Rumor: New Producer

[Dave]

I wish he would use some other 70's producer but they record differently now.

Oh yeah, Quarry sounds good to me. Maybe it's because the songs are generally better.

 

[Ethan Poe]

Has anyone given the thought that just maybe we will get a production duo of both Visconti and Jerry Finn on the next album? I mean the nice contrast of the two's styles could work rather well. And each could off-set the other's shortcomings. Just a hope nothing more and nothing less

 

[Comtesse]

"LA radio station INDIE 103.1 DJ Joe Escalante mentioned on radio this morning that Jerry Finn is going to produce Morrissey's next album."

I found this on a post on the main page. Personally, I hope it is true. Finn resurrected Morrissey's career. Visconti nearly ended Morrissey's career. Strange timing with Kristeen's sacking. Perhaps there is more going on then we know about.

Oh come on! Visconti is a much better producer than Finn. You can't blame Visconti for ROTT. He didn't write the songs. (And that's just opinion anyway - I think that ROTT is better than YATQ.) Anyway, I personally hope this isn't true. If it is, then we'll have another album of ridiculous electronic whooshing sounds ruining every song and cheap synthesized strings instead of the real thing.

 

[CrystalGeezer]

Oh come on! Visconti is a much better producer than Finn. You can't blame Visconti for ROTT. He didn't write the songs. (And that's just opinion anyway - I think that ROTT is better than YATQ.) Anyway, I personally hope this isn't true. If it is, then we'll have another album of ridiculous electronic whooshing sounds ruining every song and cheap synthesized strings instead of the real thing.

Did you happen to be booing at the Monterey Music Festival when Dylan used an electric guitar?

 

[celibate]

Did you happen to be booing at the Monterey Music Festival when Dylan used an electric guitar?

damn I almost choked

maybe Morrissey should try Daniel Lanois, but Steve Lillywhite is my fav.
to produce Morrissey's next studio album

 

[moiaussi]

Did you happen to be booing at the Monterey Music Festival when Dylan used an electric guitar?

LMFAO!

 

[Dave]

Brian Eno?

I've been thinking about this and it has "unfounded Internet rumor" all over it. First, it's very soon for an announcement like this to be leaked. Second, they just picked the name of the last producer he worked with and weren't even imaginative enough to say Dave Jerden or something. Third, Visconti and Morrissey are unlikely to fall out over this, in my opinion. I doubt Visconti takes it seriously. He's an old pro and has seen all sorts of silly behavior.

 

[Mel_Torment]

Oh come on! Visconti is a much better producer than Finn. You can't blame Visconti for ROTT. He didn't write the songs. (And that's just opinion anyway - I think that ROTT is better than YATQ.) Anyway, I personally hope this isn't true. If it is, then we'll have another album of ridiculous electronic whooshing sounds ruining every song and cheap synthesized strings instead of the real thing.

Once again, I am with you! Big surprise, eh? The main shortcoming of ROTT lies at the lyricist's feet, not the producer's. You can't polish a turd. Well, you could try, but I think you'd just get a handful of stinky mush...or dry crumbly remains...

Finn did disclaim responsibility for the cheesy whoosh on IBEH. Still, I don't think it's any reason to bring back Finn. Hmmm...I wonder who put the cheesy whoosh in there, then?

 

[Comtesse]

Did you happen to be booing at the Monterey Music Festival when Dylan used an electric guitar?

Oh, I can smile about it now, but at the time it was terrible...

 

[Kewpie]

damn I almost choked

maybe Morrissey should try Daniel Lanois, but Steve Lillywhite is my fav.
to produce Morrissey's next studio album

*sit back and waits mspendle828's response*

 

[Vauxhall95]

Yeah, Marr! ;-)

Shouldn't he have enough experience(and age) to produce his own albums? Like when the credits used to read track # produced by Morrissey/Marr or The Smiths? Maybe somebody was getting credit where credit wasn't due...

 

[Vauxhall95]

Fair point, but Morrissey was in a musical rut before Finn produce his album. One just knew what a 1990's Moz song sounded like (with the exception of Southpaw). Look, I'm not going to argue that Finn is the best producer since bread came sliced, but I liked YATQ. For me, only "I Like You" seemed over produced. Remember the band writes the music. They seemed to want to move in a direction with more synths. Personally, I liked the move, it added a new dimension to his music, but I also love 80's music. ;-)

I just feel Finn's production is chintzy and overthought - he seems too into the idea that Moz is From The 80's, with his synths.

 

[lilikoi]

at least there were no gruesome childrens choirs on yatq!!! and I also think the recording of the voice sounds a lot better.

 

[maybe]

Look, we all have our tastes and opinions. For me, and sales figues would back me up, YATQ outsold ROTT and brought our boy back from utter obscurity. Personally, apart from "I Like You" I thought the production was great. It was exactly the album Moz needed for that moment in time. The next album will sound differently. Visconti is a legend, but a legend past his prime...

Sure, it sold better, but that doesn't mean that it was the better album. But don't forget all the media hype surrounding it. It was Morrissey's big comeback, he was on the front cover of several music magazines, he gave more interviews, he was on Jools Holland and Jonathan Ross - in short, he had a lot more media exposure, the timing of the TV appearances was perfect... a really good job by his PR team. Don't underestimate those things. All this didn't happen for Ringleader, at least not to such an extent.

The production on Quarry ruined a lot for me. It's great for poppy singles like Irish Blood, English Heart and First of The Gang but it destroys the rest of the album. The prime example is Come Back To Camden. Probably one of the best songs he's ever written, good lyrics, fantastic vocal melody, and then Finn comes and messes it up with those fake strings. I know a lot of people say that the production on Ringleader is overblown but I think it fits the concept and the mood of the album perfectly. Each album is different though, and I might find another Visconti-produced album horrible while I might love Finn's work on it, but if Quarry is anything to judge by I'm pessimistic.

 

[Mr.Improper PIMP..mofo]

Fair point, but Morrissey was in a musical rut before Finn produce his album. One just knew what a 1990's Moz song sounded like (with the exception of Southpaw). Look, I'm not going to argue that Finn is the best producer since bread came sliced, but I liked YATQ. For me, only "I Like You" seemed over produced. Remember the band writes the music. They seemed to want to move in a direction with more synths. Personally, I liked the move, it added a new dimension to his music, but I also love 80's music. ;-)

Actually, I thought the entire ROTT album was fantastic. It was a more "darker side of Moz", than we've seen before, as the 1st single, YHKM, sounded alot more rougher than his other songs. Most people disliked Maladjusted too, and I love the album.

For me, ROTT and YATQ are great albums, FWIW, I think Finn did a good job w/Morrissey's voice. Visconti did good too, but I think Finn knows Morrissey's voice better.

 

[Vauxhall95]

I think we largely agree. Each album is different and there is no certainty Finn or Visconti's work on one album will produce the exact same effect on the next album.

I would disagree, a tad, with the PR aspect. Certainly, there was plenty of promotion of ROTT in the UK, and I have loads of downloads from various chart shows to prove it. I do not understand how the album was promoted (or not promoted) in the U.S. Arguably, his largest fan based now, ROTT seems to have no promotion at all. At least Irish Blood, English Heart was played on music tv and new fans could be exposed to it. When Morrissey did get a crack at a national audience, i.e. Letterman and Carson Daly, he played songs no one could even buy at their record store.

I guess when it comes down the YATQ v. ROTT debate, it comes down largely to the sythns. If you love'm like me, then YATQ is golden. They are pushed way to the back in favor of the guitars in ROTT which gives a sameness to many of the tracks for me (one could argue the same way about the sythns in YATQ). Mix the production up a bit, and could he please retire the idea of a rock n' roll album? Pop music is where he is at his best (IMO).

Sure, it sold better, but that doesn't mean that it was the better album. But don't forget all the media hype surrounding it. It was Morrissey's big comeback, he was on the front cover of several music magazines, he gave more interviews, he was on Jools Holland and Jonathan Ross - in short, he had a lot more media exposure, the timing of the TV appearances was perfect... a really good job by his PR team. Don't underestimate those things. All this didn't happen for Ringleader, at least not to such an extent.

The production on Quarry ruined a lot for me. It's great for poppy singles like Irish Blood, English Heart and First of The Gang but it destroys the rest of the album. The prime example is Come Back To Camden. Probably one of the best songs he's ever written, good lyrics, fantastic vocal melody, and then Finn comes and messes it up with those fake strings. I know a lot of people say that the production on Ringleader is overblown but I think it fits the concept and the mood of the album perfectly. Each album is different though, and I might find another Visconti-produced album horrible while I might love Finn's work on it, but if Quarry is anything to judge by I'm pessimistic.

 

[stux]

I certainly like to production on ROTT better than YATQ although maybe ROTT could show a bit more variation. YATQ is too twee and lightweight for me.

I don't really care, who produces it - it'll sound like Morrissey. I'd feel more confident about the album if the rumours were about Morrissey locking himself and his band in rehearsal room for a month in order to write a large batch of songs.

Having said that, I would be really worried if I heard that Langer and Winstanley were being talked about. Oops.

 

[Ethan Poe]

Well to be fair I actually think this rumor has some fact basis namely in that the KY's intro vocals in Thats How People Grow Up were already recorded by Jerry Finn...and Morrissey would be an idiot to dump Visconti who I think given a second album will do even better work for actually getting Morrissey some of the top notch musical segments that I feel have been lacking in recent years...that being said I loved the synth on I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris

 

[Nikita]

Fair point, but Morrissey was in a musical rut before Finn produce his album. One just knew what a 1990's Moz song sounded like (with the exception of Southpaw). Look, I'm not going to argue that Finn is the best producer since bread came sliced, but I liked YATQ. For me, only "I Like You" seemed over produced. Remember the band writes the music. They seemed to want to move in a direction with more synths. Personally, I liked the move, it added a new dimension to his music, but I also love 80's music. ;-)

He is a good producer if one likes cheesy keyboards instead of real strings

 

[Ethan Poe]

"He is a good producer if one likes cheesy keyboards instead of real strings"...exactly why tony visconti working with him would prove a nice duality