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"Morrissey The Albums" by Johnny Rogan out now, short review

posted by davidt on Saturday September 02 2006, @11:00AM
Beaten Generation writes:
As much as Moz had a fatwah on Mr. Rogan, despite the fact Moz hadn't read Rogan's illuminating, extensively researched and brilliant,passionate and in depth look at his musical heroes Morrissey & Marr in his seminal book "The Severed Alliance", Rogan is back again.

This time in his book simply called "Morrissey The Albums", Rogan reviews every song written and recorded by the Mozza both with The Smiths and throughout his solo career.

I began reading the book today, and haven't put it down. Although I found quite a lot of information, about The Smiths recordings can be already found in Simon Goddard's book "The Songs That Saved Your Life", I found Goddards book incomplete as he didn't touch on Mozza's solo career.

The latest book by Rogan, once again lovingly and extensively researched by Rogan, it feels another part of the important jigsaw is being completed in featuring Mozza's solo work.

The book contains some fascinating information that even the hardened fan (like most of us here I guess) will if they admit is new and if they are honest they weren't already aware of.

Rogan's research takes us right up to Mozza's latest realease "ROTT". Let's hope it's not the last of Mozza's albums (We await with baited breath his next piece of work).

Rogan too never shies away from giving his own opinion on the controversial subject matter and turmoil Mozza found himself in throughout his career. Which will leave the reader challenged and will no doubt invite their own views and criticisms of Rogan's interpretations of the chosens ones work.

All in all it's essential to have Rogans book, it's reasonably priced and is published in paperback so no complaints from me. Mind you there are no pictures in the book which would have been a nice touch but perhaps the publishers wanted to keep print costs to a minimum.

Here's the details you'll need when ordering it.

  Title: Morrissey The Albums.
  Author: Johnny Rogan
  Paperback: 224 pages
  Publisher: Omnibus Press (Aug 25 2006)
  ASIN: 0952954052
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  • For that well-written synopsis of your book!
    suzanne -- Saturday September 02 2006, @11:45AM (#233983)
    (User #36 Info)
    I scare dead people.
  • It's a shit book.
    Anonymous -- Saturday September 02 2006, @12:39PM (#233987)
  • I'd like to read this one. The only other Smiths/Moz book I've read is 'The Smiths: The Complete Story' by Mick Middles. I bought this book in the late 1980's and it's full of great photos. Anyway, that is the only one I've ever read. I hope to read some of the others some day and I may just start with this new one.
    thetexasbloke
    Anonymous -- Saturday September 02 2006, @06:25PM (#234007)
  • Sounds like one worth reading if it is anything like the Severed Alliance.
    It's "bated breath", btw.
    Anonymous -- Sunday September 03 2006, @02:21AM (#234021)
    • Re:Rogan by Anonymous (Score:0) Tuesday September 05 2006, @10:49AM
  • "Unfortunately, I have to be bureaucratic now! It's modern times" (Morrissey)

    Very nice and convincing propaganda of the book. Many times it's not a book is about but how it's written. So I always "bureaucratically" flip through a few pages of a book before buying it, so there's one more step to take!

    But thanks for the word on the book anyways :)
    Mrs. Woolf -- Sunday September 03 2006, @01:37PM (#234055)
    (User #14157 Info)

  • complete (Score:1, Funny)

    beatengeneration, you may have found Simon Goddard's book incomplete, but that's because you're a tool.

    It was about the SMITHS, not just Morrissey and therefore was as complete as you could get.

    I suppose Revolution in the Head should have had details of all Ringos solo albums.
    Anonymous -- Sunday September 03 2006, @02:23PM (#234061)
    • Re:complete by Anonymous (Score:0) Monday September 04 2006, @10:27AM
  • Is this book along the lines of Simon Goddard's Smiths book - "Songs that saved your life" - or is it another digging secrets book? I'm definitely more of a fan of the former.

    Does anyone know?

    ohglen -- Monday September 04 2006, @12:17PM (#234104)
    (User #12046 Info)
  • I bought this book. It was delivered today. I have skimmed through it and it's pretty poor. Generally banal observations and uncomfortably obsessive in tone. The author seems rather peculiar.

    Save your cash for something else. This is crud.
    Anonymous -- Tuesday September 05 2006, @05:28AM (#234130)

  • My two cents (Score:2, Insightful)

    The only book about Mozz i'll buy is one written by Mozz himself..............
    thelazysunbather -- Wednesday September 06 2006, @04:13AM (#234178)
    (User #8343 Info)
  • Got the book delivered a few days ago and must say (and this is NOT because it's Johnny Rogan) that it is very poor.
    Full of errors, not at all as insightful as the Goodard one and Rogan hasn't managed to talk to any of the key people involved in the recordings - wich would have made the book so much more interesting. I mean, I would have love to read, say, Alain or Bozs vews on the recording sessions - instead we get the likes of Andrew Paresi and Johnny Bridgwood.
    Save your money for Mozzas autobiography instead...
    Martin -- Wednesday September 13 2006, @01:05AM (#234755)
    (User #278 Info | http://www.thefarm.cjb.net/)
    A Slight Case of Overcombing
  • This book is absolue tosh.
    All he's done is ripped passages almost word for word from Severed Alliance and his CD sized The Complete Guide To The Smiths (And Morrissey & Marr) For a Smiths fan, this doesn't come within fifty miles of songs that saved your life.
    And for the Solo fans (me included), the interviews with Andrew Paresi & Johnny Bridgwood are interesting but for the last two albums he interviews precisely no-one. So the last two chapters are simply an opinion piece. I can understand his current bandmates not wanting to be interviewed (there'd be hell to pay from 'the boss') but there are people like Jerry Finn, Roger Manning, Deano etc that could've been talked to.
    And as a pedant, firstly it wasn't Matt Chamberlain on the tour (it's a published book Rogan, do some research!) & secondly he mentions Visconti's 'editing' of Morricone's strings on Dear God Please Help Me. The correct term is 'butchering'
    This could've been a great book. If you've not read any other Rogan it's a good book. For everyone else, it barely scrapes adequate.
    AnthonyGlamour -- Thursday September 21 2006, @04:06AM (#235222)
    (User #7618 Info | http://www.myspace.com/anthonycutt)
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