The Smiths were quite simply a ray of light shining through
a truly dark and cloudy 80's music scene. Synthesiser duo's were commonplace
and the UK scene was awash with uninteresting uninspiring bands of the Duran
Duran, Spandau Ballet & Human League mould and coupled with the ever growing
(and ever popular) dance music uprising Morrissey's distinctive tone's and Marr's
jangly guitars were a welcome relief.
There was never any middle ground with this band, you either
loved them or hated them and this feeling was perfectly summed up in Morrissey's
quote that "The Smiths create their own world and that you either said
yes and entered it, or said no and went away and listened to something else".
Their fans were mercilessly stereotyped, predominantly male,
mid to late teens, solitary, reclusive individuals who spent their days comparing
their dull and dreary existence's to the experiences played out in Morrissey's
lyrics.
The band were accused of consistently producing dull and depressing
songs performed in a an equally lacklustre manner. In reality the world of The
Smiths was totally different from the world their critics perceived they'd created.
Morrissey's lyrics were far from dull, miserable and depressing, he wrote of
real people and real life, he wrote of love, solitude, lust, desire, mistrust,
betrayal and tragedy. His lyrics could be sad, angry and unforgiving but they
could also be full of wit and optimism, they could be funny, reassuring and
comforting. They spoke of real life, real events, real experiences and there
was far more for most of us to associate with on a Smiths album than most other
artists could ever hope to achieve.
There is however less wit and optimism on this debut but nevertheless
this is quite simply a stunning collection of melodious guitar pop enhanced
by these tales of life in a northern town. Morrissey never gets the girl/boy
(often singing from his third gender stance) "Pretty Girls Make Graves",
"I Don't Owe You Anything" and "Miserable Lie" "I need
advice, I need advice, nobody ever looks at me twice" he screams. Even
in one of his more optimistic moments here "Hand in Glove" he still
closes with "I know my luck to well, and I'll probably never see you again".
He's the eternal loser on "Still ill" and "You've got Everything
Now" both full of wonderful moments "I've seen you smile, but I've
never really heard you laugh" to quote but one.
"Suffer Little Children" the album closer is the
creative peak here, a haunting track, it delicately tells the tale of the one
of the most notorious crimes in British history the Moors Murders of the 1960's
"Oh Manchester, so much to answer for", a delicate theme handled with
great care and I understand with the blessing of the victims families.
The CD issue now features the classic single "This Charming
Man" (I believe it did originally appear on the US pressings) a wonderful
slice of Smiths pop and is easily the most uplifting track on the album.
"Reel Around the Fountain" is the often reviewed
as the critically acclaimed track here, slightly longer than the bands usual
three minute excursions and like "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle"
is just as often slammed over its lyrical content. They are both fantastic tracks
in their own right, whether the lyrics are controversial or not I feel is down
to personal opinion, as far as I know there's no official verdict on this either
way.
The band were already three singles and a number of acclaimed
radio sessions down the road before this album appeared so the initial fan base
were eager for a taste of The Smiths over a complete set. The album as a whole
is compulsive and absorbing, it draws you in, it questions and probes, it picks
you up but never puts you down. John Porter's production has often been the
cause of some debate, apparently it's raw and under produced, is this simply
not just the sound of The Smiths ??, what would people rather it sounded like
?? I just don't see it personally.
Johnny Marr's beautifully melodic arrangements create a wonderful
backdrop for Morrissey's "the story of my life" lyrics and the jangly
guitars and tight rhythm section of Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke complete the
landscape for this inspiration band rising up from this truly baron era.
The importance of the arrival of this band and this album on the UK scene cannot
be understated, many of the so called Brit Pop bands that sprung up in the early
90's sight the trendy 60's bands as their major influences. I would suggest
that they need not look back anywhere near that far, it may well have suited
their marketing strategy to be the direct descends of The Beatles or The Kinks
but I hear far more of The Smiths in The Stone Roses, Oasis, Shed Seven, Blur,
Gene (the list goes on) than any of those legendary 60's bands.
The cover art for the bands output was always intriguing featuring
a host of cover stars, on this occasion Joe Dellesandro appears in a scene from
Andy Warhols Flesh. The Smiths is the first of only four "official"
studio albums that were released between 1984 and 1987, the albums are all different
in their own way but none ever stray far from the bands original blueprint.
This is the most serious of the four and I suppose in reality it's probably
not the best, there's not much light relief and there's distinctly more humour
to found elsewhere in their catalogue. But whether you bought into the world
of The Smiths or not, this album remains an important document in the history
and development of popular music culture in the UK.
I don't believe they ever achieved anything greater than cult status outside their homeland which is understandable due to the fact that they performed everything from a distinctly English perspective. However "like them or loathe them" they remain a hugely influential band but inevitably a band for whom you must drawn your own conclusions, that said I would strongly recommend that they are worthy of your attention (if they haven't had it already) at least once.
Any comments or reviews
to grant us with?
Many people say it’s a peak of The Smiths’ career. I can judge,
because I haven’t heard their whole catalog (yet), but I can tell you one thing:
The Queen Is Dead is a fucking good album. At first, when I downloaded these
files from WinMX and Grokster (God bless people who made these two programs,
btw), I expected it to be overblown British melancholia in its’ worst, but,
man, I was wrong. I was hooked by these songs already on the first listen. This
album is so different, it gives you many moods, many styles, many emotions,
not just that simple “British melancholia” The Smiths are famous for. It’s different
all over. But in one way it’s the same: it’s perfect. Perfect from the beginning
to the end.
The album opens with the title track. Some sampling, noisy feedback, drums –
it all leads us right to the main vocal part of the song, that has one of the
best melodies on here. Plus the biting Morrissey tone and lyrics, and you’ll
get a really great song. The long instrumental coda at the end may be a little
overlong, but I enjoy every second. “Frankly Mr. Shankly” goes next, and it’s
a bouncy Music Hall-like satire song, wisely placed in between two epics (the
mentioned “The Queen is Dead” and dramatic “I Know it’s Over”). The melody is
very 80’s and very good, and these singing and lyrics... “I didn’t realize that
you wrote poetry.../ I didn’t realize you wrote such bloodyawful poetry.. Mr.
Shankly”. The lyrics may be not the very best, but the singing makes them really
something.
“I Know It’s Over” is a very dramatic epic, as I said before. Almost apocalyptic,
in fact. It has minimalistic melody that is driven by beautiful arrangement,
and Morrissey is a king of show. His singing is extremely beautiful, and his
lyrics are very poetic. Check out that “It’s easy to love, it’s easy to hate”
part that is arguably his best moment on the whole album.
“Never Had No One Ever” goes next, and what is it? Jazzy melody? Yes, right,
a little jazzy melody. Maybe the weakest one on the whole album, but it’s good
anyway. “Cemetry Gates” is a cheerful jangle pop song, with a lot of ringing
guitar and superb singing. The lyrics are interesting too – story of literature
plagiarism told from the view of two friends. The melody is catchy and the calm
acoustic ending is one of my favourite moments on here.
“Bigmouth Strikes Again” was a big hit single, and there’s no wonder about that
– an aggressive pop-rocker with an ideal riffage from Johnny Marr and catchy
vocal melody from Morrissey. Lyrics are awful, though. “And now I know how Joan
of Arc felt/ When flames rose to her roman nose/ And her Walkman started to
melt”. But who cares for lyrics, if the song is so energetic and catchy itself?
Nobody!
“The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” is just gorgeous. Beautiful synthesized
strings play, Morrissey sings in an unusual high voice, and the melody is simply
fantastic. “Will they ever believe me?” – these lines are great. A really serious,
beautiful and melancholic song – this is what The Smith are famous for. “Vicar
In A TuTu” is, on the other hand, a little bit stupid and satirical, but outstanding
anyway. Not as good as “Frankly Mr. Shankly”, of course, though.
“There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” must be one of the best songs ever written.
Ever. The key to understand this song, to get it, is to listen to Morrissey.
His singing is very artsy and clever and he sounds majestic when he sings lines
like “And if a double-decker bus crashes into us/ To die by your side is such
a heavenly way to die”. Johnny Marr plays these beautiful synthesized strings
once again and the whole arrangement is brilliant. A gorgeous, gorgeous song.
“Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” ends this album on a rather anti-climatic
way, but it’s a great song all over. Great bass line and ringing guitars and
strangely dark Morrissey tone in an overall comical song. That “Some girls are
bigger than others” chant in the verses is irritating a little bit, but the
great vocal hook goes right after it, so the choruses are... cool! As the entire
album. It’s cool, it’s perfect, it’s fantastic... Well, it’s one of the best
albums I have ever heard.
Any comments or reviews to grant us with?