Product Description

Arguably the Smiths' masterpiece, THE QUEEN IS DEAD found the band at the artistic apex of a career that knew few lows.More than any of their other albums, THE QUEEN IS DEAD represents the elegance, craftsmanship and humor for which the Smiths are remembered. Opening the album, the explosive titletrack is filled with vintage punk-era iconoclastic rage, wherein Morrissey tears at the very fabric of the British monarchy atop the howling feedback and swirling chords of JohnnyMarr and the pounding fury of Rourke and Joyce (whose punk roots were never so apparent).
THE QUEEN IS DEAD also contains some of the band's most disarmingly beautiful work. "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" bears a lush accompaniment and utterly miserable lyric, while the chiming, heavenlyatmosphere of "The Boy With A Thorn In His Side", as convincing an ode to the sensitive outcast as has ever been penned. "Bigmouth Strikes Again", the album's most recognisable tune, is a dizzying adrenaline rush. And the upbeat tunesmanship of Marr was never in sharper contrast with Morrissey's lyrical ire than on the bouncy, wistful "Cemetry Gates".

Track Listing

1. Queen Is Dead
2. Frankly Mr Shankly
3. I Know It's Over
4. Never Had No One Ever
5. Cemetry Gates
6. Bigmouth Strikes Again
7. Boy With The Thorn In His Side
8. Vicar In A Tu Tu
9. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
10. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #507 in Music
• Released on: 1993-11-15
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
This is the value of working at cross-purposes: The Smiths were Morrissey's excuse to undulate his wry, disaffected lyrics and Johnny Marr's vehicle for his sharp, chiming, pop songs. Their favourite kind of compromise made them essentially a singles band, and The Queen Is Dead has a couple of their best (notably "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side", one of the greatest pop expressions of the Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name). But it also has some wonderful compromises of different kinds: the bizarrely romantic "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" and "Cemetry Gates", where Marr covers up for Morrissey's floridity with shimmying rockabilly. --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews

Good, but not THAT good.
I simply don't understand why this over-rated album is always held up as the benchmark of Morrissey/The Smiths' greatness. There are only two standout classic tracks on The Queen Is Dead - I Know It's Over and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.

Frankly Mr Shankly is a dire novelty song that sounds like it was written by Gilbert O' Sullivan, Vicar In A Tutu is unlistenably dreadful, Never Had No One Ever and Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others are totally forgettable fillers.

Strangeways Here We Come is The Smiths album that stands up best to repeated listening - musically it's more innovative, lyrically it's less contrived. It's an altogether more emotionally and intellectually engaging experience.

But for a Morrissey album without one dud track, I'd wholeheartedly recommend Vauxhall and I.

Amazing Amazing Amazing!
I have never been proved wrong so convincingly in my life. If someone had asked me what I thought of The Smiths a year ago I would have said they were crap and depressing, if someone were to ask me what I thought of The Smiths now I would start rambling on about how ludicrously perfect ALL of their music is and this is the album that kicked off my obsession.I loved every song on this album from the second I heard it but the real stand out for me is There is a Light... in fact I would go as far as to say that listening to There is a Light That Never Goes Out was one of the best most life changing moments in recent memory, it got me hooked, I fell in love with the Smiths and I definatley consider it the best song of all time.
This album is literaly amazing, in fact anyone who listens to this and thinks its anything other than spectacular should be shot. This album is THE best ever. No question.

Like being hit by a ten truck truck......full of Morrissey,s flowers
Memory is a curious thing. For instance supposedly important personal events in my life , anniversaries, birthdays and the like pass me by . Yet i can remember with high resolution detail buying the Queen Is Dead. Entering the shop ( A little independent no longer around alas) buying it, getting it home and playing it for the first time. An experience akin to an epiphany...(the playing that is) but then most new releases by The Smiths were.....but this album if anything, went beyond epiphany into whatever it is that describes an experience beyond epiphany.
Released in June 1986 The Queen Is Dead is The Smiths third album and the one considered by just about everyone as their finest moment, though it,s interesting to note that Morrissey and Marr believe that their final album "Strangeways Here We Come" eclipsed it. Many of the songs for The Queen Is Dead were written while The Smiths were touring in 1985 but the album benefited hugely from the conducive collaboration in the studio between Marr and Morrissey who co-produced and engineer Stephen Street.
There are numerous elements that make The Queen Is Dead such a special album. The song-writing is of course exemplary , but there is a mixture of styles, moods, textures and nuances that take this album somewhere out of the context of a traditional pop/rock album. Add to this the peerless lyrics , full of verbose wit and spry humour and you have an album that fully deserves the moniker classic .
Opening up with the iconoclastic blast of the title track , one of Morrissey's greatest triumphs lyrically it segues into the knee popping bounce of "Frankly Mr Shankly" before the head spinning thematic swivel into the forlorn "I Know It,s Over". The plummeting almost dirge like "Never Had No One Ever" will be not to everyone's taste but I feel it has a real hypnotic power and acts as a counterweight to the sprightly "Cemetery Gates" which has a terrific Andy Rourke bass line and trademark cascading Marr chords and the memorable lyrics about plagiarism: "There's,s always someone somewhere with a big nose who knows" which was Morrissey's riposte to critics who had cried foul over his use of quotes from some of his favourite authors.
The opener on the vinyl side two is "Bigmouth Strikes Again " , the lead single off the album , chosen because the band wanted to make an emphatic affirmative statement on their return. The high pitched backing vocals are great and Morrissey employs his own distinctive high range yodel. "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side" has a gorgeous Marr arrangement with lilting synthesized strings while "Vicar In A Tutu" is a giddy rush of quintessentially English silliness segueing into the song most consider the albums highpoint "There Is Light That Never Goes Out" . Unusually optimistic for Morrissey , the song about two people whose love would overcome death by double decker buses and ten ton trucks is a rare song, even for The Smiths, that merges genuine humorous pathos with a cracking tune. Final track "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" has a mantra like quality and ends the album on a considerably more lugubrious note than it came in.
The Queen Is Dead is one of the landmark albums of the 1980,s . An erudite multi-faceted work of tumescent genius that feels like a truly complete work. Everytime i hear the album the memories come rushing back in. If only i had bought on a significant birthday then it would be one less thing to worry about remembering. Other than that The Queen Is Dead is perfect.