The Smiths, 'The Queen is Dead', 1986

The Smiths – The Queen is Dead  Rough Trade (1986)

Considered by many fans to be the jewel in the crown of the quintessential Manchester band’s much-loved catalogue, The Queen Is Dead places the shrewdness and sorrow of frontman Morrissey centre stage against the backdrop of a divided Britain.

An album of contrasts, the anthemic drive of ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’, ‘The Queen Is Dead’ and ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’ is balanced against the delicious melancholy of ‘I Know It’s Over’ and ‘Never Had No One Ever’, giving listeners a taste of all sides of The Smiths’ song-writing arsenal. Supported by the often-overlooked bedrock of Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce, and lovingly finessed by indie’s go-to producer Stephen Street, Morrissey’s lyrical swordplay is perfectly complemented by Johnny Marr’s soaring, jangly guitar lines that seem to reverberate off the red brick of Manchester’s archways.

Marrying tongue-in-cheek hilarity with profound observations on the human condition, The Queen Is Dead paints a picture of a band at the peak of their indie stardom, with the alluring pull of Morrissey and Marr’s creative partnership at its gravitational centre.

NOTES:

Graded using the Goldmine Standard. Graded conservatively, cover and media on the upper end of VG.

Cover: VG
Media: VG