Morrissey A-Z: "Oh Phoney"

BookishBoy

Well-Known Member



Today's song is this Morrissey/Armstrong composition, written for the original Bona Drag sessions but not officially released until the 2010 edition of that album.

What do we think of this one?
 
Great fun! Back when Mozzer could be silly as a goose and still write good lyrics.
 
What a bizarre little song this is, this is only the second or so time I’ve heard it....

Hitler, bus drivers,
It’s just madness.....
But fun
Enjoyed hearing this again
 
When I first heard this song, I was incredulous as to it actually being Moz. It just seemed as if he was taking a piss at our expense - Moz singing a parody of himself! Probably best it never made a formal release. But oh how it captures the sound of that time!
 
its a fun track,not a fan of his voice on this.
6 hitlers/10 bus conductors.
 
Tbh I used to really dislike this one, but over the years it's actually grown on me; however, it pales into relative insignificance when measured against his other, vastly superior, works of art.

Tony Wilson btw?

From autobiog:

"Wilson repeatedly turns up at Morrissey concerts and then automatically lambasts me in print or on radio almost as if he enjoys his hatreds more than he enjoys his joys. ‘Let’s face it,’ he says on Australian radio, ‘Morrissey really IS a horrible person.’ Weeks later I am behind the wheel of my sky-blue Jag in Los Angeles, stalled at traffic lights. I spot whom I think to be Jerry Springer walking across the street in front of me (Miller Drive, should you care), but of course it is Urmston’s answer to nothing, and Wilson bows his head towards me and offers a smile – as three-faced as ever he was."
 
Tbh I used to really dislike this one, but over the years it's actually grown on me; however, it pales into relative insignificance when measured against his other, vastly superior, works of art.

Tony Wilson btw?

From autobiog:

"Wilson repeatedly turns up at Morrissey concerts and then automatically lambasts me in print or on radio almost as if he enjoys his hatreds more than he enjoys his joys. ‘Let’s face it,’ he says on Australian radio, ‘Morrissey really IS a horrible person.’ Weeks later I am behind the wheel of my sky-blue Jag in Los Angeles, stalled at traffic lights. I spot whom I think to be Jerry Springer walking across the street in front of me (Miller Drive, should you care), but of course it is Urmston’s answer to nothing, and Wilson bows his head towards me and offers a smile – as three-faced as ever he was."
tony wilson more faces than the toon clock.
 
Would have made a great B-Side, but probably not album worthy. I have to say though, I much prefer the mix on the original leaked version, with more stompy Madness feel. The official release seems a bit too 'stripped back'.
 
I love it because he is absurdly out of tune... But it makes it brilliant.
It's not surprising that it was NOT included in Bona Drag in the first edition, it's probably the most bizarre song by Morrissey.
(I love it, but I know it's absolutely bizarre... even Jandek may ask himself: "What the hell is he doing there?").

I also get why some people doesn't like it.... I don't find such thing odd, but I do.
 
Would have made a great B-Side, but probably not album worthy. I have to say though, I much prefer the mix on the original leaked version, with more stompy Madness feel. The official release seems a bit too 'stripped back'.

Yep, agreed, I much prefer this version.
 
This might have been a slightly better choice of b-side than Get Off the Stage, but that's not saying much. The Bona Drag sessions really did produce a paltry amount of decent material. Only 3 of the songs attempted could realistically have been considered for a studio LP imo.

This is one of Morrissey's oddest lead vocals and the songwriting is utterly disposable.

In the poll on the Hoffman board it ranked 259th from 264 solo songs.
 
Here's something I had in my notebook, but can't see on this site.
Kevin Armstrong's own recording of the track:


"Kevin Armstrong has had a stellar career since the early 1980s as sidekick for David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Morrissey, Sinéad O’Connor, Prefab Sprout, Thomas Dolby and host of others. Kevin continues to tour the world with Iggy Pop and has released the solo album RUN in 2018."

Regards,
FWD.

(And veering O/T, here's him doing He Knows I'd Love To See Him)
 
tony wilson more faces than the toon clock.

Well, he was a business man, which is something much closer to a politician rather than an artist.
 
Here's something I had in my notebook, but can't see on this site.
Kevin Armstrong's own recording of the track:


"Kevin Armstrong has had a stellar career since the early 1980s as sidekick for David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Morrissey, Sinéad O’Connor, Prefab Sprout, Thomas Dolby and host of others. Kevin continues to tour the world with Iggy Pop and has released the solo album RUN in 2018."

Regards,
FWD.

(And veering O/T, here's him doing He Knows I'd Love To See Him)

This more bare intimate presentation of the song Oh Phony works much better than the Morrissey version to me,
maybe it’s the way Armstrong heard it when he originally wrote the music, wonder how he felt hearing
the Morrissey version.

Very nice. And Armstrong’s version of Outside sounds more like a Morrissey song than a Bowie song in someways.

Thanks for the link.
 
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