The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead

It was an appearance on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1986 then got me back in the buying The Smiths' records, having only previously purchased the "This Charming Man" single. The band played "Bigmouth Strikes Again" and "Vicar In A Tutu" and I was suitably impressed, and bought the "The Queen Is Dead" album when it was released shortly afterwards. 

The sticker on the cover show I purchased it in WH Smiths but part of the label is missing, revealing I paid 5 pounds something for the LP ! It also states the album includes the hit singles "Bigmouth Strikes Again" and "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side", both of which had been released prior to the album.

I thought the album was excellent, liking every track on side 2, with the only songs I found a little disappointing to be the title track and "Never Had No One Ever". My favourite track was probably "The Boy With A Thorn In His Side".

The album continued the usual formula for The Smiths' records, combining sparkling, joyous, uplifting music with mournful sing, complaining about alienation, frustration or things going wrong in UK society but often with witty and humourous lyrics, and the occasional burst of hope.

The anti-monarchist "The Queen Is Dead" starts the album and begins with the singing of a musical hall number, which is listed as "Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty". There is a toe-tapping intro with the drums to the fore, but it quickly goes downhill with the weakest melody on the album. A bad parody of The Smiths would sound something like this.

Matters improve with "Frankly, Mr Shankly", which has a bouncing bass line and is a galloping sing-along with superb lyrics. "Fame, fame, fatal fame, it can play hideous tricks on the brain. But I'd rather be famous than righteous or holy. Any day, any day" & "Frankly Mr Shankly since you ask, you are a flatulent pain in the arse. I don't mean to be rude, but I must speak frankly, Mr Shankly"

"I Know It's Over" is a slow, tender ballad, with more lyrical bass and one of Morrissey's better vocals. "Sad veiled bride be happy, handsome groom give her room. Loud loutish lover treat her kindly, though she needs you more than she loves you",  "If you are so funny then why are you on your own tonight ?.....I know because tonight is just like any other night".

The bleak "Never Had No One Ever" has a slow tempo and a slightly menacing guitar but overall it's dreary.

It's back to lively pop for the side one closer "Cemetry Gates" which has a nice guitar riff in a song about plagarism. "Keats and Yeats are on your side, while Wilde is on mine !". "If you must write prose and poems then the words you use should be your own. Don't plagarise or take on loan 'cause there is always someone with a big nose who knows".

"Bigmouth Strikes Again" has a fast acoustic guitar intro, a drum burst then the first verse. The female sounding backing vocal is actually Morrissey but was credited to Ann Coates. Ancoats is apparently a surburb of Manchester ! "Now I know how Joan Of Arc felt, as the flames rose and her Walkman started to melt".

Although "The Boy With A Thorn In His Side" is about a boy being misunderstood, it has the most joyous music on the album, and I love the outro. " How can they hear me says those words and still they don't believe me ? And if they don't believe me know now, will they ever believe me ?".

"Vicar In A Tutu" is an enjoyable rockabilly song about a cross-dressing vicar. "As Rose collects the money in the canister, who comes sliding down the bannister ? A vicar in a tutu".

"There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" is a song that has been interpretated as both being a depressive anthem or a hopeful testament of live. Fatbear's take is on the latter ! The song has a driving acoustic guitar and bass and a glorious chorus  "And if a double decker bus crashes in to us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die. And if a ten tonne truck crashes into us, to die by your side , well the pleasure, the privilidge is mine".

"Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" has a quick tempo intro that fades in and out, and the song has some lovely guitar and a fantastic rhythm. "As Antony said to Cleopatra as he opened a create of ale, oh I say, some girls are bigger than others"

Listening now, "The Queen Is Dead" remains a fantastic album, with 7 killer songs and two more modest contributions. 

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. The Queen Is Dead
2. Frankly, Mr Shankly
3. I Know It's Over
4. Never Had No One Ever
5. Cemetry Gates

Side Two :

1. Bigmouth Strikes Again
2. The Boy With A Thorn In His Side
3. Vicar In A Tu-Tu
4. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
5. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others

Released 1986
UK Chart Position : 2

Singles :

The Boy With A Thorn In His Side ( No 23 - 1985 )
Bigmouth Strikes Again ( No 26 - 1986 )

 

The Smiths - Meat Is Murder

 

It took me a while to acquire The Smith's second album "Meat Is Murder", only purchasing it some time after their fourth album "Strangeways Here We Come" was released in 1987. I was partly put off by the album cover, the title wasn't particularly appealing, the press had branded it to be very political, and none of the tracks on it were hit singles or received much airplay on the radio stations I listened to despite the album reaching number 1 in the album charts.

The sticker on the cover shows I paid £5.99 in WH Smith for the album, but I can't remember when or where this would have been ! 

However, I decided I need to catch up on the back catelogue and bought the LP. I was pleasantly surprised how good it was, especially side two.  "Nowhere Fast" and "Well I Wonder" were my favourite tracks.

Side one begins the "The Headmaster Ritual", a critique of the education system and corporal punishment. The jangling guitar intro hints at Beatles Day Tripper but the rest of the song doesn't live up to that standard.

The bass line in "Rusholme Ruffians" was accused of being stolen from Elvis' "His Latest Flame" and the live version on "Rank" begins with the first verse from the Elvis song, before seguing into the rockabilly "Rusholme Ruffians". "The last night of the fair, and the grease in the hair of the speedway operator, is all a tremolous heart requires".

"I Want The One I Can't Have" has fast paced guitar similar to that "This Charming Man", and I had to check this wasn't also on "Hatful Of Hollow". "I want the one I can't have and its driving me made. It's written all over my face".

The post punk "What She Said" has almost glam rock guitar, and side one closes with the waltz like "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" which starts nicely but drifts into an over long dirge with hints of psychedelia.

The fantastic "Nowhere Fast" opens side two with train like drumming during the the middle break and for the lyric "And when a train goes by it's such a sad sound". It has some of the best lyrics on the album, "I like to drop my trousers to the Queen, every sensible child will know what this means" & "And if the day came when I felt a natural emotion, I'd get such a shock I'd probably jump in the ocean", 

"Well I Wonder" is probably the best ballad written by the band. Tender acoustic guitar and some gorgeous bass for the intro, and a falsetto vocal over the middle break. "Gasping, but somehow still alive. This is the final stand, of all I am. Please keep me in mind"

The over 7 minutes long "Barbarism Begins At Home" has a Chic funk influenced bass line, rockabilly guitar, and yelps that sound like a whip being cracked. The outro goes on for a bit too long though. Paradoxically, it's a song about child abuse that is actually quite fun to listen to !

The six minute long "Meat Is Murder" opens with the mooing of cows before a sad, maudlin melody. A tinkling piano can be heard through most of the song. "This beautiful creature must did. A death for no reason, and death for no reason is murder".

Overall, "Meat Is Murder" remains a good album, with "Nowhere Fast", "Well I Wonder", "Rusholme Ruffians" and "I Want The One I Can't Have" being the stand out tracks.  However, a couple of the tracks would have been improved by some editing.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. The Headmaster Ritual
2. Rusholme Ruffians
3. I Want The One I Can't Have
4. What She Said
5. That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore

Side Two :

1. Nowhere Fast
2. Well I Wonder
3. Barbarism Begins At Home
4. Meat Is Murder

Released 1985
UK Chart Position : 1

Singles :

That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore ( No 49 - 1985 )