Discography

A (hopefully) comprehensive discography of everything Grant Morrison has recorded. Much of the information on this page was taken from Dannie Vallely and Ulric Kennedy's now defunct Spirophone website, which also includes lots of pictures and MP3's of the various groups concerned. The Acid Tapes compilations and the full length Mixers album Speed, Madness, Flying Saucers are available on CD-R from Acid Tapes (though they've been mastered from cassette and the sound quality is... not great).

I'm still looking for copies of This Bastard's Bible and The Devils - The Mixers Live if by some sort of unlikely quirk of fate anyone has a copy of either of them lying around. If, by an even more unlikley quirk of fate, you taped the Super 9 session off of Beat Patrol 20+ years ago and still have it I'd be happy to take that off your hands too. Get in touch via the usual avenues if you have any of these, know anything about the unreleased stuff, or if you know about stuff that should be listed here but isn't.

Thanks!

EARLY WORK

    • Prior to joining The Mixers in 1980, Grant Morrison played with Ulric Kennedy in The Mask & The Master and The Individuals. Both were likely strictly bedroom bands, and no recordings are known to exist.

THE MIXERS

"The Mixers formed in 1980 when 15-year-old singer-songwriter-guitarists Dannie Vallely and Ulric Kennedy replaced departing lead guitarist Jim Bell in a group comprising Grant Morrison (rhythm guitar) and Ron Bookless (bass).

Eventually joined by Mikel Angus (drums), the band adopted a name from Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange and set about creating melodic pop which drew heavily on 60s influences cross-fertilised with the supercharged delivery of the punk era.

The band played a succession of gigs around Glasgow to little effect, eventually finding kindred spirits among the London-based New Psychedelia crowd who likened their demos to "The Hollies on speed."

In 1984, by which time the band had effectively split up, two Mixers tracks - Love Hurts and Never Find Time - made it onto Daniel Treacy's legendary Wha-am! compilation All For Art and Art For All, later re-surfacing as a 7" on Vinyl Japan in the 1990s." - Spirophone

    • Other Mixers songs (some of which may appear on This Bastard’s Bible or The Devils – The Mixers Live) include ‘Bebé Bebé’, ‘Girl From Hell’, ‘Look At Him Now’, ‘Change Your Mind’ and covers of The Yardbirds‘ ‘Good Morning Little Schoolgirl’ and Wilson Pickett’s ‘In The Midnight Hour’

    • A June ’95 issue of the Melody Maker referred to a Mixers track named ‘Bludgeoned’ which appeared on a 1983 compilation album ‘Pop Goes Art', also featuring Jenny And The Cat Club. This seems likely to be a mix-up.

    • The late 90’s releases on Vinyl Japan, including the 7” reissue of ‘Never Find Time’/’Love Hurts’ were not authorized by the band. Presumably Vinyl Japan bought the master tapes to ‘All For Art…’ and assumed that the recording had been paid for by the previous owner/label, in which case they would be theirs to exploit as they wished.

    • "...a whole album’s worth of stuff” was demoed during The Mixers’ 1996 reunion but nothing has been released. A teaser for their “first ever 4 track EP… Never Find Time, You Know She Knows and more!!!” appeared on the Spirophone website, but it too was never released.

DISCOGRAPHY

  • This Bastard's Bible

Targon Tapes, 1982 (cassette)

  • The Devils - The Mixers Live

Groovybeat, 1983 (cassette)

  • Various Artists - All For Art and Art For All

Whaam!, BIG8, 1984 (LP) - Includes 'Never Find Time' and 'Love Hurts'

  • Speed, Madness, Flying Saucers

Acid Tapes, TAB 019, 1984, (cassette) - No One Loves You At All / Now / Pictures Of You / Dear Sister, Love / Big Store / The Greenroom / Whisper Soft / Strangest Play / Bitter Sun / Closer.

  • Various Artists - Little Creepy, We Shine So Sleepy, So Whoopee!

Acid Tapes, TAB 021, 1984 (cassette) - Includes 'Pictures Of You'

  • Various Artists - A Tribute To Tricky Ricky

Rouska, RUSK 003, 1985 (cassette) - Includes 'Charlie Chimpus' and 'Closer Now' (this is the same track as ‘Closer’ from Speed, Madness, Flying Saucers)

  • Various Artists - Whaam! Bam! Thank You Dan! - A Whaam Records Compilation 1981 - 1984

Vinyl Japan, ASKCD 43, 1995 (CD) - Includes 'Never Find Time' and 'Love Hurts'

  • 'Never Find Time' / 'Love Hurts'

Vinyl Japan, PAD 40, 1998, 7"

  • Various Artists - Vinyl Japan Calling - The Official Method of Klub Dancing

Vinyl Japan, PNK0709-217, 1999, 2xCD (Japan) - Includes 'Never Find Time'

  • Various Artists - ourfloatingimagesofyouth

Vinyl Japan, ASK 100, 1999, 2xCD / 2xLP - Includes 'Never Find Time'

  • Various Artists - The Great British Beat! Volume One

Blaamm! Records, BLAAMM 506, 2014, CD - Includes 'Never Find Time'

JENNY & THE CAT CLUB

“Jenny and The Cat Club was the name adopted by Dannie Vallely following the disintegration of The Mixers/Ochre 5. Having fallen heir to a 4-track Portastudio, Dannie recorded demos almost constantly, of his own songs as well as those of Professor Space and The Catalysts.

These recordings were circulated around a network of fanzines and tape labels and when Alan of Bludgeoned! got the chance to release a compilation LP he included Dannie's No-One Loves You At All.

In late 1986, Dannie formed a group with ex-Mixers Grant Morrison and Ron Bookless on guitar and bass respectively and Willie Mone on drums, who started out calling themselves Jenny and The Cat Club, but changed their name to The Fauves when they chanced upon another Glasgow band called The Cat Club.” - Spirophone

    • Both Jenny & The Cat Club tracks were previously released by The Mixers. ‘Now ‘ and ‘No-One Loves You At All’ both appear on The Mixers’ album Speed, Madness, Flying Saucers.

DISCOGRAPHY

  • Various Artists - A Tribute To Tricky Ricky

Rouska, RUSK 003, 1985 (cassette) - Includes 'Now'

  • Various Artists - Bludgeoned!

Bludgeoned!, BLUD 1, 1986 (LP) - Includes 'No-one Loves You At All'

OCHRE 5

“Ochre 5 began life as a bedroom tape Dannie Vallely made using cardboard boxes for drums - a la The Byrds - and employing the vocal talents of his sister Joanne Vallely.

The tape was sent to Alan McGee who, predictably, loved it. Weeks later The Jesus and Mary Chain turned up on Joanne's doorstep in East Kilbride demanding the band join them for a Creation Records launch night in Glasgow.

A band was formed for the event featuring Dannie Vallely (guitar/keyboards), ex-Mixers Grant Morrison (rhythm guitar) and Ulric Kennedy (bass) with Pete Haggerty (drums).

Ochre 5 were the only band on the bill that night who did not go on to record a single for Creation, presumably due to McGee's unhappiness on discovering so many ex-Mixers in a band he thought he liked.

This short-lived line-up produced a number of demos but ceased trading when Pete went off to Iceland and Ulric left to become The Catalysts.” - Spirophone

    • Ochre 5 supported The Jesus and Mary Chain at Glasgow’s The Venue on 11th October 1984. They were the first of the support bands, followed by Meat Whiplash and Primal Scream. The show also saw Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie making his debut as JAMC’s drummer.

DISCOGRAPHY

  • Various Artists - Everybody's High

Acid Tapes, TAB 007, 1984 (cassette) - Includes 'Virtual Sham', 'Special Attention'

  • Various Artists - Everyday Heroes

Acid Tapes, TAB 010, 1984 (cassette) - Includes 'Only Now'

  • Various Artists - Little Creepy, We Shine So Sleepy, So Whoopee!

Acid Tapes, TAB 021, 1985 (cassette) - Includes 'Girl On The M6'

THE FAUVES

“The Fauves developed out of Jenny and The Cat Club, featuring Dannie Vallely and Grant Morrison on guitars/vocals, Ron Bookless on bass and Willie Mone on drums.

The band existed from 1987 till 1989, playing at various venues around Glasgow and releasing a single: Tortured Soul/October on their own Roger label.

They ceased operations when drummer Willie left because he thought Grant's many Morrissey-influenced songs such as Bully the Boys were "too poofy".

Drummer Eddie Cochrane was recruited as a replacement, but Dannie left soon afterwards to pursue his own sunshine pop vision, and was replaced on lead guitar by former Mixer Ulric Kennedy, newly departed from The Golden Dawn.

This short-lived line-up recorded demos as The March Hares, a name which was later changed to Super 9.” - Spirophone

    • Previously unreleased track, 'Hello Cruel World', is available to download via the Spirophone site. Morrison mentions another track, the Ronnie Bookless-penned ‘Father Dear Father I Have To Confess’, in the 15th anniversary edition of Arkham Asylum.

    • According to an interview Morrison gave to Amazing Heroes in 1989, Jo Callis of The Rezillos and The Human League was interested in producing the band’s follow-up to ‘Tortured Soul’, but nothing further was recorded after Cochrane and Vallely’s departure.

DISCOGRAPHY

Roger Records, ROGER 001, 1988 (7")

SUPER 9

    • Super 9’s entire recorded output consisted of two songs - 'Charles' and 'Stop The World I Want To Get On' - recorded in session for BBC Radio Scotland’s Beat Patrol, hosted by Peter Easton. Possibly recorded as far back as 1990, it was broadcast around April 1992. BBC Radio Scotland do not, as far as they’re aware have any sort of archive of Beat Patrol programming. Anyone out there with a secret tape stash?

    • Thanks to Scott for the lyrics -

    • 'Charles' - ‘Can I walk with you Charles?/I’ve got nothing better left to do/Can I walk with you Charles?/Can I spend my days just following you?’

    • 'Stop The World I Want To Get On' - ‘…all it took was a phone call/You knew that I’d come running/With my borrowed coat/Buttoned up to the throat in the middle of June/We’d smile, sharing a fag/We’ll be rich and famous some day/You used to say anything can happen but I know it’s too late//(chorus): And now, every single thing I do is for the first time/ And now, every single thing I do is for the last time/For the last time, for the last time I go down//…You’re only young once/But see I was busy and I missed you/And if you’re all on your own/And you should hear an unearthly moan/…well don’t worry, it’s only me singing//'

DHK

“Following on from an ill-fated reunion album The Mixers spent most of 1995 recording, Dannie Vallely, Ron Bookless and Grant Morrison took up the name Daisyhead, becoming first The Daisyhead Collective, then DiskoHead Kollective before settling on DHK.

One of the band's early songs - I'm A Policeman - appeared on the Disco 2000 compilation (remixed into unrecognisability by the Slam boys), after which Grant was dropped, leaving Dannie and Ron as a duo.

They were signed by Invicta Hi-Fi in 1998, contributing a track to the Special Skool compilation and releasing a single - Girlarella - which they promoted with an appearance at an In The City event in Liverpool. By this time Ulric Kennedy had joined for live appearances and work on an LP began in earnest.

After a further gig in Glasgow - bizarrely supporting Star Trek's Tuvac - Ron retired from the music business, leaving Dannie in control of DHK.

The album DHKHQ was completed (with Ulric playing on many tracks), but so far remains unreleased.” - Spirophone

    • Dannie Vallely put the original version of ‘I’m A Policeman’, featuring Grant on vocals, up on the bands MySpace page in 2006 but it’s long gone now. Anybody manage to get a rip of it?

    • Grant also contributed to two unreleased DHK tracks ‘Revlover’ and ‘Hands Around The World’, the latter of which features on promos of the unreleased DHKHQ album and on the MySpace page linked above.

DISCOGRAPHY

  • Various Artists - Disco 2000

Boka Records, BOKA 002, 1999 (CD / 3x12") - Includes 'I'm a Policeman (Label Whore’s Barely Legal Mix)'

UNRELEASED MATERIAL

    • ART BOY

An Acid House collaboration between Morrison and Jo Callis, formerly of The Rezillos and The Human League, probably recorded in the late 90's. Intended as a limited CD release, it never appeared.

  • THE BEASTOCRACY: FRESH FROM VENEZUELA

"40 minutes of fun from the barnyard dandies. Spoken word, music and madness recorded for The Beastocracy radio show." Trailed via Grant Morrison's website, the album never saw the light of day. The Beastocracy was a club night/'happening' that Morrison was involved in that appeared a couple of times (?) at the Glasgow CCA back in 2000. You can read their manifesto here.

If The Beastocracy radio show ever happened I've never seen any reference to it aside from the promo quoted above.

  • ass2ass – ‘THE HOMELESSs’

"A limited edition collection of 10 new songs, including ‘Among The Rushes’, ‘Boys Ahoy!’. Numbered, personalised and signed by Grant Morrison". I think Grant's website was accepting pre-orders for this at one point, but it was never released.

  • cockYpop

A retrospective of Grant Morrison music recordings 1984 - 1999. Unreleased.

  • LUCKY MONKEY

"A spoken word and music collaboration with Steven Severin. Including ‘Eulogy For Mickey Mouse’", intended to be released on Severin's now defunct RE: label (also the home of various spoken word albums by Alan Moore).

  • ALTERNITY

An adaptation, with new material, of the 'Alternity' performance from the 2002 Colville Gallery opening, featuring photographs by Steve Cook, music by Mee and words by Grant Morrison. Included on CD/catalogue accompanying Alternity/Personal Space exhibition at Gigantic Art Space, NYC 2004. You can watch the performance here.

  • ZEPPELINS OVER GOLGOTHA – FUCK STAR

  • THE CON

A one-off, never-to-be-repeated performance created especially for Morrisoncon. Grant Morrison teams up with Gerard Way and James Dewees of My Chemical Romance for a thirty minute spoken-word piece with music. Part short story, part history, part occult ritual, as Howard Hughes faces Liberace in a duel to the death for the soul of Las Vegas! You can watch the performance here.