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 about 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
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 )
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