Rocker Morrissey has called in his lawyers - to ban the broadcast of a 20-second tape of him singing.
The segment of a previously-unheard demo tape recorded early in the star's solo career was set to be aired by the BBC this week (begs03May10) during a radio show about producer Stephen Street.
But the former Smiths singer was furious when he found out about the plan - and his lawyers vowed to take action against the show if the tape was played.
The legal threat left Street baffled - because superstars including Sir Paul MCCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Phil Collins were happy to have their early, unheard work broadcast on the show.
In a statement, Street says: "It was intended to play a 20 second segment of an out take demo that I recorded with Morrissey in the programme, but (on) Friday afternoon (30Apr10) both the BBC and myself received a letter from Morrissey's solicitors threatening an immediate injunction preventing any broadcast unless the material was removed.
"Apparently their client (Morrissey) was 'horrified that the proposed material would be broadcast'. I can not understand this way of thinking at all. Throughout the programme I am extremely in full praise of Morrissey and the demo was intended to show that even when he was singing on a four track cassette he still sounded great!
"I didn't think it would do any harm to play a small segment but it has, at this very late stage been removed... The producer of the programme, Steve Levine, has told me that throughout all the other episodes including artists such as Paul MCCartney, Holland, Dozier, Holland (Motown), Bruce Springsteen and Phil Collins, rough demos have been played with their blessing and this is the first time they have been threatened with an injunction... Oh well, some things (or people) never change!"
Street co-wrote and produced Morrissey's debut solo album, 1988's Viva Hate.