Late Night, Maudlin Street: Search

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What is your favourite line, or musical detail, from this elegaic masterpiece?

― the pinefox, Friday, 9 August 2002 12:21 (twenty-two years ago)

The spare feel of the song in general -- like it's a demo they decided not to touch too much.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 9 August 2002 12:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Really, this is the song that almost redeems Morrissey's solo career. Then I remember "Bengali In Platforms" and want to punch him in the face again.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 9 August 2002 12:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Don't think I see the demo aspect - it's delicate but full of rich detail. eg: the fabulous piano part that comes on at 'when I sleep with that picture of you / beside my bed...'

That will do for My Detail for now.

― the pinefox, Friday, 9 August 2002 13:43 (twenty-two years ago)

This used to be such a favorite of mine I would insist on playing it to everyone I knew...bad idea. I may have been 17 but it was still sort of naive to assume that everyone would see this song's charm.

It remains one of my favorites, though.

― Nicole, Friday, 9 August 2002 13:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Y-y-yes -- but what's your DETAIL??

― the pinefox, Friday, 9 August 2002 14:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Unsurprisingly (given the email address) my details would have to be the most Durutti like moments - ie the bits when Moz shuts up and lets Vini play his guitar. In particular the long beautifully bent note after the line "They took you away in a police car" towards the end, and right at the end once Moz HAS shut up when Vini plays an open chord a few times instead of his arpeggios and it comes as such a shock... and it sounds not unlike the end of "Sketch for Dawn 1" and I'm happy. But otherwise, a fine track, probably the best Moz did with Vini (unless you count "Will never marry"'s last two minutes)

― Rob M, Friday, 9 August 2002 17:26 (twenty-two years ago)

For me, it's al about the delivery of the "Maudlin Street" phrase; this song probably has Mozzer's best vocal performance in terms of pitch and emotion. You can just hear his heart actually breaking rather than the snarky ironic heartbreak that permeates a lot of Smiths material (and makes it so grand, lest people think I'm being negative).

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 9 August 2002 18:30 (twenty-two years ago)

The title itself, "Late Night, Maudlin Street," Morrissey's voice cracking over the falsettos, many wonderful lines, but this one sticks out: "Me--without clothes?/ Well a nation turns its back and gags..."

― Mary, Friday, 9 August 2002 19:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Don't think I see the demo aspect

The drums, man! ;-) And how everything else sounds like a first take. Like they wandered in and just did it, then quietly left.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 9 August 2002 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Speaking of the drums, why do they sound so crap, like a drum machine? Is that what '80s drummers strived for?

― Mary, Friday, 9 August 2002 20:49 (twenty-two years ago)

The yearning, impassioned moan near the end, "Oooooooohooooooooo I doooo / I hope you're singing now / Wherever you are..."

Such sweet sorrow.

― DavidM (DavidM), Friday, 9 August 2002 21:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Speaking of the drums, why do they sound so crap, like a drum machine?

But that's my point! That's precisely one of the reasons why I like it, because it has that initial sketch/demo/drum machine quality! And drum machines aren't crap, after all -- not inherently so, at least (no more or less than real drummers ;-) ).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 10 August 2002 00:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Haha, I just wrote a post about this, though you wouldn't know it. My fave part is the fact that it let me see something that I didn't think I would ever see again for having stared too long at it I couldn't distinguish it from the background: Morrisey, and specifically Morrisey's inflection and voice.

― david h (david h), Saturday, 10 August 2002 06:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I just read that back - I really gotta start writing about the music so people know that I am writing about the music.

― david h (david h), Saturday, 10 August 2002 06:15 (twenty-two years ago)

So he drove me home in the van/ complaining women only like me for my mind.

― Daniel, Saturday, 10 August 2002 08:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Among the many strange things revealed by a google search of Late Night Maudlin Street is a Morrissey ringtones site. Yes, you too could have Late Night... as your ringtone! Bizarre or what?

― Daniel, Saturday, 10 August 2002 08:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Not sure what you mean re. open chords at end - must listen (yet) again. Agreed about Reilly in general on that LP.

The basic rhythm track IS a drum machine, right - but with Drums over it later on. I'm still not really convinced re. 'first take' vibe: eg. the piano, and Reilly's masterful 'police-car' moment (mimetic guitar!) sound very carefully inserted.

I like the 'I do / I hope' too: the redundancy of the 'I do', which is just a quintessential Morrisey phrase.

And I too like the vocal as a whole - it's so *strained*: like he pitched it too high.

Another Really great moment: "Don't leave your torch behind / A power-cut ahead / 1972, you know". That bears some pondering.

― the pinefox, Saturday, 10 August 2002 14:11 (twenty-two years ago)

The "I never stole a happy hour around here" - like happiness is something he shouldn't own, something owned by others he can only steal glimpses. The conversation of "...yes, I told you it was silly..." relating up the song. The d00mie style melodrama of Who Will Lie Down on Transfer: "(secretly wishing me gone)/Well, I will be soon/Ooh, I will be soon/I will be soon/I will be soon/Will be soon, I will be soon/Mmm ... I will be soon, I will be soon". Those crunchy drums.

― david h (david h), Saturday, 10 August 2002 14:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks for the clarification re the drums. And no, I don't think that there's anything wrong with drum machines per se, just when I was (re-)listening to this, that's what stuck out as dated about the track. (But no I cannot steal a pair of jeans/ off a clothesline for you...")

― Mary, Saturday, 10 August 2002 22:47 (twenty-two years ago)

For what it's worth -- muttered this on another thread -- the man himself was scheduled to play the song at the opening show of the new tour, though he didn't actually do so. Set list and report of show here, though this will be changing as new shows happen...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 11 August 2002 00:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Regarding the 'drum machine' ness of 'Late night..." and other parts of 'Viva Hate' (the intro to 'Break up the family' springs to mind), I think this goes back to it being recorded in the Wool Hall in Bath in the late 80s, a place where the dreaded Tears For Fears were working through their obsession with technology at the time. I always thought that the drum machine sounds on 'VH' were comparable with those on some TFF records from earlier on in the decade, but that's just me. Or maybe it was Stephen S and Vini R trying to add that distinctive late 80s Durutti drum machine sound to the mix (compare with "Guitar and other machines" perhaps)?

Anyway, just passing thoughts.

― Rob M, Sunday, 11 August 2002 08:39 (twenty-two years ago)

It took me a long time to like this song precisely because I couldn't stand the drums sound. I hated it, to the point of skipping the elegaic masterpiece altogether! I was pissed off that this beautiful, quiet and reflective guitar strumming was being pointlessly brutalized by that inappropriate, fake and mostly way too LOUD clapping.

Riding in a friend's car in 1994, the backseat all for myself, feeling relaxed and happy, the song came on the stereo and... for the first time ever, I got into it. All of a sudden, it all made sense, it all came clear. The beat, the drums sound, not only did it not matter anymore, not only did it not prevent me from appreciating the song, it now belonged to the song just as much as all the arrangements, and I loved it. It was whole, overwhelming, necessary.

Oh, my favourite bit also is: "Oooooooohooooooooo I doooo / I hope you're singing now / Wherever you are...", since you're asking...

― Simon, Tuesday, 13 August 2002 23:04 (twenty-two years ago)

"Our Frank" is still one of my favorite Morrissey tunes. This has always been met with incredulity and anger. Why?

I can tell you the worst part of "Margaret On The Guillotine": "Make the dream real..."

― Chris Ott, Wednesday, 14 August 2002 12:41 (twenty-two years ago)

What's wrong with "Make the dream real..."? I like it! PS Just got Moz tix for SF (thanks for the heads up Ned) and the controversy seems to be that Morrissey is opening for the Jaguares; "does he slide by the wayside..."?

― Mary, Thursday, 15 August 2002 02:19 (twenty-two years ago)

fwiw i think our frank probably has some of my favorite morrissey lyrics.

― nicole, Thursday, 15 August 2002 12:22 (twenty-two years ago)

"Give it a rest won't you...give me a CIGARETTE..." Etc., yay. I love the whole overuse of vocal reverb on Kill Uncle, actually -- talk about wanting to work out an early Elvis fixation. And yer welcome, Mary.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 15 August 2002 20:26 (twenty-two years ago)

"Our Frank" is a horrifying, awful song. It's the first Morrissey song I heard where he sounded awful. The chorus is one of the WORST THINGS EVER, with his adenoidal honking "Your frankly vulGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR/Red pullovEEEEEEEEEEEEEER": OH FUCK OFF YOU TWAT.

This is the song that really crystallized my hatred of Morrissey.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 16 August 2002 13:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I'll grant you that line, yes.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 16 August 2002 16:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't dislike any song in the entire Morrissey oevre. This is not right, I know, but we've all got some artists like this I imagine. My least favorite would be "Boyracer," and I'm indifferent to most of Maladjusted (and bored by the song "Alma Mater" which seems to be a favorite of many). Never particularly cared for any of his covers either. Worst Smiths song: "Meat is Murder"

― Aaron A., Saturday, 17 August 2002 02:47 (twenty-two years ago)

i have never heard this song but "oh fuck off you twat" is my favourite line/detail from this thread.

― duane, Saturday, 17 August 2002 05:21 (twenty-two years ago)

No one stays up for you...

― cecilia, Saturday, 17 August 2002 13:09 (twenty-two years ago)

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