bathroom and then suddenly I found myself in this
> really intimidating studio. Morrissey came into the recording booth and
> sang along with me the first time to keep my nerves at bay and to give me
> the starting note. I was that lame!"

> "Morrissey knew more about her than we did," Marr says,
> "even though we had to endure playing behind it. She was very
> odd."

> The Smiths:Songs That Saved Your Life is republished by Renolds &
> Hearn this October, and has been fully revised with the cooperation of
> Marr himself.

> Elsewhere in this month's uncut: reviews of the New York Dolls and Sparks
> from Meltdown; obituary of Arthur 'Killer' Kane, unpublished interview
> with Jeff Buckley, reviews of new albums by The Libertines, Durutti
> Column, Damien Dempseyand a review of the just-released Singles album by
> the wondrous Associates.

> Sithee,

> Sk.

why doesn't he just publish an appendix for the people that have already bought it?

 

[Jones]

Moz really has some odd ideas sometimes doesn't he?

All this recent stuff with Nancy is pretty embarrassing too.

 

[rusty brown]

> Text from Uncut:

> Previously unreported plans for a 1984 collaboration between The Smiths
> and unknown female vocalist Amanda Malone are revealed in the updated
> edition of The Smiths:Songs That Saved Your Life written by Uncut's own
> Simon Goddard.

> Morrissey, in an apparent attempt to repeat the top 30 success of the
> version of "Hand In Glove" the band recorded with '60s icon
> Sandie Shaw, cut covers of Smiths classics "This Charming Man"
> and "Girl Afraid" with the then 18-year-old Malone at sessions
> described by guitarist Johnny Marr as "comical". The band's
> label, Rough Trade, were similarly unimpressed, and refused to release the
> proposed on-off single.

> "It was terrible" says Amanda Hallay (as Malone's known today -
> se now works as a writer and fashion editor in Paris). "Prior to that
> I'd been singing in the bathroom and then suddenly I found myself in this
> really intimidating studio. Morrissey came into the recording booth and
> sang along with me the first time to keep my nerves at bay and to give me
> the starting note. I was that lame!"

> "Morrissey knew more about her than we did," Marr says,
> "even though we had to endure playing behind it. She was very
> odd."

> The Smiths:Songs That Saved Your Life is republished by Renolds &
> Hearn this October, and has been fully revised with the cooperation of
> Marr himself.

> Elsewhere in this month's uncut: reviews of the New York Dolls and Sparks
> from Meltdown; obituary of Arthur 'Killer' Kane, unpublished interview
> with Jeff Buckley, reviews of new albums by The Libertines, Durutti
> Column, Damien Dempseyand a review of the just-released Singles album by
> the wondrous Associates.

> Sithee,

> Sk.

On her website, Amanda talks about this story:

"THE SMITHS
During the '80s, this British guitar based band had two great claims to fame; firstly, lead singer Morrissey was billed a 'spokesmen for a generation', the isolation of Thatcher's Britain perfectly captured in his caustic lyric. Their second claim to fame is that they knew me. For a couple of years, I was 'in' with The Smiths in a big way. Morrissey was a close friend and gave me my first showbiz 'break' (recording a single of a Smith's song with the band backing me.) Tragically, the faith that Morrissey had in his little protégé was not shared by the owner of Rough Trade Records, and the single never came out. 'Just as well, really - for if it had, my life would have probably been very different, and I wouldn't be writing for The Planet today. However, it must be stressed that the reason I love The Smiths isn't 'personal'; I love The Smiths because they had some fabulous songs, their cyclical guitar hooks an inspiration to all the 'Brit Pop' bands which followed, Morrissey's lyrics all wonderfully 'English', all wonderfully 'sad'."

And then,

"KIU It is a well-known fact that during your career as a session singer you worked with the Smiths. As many of our readership is Smiths' fans, do you have any tidbits about Morrissey that you would care to share with them?

Amanda I do! For the record, I would like to say that Morrissey was a very, very nice man - and also, a very FUNNY man, who didn't take himself very seriously. He and I share a birthday, and whenever we were together, we were just totally laughing!
(He also likes cheese on toast.)"