The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead ALBUM REVIEW

TQID is rightfully one of the standard-bearers of indie rock and pop.

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THE SMITHS - THE QUEEN IS DEAD / 1986 / ROUGH TRADE / JANGLE POP

CLASSIC/10

Y'all know this is just my opinion, right?

[douglasmorrison]

This album was truly ahead of its time. It took almost 36 years for people to appreciate the accuracy of the title.

[NeonRadarMusic]

This album changed my life in so many ways as a 15-year old aspiring musician:
1) Johnny Marr proved to me that you didn't need mind blowing solos to be a great guitar player, as long as your parts fit the song like a glove.
2) Morrissey is often imitated but never duplicated. Absolutely no one in popular music writes lyrics as simply and as powerfully as he does. He may not be Dylan when it comes to his rhymes or craftsmanship, but he's one of the GOATS and always will be.
3) Most personally, the girl I liked at the time started seeing another guy and listening to I Know It's Over was the first time in my life that I felt like a song was about ME. It made me realize the healing power of great songwriting.

10/10.

[slaveglue]

Morrissey is definitely one of the best lyricists of all time, dry, witty, melancholic, camp, spiteful, mysterious. He just does it for me.

[JGar]

It takes a lot of bravery to write There Is A Light That Never Goes Out and then end your album with a song about boobs

[aveesh]

“I prefer Morrissey’s politics over his music” god I didn’t expect that but you do you anthony

[jerrys]

It’s cute that no matter how successful melon becomes, he never leaves good old Cal behind. Like he still lives with the guy

[JohnSmith-yekr]

The outro to Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others is just incredible… “Send me the pillow, the one that you dream on…” Definitely one of my favourite tracks on the album

[TheFlamingSquirrel]

One of my favorite albums of all time. The guitar riff like a minute into Bigmouth Strikes Again is Johnny Marr at his absolute finest

[fivestarman]

The fact that Johnny Marr wrote the guitar riff for This Charming Man when he was still a teenager and was only 21/22 years old when The Queen is Dead was being written and recorded is insane

He was already writing some of the best guitar riffs of all time and he wasn't in his 20's yet. Morrisey gets most of the attention (good and bad) but Johnny Marr along with Andy Rourke were the core of the band and remain severely underrated today

[lawrencejhutchinson]

The Boy With The Thorn In His Side filled me with joy in 1986, and still does. Morrissey's scat singing is sheer perfection. For me, the greatest Smiths song!

[Canady]

The Queen is Dead is absolutely a deserted island album. Every song is a journey. One of the best produced albums ever, everything feels so tight and impactful. "It takes guts/strength to be kind" is a lyric as beautiful and inspiring as any, on an album full of incredible lyricism. Also, Johnny Marr is a top 5 underrated guitarist. He deserves so much more credit than it seems he's ever gotten.

[Target_Buster]

The Smiths is one of those bands that is almost its own genre to me. It’s just special music…

[thomward]

nice of you to make this review in honor of the queen’s passing

[mitchellbaker]

Johnny Marr's work, to me, is a good example of guitar playing as art, not a sport, like many other revered guitarists seem to think it is. The layers and textures he put into those songs, and as a member of many other bands later on and up to this day, mark him as one of the greatest players ever.

[thedondeluxe]

It warms my heart to see Cal again. His stache is looking great.

[latitudepost]

The very first Smiths album is truly a work of unrivalled greatness. It's not as polished as their later albums, but it has a purity, enigma and subtle power about it that was unmatched in rock at the time.

[wince]

Im a huge Smiths fan very ahead of their time and I’m stoked you’re shedding some light and hopefully giving them some new listeners. Morrissey one of the most iconic song writers honestly

[mrnikeshgudka]

Rest In Peace Andy Rourke! One of the best bassists to ever do his thing 😢

[milesorvetti]

It’s such a testament to The Smiths talent how diverse this album is. I understand why this album has grown through the years from being viewed as some of their weaker track-lists to their absolute strongest. Incredible album.

[LotteYanson]

I know it’s cool now to dunk on the Smiths because of Morrissey but few albums have helped me through tough times as much as this one did. Tracks like I Know It’s Over and Never Had No One Ever provided me comfort in those dark times and even now, tracks like There Is a Light That Never Goes Out, Bigmouth Strikes Again, The Boy With the Thorn in His Side and Cemetry Gates Are always on point.