Ringleader of the Tormentors

Untitled

Ringleader of the Tormentors is the title of Morrissey's most recent album, which debuted at number one in the UK album charts and number twenty-seven in the US. Billboard magazine described the album as showcasing "a thicker, more rock-driven sound"[1]; Morrissey attributes this change in sound to new guitarist Jesse Tobias. The album was released on 3 April 2006 internationally and on 4 April 2006 in North America. The album was released on the Attack Records label.

Recording for the album commenced in late August 2005 in Rome. Mixing began in late October 2005.

Originally Morrissey was to record the album with producer Jeff Saltzman, however he could not undertake the project. Early in recording Morrissey's publicist described it as "the most full-on rock record Morrissey's ever done. It's a balls-to-the-wall rock record, not a slow one like the last one." Yet in typical Morrissey style this seems to have been a myth. Producer Tony Visconti, of T. Rex and David Bowie fame, took over the production role and Morrissey announced that Ringleader of the Tormentors is to be "the most beautiful—perhaps the most gentle, so far."

Tony Visconti wrote on his website on 1 November 2005: "We have been working on the music and each day it just sounds better and better. I find every musician in the band a joy to work with. Morrissey's vocals are passionate and confident. Right now I'm at the mixing stage and most of the musicians have gone home. I am two thirds of the way through one of the best albums I've ever worked on, with not only Morrissey at his best, but the plot has twists and turns which somehow involve film composer Ennio Morricone and an Italian children's choir. That should whet your appetite, you Moz fans, you!"

The album's opening track, "I Will See You in Far-off Places," was leaked on the Internet on 2 February 2006. The music combines mystic chanting, horns, buzzsaw guitars, a pounding bass line and relentless drumming with vocal gymnastics reminiscent of several tracks from You Are the Quarry such as "Come Back to Camden" and "You Know I Couldn't Last." Boasting a Middle Eastern melody, lyrics touching upon the theme include:

Destiny for some is to save lives | But destiny for some is to end lives | But there is no end | And I will see you in far-off places

If your God bestows protection upon you | And if the U.S.A. doesn't bomb you | I believe I will see you | Somewhere safe | Looking to the camera | Messing around and pulling faces

Speculation at various Morrissey fansites have suggested the song is about Osama bin Laden, and that "far-off places" is a metaphor for hell. Others have interpreted the song as addressing a lover in a Middle Eastern nation.

The album's first single, "You Have Killed Me," was first broadcast on the radio station BBC 6 Music on 4 February 2006. The song's lyrics reference Rome and Romans several times, with lines such as "Piazza Cavour, what's my life for," and mention of actress Anna Magnani and author/film director Pier Paolo Pasolini (who was born in Bologna but lived in and wrote about Rome). "You Have Killed Me" was released on 27 March 2006 and reached number three in the UK singles chart.

The entire Ringleader of the Tormentors album was leaked on the Morrissey fansite, Morrissey-solo, on 5 March 2006.

The musicians recording with Morrissey in Rome were: Jesse Tobias, Alain Whyte, Boz Boorer, Gary Day, Mikey Farrell, and Matt Chamberlain. Chamberlain replaced Dean Butterworth, who decided to continue drumming for the band Good Charlotte. Marco Origel, from the San Francisco area, engineered the album.

"In the Future When All's Well" has received some airplay in the United States on alternative rock radio.

Track listing

1. "I Will See You in Far-off Places" (Morrissey and Alain Whyte) – 4:13
2. "Dear God Please Help Me" (Morrissey and Alain Whyte) – 5:51
3. "You Have Killed Me" (Morrissey and Jesse Tobias) – 3:08
4. "The Youngest Was the Most Loved" (Morrissey and Jesse Tobias) – 2:59
5. "In the Future When All's Well" (Morrissey and Jesse Tobias) – 3:54
6. "The Father Who Must Be Killed" (Morrissey and Alain Whyte) – 3:53
7. "Life Is a Pigsty" (Morrissey and Alain Whyte) – 7:22
8. "I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now" (Morrissey and Alain Whyte) – 4:14
9. "On the Streets I Ran" (Morrissey and Jesse Tobias) – 3:51
10. "To Me You Are a Work of Art" (Morrissey and Alain Whyte) – 4:02
11. "I Just Want to See the Boy Happy" (Morrissey and Jesse Tobias) – 2:59
12. "At Last I Am Born" (Morrissey and Michael Farrell) – 3:33

Singles

• "You Have Killed Me" (27 March 2006)
• "The Youngest Was the Most Loved" (5 June 2006)
• "In the Future When All's Well" (21 August 2006)
• "I Just Want to See the Boy Happy" (3 December 2006)

Musicians

The Band

• Morrissey - Vocals
• Alain Whyte - Guitars and backing vocals
• Boz Boorer - Guitars
• Jesse Tobias - Guitars
• Gary Day - Bass guitar
• Matt Chamberlain - Drums
• Michael Farrell - Piano, organ, keyboards, trumpet, trombone and percussion

String Arrangement

• Ennio Morricone - "Dear God Please Help Me"

Children's Choir on "The Youngest Was the Most Loved", "The Father Who Must Be Killed" and "At Last I Am Born"

• Laura Adriani
• Gaia e Andrea Baroni
• Niccolo Centioni
• Julia D'Andrea
• Alice e Ester Diodovich
• Marco Lorecchio
• Charlotte Patrignani