Morrissey A-Z: "Jack the Ripper"

I can't overstate how much I love this song.

Wouldn't be the first or last time that Morrissey likened desire to murder. I'm a little surprised to see how much love the 2004 version is getting, I thought it was consensus opinion that 1992/

Hearing it before it was even released, was a wtf is this?! magical nights in 92.
1995's outing was the definitive version. The Quarry-era is a little stiff for my tastes.

This song always felt sort of rare and mysterious to me, from its relatively lo-fi origins on the b-side of "Certain People I Know" to the dropped final verse to Morrissey's quiet obsession with it. This song is clearly a favorite of his.

Was this Boz's first writing credit? Or was that "You've Had Her"?
With JTRipper and YHHer another favorite of mine, when it first struck me how interesting Boz’s contributions were.

Yes! I remember being transfixed by it, too, in Orlando in November 92. Just completely mesmerising.

Where you up front that night? believe there was two Florida shows, was Orlando the one that had the folding chairs for seats in front? I remember what a mess that was. Though, a great show.
 
Hearing it before it was even released, was a wtf is this?! magical nights in 92.



With JTRipper and YHHer another favorite of mine, when it first struck me how interesting Boz’s contributions were.



Where you up front that night? believe there was two Florida shows, was Orlando the one that had the folding chairs for seats in front? I remember what a mess that was. Though, a great show.
We were a little further back, in Orlando - I remember there being a fairly big scrap up front at one point? Strange times.
 
I mean, the studio version doesn't even sound like like Mick Ronson had anything to do with it.
I dunno - it definately sounds produced to me, even if it sounds nothing like the stomping glam of 'Your Arsenal'. Both this and 'You've Had Her' have a strange, haunting feel to them that I find atmospheric. No idea what kind of state Ronson was in by this point though (I presume it was the last stuff they worked on before he died).

I do love the live version, and probably prefer it on most levels - but I do think the studio version has a charm of it's own, and gets unfairly overlooked in some quarters.
 
By my lights, in the top 10 songs of his entire career - and indeed in the top five if looking only at his solo work.

It's always been reliably strong live, but the Beethoven Was Deaf version has really never been bettered - much like the Introducing Morrissey version of Speedway.
 
By my lights, in the top 10 songs of his entire career - and indeed in the top five if looking only at his solo work.

It's always been reliably strong live, but the Beethoven Was Deaf version has really never been bettered - much like the Introducing Morrissey version of Speedway.

I definitely prefer the original way he played it live as was captured on BWD and some bootlegs from that era to how he played in the 2019 shows. It's almost as though some of the 'bite' is gone in the newer versions (but yeah, the smoke adds a nice atmospheric element).
 
Tags
morrissey a-z
Back
Top Bottom