Tony Visconti says he wouldn't mind working with Morrissey again; not in touch - Irish Times

Tony Visconti: ‘The thing with Phil Lynott was that he was visibly dying’ - The Irish Times
The veteran record producer on Bowie, Morrissey and his problem with Steve Albini

Excerpt:

Morrissey’s great knack
Speaking of Morrissey, Visconti worked on his 2005 album, Ringleader of the Tormentors. Does he intend to work with the prickly Mancunian-Irish singer again? “I wouldn’t mind working with him again, and I’m very proud of the album we did, but we are not in touch,” he says. “I don’t know. He’s off on something else. That’s all I can really say. He has a knack of pushing people away from him. It’s the way he lives his life."

 

[Cornflakes]

I posted this once before but, for whosoever may be interested, ROTT as it should have sounded, had the mastering not been such a disaster.

ETA: A short file showing the difference. It's fifty seconds, swapping from the CD to the better versions and back every five seconds.

 

[Charlie Cheswick]

We are of like minds MSO. However, I will say that I believe YATQ is a stronger album as a whole. ROTT for me was a bit hit and miss. The first five songs are great then I skip to Pigsty and then done. The sound quality kind of ruined it for me. Who Put the M dvd showcases many of the songs from YATQ and Morrissey's raw emotional displays in songs like Let Me Kiss You take my breath away every time I watch it. YATQ was a powerhouse of a return that most likely will never be matched. Waiting so long for new music and then IBEH. I listened to it from beginning to end for months!

You and I are in complete agreement regarding his releases post ROTT. Many here like the new stuff and maybe it is because they did not grow up listening to the incredible music of The Smiths and early solo work, but rather are younger and had to go back to listen to his earlier works. Although music exists for all time, there is something about living in the moment. I can't imagine what it would have been like to see the Beatles live on the Ed Sullivan show when they were a new mop topped band out of England appearing for the first time in the US. Perspective is the key here as it is with most if not all things in life. I am just happy I was there from the beginning as far as Morrissey is concerned.

I think ROTT is Morrissey's joint poorest album with World Peace, not complete clunkers of course but all things considered, something has to come bottom. That said I think the new one and YOR are great.

Your link sounds like the mix tapes before mastering Cornflakes. Flat but at least not stifled.

 

[Anonymous]

Most of the band HATE HATE HATE the production on Ringleaders.
Morrissey actually detests Tony.
If you know anything about Tony you will know why. The only reason people think Tony is any good is because of the bowie connection. Truth is the best bowie LPS are by Eno and Ken Scott. Tony was no more than a trusted engineer, says insiders in team bowie . That is why Tony hangs tightly to the bowie legacy

Johnny Barlycorms boast was L O L
Who hasn't been with KY. She goes though men like a crazed nymph, because she is a crazed nymph. The only people I've seen her fall for were a Moz and the English mozzalike guy. She was desperate to bag Mozzer and the mozzalike she was allover for two years, emailing 8 hairs a day... Crazy. The main love of her life though is Jeff

 

[evennow]

I think ROTT is Morrissey's joint poorest album with World Peace, not complete clunkers of course but all things considered, something has to come bottom. That said I think the new one and YOR are great.

Your link sounds like the mix tapes before mastering Cornflakes. Flat but at least not stifled.

Awe Charles, no credit for You Have Killed Me or The Youngest Was the Most Loved? But I do agree with you that LIHS is better than WPINOYB. For me that is like saying a punch in the face is better than a kick in the groin. YOR is a non-starter. A kind person burned a copy of it for me and after I listened to it I thought...why? Not why they did it, but why the lack of inspiration...maybe I am wishing for the good old days when Morrissey would sing me to sleep when I was stressed out:

 

[MozIsGod]

I don't believe that Visconti mastered any record, he is a producer,mixer,engineer,musician,arranger. Correct me if I'm wrong, it would be news to me.

I know Visconti remastered four T-Rex albums (Electric Warrior, The Slider, Tanx, Zinc Alloy) a few years back. They were all a bit on the loud side but not as offensive as Ringleader IMO.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

I know Visconti remastered four T-Rex albums (Electric Warrior, The Slider, Tanx, Zinc Alloy) a few years back. They were all a bit on the loud side but not as offensive as Ringleader IMO.

thanks,didn't know that, probably have some of those in my collection, I'm sure. So I guess I should add 'Remasterer' to that list? But a 'Masterer' he will never be. though I think he remastered or did he remix the '..Spiders From Mars' film?

 

[Famous when dead]

thanks,didn't know that, probably have some of those in my collection, I'm sure. So I guess I should add 'Remasterer' to that list? But a 'Masterer' he will never be. though I think he remastered or did he remix the '..Spiders From Mars' film?

He oversaw the new stereo and 5.1 mixes for the Ziggy... live motion picture 30th Anniversary DVD & OST in 2003. Quite well received IIRC.
Interesting article about him here:
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/wha...wie-bolan-and-the-spiders-from-mars-1-8430158
Mentions Morrissey, Bolan & Bowie.
Regards,
FWD.

 

[sweetness522]

I agree, his book was fascinating. Loads of wonderful stories of his personal/working realtionships with rock's best.

Steve Albini producing Morrissey - now that's something I'd love to hear.

I can recommend Visconti's autobiography, probably one of the best rock books I've read in a long time. Not a big fan of everything he's done but he tells a good story and it was interesting to read.

 

[Anonymous]

An NDA saying that someone can't share any personal experiences, stories or opinion of working with Morrissey? If such an NDA existed, I can't see how it could ever be enforced.

Just a thought, as it has to be that or something similar. How else can it be explained that so little information ever comes out? With a proper lawyer drawing up the papers anything can be enforced, usually with a huge fine as the penalty.

 

[Anonymous]

As someone who has served both roles on various projects, I'll simply say that I don't need to justify myself to the likes of you. It won't bruise my soul if you doubt my credentials or personal insight on Visconti's work.

Unless you provide said “credentials” or “personal insight” they don’t exist. There’s a basic requirement here and unless you’re willing to meet the empirical baseline for believability, you’re just another shit-talking keyboard warrior.

NEXT.

 

[Builder]

Most of the band HATE HATE HATE the production on Ringleaders.
Morrissey actually detests Tony.
If you know anything about Tony you will know why. The only reason people think Tony is any good is because of the bowie connection. Truth is the best bowie LPS are by Eno and Ken Scott. Tony was no more than a trusted engineer, says insiders in team bowie . That is why Tony hangs tightly to the bowie legacy

Johnny Barlycorms boast was L O L
Who hasn't been with KY. She goes though men like a crazed nymph, because she is a crazed nymph. The only people I've seen her fall for were a Moz and the English mozzalike guy. She was desperate to bag Mozzer and the mozzalike she was allover for two years, emailing 8 hairs a day... Crazy. The main love of her life though is Jeff

I wish Anonymous posters would elaborate or cite sources! This sounds juicy!

 

[Anonymous]

Never said I looked down on digital, dummy. However, not all digital is created equal, and I do think recording in analog makes a difference.

WtF? Not all digital is created equal??? LOOOOLL
Now I KNOW you are totally fake.
Btw, i just 'mastered' 45 things on the computer LOL

 

[Quando quando quando]

Just a thought, as it has to be that or something similar. How else can it be explained that so little information ever comes out? With a proper lawyer drawing up the papers anything can be enforced, usually with a huge fine as the penalty.

If so little information ever comes out, maybe there is nothing more to tell?
A good lawyer can draw up papers as much as he wants but there has to be at least a snippet of evidence.
And as far as I am aware even that isn’t enough in a juridical sense.

 

[countthree]

Some days ago I was reading a magazine (sadly, I don't remember the name) targeted to music industry and I found this little résumé of Tony Visconti where Morrissey appears in one of the first places, just after Bowie, in the list of the people Visconti worked with, which means he is using that work as sort of promotion. I like Visconti's work, but when he says "he wouldn't mind" I feel a touch of disrespect towards Morrissey or any person he worked with he is referring in those terms. No matter what happened between them, if he is using that collaboration to promote his work he should retribute -at least- with respect. It's free of charge. Just an opinion.

 

[URBANUS]

"He has a knack of pushing people away from him. It’s the way he lives his life."

That is me all summed up and might well be what made me identify with Moz in the first place. Elusive like an eel.

I think it has to do with some of us realising what a hassle it can be to have loads of contacts out there. In the end you are owned by the things you have and the people you know.

 

[Anonymous]

Visconti is a great producer, but terrible at actual production. I think his mastering skills over the past 15 years or so are atrocious. Ringleader sounds terrible because of the excessive compression used on the album. There are no dynamics or separation, everything is just "loud." Take a look at the waveform of the first track, it's almost a solid brick with no peaks or valleys. The entire album is like that. If there's ever a need for a remaster, Ringleader needs one desperately, hopefully without Tony in the room. He did the same thing with Bowie's Heathen and Reality, both are overly compressed and sound awful as a result.

Interesting. I thought that they got this ok in the studio but I wondered about compression on a couple of the tracks......But the full (complete) version of Dear God was superbly recorded. I honestly had a word with the Studio - in Rome - back in the day, with regards to the potential for full-surround-sound-high-quality-audio-recording for ROTT. This was a few days before they started recording...

Hazard
x

 

[The Wild Turkey]

The Turk Of Art!

 

[Anonymous]

It's a bit rich of Tony Visconti in 2018 to say that he'd like to work with Morrissey again after all of the chaos
that he caused last time. At least he could have the decency to apologise profusely first. With all of the messages - and all of the chaff and bazukas - flying around shortly after the episode with Kristeen Young and her illness.

It's also probably not very interesting but Kristeen has, at last, now found her level. She is now on tour with THE DAMNED. Yep, The Damned.

 

[Builder]

I tried that once. I don’t recommend it.

Does anyone think there will be another Morrissey album for Visconti to potentially produce? I ask as it seems releasing albums these days is a very good way to lose money, and the cash is now in touring.

Is Morrissey healthy enough for such a gruelling itineraries now, and if he isn’t why bother putting out an album?

Pictures, or it never happened!! Hehehe

 

[Truth]

Honestly being stuck in an elevator with Morrissey, Visconti, and Kristeen Young would be complete torture. You'd have to listen to TV tell David Bowie stories while Morrissey made some "shocking" statement about whatever was in the news that day, and meanwhile Kristeen Young would be whining because no one is paying attention to her.