Morrissey Says New LP No Longer Coming From Capitol In February
There are other new twists to the ongoing saga concerning Morrissey’s forthcoming album Bonfire of Teenagers. In two messages published on his official website over the past two days, the former Smith singer revealed that he has cut ties with his latest record label, his management company and apparently Miley Cyrus as well.
A Dec. 23 post titled “Roll on 2023” reads: “Morrissey has voluntarily stepped down from management of Maverick/Quest. Morrissey has also voluntarily withdrawn from any association with Capitol Records (Los Angeles).”
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Today (Dec. 24), a new post titled “Miley Is A Punk Rocker” reads: “Miley Cyrus now wants to be removed from the song ‘I Am Veronica,’ which she volunteered to be almost two years ago reported backing vocals. This comes at a time when Morrissey has parted ways with Capitol Records (Los Angeles), who control the hidden album Bonfire of Teenagers.” The post also includes a photo of Morrissey and Cyrus during the original recording session for the song.
The latest news adds another hurdle to the release of what would be Morrissey’s follow-up to 2020’s I Am Not A Dog on A Chain. An update from the singer in November hinted at some discord with Capitol, as he shared that there was no longer a scheduled February release date for the new album, adding that “its fate rests solely in the hands of Capitol Records.” Curiously, Capitol still released one of the Bonfire songs, the heavily indebted Smiths “Rebels Without Applause,” as a single.
Quest’s Scott Rodger, who also manages Paul McCartney and Arcade Fire, added context about the inclusion of Cyrus replied to an angry Morrissey fan on Twitter yesterday. “Morrissey’s album was supposed to be released [o]on February 23,” he said. “It will come out, but Morrissey himself made a statement on his blog that the album ‘features’ another artist who wished not to be credited, and therefore the artist’s label blocked the release. Has nothing to do with Capitol.”
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When the fan pushed back and asked why management wouldn’t “fight” for Morrissey, Rodger replied, “The artist who did backing vocals will be removed and replaced. This takes time, especially when it comes to Christmas. Unfortunately, when you say fight, it doesn’t work that way. The other label, Columbia, legally blocked it. You have the right to do so.”
Capitol has repeatedly declined comment from SPIN about the situation, and Morrissey is not currently featured on the label’s artist roster. This isn’t the first time the two parties have had a bitter relationship, as Capitol imprint Harvest dropped Morrissey back in 2014.
Cyrus would be part of a long list of guest stars on Bonfire of Teenagers, which was helmed by Grammy-winner Andrew Watt and his well-known collaborators, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and that band’s former guitarist Josh Klinghoffer see are. Flea and Iggy Pop will also appear on the album, which has been in the making for almost two years but remains in limbo.
That hasn’t stopped Morrissey from debuting several Bonfire of Teenagers songs live in concert this year, including “I Am Veronica”, “Rebels Without Applause”, “Sure Enough, the Telephone Rings”, “I Live in Oblivion”, “Kerouac’s Crack” and “Saint in a Stained Glass Window”. The tour was also marred by a spate of cancellations due to illness, and Morrissey left an LA show after just nine songs due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Amid the turmoil surrounding Bonfire of Teenagers, Morrissey returns to the studio in January and February to work on another new album, Without Music The World Dies. Sharing the announcement on December 8, the singer also alluded to the fact that he didn’t have a label, explaining, “There is no record label for the project yet and ways are being explored to achieve global distribution reach.”
Additional reporting by Jonathan Cohen.
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