Morrissey says his new album, “Ringleaders of the Tormentors,” has “no link to the past” and that it is “not a continuation” of his 2004 comeback, “You are the Quarry.” Answering questions from fans on the authoritative fan site True to You, the former Smiths frontman credited producer Tony Visconti and engineer Marco Martin for pushing him creatively.
“Tony has been a very uplifting influence,” Morrissey said. “[He] has done a great job as producer and I’m honored to have worked with him. Marco Martin, who engineered, also played such a big part in the overall sound.”
“Firstly, the musicianship is outstanding,” the artist enthused. “Secondly, the songs are very strong, which is a great thing to be able to say this far down the line. We were all very unified — everyone gets on very well, we are all very close friends, and everyone works for the common good, and there is never anyone pulling away — as there has been in the past. So, this all helped to make the album as good as it is — and we all know it is the best.
Expected in March, the 12-track “Ringleaders” will feature the song “Dear God Please Help Me,” which boasts string arrangements by legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone. “[It] was very flattering because he’d turned so many multi-million selling pop acts down (I won’t mention their names — U2, David Bowie, etc.), so I was delighted that he said yes to scruffy old me,” Morrissey said.
“He was very shy, and he was heavily surrounded and shielded, and there was no way that he and I would end up at the local pub playing darts,” he continued. “But that’s OK.”
Here is the track list for “Ringleaders of the Tormentors”:
“I Will See You in Far-Off Places”
“Dear God Please Help Me”
“You Have Killed Me”
“The Youngest Was the Most Loved”
“In the Future When All’s Well”
“The Father Who Must Be Killed”
“Life Is a Pigsty”
“I’ll Never Be Anybody’s Hero Now”
“On the Streets I Ran”
“To Me You Are a Work of Art”
“I Just Want To See the Boy Happy”
“At Last I Am Born”
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