Customer Reviews

Something I Saw or Thought I Saw

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

AS A LONG TIME FAN MY EXPECTATIONS FROM MR. MORRISSEY ARE VERY HIGH (I USED TO TELL FRIENDS THAT HIS "STANDING EIGHT' CD WAS IN MY MIND HIS "BLONDE ON BLONDE". IF MY OBSERVATIONS WERE RIGHT, THIS WOULD CD WOULD BE BILL'S "BLOOD ON THE TRACKS". THIS THING SNEAKS-UP ON YOU AND PULLS YOU IN, AS ALL OF HIS BEST WORK HAS DONE IN THE PAST. FROM THE VERY FIRST CUT (23RD STREET) THE USE OF THE CLARINET IS APPLIED IN SUCH A TENDER AND SUBTLE WAY IT SETS A MOOD THAT YOU FEEL MIGHT NOT LAST FOR THE ENTIRE 12 SONGS BUT IN FACT THE WORK HERE ONLY GET BETTER. BILL CAN RIP YOUR HEART OUT AND HE DOESN'T LET ON, SUCH IS THE CASE WITH THE TUNE "MOVING DAY'. THE LYRICS ARE BEAUTIFUL AND THE USE OF JUST HIS GUITAR AND DAVID HENDERSONS BASS LEAVE YOU THE ROOM YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO THIS STORY OF A BREAK-UP. YOU DON'T TAKE A SIDE,YOUR SORRY FOR BOTH OF THE PEOPLE INVOLVED.THIS IS WHAT MR. MORRISSEY HAS ALWAYS DONE BEST, HIS OBSERVATIONS OF EVERYDAY LIFE BECOME LIKE ANTHEMS AS HE PAYS TRIBUTE IN A WAY TO THE "HUMAN CONDITION". THE SAME HOLDS TRUE WITH "JUST BEFORE WE LOST THE WAR". ANOTHER SONG THAT COULD "MOVE THE DEAD" THIS TIME HE ADDS IN JONNY CUNNINGHAM ON VIOLIN, AND THE RESULTS ARE ANOTHER PERFECT BLEND OF WORDS AND MUSIC. ADD THIS TO YOUR CART, GIVE YOURSELF A GOOD LONG LISTEN,AND YOU WILL GO ON A JOURNEY YOU WILL VERY GLAD THAT YOU TOOK!!!!!!!!

Rightly compared to Richard and Linda Thompson's classic, "Shoot Out the Lights," Morrissey has captured a romance fracturing. He remains one of the best storytellers in song, portraying a lonely night at the Chelsea Hotel perfectly in "23rd Street," the sadness of old age in "Traveling by Cab" and offering just a bit of hope with "Will You Be My Rose."
The spare arrangements allow the lyrics -- and Morrissey's distinctive, flanneled croak -- to stand appropriately unadorned in the spotlight. This is a tasteful record worthy of repeated listenings.

If you enjoy intelligent songwriters like John Gorka, John Prine, Richard Thompson and Emmylou Harris, then Morrissey is worth getting to know.

I've had this CD for a month now and it has not left my car CD player. It's been five years since You'll Never Get to Heaven and I was somewhat disappointed in that disk...however, Something I Saw or Thought I Saw confirms my belief that Bill Morrissey is without question the king of singer/songwriters. There are a number of excellent cuts my favorites being 23rd Street, Moving Day and the amazingly beautiful Will You Be my Rose. I place this CD on par with my other favorite Bill Morrisseys: Nighttrain, Inside and Standing Eight. Thank you Bill wherever you are.

More of the wonderful clips that Bill is so good at. In true Morrissey folk style, this cd reminds me what good, thoughtful music is about. This one is sparse, yet so complete. If you like Bill's 'Inside', you'll enjoy this one.

This is my third BM disc, but I do like the other two better. As an introduction to Bill, whose voice takes some getting used to, I'd recommend "Night Train". That has more humor, more life and hope. Next I'd try "You'll Never Get to Heaven". That one has four great poetic songs on it, along with a few second-rate items, but overall the backing New Orleans musicians are worth hearing just for themselves. This one has some great instrumental work as well with strings, horns and percussion, but the songs are not as powerful as many on the other two albums. As another reviewer says, Bill demands earphones and attention and a certain mood from the listener. He is an acquired taste, but once you acquire him you want to hear more and to repeat certain songs a lot. When I listen to BM, I find myself thinking that country legends Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson have a lot in common with Bill. Although he is New England folkie, all these guys have unusual phrasing, distinctive voices, electic tastes, a love for life's down-and-outers. Each one could do a song about riding a tractor in the hot sun all day, and follow it with a a tune about being lonely in the big city, and make both of them honest. If Cash, Willie, Waylon or Kris had done a whole album of Morrissey songs, maybe ten or twelve years ago, it could have been a huge hit, at least with the critics. I recently shared BM's disc "You'll Never Get to Heaven" with a friend whose musical tastes I respect greatly, and he found it unendurable. For me, however, by the third song, I was hooked on Bill. Music is so darn subjective, and sometimes the timing is just wrong for fan and artist to find each other. Listen to song samples, and if Bill's desolation-row voice does not scare you off, make an investment. He's a fine musician, great writer, and quirky talent.

The world changes, the millenium has ended, wars come and go, but Bill Morrissey stays the same. You can't compare this singer to anyone else, a voice that seems to be asking for a headphone or your ear on the speaker, and at the same time with such a perfect diction you dont need the lyric booklet at all. The music is also understated, everything here is the opposite of the big hit. It's like one of those Satie gymnopedies. Morrissey is telling the listener: Sit down and listen, but if you dont want to do it that's OK too.

If you liked his precious cd's then you'll like this one too for sure. If you have never heard him it's a good place to start, as are all his other cd's.

While this isn't nearly as impressive as "Standing Eight" or "Inside," it's a collection of songs that will grow on you, though you'll likely be annoyed by Morrissey's growly voice, which seems at times here to be as much affectation as necessity--as if he's trying really hard to sound like Bill Morrissey. Additionally, much of the stuff on here is derivative, sounding very much like past songs Morrissey has offered--both musically and lyrically. Still, there are some gems here, like "Moving Day," "St. Valentine's Day," and "Buddy Bolden's Blues."