Running a music website you soon realize the cardinal rule, if you can write about something once, you can write about it ten times. With that in mind, I plan to mine Morrissey’s “Autobiography” for every post I can get and through the first 50 pages, documented every song he mentioned! So with no further ado, the first 10 songs that formed a Smith!
1. My Boy Lollipop – Millie Small – Novelty pop built to an early ska beat which sounded less exotic than original mostly due to the punctuated brass – A
2. Hare Krishna – Jagit Singh – Couldn’t find the actual version Moz played for his teacher, but this should give you the general idea – B+
3. It’s Over – Roy Orbison – Well, now I’m listening to it, of course Moz was influenced by this sort of high dram. Even the vocal has a similar deep dig.
4. Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear – Alan Price Set – Randy Newman cover but neither Moz noir I knew it at the time, Newman can’t sing a lick without sounding sarcastic and the song is a horrorshow about hunger but Price plays it as a testament to the enterainment business replete with clapping at the end – A
5. Peek A Boo – New Vaudeville Band – You would think “Winchester Cathedral” right? Well you’d be wrong, this is a soft shoe shuffle which sleeps out of its historic context – B+
6. Bernadette – The Four Tops – This song sounds exactly like Radio One in the 1960s – A
7. Give Me Money – Plastic Penny – Moz references “Everything I Am” but I can’t find it, this pretty great far from ironic London style rocker will do just fine – B+
8. I’ve Been A Bad Bad Boy – Paul Jones – He went on to Manfred Mann, probably a good idea – C+
9. Nous Tous – Francois Hardy – I can’t find the song Moz references but this le pop 60s francaise will do just fine – B
10. You’ve Love That Loving Feeling – The Righteous Brothers – How much does he owe to the high-low bridge on this song? – A+
