Some Albums Are Better Than Others! (The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths)

Member Name: DanielKemp

Product:	The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths
Date:	13/10/09 (94 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: So many quality songs! I Know It's Over is heartbreaking and beautiful!

Disadvantages: You have a problem with Morrissey's hanging Gladioli!

The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (1986)

Producer: Morrissey, Johnny Marr

The Queen Is Dead
Frankly, Mr. Shankly
I Know It's Over
Never Had No One Ever
Cemetry Gates
Bigmouth Strikes Again
The Boy With the Thorn in His Side
Vicar in a Tutu
There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others

Recorded in December 1985, The Queen Is Dead is the third studio album by The Smiths. However, due to legal reasons the album would not be released until the June of the following year.

As well documented, the band was experiencing substantial difficulties at the time of recording. The fact that The Smiths were without a constant manager and were having to contend with bassist Andy Rourke's heroin habit only makes the quality of the final product all the more remarkable. And make no mistake; The Queen Is Dead is a masterpiece.

Where better to start talking about this prolific band's magnum opus than with the opening title-track. The previous Smiths' studio album, Meat Is Murder, opened with a barrage of jangly guitars and the hilarious denunciation which is The Headmaster Ritual. Once again, you are immediately made aware that The Smiths are taking no prisoners here, as drummer Mike Joyce delivers an inherently archaic introduction and Morrissey brutally mauls the Royal Family with his venomous tongue. Marr's salvo of overdubbed guitars leaves the listener startled yet thrilled.

Among other problems, the disputes between Morrissey, Marr and Rough Trade record label owner, Geoff Travis, reached a head; the result was Frankly, Mr. Shankly. A hilarious and in turn bitter refusal to conform to what was expected of him, Morrissey has rarely been as unsympathetic as he is here, "Frankly, Mr. Shankly since you asked, you are a flatulent pain in the arse. I don't mean to be so rude; still I must speak frankly, Mr. Shankly!"

Surely the greatest song ever written, I Know It's Over proudly sits as the leader of the pack on the first side of The Queen Is Dead. I encourage everyone - even confirmed haters of Morrissey - to give this song a play through. A shattering tale of a burning desire for companionship, Morrissey has never sounded in finer voice; you hang on every word he says as he relays his tale of an excruciating loneliness. Already a well established master of designing song structure, Marr's minimalist arrangement as found on I Know It's Over would eclipse everything else in the band's catalogue.

"I know it's over... and it never really began! In my heart it was so real," deplores Morrissey, "and you even spoke to me and said, 'If you're so funny, then why are you on your own tonight?' " Never again will a song convey the very essence of emptiness and the true meaning of discontentment as well as I Know It's Over. It is truly heartbreaking and has reduced me to tears on more than one occasion.

The drolly titled Cemetry Gates is incredibly uplifting. Morrissey flaunts his well read capabilities during this mirthful tale of plagiarism for the sole purpose of celebrity status. As Morrissey brings out the wild card of a love of Oscar Wilde against his adversary's love of Keats & Yates, you know you are listening to a genius at work.

The unsettling Bigmouth Strikes Again sees Morrissey vent his frustration at being hounded by the media for gossip. Not your typical protest, Morrissey has made his retaliation personal and cruel, "Sweetness, I was only joking when I said I'd like to smash every tooth in your head!" Johnny Marr unleashes some of his most terrifically awesome guitar work ever; a special mention has to go to his versatile playing during the chorus.

The Boy With the Thorn In His Side had originally been released the previous year to preview the album, and as mentioned at the outset the album was then delayed for legal reasons. This gave Morrissey & Marr time to provide an alternate mix of this little treasure, one which stands tall next to its single counterpart. Of course, the main reason to see this gorgeous pop gem through to the end is to hear Morrissey's sumptuous yodelling.

The rockabilly Vicar in a Tutu no doubt caused quite a stir at the time of release. I can only see two possible readings of this song. The first is if you take it at face value - a hilarious tale of a vicar wanting to break free from his constraints, so much so that he prances around in a tutu. The second is that Morrissey is showing up the pomposity of Christendom, and the 'tutu' of the song could be making light of its leaders' often fanciful dress sense over genuine concern of religion. Whichever, it's fantastic.

I couldn't believe it when I first discovered that There Is a Light That Never Goes Out hadn't been released as a single until 1992, a full five years after the band had split. Rivalling I Know It's Over for greatest song of all time, the band once again outdo themselves with this tale of a desperate yearning for an unspoken romance. The darkly humorous, yet emotionally cataclysmic chorus harmonizes beautifully with Morrissey's unbelievable vocal performance, "And if a Double Decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die! And if a ten ton truck kills the both of us, to die by your side, well, the privilege and the pleasure is mine!"

Win, win, win, baby!

The album is brought to a close with the attentive declaration of Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others. Morrissey's frivolity is only one of its keys to success, Marr's hypnotic and soothing arrangement another. Sagaciously reserved while remaining a definite statement, it winds the album down wonderfully, and when the song is taken to a fade out, you wish that you could be taken along with them.

Critics have long considered The Queen Is Dead to be the finest of all The Smiths' studio albums. I'm only going to add to that wave of mass hysteria and encourage you to buy this masterwork at your next opportunity. It is without a doubt one of the finest albums ever recorded and every second of it is an adventure. As satisfying as an epic piece of cinema, it will stick with you forever. There is something for everyone here.

10/10

Daniel Kemp

Read more reviews at www.danielkempreviews.co.uk

Summary: The finest studio album by The Smiths!