The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (1986) (2 Viewers)

[Denny Oubidoux]

I had 4 listens today, 3 on headphones and once there now on speakers. It sounds absolutely awful on headphones, a lot better on speakers. The production is horrible, that nasty reverb all over everything. It's like being stuck in a stuffy sick granny's bedroom all afternoon on a summer day in 1986. Claustrophobic, and not in a good way. That's a lot less pronounced on speakers though.

Frankly, Mr Shankly is an abomination. Cemetery Gates and Vicar In A Tutu are not far behind so they're getting no marks. I Know It's Over, Never Had No One Ever, The Boy With The Thorn In His Side and There Is A Light are all decent tunes so 10 for each of them. Big Mouth Isn't bad - 5 marks there and 4 each for TQID and Some Girls.

That's 53% on the basis of song quality. Other considerations are:
Bass playing : don't like it at all (-10 marks)
Drumming: totally forgettable. He should have been down the pub playing Sultans of Swing with his dad. (-10 marks)
The production: naff (-10 marks)
Morrissey: good singer, good delivery, mostly decent lyrics (+10 marks)
Marr: I don't really see what all the fuss is about here. Decent playing, nice lightness of touch, nothing too remarkable but gets the job done so, why not, full marks (+10).

I might take another 10% for Shankly just because, I'm not sure yet.

So I think that puts it on 43% or two stars. It seems a little harsh, I'll hold off til friday on the vote, I might give it three. I thought it was complete shite on first listen but it grew on me a bit over the course of the day.

 

[Jim Daniels]

We sat across from each other in biology; Mark and Roy were large lads, with bad diets, hints of facial hair and incredible drawing abilities. I was the skinny, short indie kid, who failed metal work in the Inter Cert. They were into Twisted Sister. I was into the Smiths. It could have been a miserable two years, but we laughed our arses off in that Biology class, mostly throwing slags at each other’s musical tastes.

We finally agreed to make an effort and made each other some tapes. I gave each of them a copy of the Queen is Dead and Darklands (Jesus and Mary Chain), in return for some AC/DC and Rory Gallagher. Tuesday morning, double Biology, we were ready to give our verdicts. I had secretly quite liked their choices, but trying to be witty said “it says nothing to me about my life”. And as usual, Mark trumped me effortlessly. Taking the Bunsen Burner to The Queen is Dead tape, he moulded a perfect sculpture of disdain and tossed it over to me, saying

“She’s even deader now”

Over 25 years later, I still can’t listen to it without thinking of those days. I re-visit the Smiths albums every so often and still like them all, though I can only give-or-take about 30% of Morrissey’s solo work. But, here I am right now, dad-dancin’ to Vicar in a Tutu – which even I thought was absurd back then – and it sounds deadly! A much fuller sound than I remembered. Maybe that’s cause I have a better stereo system now. Back then I always felt the album sounded a bit thin, but would never admit that. In truth, it probably is.

The way I approached this re-evaluation was to pretend that Morrissey and/or Marr had just died, thinking it might add a certain something to the experience. Like, the amazing things I heard in David Bowie songs over the past few days that I never quite picked up before – I couldn’t get over it! Likewise here, all the little things going on in the songs, how totally endearing the lyrics seem again etc.

I have this thing when I see (or more correctly -feel ) certain colours when I listen to music, and for me, there is a lot of yellow on this album – the colour that I usually experience while listening to summery bright, indie pop songs (or say, The Beatles/ The Byrds etc). Pretty much every song here, from Cemetery Gates onwards turns on the sun for me. And that’s a great thing to realise, 26 years on from Leaving Cert Biology.

 

[MacDara]

I really get the feeling this is one of those 'you had to be there' records, whether it was being a fan of the band at the time it came out, or it was the soundtrack to formative experiences later on. I can't possibly judge it on those terms.

 

[pete]

i was there

it was shit

 

[hydromancer]

Have never listened to a Smiths album but always thought I would have liked them or found them inspireing or something if I had encounterd them when I was younger. I imagine them apealing espeacily to moody teanagers or that. Morrisseys voice has a good ryhtmic quality the guitar sounds like it has varying influence there does seem to be some dubious issues with production etc. Frankly, Mr Shankly is kind of funny and deadpan but also feels like it took 5 mins to write the lyrics. The album is probarbly somehow more than the sum of its parts considering its impact and what have you. Just gave it one spin maybe I would give it a listen sometime outside of the album club.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

For the record, I was in my 20s when I first heard it. I was long done with being a moody teenager at that point. It's far more lighthearted (even if it is grim) than I was expecting. I always had the impression of The Smiths/Morrissey as being unrelentingly depressing but they're really not. It's like Leonard Cohen, I remember one lad in school giving out yards about him that it was music to slit your wrists to. Life without Cohen would be worth slitting your wrists for, his music is utterly vibrant and life-affirming. I wouldn't go that far when talking about The Smiths but they're on the same spectrum.

 

[MacDara]

Second/third listen, on headphones this time. The drumming sounds punchier through my cans, I have to say. But the mix really favours the vocals, which is to be expected I suppose.

 

[MacDara]

If not for the vocals, 'Vicar in a Tutu' sounds like it could've been on the Meat Puppets' Mirage album. I like Mirage a lot better, though.

 

[HMD]

Second listen today and it was a different experience. I might like it by the third listen.

Diddles came in half way through and asked "are you going to keep listening to it until you liked it? " and then said "it'll be shite no matter have many times it's played"

 

[GO]

An open mind is a thing to possess HMD!

Possibly the most important possession one can have

 

[old]

@travispickle have you read You Never Give Us Your Money? Entertaining but grim book about the Beatles fallout.
While I love QiD, I've seen live Smiths things where the drums and bass were really rocking and propulsive, but I never felt that they captured that on any of the studio recordings.

 

[travispickle]

@travispickle have you read You Never Give Us Your Money? Entertaining but grim book about the Beatles fallout.
While I love QiD, I've seen live Smiths things where the drums and bass were really rocking and propulsive, but I never felt that they captured that on any of the studio recordings.

No I haven't read that @old though I've heard good stuff about it.
I know there are production issues with QID but I don't hear them anymore I don't think. The songs override that stuff for me.

 

[travispickle]

On reflection, my last comment there was a bit stupid. Regarding QID's production, none if the Smiths albums escaped the awful 80s studio sound. QiD though is more bearable for me than say, Meat is Murder. Also I think the song quality on QiD is so good that I can listen past the awful production and just enjoy the great songs.
Incidentally @old, I saw that Beatles book in Freebird yesterday, I might go back and get it.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Edit = drunk post

 

[Unknown Convict]

Edit = drunk post

G.M.T.?

 

[Jill Hives]

This is awful shite altogether.

Oh, so wrong.

 

[GO]

Edit = drunk post

Mind yourself

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Mind yourself

bad scene

 

[Anthony]

Second listen. This is all very familiar even though I have never heard it all before. I'm well acquainted with The Smiths. I'm more or less enjoying it. It's something I'd listen to these days.

 

[kavanelli]

WTF is happening with this Album Club.

Last week was Slayer, a band I never listened to and was not a metal fan. And found myself liking it.

This week The Queen is Dead and album I loved but hadn't listened to in a while. But after listening too it I found it meh.

The open track never really gets going
There are some good tracks but a lot of tracks just plod along.

I always knew it was a bit whingy but jaysus I just couldn't really get past it, maybe I need to be in the right mood to listen.

I look forward to the next album.