- Audio CD (15 Nov 1993)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Rhino
- ASIN: B00002496Y
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Audio Cassette | Vinyl | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,791 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
This is the value of working at cross-purposes: The Smiths were Morrissey's excuse to undulate his wry, disaffected lyrics and Johnny Marr's vehicle for his sharp, chiming, pop songs. Their favourite kind of compromise made them essentially a singles band, and The Queen Is Dead has a couple of their best (notably "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side", one of the greatest pop expressions of the Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name). But it also has some wonderful compromises of different kinds: the bizarrely romantic "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" and "Cemetry Gates", where Marr covers up for Morrissey's floridity with shimmying rockabilly. --Douglas Wolk
Product Description
Cd > Popular Music > RockCD > POPULAR MUSIC > ROCK
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Here it is, The Smith's masterpiece. Is it a masterpiece? Well, probably. I certainly think so. Albums without a single bad track are rare, albums which exclusively contains songs i could happily listen to on repeat forever are rare. Albums so important and yet so funny are rare too (tracks like Frankly, Mr Shankly and Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others can have me laughing out loud if I'm in the right mood). This album really does have everything: terrific musicianship from Marr, wonderful jangling melodies; and sublime lyrics and vocals from Morrissey (absolutely sublime). Now, lots of albums can claim those two things, but few achieve the cohesion, the union of the music and vocals and lyrics, so everything just clicks and feels as if the songs exist almost naturally. The Queen is Dead does. It really does have everything you could ask for. I could listen to it forever I think.
It's got many of The Smith's best moments: Bigmouth Strikes Again, The Boy with the Thorn in His Side, Frankly, Mr Shankly, and Cemetrey Gates. And of course it has There is A Light That Never Goes Out, possibly my favourite Smith's song of all time. "And if a double-decker bus/crashes in to us/to die by your side/is such a heavenly way to die./And if a ten-ton truck/kills the both of us/to die by your side/well, the pleasure, the privilege, is mine." Only Morrissey is capable of sounding so vocally uplifting and lyrically absolutely heartbreaking at the same time. The man is a genius.
Funny, tragic, serious, cohesive, important, brilliant. No record collection is complete without The Queen is Dead (and, to be honest, all four Smiths albums really.)
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
With current bands like Coldplay and Travis(always mentioned in the same breath) the music they make always seems to wash over me, great songs, terrific songs, but not quite personal enough and soon become forgetful. Morrissey has a way of writing that draws you in and makes you really connect with the song, as if it was about you. It's really powerful stuff and anyone who listens to this album will appreciate that. Listen to "I know its over" and "No one ever" and "There is a light that never goes out". Even the song titles will have you curious enough to click this album into your basket, surely! Everyone must have had the feeling "And as i climb into an empty bed, Oh, well.... enough said". The Smiths are as powerful as fellow mancunians Joy Division and as revolutionary as Bob Dylan. The Smiths songs stay with you forever, every time i see a double decker bus for example.....
Beware, this album may change your take on life.
Just go and buy it.
Beware, this album may change your take on life.
Just go and buy it.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The Smiths of The Queen is Dead have reached the fullest point of their development as a group. From the title track's sweeping majesty to the intricate beauty of "Big Mouth", Johnny Marr's guitar is breathtaking, turning from rage to heartbreak in a moment and seems to have matured to take in the full breadth of Morrissey's ouvre. Moreover, for the last time in a Smiths album, Morrissey's lyrics are free from parody as he trawls his inner psyche (I Know It's Over) to reveal the indubitable truth about his inability to love and the consequences. A truly great album by anyone's standards, it would be the Smiths meisterwerk, and even if only 1 year later we wept over their demise, it's the most enduring testament to their greatness.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
smiths - queen is dead CD remastered
this CD album is the remastered (2012) version of the 1986/7 album of original studio tracks.
the track: "Some girls are bigger than others": actually made me laugh out... Read more
the track: "Some girls are bigger than others": actually made me laugh out... Read more
Published 1 month ago by allister m hardwick
Poor me, poor me, poor me.
This is typical Smiths - miserable, self-pitying, hateful & depressing. Johnny Marr is a great guitarist - if only he had found someone other than Morrisey to team up with. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Karezza
The Queen may be dead but the Smiths legacy lives on
The Smiths never made a bad album but this is one of the best. Couldnt choose between tracks to pick a fav because they are all so good. Dont miss this album buy it NOW
Published 14 months ago by Wobblybob
The priviledge is mine
What can I say that's not already been said? This has to be one of the greatest British guitar albums of all time and like all great records it has a timeless quality - a benchmark... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr Ticko
Classic
This is without a dobt one of the best albums ever. People who hate this just dont understand it, so can they stop giving it 1 star because their bringing its average rating down. Read more
Published 17 months ago by katimushu
Isn't prison enough punishment for a crime you didn't commit ?
"Get busy living or get busy dying.." (Andy Dufresne upon realising that 'The Queen is Dead' was the only record in the Shawshank prison music library).
Published 19 months ago by I. P. J. Brayshaw
The Most Unforgettable Album Ever
The Smiths might not be the best Brit-Pop band, but this album 'The Queen Is dead' should be on the top ten list. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Ji Yeong
memories
think I was 17 years old when I've heard this Album for the first time, I really love Smiths, the sound, the lyrics, some friends have reported me that this album has changed their... Read more
Published on 31 May 2010 by Frank Bozic Jr.
Good but not their best
So I broke into the palace with a sponge and a rusty spanner, and she said Ah I know you and you cannot sing and I said thats nothing you should hear me play piano. Read more
Published on 13 May 2010 by Stephen
Don't Believe the Hype
Don't Believe the Hype
The Queen Is Dead was the third "proper" album released by Manchester band, The Smiths, if we exclude the "filler" albums (Hatfull of Hollow/... Read more
The Queen Is Dead was the third "proper" album released by Manchester band, The Smiths, if we exclude the "filler" albums (Hatfull of Hollow/... Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2010 by P. Frizelle
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