It also went top 30 in Austria, Holland, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland suggesting that sales weren’t the issue.
The Capitol Records imprint was most probably irked by last week’s statement in which Morrissey praised fans “that have placed their own well-crafted videos on YouTube for the song ‘World Peace Is None Of Your Business’. The three individual sources are named as Sharon Jheeta, Héctor González and wpeace123456. These videos fully understand the intent of the song, and I am relieved that these films exist. Yes, a similar document ought to have been harvested by the record label, but please understand that the pop or rock industry can be as dedicated to perpetuating public deception as the world of politics itself. God bless social media!”
It should be stressed that Harvest have yet to confirm the news, with Morrissey still featuring prominently on their website.
Relations between artist and label had appeared to be cordial when Hot Press spoke exclusively to Morrissey a couple of weeks ago.
“We recorded 18 tracks in four weeks and the label seemed genuinely shocked that we worked so fast and produced something so good,” he told us. “Steve Barnett, the head of the label, said: ‘Well, we knew it would be good, but we didn’t expect it to be this good’… which was nice. Not something you hear every day. Or ever, in fact.”
Meanwhile, our Morrissey interview has gone worldwide with NME, the UK Independent, Digital Spy, Uncut, XFM, Le Figaro and Rolling Stone among those picking up on it, and Mogwai’s Stuart Brathwaite, Luke Haines and Grimes all applauding the straight-talking it contains.
While the celebrity chef has kept quiet, Jamie Oliver fans aren’t best pleased by Morrissey’s suggestion that their hero “be gassed by Princess Anne” as a step towards the eradication of animal cruelty.
You can order the issue of Hot Press with Morrissey on the cover from [link]hotpress.com/shopshop.php?product_id=11956239[/link]
Meanwhile, rumours abound that Morrissey is planning to visit the Dublin O2 as part of a European tour that kicks off on October 6 in Lisbon. Stayed tuned to hot press.com for updates.