Morrissey A-Z: "Southpaw"

It's a good song that turns into a glorious post-rock racket for the last few minutes. I get the same visceral thrill from that sound here as I do from some of the early Godspeed You! Black Emperor stuff. Love it!
 
It's a good song that turns into a glorious post-rock racket for the last few minutes. I get the same visceral thrill from that sound here as I do from some of the early Godspeed You! Black Emperor stuff. Love it!
Ah, great to see another Godspeed fan.
The ending also reminds me of the climax of Low's "Do You Know How To Waltz?" just slightly less intense (linked below). Great band also, by the way.

 
It would be interesting to know what exactly motivated Morrissey not to make the successor to Vauxhall just as balanced, beautiful and calm. Was it the "In Person" tour in February 1995 or something else entirely?

Curious, what makes you think that his record signing tour 95(94?) had a negative impact on the Southpaw album ?


I think Southpaw is an outstanding track, where Morrissey and his musicians merge into one unit and the band is given immense space. Guitar cascades build up and down and Spencer plays a kind of military march to it. A beautiful madness in which I have been bathing regularly for almost 26 years! Anyone who wants to learn something about Morrissey should listen to Southpaw Grammar.
:thumb:


Production not the best, and after hearing Lillywhite’s magical touch
on Vauxhall, one would hope for more of that at the next two, I’m thinking his divorce with Kirsty may have had something to do with this. Fortunately the production on SG and Maladjusted
work for some songs on both albums, but for me, not as a whole.
 
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Curious, what makes you think that his record signing tour 95(94?) had a negative impact on the Southpaw album ?



:thumb:


Production not the best, and after hearing Lillywhite’s magical touch
on Vauxhall, one would hope for more of that at the next two, I’m thinking his divorce with Kirsty may have had something to do with this. Fortunately the production on SG and Maladjusted
work for some songs on both albums, but for me, not as a whole.

This was 94, when he didn't play gigs (just signing not singing in pulic). The reason I mentioned the "In Person" tour 02/95 was simply: He was on fire from playing live and wanted all songs to be louder and heavier as originally planned. Testosterone loaded! :)
 
I loved Southpaw Grammar from the start. It was the first new Morrissey album released during my fandom, it appealed to me as a young American who listened to alternative and the so-called grunge almost exclusively at the time and the bitter dregs of personal disappointment that seemingly inspired Morrissey to make it were relatable in my life. But "Southpaw" was my least favorite track. I felt it was too long where "The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils" used its length more constructively/interestingly and the repetitive rhythm was a bridge too far.

Times change, tastes evolve and life moves on apace. This is now not only one of my favorites on the album but I regard it as a crown jewel for both Morrissey and Alain. The trance-like nature of the repeated rhythm is enticing, especially when you focus on the filigree of improvised guitar lines Alain added on the top jutting out perpendicularly from Boz's slashing, consistent acoustic attack. The bass and drums are locked into an inescapable pocket, like a latter-day Watts (RIP) and Wyman combo being the engine of a shoegaze band.

On different listens, I still wonder whether it is too short, too long or just the right duration. The solo version Alain did live a few years back is an instructive lesson on how it could potentially be handled in a concert setting.

 
This was 94, when he didn't play gigs (just signing not singing in pulic). The reason I mentioned the "In Person" tour 02/95 was simply: He was on fire from playing live and wanted all songs to be louder and heavier as originally planned. Testosterone loaded! :)

I believe Morrissey commented on how the Miraval renderings felt lifeless/flat and the In Person shows reinvigorated him. One indisputable factor was switching out Woodie Taylor for Spencer. They were the perfect drummers for the respective albums they made - and, arguably, neither Vauxhall nor Southpaw would have succeeded on their own terms half as well with the other drummer manning the kit. I think that's further borne out by how Spencer sounds uncomfortable on the softer songs played during the tour, e.g. "Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself."
 
..
This was 94, when he didn't play gigs (just signing not singing in pulic). The reason I mentioned the "In Person" tour 02/95 was simply: He was on fire from playing live and wanted all songs to be louder and heavier as originally planned. Testosterone loaded! :)

Ah ok, when you wrote his "In Person" tour in February 1995’
It seemed as if you were talking about the in store in person appearance tour which was in 94.


Was the Boxers tour called the In Person tour? I was there, but it could have slipped my memory.





Ah yes, think he did clue Lillywhite
that he wanted SG to sound like a particular live Who album. Lillywhite was not able to make that request a reality, to my ear.
 
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The tour-shirts and at least some advertisement posters said "In Person".
Whyte told on twitter how Moz wanted a cover EP between 95-97, conatining "I Can't explain", f.e.
Keith Moon vibes: tailor made for Spence!
 
..
The tour-shirts and at least some advertisement posters said "In Person".
Whyte told on twitter how Moz wanted a cover EP between 95-97, conatining "I Can't explain", f.e.
Keith Moon vibes: tailor made for Spence!

But even in 91 some advertisements would say ‘In person’.

Yeah, The Who were on his mind since Arsenal sessions, I believe, regarding a feel or a physicality of sound that he wanted.
 
Not surprised to see a lot of love for this one. IMHO, it's one of the only songs on SG that in any way sounds like a follow-up to V&I. No doubt, a very unique and special track in Morrissey's canon.
 
I believe Morrissey commented on how the Miraval renderings felt lifeless/flat and the In Person shows reinvigorated him. One indisputable factor was switching out Woodie Taylor for Spencer. They were the perfect drummers for the respective albums they made - and, arguably, neither Vauxhall nor Southpaw would have succeeded on their own terms half as well with the other drummer manning the kit. I think that's further borne out by how Spencer sounds uncomfortable on the softer songs played during the tour, e.g. "Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself."

Maybe it's just me but I think Spencer did fine with the slower numbers. I always enjoyed the '91 live version of "Will Never Marry" and the beautiful "He Knows I'd Love To See Him" on the Arsenal tour in 1992.
 
“A bearable song on a largely unbearable album”

this is pretty close to how I feel about. While teachers has grown on me some this was the only worthwhile song on the record and even then I can’t separate the frustrating feeling I associate with southpaw the album from bleeding into my feeling about the song. It does go on to long but it’s the closer so I don’t mind as it creates a nice moment
 
It would be interesting to know what exactly motivated Morrissey not to make the successor to Vauxhall just as balanced, beautiful and calm. Was it the "In Person" tour in February 1995 or something else entirely? I think Southpaw is an outstanding track, where Morrissey and his musicians merge into one unit and the band is given immense space. Guitar cascades build up and down and Spencer plays a kind of military march to it. A beautiful madness in which I have been bathing regularly for almost 26 years! Anyone who wants to learn something about Morrissey should listen to Southpaw Grammar.
How old were you when it came out ?
 
Along with maladjusted, this is surely among his boldest tracks ever written. Both songs are loved to death here, and there’s little to add.
 
Would I be insane to suggest that this is one of the top 5 Moz songs he has released (so far 😜) ? Happy to embrace insanity...but I fecking adore this song and have since the very first hearing all those many moons ago. Mournful, joyous, poetic, blunt, meandering, tight...a whole mess of contradictions and totally, utterly beautiful.
 
I think to myself it's in my top 10, maybe even top 5 ... a very important and personal song ... maybe 10 out of 10 or maybe not rated ......breathtaking song, one of his best .
 
Stunning instrumental that exhausts me when I listen to it. (In a good way!)

Massively underappreciated due to how the SG album is favoured or indeed, not.

10/10
 
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