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The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead Audio CD

A fair review of the The Smiths "The Queen Is Dead" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Smiths reviews here, or go back to the The Smiths tabs.

The Smiths Band: The Smiths
Title: The Queen Is Dead
Rating:
Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Queen Is Dead (Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty) [Medley] 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 Tutu 9: There Is a Light That Never Goes Out 10: Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others

!
A little less bouncy than some of the great dance tracks on their earlier records, but still more than solid in terms of music, songwriting and production. Hot record, the Smith's definitely still had it on this set of cuts. As for Morrissey, well, he's Morrissey.


One of the Best Albums of the 20th Century!
The Queen Is Dead represents a milestone in the furtherance of more complex pop records and served to unequivocally establish The Smiths as the most meaningful band of their era. In 1986, The Smiths were responsible for developing one of the most lyrically ornate, musically brilliant albums of the past thirty years.

The burgeoning eighties indie scene gave rise to artists as eloquent as Elizabethan poets while still musically proficient enough to fashion those words around catchy, hook-filled songs. The DIY aesthetic that permeated early punk rock recordings also fueled like-minded indie musicians who desired to branch outside of the limited confines of popular radio, Top 40 countdowns, and cheap dancefloor programs.

The Queen Is Dead commences with the rip-roaring title track which very nearly sounds like an early punk recording, before branching off into the whimsically astute observations on dealing with spiteful industry types with "Frankly, Mr Shankly. "

"I Know It's Over", which essentially parallels a breakup with death, stands as a bleak testament to both the internal turmoil of its author and his ability to sum up a lifetime of agony in a few brief minutes. "Cemetry Gates", another whimsically droll melody, is a clever response to critics who accused Morrissey of outright plagiarism.

"Bigmouth Strikes Again" proved to be an exceptionally popular single, with its war-cry of "Now I know how Joan of Arc felt" and relentlessly energetic guitar work. Immediately following the intensity of "Bigmouth" was the impassioned "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side", a personal favorite of mine.

The final highlight is "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out", which has over time became known as The Smiths signature track. Darkly elegant in feel, the timbre of Morrissey's voice accentuates every sympathetic syllable. It is small wonder fans have embraced the track as an anthem.

Curiously, despite the universal critical acclaim this record received, both Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr consider their next album ("Strangeways Here We Come") to represent the peak of their creative output as the collective Smiths.


The Smiths became a legend with this record.
That has happened to me a couple of times already with albums like "Murmur" and "Out of time" by R. There are just a few moments in lifetime when you really get into music by listening a record that will change your life and the way you enjoy good music forever. E. M. , "Ok computer", "Kid A" and "In rainbows" by Radiohead, "American Idiot" by Green Day, "Neon bible" by Arcade Fire and of course "Meat is murder" and "The Queen is dead" by The Smiths.

This Smiths's album gave me a wonderful feeling the first time I listened to it and this feeling keeps on popping up everytime I listen to this record. The feeling I'm talking about is that one that just Jonnhy Marr can create on me with his awesome way to make music by playing some notes in his guitar and the one that Morrissey can make me feel when I listen to his lyrics and the way he sings them as well. This is a perfect album in every way you look at it and eventhough not all of the songs are at the same level of perfection, that's just part of the whole idea. For me "I know is over" and "Cemetery gates" are the songs that make the album look good and so enjoyable but "The boy with the torn in his side" and "There is a light that never goes out" make you fall in love with it. Personally these two tracks I just mentioned are the ones that make me love The Smiths so much. "The boy. . . " is a song that makes me feel so happy and at the same time it brings me a sad feeling by missing the 80's good music. . . I can listen to this song over and over again at it never gets old for me. On the other hand "There is a light. . . " has one of the most intelligent lyrics ever written for a love song (maybe next to "Losing my religion" (R. E. M. )) and the music is so elegant and powerful as well that wraps up the whole song to make it just perfect.

This is a "must buy" album from The Smiths. A band that left a legacy that is almost impossible to match. Now, who dares to say the opposite here? Anybody, I guess.


Eh, I know you and you cannot sing...


But you must give it a chance. This is very possibly the best album ever. If you're used to the dreck played constantly on the radio, it make take you many plays before you find this album's appeal. But once you finally discover it, this album may become one of your dearest friends. Try to get to know it, it won't let you down.


Music is Dead
This album was horrible. This crappy band, The Smiths, killed music. The 80s produced some great artists like Rick Astley, Milli Vanilli (who WERE talented, back off haters<3), Culture Club, etc. Then this horrible Smiths abomination comes along and makes this cringe-inducing album. . . and they killed music. From there on, great 80s music stopped being made. Culture Club called it a day and Rick never had another hit song. Morrissey is a jerk for destroying music. Luckily the 90s produced some great bands like Bush, System Of A Down and Limp Bizkit. Still, because of this album music will never be the same again.


You can see a complete list of all The Smiths discography, or go back to the The Smiths tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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