The Smiths “The Queen Is Dead”

sfilzen — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 15:26:23 +0000

The Smiths “The Queen Is Dead” released 30 years ago on this date, June 16th, 1986. Sire/Rough Trade Records. One of my favorite albums ever (and Britain’s NME agrees with me, rating it the Greatest Album of All Time), The Queen Is Dead defined the summer of ‘86. It made it to #2 on the UK charts and #70 in the US.

After the intro clip of uber-British chant “Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty,” the album launches into the rollicking title track “The Queen Is Dead” and from there only grows with lyrical and musical perfection. My absolute favorite is “Frankly Mr. Shankly” – when Johnny Marr launches into his dense signature jangle at the 0:39 point I get, to this day, a musical skin orgasm (a researched phenomenon!). “Cemetry Gates” is another favorite, bouncing along to lyrics that decry plagiarism while invoking a blend of a (dreaded) sunny day and the dark sorrow of a cemetery in a way that is so only-Morrissey (who else can include lyrics like “ere long done do does did, words which could only be your own, you then produce the text from whence was ripped some dizzy whore, 1804″?). “Bigmouth Strikes Again” is utter brilliance in fractured and tortured minor key. And no one does despondency as beautifully as Morrissey: “I Know It’s Over,” “Never Had No One Ever” and the epic “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” were all part of the soundtrack to moments of teenage angst and heartbreak. Yet the overarching essence of The Queen Is Dead to my ears is not depression, but rather a glorious celebration of life, with all its ridiculousness, pettiness, beauty and diversity: much like my summer of ‘86.

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The Smiths “Ask”

sfilzen — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 16:48:32 +0000

The Smiths “Ask” b/w “Cemetry Gates” and “Golden Lights” 1986. 12″ single. Sire/Rough Trade Records. “Ask” reached #14 on the UK charts in ‘86 and does not appear on any standard Smiths albums, but is on some comps and live recordings. “Cemetry Gates” is included on a jewel of vinyl perfection, “The Queen is Dead,” and is, in my opinion, equally if not more deserving of an A side spot. Allmusic’s Stewart Mason writes about the track, “Morrissey delivers one of his most relaxed vocal performances, which creates a sort of double-bind effect: at first, “Cemetry Gates” just sounds like a lighthearted, comic song about spending time wandering about graveyards, which in fact can be a fun and only slightly morbid way to spend a nice afternoon for those who enjoy such things. So fair enough, one might think: it’s a cheerful song for the Goths and an ironic song for everyone else. Except that the heart of the song turns out to be a deadly serious rant on plagiarism and the danger of taking on someone else’s words and thoughts as your own…”

Like “Ask,” “Golden Lights” is also only available on compilation releases, including “Louder Than Bombs” and “The World Won’t Listen” (both 1987). “Golden Lights” is not a Smith’s original, rather it was penned by Twinkle (real name Lynn Ripley), a British 1960′s one-hit-wonder (for “Terry” which reached #4 on the UK charts in 1964).

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The Smiths “The Queen Is Dead”

The Smiths “Ask”