Come listen to Mozza and Marr, their second studio album is well above par! (Meat Is Murder - The Smiths)

Member Name: DanielKemp

Product:	Meat Is Murder - The Smiths
Date:	22/04/09 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Morrissey's lyrics are superb observations of life, Marr's guitar work sounds great

Disadvantages: How Soon Is Now? had already been released on the superior Hatful of Hollow

Meat is Murder is the second studio album by The Smiths. Released in the February of 1985, it became their only album to reach number 1 in the UK chart while they were still together.
I can joyfully report that the atrocious production that had marred (haha!) their debut album has now been done away with. The production, this time around, really does the album justice and almost every track sounds as if it has been exploited for its full potential.

Although it had been confirmed with 1984's compilation album, Hatful of Hollow, this is certainly the first time on a Smiths' studio album that you truly experience the excellent songwriting partnership between Morrissey and Marr. Johnny Marr's guitar lines have improved vastly from the debut, intertwining with Morrissey's lyrics better than ever. Let us not forget the rhythm section though, as Andy Rourke's Bass is always a very prominent factor in the 10 song set.

One of the best songs featured here, How Soon Is Now?, had appeared a year earlier on the aforementioned Hatful of Hollow. Incredibly, it had originally been thrown away as the B-side to William, It Was Really Nothing. The fact that the band could afford to dispose of How Soon Is Now? as a B-side, only confirms that the quality of music the band released during their lifetime was almost unrivalled.

How Soon Is Now? will remain until the end of time for the simple fact that the majority of people can relate to it better than any other song. The lyrics, "You shut your mouth! How can you say I go about things the wrong way? I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does!", made thousands of hapless romantics around the world thank their stars that if nobody else understood their emotions, at least Morrissey did. Johnny Marr's oscillating guitar chords reverberate in your mind long after the song finishes, and Andy Rourke's funk bass drives the song to another level. It is all very nice indeed and it is one of the band's best songs.

What quickly becomes apparent upon multiple hearings of this album is that Morrissey was developing a very keen eye for observations. For example, take this lyric from the rockabilly Rusholme Ruffians, "Scratch your name on my arm with a fountain pen, this means, you really love me...". Now you cannot tell me that such a verse does not recall a thousand schooldays of misspent youth pining after your favourite crush? Needless to say, Morrissey's greatest attribute as a songwriter is his ability to connect with the average Joe via his down to earth lyrics.

The band's eighth single, That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore, is one of the highlights of the album. The production is crystal clear and a great deal of emphasis is brought upon Morrissey's superb vocal performance. In addition to this, Marr's lone acoustic guitar intro acts as the perfect partner.

Well I Wonder is the one time that the laughter stops throughout the album and we are left with pure, unadulterated emotion and tear inducing lyrics. Underpinned by prominent bass lines, acoustic guitar and Morrissey's heartbreaking vocals, it is an emotionally expressive tour de force.
In comparison, Nowhere Fast is the album's definitive comedic moment. The rebellious lyrics, "I'd like to drop my trousers to the queen, every sensible child will know what this means, the poor and the needy are selfish and greedy- on her terms", will likely evoke tears once more, if only ones of laughter.

The only time the album really drops the ball is on the fourth track, What She Said. The production isn't up to scratch here and Johnny Marr's guitar work in particular seems to suffer, as it is almost entirely lost under a mess of unnecessary distortion effects.

Morrissey's anti meat-eater dirge, Meat is Murder, closes the album in a fine way. Apparently this song alone has turned more people into vegetarians than any other! I can believe it too, I myself attempted conversion to the green side after I had heard the song. Unfortunately, I lasted about a week. Damn Mum and her freshly cooked lamb chops! I couldn't resist!
The unsettling intro is overdubbed with the sound of an Abattoir and what sounds like a saw going in for the kill. I feel that the band is to be commended for making such a bold statement.

To sum up, Meat is Murder is The Smiths' first great studio album. It combines great vocals, stellar guitar work and witty lyrics that are second to none. While the previous year's Hatful of Hollow is markedly better, this is a fine place to start a Smiths' collection.

8/10

Daniel Kemp

Read more of my reviews at www.danielkempreviews.co.uk

Summary: The difficult second album syndrome doesn't exist here! Buy it!