posted by davidt on Thursday May 12 2005, @11:00AM
KenBarlow writes:
Not forgetting the splendid picture of Gary Semour's Quarry kettle on page 16,
Morrissey also gets these two snippets in this month's MOJO (Oasis cover):

Page 148, the questions and answer section, includes a half page photo of a Smiths era Morrissey holding a bottle of cough expectorant an dthe subtitle: Was Bessie a Smith?

Reader F.A. Booji, Amsterdam asks:
In his book The Smiths Songs that saved Your Life, Simon Goddard mentions that Morrissey did a cover version of a song called Wake Up Johnny by Bessie Smith. Where did Morrissey hear this record and is it commercially available today?

Fred Dellar answers: The info stems from a piece Nick Kent did on Morrissey and Johnny Marr for, The Face in may 1985. At one point he interviewed former Buzzcocks manager Richard Boon who claimed that at some timeduring 1980 Morrissey recorded a demo that included an apology for not having any back-up instruments and for the low volume of the recording due to the fact that someone was sleeping in the next room! The tape seemingly contained two songs, one being a version of The hand that Rocks The Cradle, sung to a different melody, while according to Nick Kent, "the gaunt Mancunian had also chosen to interpret a little-known Bessie Smith song: its title- Wake Up Johnny." As Bessie Smith never recorded anything called Wake up Johnny, I can only speculate that maybe Morrissey rejigged something that The Empress of the Blues once did and kitted it out with a new title and lyric. Other "phantom" Smiths songs include A Matter of Opinion, also mentioned in Goddard's book, and a version of Elvis's A Fool Such As I, alluded to in David bret's Scandal & Passion. Only Morrissey and Marr know if these songs exist in releasable form, and neither have dropped in at MOJO lately.

WPTMIM also gets a brief review on Page 132:

4 Stars
A homecoming show recorded a week after the release of You Are the Quarry, reveals Morrissey, a cross betweeen Stanley Baker and Craggy island's father Jack Hackett, singing with a thistle stuck in his flies. Overcoming a slow start he delivers a superb career spanning set; the stand-out. I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday.. CP
Includes a thumbnail of the WPTMIM cover.

URL for Mojo

but you need a subscription to view online.
No scans I'm afraid (scanner is otherwise engaged)- sorry!
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  • treasure (Score:2, Insightful)

    Wasn't it his mother who was sleeping next door?

    I heard about this before.

    Oh........ how I wish I could hear that tape...
    dallow_bg <[email protected]> -- Thursday May 12 2005, @11:29AM (#161377)
    (User #10559 Info | http://www.dolefulorange.com/)
    "All the people I like are those that are dead."
    • Re:treasure (Score:2, Interesting)

      It was indeed, bless her curly head.
      It's a really sweet anecdote I think.
      KenBarlow -- Thursday May 12 2005, @11:42AM (#161380)
      (User #13803 Info)
      There is no such thing in life as Norman
      • Re:treasure by goinghome (Score:1) Friday May 13 2005, @01:08PM
        • Re:treasure by KenBarlow (Score:1) Friday May 13 2005, @09:15PM
  • Is anyone else upset by the reviewer's suggestion that Moz bears some resemblance to Father Jack Hackett from the TV series Father Ted?
    If you're not sure what he looks like, google him.
    Meanwhile, I'll get a bag of wet plimsolls.
    KenBarlow -- Friday May 13 2005, @08:43AM (#161540)
    (User #13803 Info)
    There is no such thing in life as Norman


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