Capitol Records was holding onto two Morrissey albums for the past few years. The singer recently regained the rights to the records and announced the victory on his website as follows:
“Morrissey has paid the exit fee to Capitol Records in order to return both ‘World Peace Is None of Your Business’ and ‘Bonfire of Teenagers’ albums back to him.”
He was quoted commenting:
“It’s been a long, hard, bloody war. Few would make it out alive, and … I’m no exception.”
The website noted that Morrissey currently remains unsigned.
Unreleased For Years
‘Bonfire of Teenagers’ was recorded between 2020 and 2021, but Capitol Records refused to distribute it for about three years.
Morrissey criticized his former label for what he calls a ‘censorian’ approach within the music industry last June:
“The same creeping culture of censorship at Capitol Records has taken place with ‘Bonfire of Teenagers,’ and the civic structure of Capitol now appears fascist. I still have hope in the music industry, but there are evidently several powerful faces within it that have no honest interest in music … and you follow them into the shadows at your peril.”
Was It A Sabotage?
The singer cut ties with Capitol Records in 2022. He described his unreleased record as ‘the best album of his life’ and accused the label of sabotaging his work. His words in February 2023 read:
“Although Morrissey officially signed with Capitol Records Los Angeles, there has been no mention of Morrissey on Capitol’s website or on their Artists roster. Morrissey has said that although he does not believe that Capitol Records in Los Angeles signed ‘Bonfire of Teenagers’ in order to sabotage it, he is quickly coming around to that belief.”
Morrissey has yet to reveal his plans for ‘World Peace Is None of Your Business’ and ‘Bonfire of Teenagers.’