Bands/Singers Morrissey Liked

[My Balloon]

I'm putting a list together of bands/singers Morrissey liked at one time or another. Not necessarily bands that influenced him, just stuff he liked.
So far I have:

New York Dolls
Roxy Music
Siouxsie
Magazine/Howard Devoto
James
The Go-Betweens (I think I remember him liking them)
The Jam
Suede?
Nancy Sinatra
Sandie Shaw
The Associates

I'm not sure if he liked the following:
Sex Pistols (he was at that show in Manchester)
The Fall/Joy Division/Buzzcocks - anyone know about these?
Teardrop Explodes - I seem to recall he was a Cope fan
Did he like Orange Juice?

[PregnantForTheLastTime]

This comes up almost daily:

http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/showthread.php?t=78425

Also, if you can dig up scans or text of his old penpal stuff from before the Smiths formed, he lists a lot of the things he was listening to then. Those are hard to find, I don't even remember where I saw them.

[Walkers Crisp]

- Sacha Distel
- Marc Bolan
- Diana Dors
- Nico
- Ludus

As far as I know he doesn't/didn't like Joy Division.

[herzeleid]

Back To The Planet
Oran 'Juice' Jones
Gary Clail
Peters and Lee
Falco
Queensryche

[My Balloon]

Did he like Billy Bragg? I know they played a few shows together early on in The Smiths career, and of course Bragg covered Jeane.

[My Balloon]

Back To The Planet
Oran 'Juice' Jones
Gary Clail
Peters and Lee
Falco
Queensryche

:D That is a joke right?

[Walkers Crisp]

Falco? LOL :p

[Kewpie]

Morrissey also likes

-Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin
-Brigitte Bardot
-The Sparks
-The Slits
-Loudon Wainright

[Jones]

Frank Sinatra
Elvis
all the sixties girl groups

[littlecharmer]

-Patti Smith
-Jobriath
-Raymonde

[Walkers Crisp]

Which raises another question: Do you think Moz could have been influenced by music he didn't like or care about?

Was he into Rockabilly before he met the lads?

[Walkers Crisp]

- Damien Dempsey
- Angelic Upstarts
- Cockney Rejects
- David Bowie (but they fell out in 1995)

not to forget Kristeen Young.

[treygar]

Blue October.

[Walkers Crisp]

George Formby, of course.

[mell]

Billy Fury?

[Danny]

Which raises another question: Do you think Moz could have been influenced by music he didn't like or care about?

Was he into Rockabilly before he met the lads?

You missed those Rockabilly Smiths tracks then? :)

He met the lads because he was into Rockabilly. He met them in the London Rock and Roll clubs.

[Walkers Crisp]

You missed those Rockabilly Smiths tracks then? :)

He met the lads because he was into Rockabilly. He met them in the London Rock and Roll clubs.

Hmm, probably...at least there are no Rockabilly songs on "Viva Hate" and "Kill Uncle".

As far as the Smiths go "Shakespeare's Sister" is a Rockabilly-"ish" song, but i can't think of any other tracks right now. :o

[vAndreav]

Hmm, probably...at least there are no Rockabilly songs on "Viva Hate" and "Kill Uncle".

As far as the Smiths go "Shakespeare's Sister" is a Rockabilly-"ish" song, but i can't think of any other tracks right now. :o

well how about Rusholme Ruffians, which they used to play with an intro of Elvis's "His Latest Flame"...which i heard is the song that inspired Johnny's writing of the song.

oh and morrissey DID start the Cramps fan club! which i was very pleased to hear :D
so yes there were some early rockabilly roots

[Kewpie]

Rusholme Ruffians, What She Said and Rubber Ring are very much rockabilly influenced songs to me.

*edit*
vAndreav beat me to mention Rusholme Ruffians. :o

[snapyou]

Billy Fury?

DEFINATELY!

Klaus Nomi
Diana Dors,too (!)

[MindlessRuffian]

He said recently (like, in 2004) to Jerry Finn that he rather liked AFI. The message was passed on to Davey Havok, then to the Despair Faction, etc etc

[Walkers Crisp]

Well, i deliberately didnt count "Maries The Name, His Latest Flame", because it isnt a Smiths tune. And Elvis was never "Rockabilly" :-)

[Walkers Crisp]

- Lypsinka

whom i find a torture. sorry. brrrrr...

[speedfreaks ball]

the reynolds girls
chas n dave
michael bolton
skrewdriver
ringo starrs solo work

[imogen11]

Ramones!! :D

[vAndreav]

He said recently (like, in 2004) to Jerry Finn that he rather liked AFI. The message was passed on to Davey Havok, then to the Despair Faction, etc etc

haha no way, i used to be in the DF like 4 or 5 years ago when i was an AFI freak. i wonder if he was referring to the new album or not...

[J-loc]

I know he's gone to a Tiger Army show..so he must like them

[meat_is_murder19]

He liked T-rex

[herzeleid]

Northside
Cutting Crew
Gallon Drunk
Climie Fisher
Manowar

[Dave]

Joni Mitchell

[sistasheila]

he did mention in an NMEarticle in 89 singles he want to bury with them/"TO BE CREMATED WITH" have to look for them for the name of the song/artists the cover is a shot by mr cummins with him giving a sexy pose WEARING A HALF OPEN white shirt. AND HIS HANDS,well elsewhere ..yummy
also these 10 songs he played at radio 1-MY TOP TEN ca 1985

02 - the tams - be young be foolish be happy
04 - billy fury - i will
06 - timi yuro - insult to injury
08 - john leighton -johnny remember me
10 - francoise hardy - all over the world
12 - sandie shaw - you've not changed
14 - rita pavone - heart
16 - the marvelettes - paper boy
18 - Sandie Posie - I Take It Back
20 - Klaus Nomi - Death
you can download it: dont know if the link still works it also got posted recently by another one

HE SAID ABOUT THEM ." THESE ARE SONGS WHICH I CANT EXIST WITHOUT there are like rembrandts-THAT important ot me" in the interview which is my fave interview of him cause he was able to talk about one of his fave thing in life: MUSIC

[MindlessRuffian]

haha no way, i used to be in the DF like 4 or 5 years ago when i was an AFI freak. i wonder if he was referring to the new album or not...

It was around the time of Sing the Sorrow, so I assume...

I can't imagine him liking albums like Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes...

DXS

[This charming man.]

Slaughter and the Dogs
Echobelly
James

[PregnantForTheLastTime]

Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes...

DXS

Is it just me, or would that be a Cure crib? I know the Cure's lyric referred to the opposite scenario... but I don't trust any of these damn young whippersnappers...

[vAndreav]

It was around the time of Sing the Sorrow, so I assume...

I can't imagine him liking albums like Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes...

DXS

no definately not :p. but i can imagine he'd like certain tracks from AOD. and God Called In Sick...

[the judge]

The Libertines?

[TheCML]

Blue October.

yuck, i hope this isnt true.

[David]

Roxy Music.

[Camilla]

The Marvelettes

[sdmfjuan]

Ramones!! :D

He must LOVE them since he said he wants to be buried next to Johnny's statue in Hollywood.

PS. I have picked my spot as well. Right next to them both.

[imogen11]

He must LOVE them since he said he wants to be buried next to Johnny's statue in Hollywood.

PS. I have picked my spot as well. Right next to them both.

I have a radio interview where he talks quite a lot about the Ramones. Favourite track is Beat On The Brat :D Great taste!

[Dario_Western]

Sparks (not 'The Sparks' as one poster incorrectly referred them to) are one of the very few bands that he has held an unflagging love and admiration for right to this day.

In fact, Morrissey's first foray into the press was in 1974 when he raved about buying their album "Kimono My House" which he dubbed 'album of the year'. The editor Charles Shaar Murray mocked his enthusiasm by saying "I haven't heard it yet. S'pose it's okay."

He came very close to working with them in 1991 when they invited him to make a techno record with them but then his musical career went off in the opposite direction.

[vivabob]

- Damien Dempsey
- Angelic Upstarts
- Cockney Rejects
- David Bowie (but they fell out in 1995)

not to forget Kristeen Young.

but they fell out in 2007 lol

[dicartwright]

In interviews you can hear him name a lot of people, back in the 80's he named some he never dared to name after. Like A-HA (he went to at least one show, and said he liked their music), and Echo and the bunnymen. Right now I can't remember more, but he's named a lot of artists.

[moz'art girl]

It is a-ha. (Not A-HA).:cool:
And he dared evoke a-ha after that, as he sang the beginning of "The sun always shines on TV" during a concert at the Quart festival (Norway) in 2004;and Mikey played some notes of "Take on me" in Norway in 2006. Morrissey even introduced himself as Morten Harket.:rolleyes:

[SouthpawGlamour]

Well, i deliberately didnt count "Maries The Name, His Latest Flame", because it isnt a Smiths tune. And Elvis was never "Rockabilly" :-)


Elvis started the 'rockabilly' movement with his 1955 Sun release 'Mystery Train'. The music and image of Rockabilly is taken from that record and Elvis's dress and hair from that same period.

Johnny Marr mentions his attempts to recreate the Sun sound in an early interview and plays the intro from 'Nowhere Fast' to demonstrate.

The Smiths are full of Rockabilly riffs, WDDIM, WSS, NF, ISSICF, IIRSS, to name a few!!!

[the judge]

I missed you Mr Glamour.

[SouthpawGlamour]

I missed you Mr Glamour.

Well, I couldn't sit back and let God's music be misrepresented, could I?:p

[MsChievous]

The Primitives!! There are even pics of him wearing their shirt.

[Walkers Crisp]

Elvis started the 'rockabilly' movement with his 1955 Sun release 'Mystery Train'. The music and image of Rockabilly is taken from that record and Elvis's dress and hair from that same period.

Johnny Marr mentions his attempts to recreate the Sun sound in an early interview and plays the intro from 'Nowhere Fast' to demonstrate.

The Smiths are full of Rockabilly riffs, WDDIM, WSS, NF, ISSICF, IIRSS, to name a few!!!


I stand corrected :o.

[SouthpawGlamour]

I stand corrected :o.

I think Moz liked The Polecats before he was in The Smiths.

[Mel_Torment]

I think Moz liked The Polecats before he was in The Smiths.

Morrissey's letter to Robert Mackie pre-Smiffs: "The Polecats have just been on duh box destroying John, I'm Only Miming. Now if they REALLY had any imagination they'd shoot themselves." :p

Torr had transcribed the letters (of which I had provided photocopies), but it appears his site is down now.

Of course, Mozzer's opinions can change. But it made me laugh to think of his old letter complaining about how awful he thought Kate Bush's voice was and then he has someone sounding very much like her opening for more than 100 of his shows! Retrieved from the wayback machine, Torr typed out this bit: "Do you really like Kate Bush? I'm not surprised. The nicest thing I could say about her is that she's unbearable. That voice! Such trash! You'll learn, Sonny."

I seem to remember Morrissey also referred to Kate Bush as a "vile gorgon" in those letters, but I'm too lazy and frightened of the mess I'll find to dig up the document to check.

[prue4ever]

Franz?

[PregnantForTheLastTime]

In interviews you can hear him name a lot of people, back in the 80's he named some he never dared to name after. Like A-HA (he went to at least one show, and said he liked their music), and Echo and the bunnymen. Right now I can't remember more, but he's named a lot of artists.

It is a-ha. (Not A-HA).:cool:
And he dared evoke a-ha after that, as he sang the beginning of "The sun always shines on TV" during a concert at the Quart festival (Norway) in 2004;and Mikey played some notes of "Take on me" in Norway in 2006. Morrissey even introduced himself as Morten Harket.:rolleyes:

If I may nitpick just a bit... I believe it is actually "a-Ha." They were my obsession until I heard a friend singing Smiths' lyrics and I was lost to those far more clever words. Seduced in four bars...and I've rarely been seduced in a bar.

[TheCML]

Elvis was never "Rockabilly" :-)

yikes. :rolleyes:

[Walkers Crisp]

yikes. :rolleyes:

Oh well, I already admitted that my above post was bollocks. I'm feeling as guilty as a puppy sitting next to a pile of poo..:(;)

[Chartres]

http://www.norrtaljeblues.se/images/2007/TommyKorberg1.jpg

[joey]

Franz?


I'm pretty certain he likes Franz Ferdinand. I saw the KCRW set they played and they were talking about when they met him.

[moz'art girl]

If I may nitpick just a bit... I believe it is actually "a-Ha." They were my obsession until I heard a friend singing Smiths' lyrics and I was lost to those far more clever words. Seduced in four bars...and I've rarely been seduced in a bar.
It is a-ha...(Not a-Ha, A-ha, A-HA.):)
The proof?
http://www.a-ha.com/

[PregnantForTheLastTime]

It is a-ha...(Not a-Ha, A-ha, A-HA.):)
The proof?
http://www.a-ha.com/

Well, URLs are case insensitive. But I will concede after checking album art on Amazon. It was occasionally "a-ha" but you are right.

S'ok. I like this Morissy guy so much better.

[hesaid]

I know he's gone to a Tiger Army show..so he must like them

no shit!!!
tiger army was his opening act when he toured the uk in 2006!!!:cool:

[JoeSellMozza]

gene!

[moz'art girl]

I like this Morissy
:eek::D:D:D I prefer Morrissey.

[Bluebirds]

http://motorcycleaupairboy.com/interviews/1997/mitchell.htm

Joni Mitchell

Others one wouldn't question too much

Madness
Patti Smith (no mention yet I fear)
Eddie Cochrane
Elvis
Buffy Saint Marie
Mott The Hoople
Timi Yuro
Francoise Hardy
Patti Smith (no mention yet I fear)
Sandie Shaw


And ones you might:

Blaggers ITA
Marion
Smoking Popes
"Early" Oasis
Dead Or Alive


Ones you think he'd like as he had them as support acts:

PJ Harvey

And this is one of the most amzing confessions Morrissey has ever alluded to... he purchased Black box- Ride On Time

Q: So you're still a pop fan ?
Very much so. I've bought a lot of things recently just to listen to and then throw them away. I'm still a big record fan. I really enjoyed the Black Box single. It's odd for me because it's not my world at all and there's no reason on earth why I should enjoy that record, but when I first saw them on Top Of The Pops I thought it was pretty extreme. She also looked brilliant, and I still love the record after nine weeks.

[The Spirit of '69]

In the NME interview, Moz said his favourite singer was born in Iraq and now lives in Egypt. Does anyone know who this is? I'd like to check 'em out.

[Bluebirds]

In the NME interview, Moz said his favourite singer was born in Iraq and now lives in Egypt. Does anyone know who this is? I'd like to check 'em out.

Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, ex-Iraqi Minister of Information

[paintavulgarpicture]

The Shangri-La's, and oh - not forgetting, The Cookies - I want a boy for my birthday, which they covered at their first gig at the Ritz in Manchester.

[C.W. McCall]

Quote from the NME: "my favourite singer was born in Iraq and now lives in Egypt." Any clues?

[vivabob]

done a few serches to try and find out the answer

an answer could be Kathem Al Saher , he was from iraq but now lives in egypt but i dont think he is morrisseys cup of tea

[sistasheila]

a very weird one:

BLACK BOX
an Italo-house musicgroup popular in the late 1980s
pretty unusal regarding his usual musical preferences and his hate of disco/dance music in general

excerpt of the interview
THE SOFT TOUCH
Mat Snow, Q, December 1989
http://www.compsoc.man.ac.uk/~moz/quotes/qdec1989.htm
In a sense, yes. A lot of people are very intolerant of any '60s obsession. It just doesn't seem to wash anymore with people; they're tired of the 1960s, they're exhausted at the whole Beatles myth and so forth. Personally, I find the story of Madness more interesting than the story of The Beatles. But I never for a second intended the Moors Murders to be, if you like, part of my history. And I never wanted the whole '60s thing to be part of my history. But it has become that, and I feel I have to move away from that. And I want to, also. East West was just closing the door and saying goodbye. But that doesn't mean I'm now moving forward to 1974. With the passing of time, I, like most people, can see the '60s and '70s much more clearly. At the time they were meaningless, because the present is always meaningless. Looking back fascinates me, how things change and how, in some ways, things don't change. When I think back to the period of Silver Convention and music like that, I feel very much that is how the chart is now.
Q: Do you listen to chart radio ?
No, I never listen to the radio, but pop music is absolutely the soundtrack to my life. I can hear Pretty Flamingo and it reminds me of a particular time. One way or another I get to hear most things in the Top 40, though to be honest I don't know who most of the people are. But one somehow eventually stumbles across these records; one hears them on television in other programmes, which is strictly a late '80s phenomenon. Obviously, in the '70s you never heard pop music at all.
Q: So you're still a pop fan ?
Very much so. I've bought a lot of things recently just to listen to and then throw them away. I'm still a big record fan.

I really enjoyed the BLACK BOX single.

It's odd for me because it's not my world at all and there's no reason on earth why I should enjoy that record, but when I first saw them on Top Of The Pops
I thought it was pretty extreme. She also looked brilliant, and I still love the record after nine weeks.
Q: And the revelation that it is not, in fact, her voice ?
I'm more interested in the rumours that she has been male. I'm hoping that it's true because it makes it more interesting. If you look at her from a certain angle, you could possibly see her playing for Wigan.

black box wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Box_%28band%29

quote
"but when I first saw them on Top Of The PopsI thought it was pretty extreme."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHrAfpWDGtE maybe this one ?its the only no 1 one hit they had in the Uk in 89...

[CaliforniaMozGirl]

In those penpal exchanges he had with Robert Mackie he mentions seeing Bowie 14 times and not liking Kate bush- to quote Morrissey's letter, "That voice! Such trash!" He goes on to say he likes of course, The Dolls, Jobriath, Nico, and Magazine. In addition he says "Nice to see Alice Cooper, and were't Roxy Music just Fab City?"

In the next letter he mentions Lou Reed and says he's seen him 4 times and mentions Eno.

In the following letter after that he mentions purchasing Monochrome Set. He apparently strongly dislikes electronic music, Gary Numan and Adam Ant. I know he mentions even more music. But there's a start for you!

[sistasheila]

so he`s dissing the suede singer he once cherished....

[vivabob]

its worthwhile mentioning this section in passions at this point

http://www.passionsjustlikemine.com/influence.htm

i know its been mentioned in other threads but its worth a look if you want more info

[Harsh Truth]

Wet Wet Wet

[vivabob]

Wet Wet Wet

i dont think so :eek:

[GlasgowChivas]

Sons & Daughters

Their lead singer (Adele?) is on record as saying Morrissey was a big influence on her..

while I really can't see it from their songs it's yet another band that supported him that made no secret of their hero worship

[this_tired_heart]

Didn't he like Ash at one point?

[vivabob]

Sons & Daughters

Their lead singer (Adele?) is on record as saying Morrissey was a big influence on her..

while I really can't see it from their songs it's yet another band that supported him that made no secret of their hero worship

she is a huge fan of morrissey , to the extent they used marrs guitar from strangeways on their last album

she has always been a fan , he favourite song is reel around the fountain

[Sharron Needles]

Elvis started the 'rockabilly' movement with his 1955 Sun release 'Mystery Train'. The music and image of Rockabilly is taken from that record and Elvis's dress and hair from that same period.


Sorry, but that's extremely debatable...

[Mozza220559]

Yes, he did like The Fall.

[Mozza220559]

He also liked The Primitives as well.

[bloodredbird]

Brian fkn ENo