Roger Manning on the new album

[Danny_]

http://kittyradio.com/soapbox/jukebo...new-album.html

Producer Jerry Finn and I have had a long fun filled history together in Punk Pop heaven with group's like Blink 182 and found ourselves both being invited back for our second Morrissey album. I think fans will be pleasantly surprised by this new solo offering. It was all tracked live which added a great punk, garage, DIY urgency to the tracks. I am so used to recording keyboards in the more traditional overdub scenario that being asked to invent parts "on the fly" and track with the band while Morrissey sang live was a very refreshing and challenging experience.

[Jamie]

That is one interesting post--thanks for sharing that. I like the idea of doing something off-the-cuff and spontaneous. But I wonder how much of that will truly come through on the final album? Between Decca likely looking for a commercial record and Finn's tendency to freeze-dry every digital sound in front of him, I fear it will be toyed and tinkered with until it becomes lifeless by this fall.

Strangely, I have envisioned him doing a "live in the studio" album, but always pegged the perceived result as a spare, acoustic album--Vauxhall without overdubs. Interesting to invert that and head into a harder edged direction (Southpaw with keyboards?).

Cheers,
Jamie

[Oso Blanco]

Sounds good to me! Now, why do we have to wait until Semptember?

[Assassin]

Originally Posted by Oso Blanco

Sounds good to me! Now, why do we have to wait until Semptember?

Well he's probably still too exhausted from the hectic touring of the past two years to commit to another album so soon.

September is my birthday month, so I prefer that

[dizzywhore_1804]

Well, this is all very exciting! Seems like it would suit the heavier-sound of the new band too.

[Anaesthesine]

Originally Posted by Danny_

http://kittyradio.com/soapbox/jukebo...new-album.html

Producer Jerry Finn and I have had a long fun filled history together in Punk Pop heaven with group's like Blink 182 and found ourselves both being invited back for our second Morrissey album. I think fans will be pleasantly surprised by this new solo offering. It was all tracked live which added a great punk, garage, DIY urgency to the tracks. I am so used to recording keyboards in the more traditional overdub scenario that being asked to invent parts "on the fly" and track with the band while Morrissey sang live was a very refreshing and challenging experience.

Well, that's good news at least - there's no better sound on Earth than "DIY urgency." Morrissey certainly seems to be favoring the muscular, raw approach more lately, which is good news to me, since I was worried he was going to become another ossified, late-period Sinatra/Elvis, with too much reverb, and not enough "oomph."

I'm no fan of Jerry Finn - add me to the list of people who think he almost ruined Quarry with "thin" production and irritating electronic flourishes. Still, there's nothing like live chemistry to kick things into high gear. Let's hope the compositions are worthy.

This augurs well, I think.

[Jones]

It sounds good, but it all depends on the songs. Production and how it's recorded will mean nothing if the songs are duff.
The main problem with Quarry wasn't the production, but that some of the songs were crap.

The first two new ones we've heard are promising though, and the rest of the song titles sound interesting. Let's hope Morrissey hasn't just picked the best two songs to let us hear.

[Maurice E]

Originally Posted by Jones

It sounds good, but it all depends on the songs. Production and how it's recorded will mean nothing if the songs are duff.
The main problem with Quarry wasn't the production, but that some of the songs were crap.

The first two new ones we've heard are promising though, and the rest of the song titles sound interesting. Let's hope Morrissey hasn't just picked the best two songs to let us hear.

Wise words, Jones. I'm always banging on about how the production makes very little difference. If Moz writes some intriguing/poetic/insightful lyrics (unlike much of the recent stuff) and sets them to brilliant, catchy, melodies, we'll have a great album regardless of who is twiddling the studio knobs. Having said that, those ghastly synth strings (off Come Back to Camden) can really ruin a song...

[Busy Clippers]

I'm more excited about this than about seeing Morrissey's other cheeks! Manning's old band Jellyfish were, still are, one of my favorites - slightly perverse pop perfection. Their Spilt Milk is an opus! This is going to be interesting.

[King Leer]

Thanks for posting that, Danny -- indeed very interesting stuff.

There wasn't much talk about it after Quarry was released, but as we now know it was the first time Morrissey worked with the band in the studio (rather that coming in to sing after the fact). I too would like to hear this pushed to its logical extreme.

I don't mind the more rawk sound of the new band (am I being simplistic by noting that as British members have been replaced by Americans it's become that way?), as long as it's balanced by some lovely acoustic work (real strings and pianos Mr. Finn, por favor!) and a track or two along more experimental lines (eg. Pigsty). If it's gonna be "heavy", let it be so in the way that Speedway was. Come on, Boz, write as if it's the last tracks you'll ever record!

And please let Alain play his own songs in the studio, for the love of God. I'm amazed at how ego-less the guy is.

If Mama and Skull, which most people agree are quite strong, are two of the average tracks on the album, we're in for a stormer!

[Paulc]

Originally Posted by King Leer

If it's gonna be "heavy", let it be so in the way that Speedway was.

Reading that i got the impression the new album might be more like Your Arsenal than anything else. If thats the case then we are in for a real treat.

[MozIsGod]

So, no Mikey then????

[Steff73]

Originally Posted by Busy Clippers

Manning's old band Jellyfish were, still are, one of my favorites - slightly perverse pop perfection. Their Spilt Milk is an opus! This is going to be interesting.

Love Jellyfish! Sadly, not enough material by them out there. Split Milk is one of my favorite albums ever!

Cannot wait for the new Mozzer album!!!!!

[Oso Blanco]

Originally Posted by MozIsGod

So, no Mikey then????

Where does it say that there will be no Mikey? That would sad, indeed ...

[MozIsGod]

Originally Posted by Oso Blanco

Where does it say that there will be no Mikey? That would sad, indeed ...

Well, I hope you're right!

Would Morrissey allow 2 keyboardists' on the album?

[Jukebox Jury]

So who is the bloke who played keyboards on the recent UK tour? Is he not on the new album? He looked a bit out of his depth, who is / was he anyway?

Jukebox Jury

[Kewpie]

Originally Posted by Jukebox Jury

So who is the bloke who played keyboards on the recent UK tour? Is he not on the new album? He looked a bit out of his depth, who is / was he anyway?

Jukebox Jury

The keyboard player is called Christopher Pooley who previously worked with Gwen Stefani.