Morrissey

Steven Patrick Morrissey (born 22 May 1959), commonly known by his last name, Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career, making the top ten of the UK Singles Chart on ten occasions. His first solo album, 1988's Viva Hate, entered the UK albums chart at number one.  Morrissey's lyrics have been described as "dramatic, bleak, funny vignettes about doomed relationships, lonely nightclubs, the burden of the past and the prison of the home."  He is also noted for his unusual baritone vocal style (though he sometimes uses falsetto), his quiff haircut and his dynamic live performances. Media controversies have been caused by his forthright and often contrarian opinions, and he has also attracted media attention for his advocacy of vegetarianism and animal rights.
==Links To Peel==
Morrissey recorded a session for Peel's show in 1988 following the breakup of the Smiths: it was described by Peel as tentative, and never aired at the singer's request. John subsequently remarked that "I should be very unhappy if he unbent enough to do a session for us in 1990. I think it's time he rejoined the human race, really." In early 1991, following the release of the atypical and critically divisive Kill Uncle, from which Peel does not appear to have played any tracks, he added (with no little irony):
"He seems to have achieved really the perfect pop status, in that he has the status of somebody who's dead, which of course is the ultimate in marketable commodities, without actually being dead, and I think this is quite a thing to have achieved. I'd like to have achieved that sort of status myself, to be honest." 
For his part, Morrissey was highly critical of what he saw as Peel's ambivalent support of The Smiths in his autobiography:
"John Peel, though, did not ever come to see the Smiths play live, and he did not attend any of the radio sessions. He is cited as instrumental in the Smiths' success, but if not for the continual exuberance of John Walters, John Peel could never have encountered the Smiths. When I accidentally met John Peel over the years (two times, and both in motorway service stations), he shyly had nothing to say on both occasions." Autobiography, Morrissey p157 (Penguin Classics)Peel in fact met Morrissey twice, once on Round Table and the other at a motorway service station near Newcastle. 
Morrissey also in his autobiography criticised Peel for refusing to do a voice over for a television advert in 1995 promoting The Smiths compilation album Singles, due to press reports on Morrissey's alleged flirtation with racism:
"When asked to do a voice over for a television commercial to promote Singles, populist John Peel refused due to what he termed the 'Morrissey racism question'. Himself a sermonizing pillar of wisdom, Peel quite interestingly wasted no time on moral prevarication when the Queen called him to Buckingham Palace for the bureaucratic OBE badge. Oh, at least he is fully plumbed with the stamp of approval from those who count."Autobiography, Morrissey p291 (Penguin Classics)
However, two tracks from a live split session with Zane Lowe appeared on the 19 May 2004 show. It should be noted at this point that Peel did, at least, voice radio adverts for another Smiths compilation, the 2001 Very Best Of (which was disowned by the band themselves and seen as a hack-job).
==Festive Fifty Entries==
*thumb|330x330px1988 Festive Fifty: Disappointed #23
*1988 Festive Fifty: Late Night Maudlin Street #22
*1988 Festive Fifty: Suedehead #13
*1988 Festive Fifty: Everyday Is Like Sunday #12
*1989 Festive Fifty: Interesting Drug #47
*1989 Festive Fifty: Ouija Board, Ouija Board #20
*1989 Festive Fifty: Last Of The Famous International Playboys #18
*1990 Festive Fifty: November Spawned A Monster #16
*2006 Festive Fifty: Life Is A Pigsty #29
==Sessions==
Morrissey recorded a session for Peel's show in 1988 following the breakup of the Smiths: it was described by Peel as tentative, and never aired at the singer's request. It is not known when it was recorded in 1988.
1. Recorded: 2004-05-19. Broadcast: 19 May 2004. No known commercial release.
*Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice / No-One Can Hold A Candle To You
==Other Shows Played==
(The following list was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive and is certainly incomplete. Please add further details if known.)
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;1988
*09 February 1988: Suedehead (7") His Master's Voice
*09 February 1988: I Know Very Well How I Got My Name (7" - Suedehead) His Master's Voice
*09 February 1988: Hairdresser On Fire (7" - Suedehead) His Master's Voice
*10 February 1988: Suedehead (7") His Master's Voice
*15 February 1988: I Know Very Well How I Got My Name (7" - Suedehead) His Master's Voice
*17 February 1988: Hairdresser On Fire (12" b-side - Suedehead) His Master's Voice
*19 February 1988 (BFBS) (Peel 080 (BFBS)): 'Hairdresser On Fire (12"-Suedehead)' (His Master's Voice)
*20 February 1988 (Radio Bremen): Suedehead (7") His Master's Voice
*29 February 1988: I Know Very Well How I Got My Name (Boxset - Viva Hate) His Master's Voice
*02 March 1988: Oh Well, I'll Never Learn (CD single - Suedehead) His Master's Voice
*09 March 1988: Alsatian Cousin (LP - Viva Hate) His Master's Voice
*09 March 1988: Little Man, What Now? (LP - Viva Hate) His Master's Voice
*09 March 1988: The Ordinary Boys (LP - Viva Hate) His Master's Voice
*09 March 1988: Everyday Is Like Sunday (LP - Viva Hate) His Master's Voice
*09 March 1988: Late Night, Maudlin Street (LP - Viva Hate) His Master's Voice
*14 March 1988: Margaret On The Guillotine (LP - Viva Hate) His Master's Voice
*15 March 1988: The Ordinary Boys (LP - Viva Hate) His Master's Voice
*16 March 1988: Bengali In Platforms (LP - Viva Hate) His Master's Voice
*21 March 1988: Alsatian Cousin (LP - Viva Hate) His Master's Voice
*21 March 1988 (BBC World Service): The Ordinary Boys (LP - Viva Hate) His Master's Voice
*04 April 1988: Late Night, Maudlin Street (LP - Viva Hate) His Master's Voice
*02 May 1988: Alsatian Cousin (LP - Viva Hate) His Master's Voice
*16 May 1988: Sister I'm A Poet / Disappointed / Will Never Marry (12" - Everyday Is Like Sunday) His Master's Voice
*17 May 1988: Disappointed (12" - Everyday Is Like Sunday) His Master's Voice
*18 May 1988: Sister I'm A Poet (12" - Everyday Is Like Sunday) His Master's Voice
*24 May 1988: Disappointed (12" - Everyday Is Like Sunday) His Master's Voice
*25 May 1988: Will Never Marry (12" - Everyday Is Like Sunday) His Master's Voice
*30 May 1988: Sister I'm A Poet (12" EP: Everyday Is Like Sunday) His Master's Voice
*31 May 1988: Disappointed (12" - Everyday Is Like Sunday) His Master's Voice
*31 May 1988 (Radio Bremen): Sister I'm A Poet (12" - Everyday Is Like Sunday) His Master's Voice
*31 May 1988 (Radio Bremen): Disappointed (12" - Everyday Is Like Sunday) His Master's Voice
*The Peel Tapes Vol.6: Sister I'm A Poet (B-side of 12" "Everyday Is Like Sunday") HMV
*01 June 1988 (Rockradio): Sister I'm A Poet (B-side of 12" "Everyday Is Like Sunday") HMV
*14 November 1988: Disappointed (12" - Everyday Is Like Sunday) His Master's Voice
*19 December 1988: Disappointed (12" - Everyday Is Like Sunday) His Master's Voice
*26 December 1988: Disappointed (7 inch-B side of Everyday Is Like Sunday) (HMV) FF #23 
*26 December 1988: 'Late Night, Maudlin Street (LP-Viva Hate)' (HMV) FF #22
*27 December 1988: Suedehead (LP-Viva Hate) (HMV) FF #13
*27 December 1988: 'Everyday Is Like Sunday (LP-Viva Hate)' (HMV) FF #12
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;1989
*18 January 1989: Lucky Lisp (12" - The Last Of The Famous International Playboys) His Master's Voice 12POP 1620
*18 January 1989: Michael's Bones (12" - The Last Of The Famous International Playboys) His Master's Voice 12POP 1620
*18 January 1989: The Last Of The Famous International Playboys (12") His Master's Voice
*23 January 1989: The Last Of The Famous International Playboys (CD Single) His Master's Voice
*24 January 1989: Lucky Lisp (12" - The Last Of The Famous International Playboys) His Master's Voice
*30 January 1989: Last Of The International Playboys (12") His Master's Voice 
*31 January 1989 (Radio Bremen): The Last Of The Famous International Playboys (12") His Master's Voice 
*31 January 1989 (Radio Bremen): Lucky Lisp (12" - The Last Of The Famous International Playboys) His Master's Voice 
*01 February 1989: Michael's Bones (CD - The Last Of The Famous International Playboys) His Master's Voice 
*03 February 1989 (BFBS) (Peel 098 (BFBS)): 'Last Of The Famous International Playboys (12")' (His Master's Voice) (JP: 'Not too sure about the sort of synthesiser squirtings in the middle of that, but apart from that I've come to terms with it: I like it very much.')
*03 February 1989 (BFBS) (Peel 099 (BFBS)): 'Lucky Lisp (12"-The Last Of The Famous International Playboys)' (His Master's Voice)
*03 February 1989 (BFBS) (Peel 099 (BFBS)): 'Michael's Bones (12"-The Last Of The Famous International Playboys)' (His Master's Voice)
*05 April 1989: I Know Very Well How I Got My Note Wrong (CD mini) Factory
*06 April 1989: Such A Little Thing Makes A Big Difference (single - Interesting Drug) His Master's Voice
*06 April 1989: Interesting Drug (single - 12") His Master's Voice POP 1621
*06 April 1989: I Know Very Well How I Got My Note Wrong (7" issued with Durutti Column 'Vini Reilly' LP) Factory (outtake from Morrissey's 'Viva Hate' sessions)
*10 April 1989: Interesting Drug (7") His Master's Voice
*13 April 1989: Sweet And Tender Hooligan (12" - Interesting Drug) His Master's Voice
*07 November 1989: Ouija Board, Ouija Board (7") His Master's Voice
*09 November 1989: Ouija Board, Ouija Board (single) HMV (JP: "It's a strange thing, a lot of the records that I've come to like best in the fullness of time are those about which I have misgivings initially.") 
*13 November 1989: Ouija Board, Ouija Board (7") His Majesty's Voice 
*15 November 1989: East West (12" - Ouija Board, Ouija Board) His Master's Voice
*21 November 1989 (Radio Bremen): Ouija Board, Ouija Board (7") His Master's Voice
*20 December 1989: 'Interesting Drug (7 inch)' (HMV) FF #47
*27 December 1989: (JP: '(At number 20), a record which I thought was a really good record, but it's been by and large assumed that it wasn't a good record at all.') 'Ouija Board, Ouija Board (7 inch)' (HMV) FF #20 (JP: 'I should be very unhappy if he unbent enough to do a session for us in 1990. I think it's time he rejoined the human race, really.')
*27 December 1989: 'Last Of The Famous International Playboys (7 inch)' (HMV) FF #18
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;1990
*11 April 1990: November Spawned A Monster (7") His Master's Voice
*18 April 1990: November Spawned A Monster (7") His Master's Voice
*06 October 1990: Piccadilly Palare (LP - Bona Drag) His Master's Voice 
*29 December 1990: 'November Spawned A Monster (7 inch)' (HMV) FF #16
;1991
*06 July 1991: That's Entertainment
*14 July 1991: East West (Single b-Side) HMV
;1992
*24 April 1992: We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful (7 inch) HMV
*01 May 1992: 'We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful (7 inch)' (HMV)
*03 May 1992 (BFBS): We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful (7") HMV
*23 May 1992: Peel runs a competition to win copies of the 10 inch version of the latest Morrissey single We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful 
*04 July 1992: You're The One For Me, Fatty (12") His Master's Voice 12POP 1630
*10 July 1992: You're The One For Me, Fatty (12") His Master's Voice 12POP 1630
*26 July 1992 (BFBS): You're The One For Me, Fatty (single) His Master's Voice CDPOP 1630
;1994
*18 March 1994: ‘Spring-Heeled Jim (CD - Vauxhall And I)’ (Parlophone)
*25 March 1994: ‘Billy Budd (CD - Vauxhall And I)’ (Parlophone)
*02 April 1994 (BFBS): Spring-Heeled Jim (album - Vauxhall And I) Parlophone
;1995
*12 May 1995: 'Disappointed (7 inch-B side of Everyday Is Like Sunday)' (HMV)
;1997
*29 June 1997: Alma Matters (single) Island
;2004
*28 January 2004: We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful
*28 April 2004: 'I Have Forgiven Jesus (LP- Morrissey You Are the Quarry)' (Attack Records)
*May 2004 (FSK): I'm Not Sorry (CD - You Are The Quarry) Attack
*04 May 2004: 'I'm Not Sorry (LP- Morrissey, You Are The Quarry)' (Attack)
*06 May 2004: 'The World if Full of Crashing Bores (LP- Morrissey, You Are The Quarry)' (Attack)
*30 November 2004 (Rob Da Bank): 'No One Can Hold A Candle To You' (7") - (Attack)
== See Also ==
*Morrissey Suedehead Advert
*NME Singles Reviews
*NME Celebrity Best Of
*May 2004 (Peel's Record Box)
==External Links==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
*Official Website
;Footnotes
Category:Artists