Is there really any question the Vauxhall is pretty close to perfect?

(Maybe Southpaw will give Vauxhall a run for its money..hehehe)

For me it would be 1)Queen is Dead, 2) Vauxhall, 3) Smiths, 4) Meat is Murder, 5) Viva Hate...

Most consistent and best work ever done by Morrissey. Mick Ronson's producing skills were unmatched.

Vauxhall And I

The Queen Is Dead
Your Arsenal
Strangeways, Here We Come

You Are The Quarry
Meat Is Murder
Viva Hate
The Smiths

Southpaw Grammar
Kill Uncle

Maladjusted

Who said Southpaw?

Morrissey/The Smiths have produced an abundance of utterly fantastic work, as we all know, and 'Hatful Of Hollow' (not included in the poll options) and 'Meat Is Murder' do come VERY close indeed to 'The Queen Is Dead'. 'Strangeways' is also excellent, as is the debut when one looks past the production. Of Moz's solo albums, 'Vauxhall and I' holds its own with most Smiths albums, while 'Your Arsenal' is a great effort too.

But if I had to select one of their albums as a desert island disc, it would have to be 'The Queen Is Dead' (though it would be bloody difficult, because I adore 'Hatful' and 'Meat' too, and I'd be loath to lose 'Strangeways', 'Vauxhall', 'Arsenal' or the debut). It is, quite simply, the most magnificent piece of work. It never fails to blow me away, and I've heard it innumerable times as you can imagine. It is a perfect piece of work. For starters, it contains my favourite song of all time in 'There Is A Light...', and my second favourite song in 'I Know It's Over'. 'The Queen Is Dead', 'Cemetry Gates', 'Bigmouth' and 'The Boy With The Thorn In His Side' are all indisputable classics, while each other track is splendid and adds to the overall brilliance of the album. I think Morrissey's running order is sublime. Ending the album with the excellent 'Some Girls...' after the torch perfection of 'There Is A Light...' is, to me, exactly the right choice. We've been taken on this intense journey and then we're given, by contrast, an amusing ode to women's bodies that lightens the atmosphere and provides release after the album's run of brilliantly executed observations on the personal and the social/political. AND it's set to a delicious, evocative guitar figure from Marr. Likewise, the splendid 'Frankly, Mr Shankly' offers some levity, and much amusement, after the state of the nation address that is 'The Queen Is Dead'. 'Vicar In A Tutu' is a riotous rockabilly number with some truly superb lyrics and vocals from Moz. Even 'Never Had No One Ever', oft-criticsed as it is, works perfectly for me. What Morrissey does at that point in the album is to basically say - there's no let up. The astonishing 'I Know It's Over' is indeed a deeply introspective piece, and some critics have said it's then too much to follow it with the equally unremitting 'Never Had No One Ever'. But in fact it would have been very obvious to lighten the atmosphere at that point with a more upbeat song, and that's exactly what Morrissey doesn't do. At the centre of 'The Queen Is Dead' we are told, sometimes life really IS this unremitting and foreboding. It's brilliant. And then to end with 'Some Girls', in contrast to 'Suffer Little Children' and 'Meat Is Murder', adds a lovely bathos at the album's conclusion. A true masterpiece, and my favourite album of all time (with 'Hatful' a very close second).

Strangeways is terminally underrated. I think it could have been the album to break the Smiths in the USA, much the same way Out Of Time broke REM into the mainstream, if they hadn't broken up. It is their most perfectly accessible pop album. It's sad to think what could have been...:(

How do you follow the Queen is Dead and still come up smelling of roses? Release Strangeways and Bob's your (Kill) Uncle.

can't believe people like Vauxhall so much!
it's a decent album but not a patch on Queen is Dead, Strangeways or Viva Hate.
it never features on those best albums of all time lists unlike half the Smiths albums...
John

Its what i would of chosen

For a start, I don't think it is likely to keep on comparing Smiths material to Morrissey's solo production. The Smiths worked as a team, at least between Marr and Morrissey (I let you think what you want to think about the rest, including Craig Cannon). As a solo artist, Morrissey previously had a complete different method of songwriting that Jerry Finn has described during the YATQ promo interviews : they clearly weren't working as a band.

More importantly, the person that suggested that poll has completely omitted one major factor : during their short career, the Smiths have released great compilations that sometimes were -or at least once- even better than l fulalbums. Hatful of Hollow is the quintessential Smiths début album. It is miles above its eponymic predecessor. After Hatful, the World Won't Listen contained all-time classic tracks such as Panic or Shoplifters that were never featured on any album, the same goes for Louder Than Bombs in the USA. So one just can't consider the Smiths's discography without listening to those compilations which contained some of their greatest songs.

With Morrissey going solo, things became a bit different, and I won't discuss the quality within Suedehead, The World of Morrissey or My Early Burglary Years...

I kind of agree that 'Hatful' should have been included as an option. Yes, it's a compilation, but it has a consistency, unity and internal cohesion (as well as a very judiciously chosen running order) which gives it an album-like structure and impact, as well as containing some indispensable Smiths songs not featured on full albums ('William, It Was Really Nothing', 'This Night Has Opened My Eyes', 'Back To The Old House', 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' etc). It also features considerably superior takes of 'Still Ill' and 'You've Got Everything Now' and, in my opinion, the best (most glorious) version of 'This Charming Man'. I voted for 'The Queen Is Dead' (my post is the one entitled 'The Queen Is Dead-eternally astonishing'), but as I said there, if TQID is my favourite album of all time, then 'Hatful Of Hollow' runs it a close second.

'The World Won't Listen' and 'Louder Than Bombs' contain some undoubtedly superb tracks, but they do have the quality of a compilation rather than Hatful's album-like structure. 'Louder Than Bombs' is essential but sprawling, and you get a few songs in the middle ('Golden Lights', 'Oscillate Wildly') that disturb the running order and most definitely mark it out as an assemblage of stray tracks rather than a unified work of art. 'The World Won't Listen' is more concise, but you don't get 'Is It Really So Strange?', 'Sheila, Take A Bow' or 'Sweet And Tender Hooligan' there - all essential. The running order is more thoughtful than that of 'Louder', I think (i.e. the decision to start with 'Panic'), but the addition of 'Golden Lights' on the CD reissue was a mistake, while 'Money Changes Everything' is solid but dispensable. Since 'Hatful' should not be altered one jot, I wonder whether future reissues of 'The World Won't Listen' could precipitate the following alterations - I for one would be immensely pleased!

Drop 'Money Changes Everything'. Replace with 'Wonderful Woman'.

Drop 'Golden Lights'. Replace with 'Jeane'.

Add 'I Keep Mine Hidden'.

I think that would transform 'The World Won't Listen' from a good compilation to a simply essential one, and would nullify the need to programme out 'Money Changes....' and 'Golden Lights'. I haven't picked on 'Oscillate Wildly' cos I really like it - Morrissey was probably right when he said it pretty much stands up on its own!

The Queen is Dead is a fantastic album, but I like the simplicity of the Smiths...it's a "anyone can do it" album. Also, it's a very nostalgic thing for me because I still remember going to Discus (a now defunct montreal record store chain) and buying the album along with 20 other people. The album didn't leave my turntable for about a year. It's a perfect case study in songwriting: you don't have to have the most "trained" voice or be a guitar virtuoso to write perfect songs.

I love the way everyone's championing their fave - yes, it's inevitable, but it shows the breadth and impact of the Smiths/Moz back catalogue. While I like 'Your Arsenal' a lot, for instance, I wouldn't have expected anyone to nominate it for his very best work as up against Vauxhall, Queen Is Dead, Meat and Hatful - but there it is, a post above naming it as his most consistent work! I think it's a wonderful thing that different records mean so much to different people! Great stuff.

Umm, Hatful of Hollow has got to be the best collection of songs and yet it was omitted? I hope it's not because someone felt it a "compilation". Back to the Old House and Handsome Devil....Please Please Please etc....

for me, between Vauxhall and Strangeways. I went for Strangeways in the end, but how hard is it to choose?

I'm probably one of the few who would rank QID as my least fave Smiths album, and NHNE and IKIO are the two I dislike the most.

Dear Agony Aunt

I have a very nerdy urge to plot the results of this poll against actual record sales. I am worried that maybe my friends are right and I should get out more.

What should I do?

From

Auric, Newport Pagnell, UK.

Strangeways is a masterpiece; the pinnacle of the Smiths' career.

Once again Kill Uncle is being swept aside by it's beefier brothers. This I expected, but what I didn't expect was to see Maladjusted being kicked to the gutter too.

Maladjusted is certainly better than Southpaw Grammar, but it's lagging behind.

So why do you guys hate Maladjusted? Beyond hating Roy's Keen, the worst Morrissey single EVER. (Or is that just me?)

no need to vote, "the queen is dead" is not only the best smiths/morrissey record but also the best record EVER made. "strangeways" is another masterpiece that comes close.
And how come 9 people voted for "kill uncle" i can´t really understand, for god´s sake, thats the worst morrissey record ever!.

I first heard Morrissey when he was with the Smiths. I was in high school, 1987, and some friends of mine were passing around tapes of this band called The Smiths. I had never heard of them. To make a long story short, I went out to the mall and bought the only Smiths tape they had (the stores only had CDs of Top 40 bands at that time). Anyway, I played that tape, "Stangeways, Here We Come" a million times. I got my second Smiths recording for Christmas that year. This time it was "The Queen is Dead" and this time it was a CD. Anyway, I know "The Queen Is Dead" is the better recoring, but I'll always have a soft spot for "Stangeways". Hell, I think I'll go listent to it right now......

My favourite Smiths/Morrissey album tends to change in time, but at the moment it's "You are the Quarry."

Here's a top 5...

1. The Queen is Dead
2. Viva Hate
3. You Are the Quarry
4. Strangeways Here We Come
5. Meat is Murder

Please visit this site for a much deserved forum on The Smiths!

Although I would never suggest that it is his best works, it IS the most unfairly slaughtered record of all time. When I first heard 'The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils', I was astounded at what a bold move he had made musically.

'Reader Meets Author' and 'Boy Racer' are both good, solid songs and I do think that if you removed the ridiculous solo from the beginning of 'The Operation' it would be a much better song. Dagenham Dave is another good single, and although it tails off toward the end, it is mightily better than most of Maladjusted, the poorer songs on Viva Hate, and the second half of Kill Uncle.

I don't think it touches anything by The Smiths or Your Arsenal, Vauxhall and I or You Are The Quarry, but it's about time that this Southpaw-baiting stopped because it is a very interesting album, far better than its follow up. Well, I like it anyway!

You are so right! I will never understand how anyone could listen to "Vauxhall" and "Arsenal" and say Vauxhall is superior. Vauxhall is so over-rated--it has two of Morrisseys best songs on it, the first two, but the rest is mediocre crap. Arsenal, on the other hand, is absolutely top-notch. Not only is it filled with Morrissey's most memorable melodies since he left the Smiths, it also has some of his best lyrics. The hilarious irony in "National Front Disco" alone would establish this album as a stellar career moment--same with "We'll let You Know" and several others. That was Morrissey at the top of his game--lyrics filled with humor and dry wit, minus the phony, Lost Angeles PC crap which has infested YATQ. Blech.

Anyway--I will never understand why "Strangeways" is so underrated. I played that to death. AWESOME record. If not for "Death at One's Elbow" it'd be pretty damned near perfect.

Difficult decision but I had to choose Meat Is Murder.
The bands flawless, aggressive playing and Morrissey's vocal inflictions meld together perfectly.
Lyrically I don't think it gets any better, Morrissey delivers all the goods, it's full of images of Sex/Violence/Sadness/Longing.
It Grabs and Devours, Grabs and Devours..

1) The Queen Is Dead
2) Viva Hate
3) Strangeways, Here We Come
4) Vauxhall and I
5) You Are The Quarry
6) Meat Is Murder
7) Your Arsenal
8) The Smiths
9) Kill Uncle
10) Maladjusted
11) Southpaw Grammar

Add a comment...

Hands down Your Arsenal is his best effort. The first real introduction of what was to come from "The Lads"-Boz,Gaz,White,and Spencer.

best album ever put together. every song on it is a masterpiece.

there he was, thinking that, in Your Are the Quarry, he'd unleashed a masterpiece on us but then we, the fans, rank it 8th out of all 11 albums with only the barrel-scraping trilogy of Kill Uncle, Southpaw and Maladjusted faring worse.

Oh well, at least in First of the Gang he gave us his best single for 15 years and with 'The Never-Played Symphonies' his best ever b-side, even including the Smiths stuff.
John

15 people voted for Kill Uncle! Better than everything, including everything done by the Smiths! HAHAHAHAHAHA!

The Smiths - 'Strangeways, Here We Come'. I tremble at the thought of what could have come next. Each of the members were in top form. I know the TQID will be number one, but as a group musically nothing will top Strangeways.
Morrissey - 'Vauxhall And I'. Mozzer at his best lyrically (smiths and solo) . Musically Boz/Alan are in top form. I don't think they have been in this form since.

perfection.

meat is murder is just about the best album ever made...vauxhall is pure genius.

I have to admit it: I was one of the hundreds who voted for "The Queen Is Dead". Whatever Morrissey produces in the future, however good it is, "The Queen Is Dead" will always be my favourite. Musically, lyrically, production-wise, Mozzer might produce a better album, but it would never be my favourite. Often, one has memories attached to an album that stay forever. When I first listened to "The Queen Is Dead”, I was blown away by it. It's the album that made me a Morrissey fan. Nothing will eclipse it because of that.
Having said that, I do appreciate the newer stuff and rate “Quarry” very highly. If this poll were repeated in a few albums time, I wonder where it would rank? I suppose a lot depends on the quality of its follow-up(s).

Great opening song, great ending and many wonderful moments in between, without a doubt his best solo work and I'm too young to judge The Smiths...sorry, QID if I must but I missed them really!

so far 'Meat...' has garnered twice as many votes- idont see how. yes, tracks 1 through 7 are all brilliant and the title track truly moving even to those who continue to eat meat [like myself] but its simply not enough to overlook the meandering of 'Barbarism Begins At Home' and 'Well I Wonder'. ther are times when those songs can catch me in the right mood that im able to really enjoy them, but those are few and far between. ususally they are merely a tollerable interlude to an otherwise breathtaking album.

every single one of the ten tracks on 'Your Arsenal' is captivating- perfectly sequenced, extremely enjoyable. isuppose if you were to pick lows on '...Arsenal' theyd be '...Fatty' for its simplistic lyricism and perhaps 'I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday' for its lengthy opening but these tracks are certainly far better than 'Barbarism...' and '...Wonder' [and ipersonally would never considered them lows, juste trying to be objective].

'...Arsenal' is a flawless album, 'Meat...' is obviously flawed. ilov 'Meat Is Murder' but idont see how so many could rank it above 'The Queen Is Dead', 'Vauxhall And I' and 'Strangeways...'- ican see how many would place '...Arsenal' on top though.

I know it is *not* a studio album, but my favorite of all time is Louder Than Bombs.

I was 13 years old when I bought the double album, and I fell in love with it immediately. I had already bought The Queen is Dead with my paper route money. I know Louder Than Bombs is a compilation, but the sequence of songs is perfect- like a story which is beautiful yet filled with heartache and hope. These songs did let me know that I was not alone. I felt each song was a personal message for me to "hang in there" and tough it out- to become an adult. I was living in an orphanage at the time, and I had to deal with six months worth of sexual abuse. These songs comforted me tremendously, and I can't say exactly why.

All I can do is thank Morrissey for his words and all of his talent. He somehow told me to hang in there- that my story would be important, too- somehow and somewhere.

I can't wait to see him again in Chicago. I hope to be first in line (or as close as possible) with flowers in hand.

Thanks, Morrissey.

Sincerely,

Kenneth G. Stavitzke

ps- If you have never heard Jobriath- try "Be Still." Follow this link-
http://www.crapfromthepast/jobriath/album1st.htm

Enjoy the listen.

1)Strangeways
2)The Queen is dead
3) You are the Quarry
4) Meat is Murder
5) The Smiths

The two albums I'd chose are "The Queen is Dead" for a Smiths album and "Vauxhall & I" for a solo album...

The Queen is Dead" is definately the most poetic Smiths album...full of beautiful prose and beautiful references to literary classics and Marr is in classic form on this album...it's just cohesive from the beginning to the end...

"Vauxhall & I" features brilliant production from beginning to end...very lush and the band is at its pinnicale on "Vauxhall"...and again Moz's prose is grand on this solo effort!

Strangeways and Your Arensal are close seconds, as they are the best in the "Moz tried something new and it worked" department!

1. The Queen Is Dead
2. Meat Is Murder
3. Vauxhall And I
4. The Smiths
5. Strangeways Here We Come
6. Your Arsenal
7. You Are The Quarry
8. Viva Hate
9. Southpaw Grammar
10. Kill Uncle
11. Maladjusted

Who are the ten daft twits who voted for Maladjusted?! Some people will buy anything.There's ten sure votes for Kerry!

Also not a studio album, but my favorite of all time. Maybe we should have a another poll for non-studio albums?

I don't think you can rate Morrissey's studio albums alone. In some cases, his b-sides have been better than his a-sides. The same goes for his worse albums. We all pretty much agree that it is between 'Maladjusted', 'Southpaw', and 'Kill Uncle'. Even so, there are bright spots in all three. A few of Maladjusted's b-sides are good enough to bring up the value of the album as a whole. A few of Southpaw's songs have become live favorites, in addition to some killer b-sides, thus having the same effect. A few bright spots on Kill Uncle, plus the tour which followed also give the album a certain feeling...to some.

In my opinion, there are too many variables to decide which one I like least, let alone to try and figure out which one I like best. I'm a fan that hovers between albums. I think if you truly and fully appreciate an artist's talents, it is impossible to say that one is outright better than the other. I think a better poll question would have been which factors help you determine the value of an album. To some it matters none, but whether it has more to do with how Morrissey's career has gone, or with my own tastes as an observer of music, I can't say. This may be another topic soon to follow....

As far as Morrissey's favorite goes, as of late it seems to be Meat is Murder. I have noticed that among the past few tours, including this one, he makes sure to play at least one song from that album. It may be that he wants to get his message across concerning vegetarianism. The title track was played consistently the last two to three tours. Couple that with 'I Want the One I Can't Have' last tour, and 'Headmaster Ritual' (along with How Soon Is Now) this tour, and it can get one thinking. It would be interesting to see after the next album (if there is one), if he busts out with 'Nowhere Fast', or 'Well I Wonder'. Come to think of it, i'd like to see him perform every song on the album. No Jose, that was not an invitation for you to post a pic of yourself in an army helmet 4X. Anyway, I can say the same for most of Moz's other albums. While I don't keep up as much as I wish I could, maybe Morrissey has come outright to state which is his favorite album to perform songs from. On a slightly ironic note; I remember one interview in which he stated that 'Reader Meet Author' was his favorite song to perform live.

so Vauxhall&I got me vote

with Meat is Murder at0.0000000000000000000000001%
a close second,& Viva Hate&Hatfull of Hollow
at 0.0000000000000000000000000002% both close 3rd
place

for today

To me it's most probably "Strangeways here we come". Althouh containing very few not so perfect trax, it's just beyond anything a band has achieved so far (besides JOY DIVISION imho). Johnny Marr's guitar playing has reached perfection on "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me", and the Mozfather never sounded any more heartbreaking than on that one (except for "I Know It's Over" probably).

It seems Morrisseys Smiths years and solo years match up quite nicely.

The Smiths – Viva Hate (the uneven first album, some great tracks, some forgettable tracks)
Hatful Of Hollow – Bona Drag (The compilation)
Meat is Murder – Kill Uncle (The albums with great songs, but no hit singles)
The queen is Dead – Your Arsenal (The power album)
Strangeways, Here we come – Vouxhall and I (The well produced album)
Louder than Bombs - My Early Burglary Years (The B - sides)

The next Smiths album would have been something matching Southpaw!
Hmm….

Of "the weak three" (you know what, Maladjusted, Southpaw Grammar, Kill Uncle), I`m genuinely surpirised that Maladjusted is doing the worst. For me its definitely the best of an average bunch.

Southpaw Grammar is DEFINITELY the worst. Kill Uncle has a couple of great moments (Our Frank, Sing Your Life); whereas Maladjusted has lots os pretty good moments (Trouble Loves Me, Alma, Satan, Wide To Receive). Southpaw has.....very little really. When Boy Racer, Dagenham Dave and Reader Meet Author are the best songs on an album you're really in for an average time (never BAD you understand....)

...But I decided to vote Meat is Murder to get it's percentage up (as well as being a fine work!).. It Could've easily been Strangeways though, or Vauxhall, which have given me untold pleasure equally ..

What it comes down to is this; You're measuring perfection against perfection in a lot of cases.. apart from the clearly weaker albums.. to split the cream rising to the top is making me cry with frustration.. i can't do without any.. each has their place and their moment in time and place !!

Ruffian

Queen is dead and Vauxhall as top records.

Moz surely must ask himself if he is on the right track, The Smiths first album (the Smiths album with the least number of votes) has received more votes than You are the quarry (at 1512 votes)

...and it is "The Queen Is Dead"

Undoubtedly his masterpiece.

Interesting to see the euphoria die down a little over YATQ. I was always very enthusiastic when it came out and myself and many others had to defend it to a significant amount of cynics who said it was bland.

I still love it and it's still growing on me. I always maintained that Viva Hate and Vauxhall were better though.... and this poll will prove me right... but with the recent hoopla surrounding YATQ still fresh in my ears and eyes, I'm surprised it's not getting more votes!

FACT: Maladjusted is not as bad as the showing in this poll. It has more great songs than it has ordinary or dross songs.

FACT: Bona Drag and Hatful etc. should all be included in these polls. Okay, so he didn't record them as albums but they are single entities and represent single purchases and are memories in their own right. They have as much gravitas surrounding them as the regular releases... in some cases much more!

FACT: Kill Uncle is much, much better than history has shown it be. Play it again! Refresh your memory. The Kill Uncle tour was the first chance most of us had of seeing Morrissey live (if you are of a similar age to me) The whole KU album and tour... feel the memories wash back!

FACT: I find it difficult to compare Smiths and solo albums... so my head hurts and I need to lie down.

FACT: I've lost my crimpers!

smiths
Strangeways, Here We Come
Meat Is Murder
The Smiths
The Queen Is Dead

and solo..
Viva Hate
Southpaw Grammar
Kill Uncle
Vauxhall And I
You Are The Quarry
Your Arsenal
Maladjusted

for all those bitching and moaning about the quality of polls -- is this the type of boring poll you wanted? jeez, doesn't anyone like to be challenged anymore? might as well ask what you think moz's fave colour is? i think we have to have an automatic choice on the polls that indicates it's too fucking boring to answer

wake me up when there's something i need to actually fire a couple of synapes for....

but we get what we are....

Aren't we all the most crashing bores of them all???

1 You Are The Quarry
2 The Queen Is Dead
3 The Smiths
4 Viva Hate
5 Vauxhall And I
6 Meat Is Murder
7 Your Arsenal
8 Strangeways, Here We Come
9 Southpaw Grammar
10 Maladjusted
11 Kill Uncle

Compilations
1 Louder Than Bombs
2 Hatful of Hollow
3 My Early Burglary Years
4 Bona Drag
5 Rare Tracks
the rest: who cares?

Southpaw Grammar has 5 excellent songs, but it's ruined for me by The Boy Racer, Dagenham Dave and Do Your Best And Don't Worry. If it stuff like Sunny, Boxers and Nobody Loves Us on there instead of those three, or just more songs on it, I'd probably rank it much higher. The Smiths is a fantastic album with 2 weak songs on it. The production isn't great, but the ragged feel gives it a real charm: you get the impression you're listening to something very raw and even dangerous. That edge was lost by "Strangeways."

I think "Quarry" will be seen as a classic once the dust settles.

Clearly His worst album although Mute Witness is great

Vauxhall is definitely his solo best. Sad that Southpaw Grammar is faring so badly though. There is a line on Southpaw that brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it: 'Oh, you ran back to ma...which set the pace for the rest of your life.' Who else can write lyrics like that?

Vauxhall
Queen is Dead
Quarry
The Smiths
Strangeways
Your Arsenal
Meat is Murder
Southpaw
Viva Hate
Maladjusted
Kill Uncle

Some people might say The Smiths is too high. I know it was badly produced and I know he hadn't really learnt to sing yet, but the songs are fantastic and also nothing can beat the impact of the first album. Me and my friends didn't play anything else (except for Hatful) for months.

I don't think there's a bad album there. Believe it or not, I get hooked on Southpaw from time-to-time. I have to listen to it from beginning to end. I also think Maladjusted had good songs, but did not stand apart as an "album". Honestly folks, the only thing Moz has done that's plain painful is "Pregnant for the Last Time".

Okay, laying aside the fact that this poll has two major problems (the first being the lack of so-called 'non-studio' albums, the second being the lumping in of a solo artist's with that he produced as part of a BAND) I would contend the wonderful thing about the work of Morrissey and The Smiths is that your favourites will change from year to year or throughout your life. As you grow older, different albums resonate more. Here are some of my thoughts on them.

"The Smiths" was always the poor cousin when it came to The Smiths, with the bizarre production and less than perfect vocals- but recently I have come to recognise the raw energy and passion and youthful exuberance it contains. This sets it apart from all the other albums, since none of them convey the 'angry' Mozza of Youth so well.

"Hatful of Hollow" isn't included due to 'non-studio' snobbery. This amazes me since it is the only Smiths album that doesn't suffer from the dirge of 1980s production and stands out all the better for it. Most consistently played by me, and I suspect many of the more 'muso' Smiths fans. The fact will continue to remain that although 'non-studio' this album holds together in a perfectly coherent 'studio' fashion.

"Meat Is Murder" is an excellent 'second' album and is surely Mr. Marr's masterwork in terms of composition. Plus, unlike on their debut the lyrical themes Morrissey explores seem a lot more autobiographical or narrative-based. In addition to this it's a very political album and Morrissey really pushes his vocals to lengths unmatched before or since. For me, it's always been a summery album.

"The Queen Is Dead" is their popular masterwork and I always thought it was perfect all the way through my teens and early twenties but the older you get the more this sheen fails. It becomes too perfect, and our attention wanders elsewhere. This is the closest they ever came to populism... a brilliant album but apart from the opener and "Cemetry Gates" nothing on it really speaks to me anymore. The brooding teenager's album then.

"Strangeways Here We Come" is fantastic. No bad tunes are on it despite what people say. It hangs together in a fashion only "Hatful" came close to. Emotional melodrama is delivered convincingly ("Last Night"); jokes come with expert timing ("Stop Me"); the world-weariness comes over as totally real ("A Rush And A Push"); the heartfelt lyrics are genuine and affective ("I Won't Share You"). Its production is modern and exciting and the whole thing suggested they were heading for world domination- and yet it proved their swansong and so it is bathed in an almost Shakespearean tragedy. Forget the cheap sheen and perfection of "The Queen Is Dead"- THIS is where the genius is at!

And only on "Vauxhall" did he get close to it again. That is his best album but eventually any fan will come to see the masterwork as being "Strangeways". But this doesn't mean it's my favourite.

I've been stuck in a Hatful/Strangeways tie for some years now and I don't think it's going to change any time soon :)

This is my take. I could start going on about his solo albums but frankly I think the poll topic shouldn't have included them. Comparison is ridiculous. Morrissey's work is a different animal from that of The Smiths. Comparing them is as pointless as saying "Ferrari or Picasso: which is better?" therefore.

why Meat hasn't got more votes. I'm sorry but I must have listened to every Smiths album, literally, hundreds of times, Meat is just THE best album of all time. Every track is fantastic, every single track works together, as an album it justworks sublimely. The Queen is Dead (which I knew was always going to win) has some superior individual tracks (I Know it's Over, and the title track are probably my 1,2 favourite songs), but as an album Meat is just perfection.

Oh, and best Morrisey album is Arsenal.

Wacky Conspiracy Theory # 157: Hmmmmmm...Look at the poll result bar chart for each individual release and compare it to the length of each album's title (well, almost - it's pretty damn close)...there seems to be a reasonably close correlation...weird, huh?

Additionally, there seems to be a parabolic-wave trend in the ups and downs in the popularity stakes re: Moz's recoreded output. Here's hoping for the current upward trend to continue AND for a really long album title for his next release!

Vauxhall has a nice feel to it and some nice songs. But it doesn't contain anything that's truly amazing.
Nothing that can compete with the incredible drama of Last Night I Dreampt, the gorgeous, guitar-solo-tastic Paint a Vulgar Picture, the poignant beauty of I Won't Share You, or the bitter-sweet, fantastically melodic Girlfirnd in a Coma.
Vauxhall's nowhere near.
John

"That's life" by Sham 69.err will this do?

I suppose every album has it's strengths, such as the live versions of still ill and The Queen is dead on Rank. I borrowed all the solo albums from the library, then bought the ones I liked; except Maladjusted because I just knew i would never play it. My (solo/group)desert island disc? Viva Hate/Queen is dead.

that I listen to "Vauxhall and I" at least once a week since its release which is not the case of the others albums - I barely listen to Southpaw and just never to Maladjusted by the way

Nikita

here's what iposted a few polls ago when broken first brought up this poll idea of 'greatest album':

"you can already guess how that best album poll would end up:

The Queen Is Dead
Vauxhall And I
Meat Is Murder
Strangeways, Here We Come
The Smiths
Viva Hate
Your Arsenal
You Are The Quarry
Southpaw Grammar
Kill Uncle
Maladjusted

thats what id bet on for the final standings- not that iagree, its juste what id expect.

idont think Quarry would get that high [especially given the amount of negative reaction given on this site]. ifigure one and two are guarnteed to be 'The Queen...' and 'Vauxhall...'. its the two schools of thought really- like when you do this with U2 and you inevitably come to 'The Joshua Tree' and 'Achtung...' as one and two. the next five spots id expect to be a juggling act between the other Smiths albums 'Viva Hate' and 'Your Arsenal'. then id see '...Quarry' and 'Southpaw...' jockeying for eighth and ninth with under appreciated 'Kill Uncle' and 'Maladjusted' battling for the basement. "

rightnow the results hav this:

The Queen Is Dead [869/35%]
Vauxhall And I [350/14%]
Strangeways, Here We Come [27411%]
Meat Is Murder [243/9%]
The Smiths [170/6%]
Your Arsenal [155/6%]
Viva Hate [154/6%]
You Are The Quarry [130/5%]
Southpaw Grammar [52/2%]
Kill Uncle [42/1%]
Maladjusted [27/1%]

how right was i?

Oh dear..this is one of those impossible polls.
Asking me my what my favourite album is, is like asking me; Who is your favourite child?, or What is your favourite ice-cream? it's just unanswerable.
My favourite colour is Blue.
My favourite drink is Beer.
Them subjects are easy.
Ice-cream, Kids and Smiths/Morrissey albums are'nt.

'The Smiths'(the debut album) changed my life completely, and therefore, regardless of the musical or lyrical content of any of the other albums, I simply have to choose this one.

In my opinion it is the most important rock/pop/call-it-what-you-will album of the last 25 years.

i think that most of those who voted for the queen is just because "someone" says that that album is the best.... but really, Vauxhall is the one!

.... isn't that great.

If you take out 'the queen is dead', 'I know it's over', 'bigmouth strikes again' 'the boy..' and 'there is a light..', you are left with ..

frankly mr shankly
never had no one ever
cemetry gates
vicar in a tutu
some girls are bigger than others
= not masterpiece.

Meat is Murder is the best overall.

My favourite is the queen is dead.How can you top songs like there is a light that never goes out and the queen it is dead and basically the whole album.As i am only 13 the smiths are very old,if you think about it.Not only can that album make you cry but it can also make you laugh its got such a great freshness about it.Plus it was made before i was even born so you would expect it feel old but it isnt at all.

Hatful should be on the list. I'm not going to argue for Louder Than Bombs or The World Won't Listen. And yes Hatful is technically a compilation. But here is why in my heart, it is an album.

1. All the songs on Hatful are unique to Hatful. Different versions of the same song appear elsewhere but to get these versions on a full length album, you have to get Hatful. That's one thing that seperates Hatful from Bona, Bombs, TWWL, Burgalry, etc.

2. The original singles are all out of print. The things which Hatful is a compilation of no longer exist.
  For someone too young to have been into Smiths in the 80's, there is only one way they could possibly get the music on Hatful.
    Some of the early Beatles "albums" were actually compilations, not that anyone alive today gives a shit.

3. How many people can say "I don't own Hatful because I already have all the singles."? Hell, there is probably very few of us who have ANY of the singles.

4. It is a document of a very specific time period. If someone makes an album and then puts out a bunch of singles off that album, is it really that much different than someone, in the same space of time, making a bunch of singles and then making an album out of it?
    Another reason why I'm not arguing Bombs or Listen. Thos were career-spanning retrospectives.

    Personally, I would like to see Bona on the list but I realize the presence of the Viva Hate tracks undermine many of the arguements I just made for Hatful.

I appreciate Moz's wit just as much as the next guy, but bit TQID is a bit heavy on the comedy lyrics. Frankly Mr.Shankly, Vicar In A Tutu, Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others, to a lesser extent the title track and Cemetry Gates. Only I Know It's Over and There Is A Light have that deep lyrical sincerity of previous Smiths work.
    I talked to this guy from Manchester who once said when Morrissey came out, he wrote from a perspective of poverty and that's what he wrote about. But by Queen Is Dead his perspective had changed. I can't help but think that maybe he had a point. I just don't feel the yearning on TQID that I get from other Smiths albums.
    In some ways, this gets worse on Strangeway where there a few songs whose lyrical meanderings really aren't about anything in particular (A Rush a Push, Stop Me If...). Moz was getting a bit comfy.
    Musically, it is still good. Lyrics, in their own way, still good. But I don't think TQID is as good a representation of what the Smiths were about as Meat Is Murder.

Dah only album puh-fectly fit fah Ol' Blue Eyes is Dah Woild of Mawrrissey. I'll nevah fuh-give Mozza fuh doin' a bettah version of "Moon Rivah"!

1) Strangeways
      Meat Is Murder
      Queen Is Dead
4) Your Arsenal
5) Vauxhall

It's so hard to decide it between the first three... but if i had to, it would be that order i think.... (wouldn't it?)

Not that anyone should care, but . . . I've found Southpaw one of those albumns that takes a few years to appreciate. I never listened to it much for a long time, but I've found myself sticking it in more and more. An aqcuired taste perhaps; it really sticks apart from the rest of his stuff and I think that's why my ears didn't like it at first. I did like the fact that it is unassuming. You gotta give it credit for the two longest songs in his catalogue (which I must admit took a long time to like - but I love 'em now) Those were definitely never intended for any radio play.

can anybody tell me why Bona Drag isn't on the list? that is one of my very fave albums of all time.

first of all, i would have voted for "bona drag" or "louder than bombs", but they're compilations.

there are songs on each one of the smiths's studio albums that i don't care for. yes, even a couple on "the queen is dead". and the same goes for most of moz's solo stuff. again, even a couple on "vauxhall and i".

which leaves only two albums that i think are consistently good all the way through : "your arsenal" and, believe it or not, "kill uncle". they are the yin and yang of moz albums. if i had to choose one of those two, i'd go with "arsenal" only because some versions of "uncle" don't include "tony the pony" which is one of moz's best b-sides.

i'm actually amazed that people hate "kill uncle" so much and that "your arsenal" isn't in first place among moz's albums.

What no one seems to have made mention of in taking a stand on Smiths material vs Morrissey's solo output is the difference in the structure of the material...Morrissey and Marr's compositions together (and it would seem to have been much down to Marr) are often very much outside the standard "verse-chorus" method, rather built over extended riffs or motifs (see something like "The Headmaster Ritual" or "Paint a Vulgar Picture") while Moz's solo collaborators have been much more conventional in their songwriting, with more obvious chord changes and dramatic shifts.

Hardly a judgement on convention as, frankly, I wind up preferring the songs in Moz's solo canon (by the sheer changes his voice is forced to do more)...his current collaborators are underrated songwriters (though God could they be more inspired players!), and Morrissey himself is probably underestimated when it comes to putting songs together...no one does it for as long as he has without knowing exactly what he's after...and when it comes to singing he's a master at phrasing and at this point is possessed of sublime pipes (not always the case! Hooray for development + age).

It was a bitterly cold foggy Monday night in Cambridge 1984 or 1983 I can't recall, I'm an artist not a pedant , when I waltzed into Andy's Records and bought The Smiths debut LP. (I stole the money from my brothers whisky bottle, a feat requiring my mothers knitting needle). I was 16 and completely obsessed by a song I had heard on the John Peel called show "Still Ill". I biked home, plastic bag flapping against my spokes, with such a delirious zeal that I haven't really ever recovered.

The Smiths debut LP gets my vote.

Bearing in mind we've only had Quarry for 3 months, it's amazing that over 5% of voters think it's Morrissey's finest ever solo or Smiths album. It's performed roughly as well as Viva Hate and Your Arsenal, all three of which are a long way behind Vauxhall. There's always some cynicism surrounding new releases and I doubt so many would have voted for Vauxhall ahead of TQID back in 1994. Over time, perhaps Quarry will come to be seen as a seminal record too.

The main surprise for me is how few people love the debut Smiths album and how many love Strangeways. Strangeways is a very good album, but I really love the debut too and I would have thought it would have held a special place in everyone's heart. It's raw, and it sounds desperate and quite subversive. I realise asking which album is "the greatest" isn't quite the same as asking "which is your favourite" and I wonder if the results would have been slightly different had I asked that slightly different poll question.

Interesting to see that we're all mostly agreed on the relative merits of Kill Uncle, Southpaw Grammar and Maladjusted though!

Excuse my poor english but I coming from Belgium.

I am 28 years-old and have discovered The Smiths in 1996 (!) with BEST I & BEST II.
So Maladjusted is the best solo album for me because the first that I have bought.

For example, first track, "Maladjusted", is better than first track of Viva Hate, "Alsatian Cousin".
" Alma Matters " : dynamic,addictive single.
" Trouble loves me" : superb sad song.

I could mentionned almost every track (not the ridicule " sorrow will come to the end").

OK, the cover is ugly, the production not terrible (a cross between Oasis and U2 !) and the voice weak.
But I really have adored this album.

Maybe it's not so duff, afterall!
John

Strangeways, Here We Come is jus the most beautiful sawan song ever recorded...even the title of this album and it's reference to the prison Strangeways, coudn't have come up with a better title for an album signifying the end of the greatest band ever...from beginning ot the end, one coul snese this was the end...beautiful prose on most of the songs and the best ending of an era, by ending with "I won't share you"...you could tell the boys were on the outs but still they put together all their troubles to record a masterpiece of straigh beauty....Vauxhall remains the best of the solo albums though....

I voted for The Queen is Dead. The number of afternoons I spent locked in my bedroom listening to the LP for hours on end, I couldn't begin to count. The same is true for Meat is Murder and Strangeways. Those albums define my adolescence--the themes are etched on my soul. How can I seperate those albums, as I hear them, from nostalgia that wells up in me? I can't. I have friends who had never heard of The Smiths, but fell in love with Your Arsenal. Some of those friends tell me there's no doubt YA is the best in Morrissey's body of work. I remember loving Kill Uncle for about 30 seconds (well, side A of the cassette, anyway), but I haven't listened to it in years. However, I remember eagerly awaiting Strangeways, buying it, and tossing it aside on frist listen saying it was crap. A couple of years later I rediscovered it and couldn't believe I'd ever doubted it was brilliant.

All this said, I don't think the lagging numbers for YATQ should be taken as an indication Morrissey failed at his attempt to create a great work. For me, it hasn't achieved the significance of many of the Smiths or Morrissey's earlier projects, but how could it? What do I have invested in YATQ? I may seem a little strange (and that's because I am), but I think we develop relationships with our favorite songs, albums, books, films, etc. Like any other relationship, they develop and grow more intimate and meaningful over time.

I've never really understood the high praise people heap upon The Queen Is Dead because musically and lyrically, it really isn't the strongest. It has three standout tracks...TQID, Bigmouth, and There Is A Light but the rest of the tracks seem to plod along...there isn't the energy of some of the tracks on Meat is Murder, and lyrically it is not a patch on Vauxhall.

So, my vote goes for Vauxhall...Now My Heart is Full, Billy Budd, Spring Heeled Jim, Hated for Loving, Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself, Lifeguard Sleeping and Speedway were all brilliant. Even the "fillers" like The More You Ignore Me are more infectious than Frankly, Mr Shankly.

The only sadness with Vauxhall is that a) Morrissey didn't tour with that album in 1994 and that he doesn't seem to play any Vauxhall tunes nowadays (although maybe the return of NMHIF will begin a trend) and b) the album was never remastered, because as good as it was, at times it sounds like it was recorded not in a studio, but instead using two plastic tea cups and a piece of string..

It just seems that only the younger fans like Morrissey exclusively, while the older fans appreciate Morrissey's solo work as well as his work with The Smiths. Is it me or does it appear that those who trash the Smiths' work are the younger fans of just Morrissey? Why is it that time after time there can't be a decent debate between the two, it's got to be one or the other? Surely the Smiths bashers must have some appreciation for the music Morrissey created, since he first began his career?

You don't have to chose just one. You can embrace a multitude of flavors. You're human. We contain a multitude. His selections of singles to realease, his songs he withholds for b-sides, his choice of covers, his sometimes contradictory opinions... Malajusted, never to be trusted...I like you, because you're not right in the head... I love The Queen is Dead as a whole LP. I think Maladjusted is one the best opening tracks ever! I like any song that refers to a book he enjoyed (Vauhall...) My favorite release is any single that he choses because it will be an honest attempt to produce a work of (minor/major/trivial/humorous/political/amusing/self-indulgent/dramatic/outstand ing) art! Any writer/artist who always gives an honest heartfelt effort is a rare breed. Viva Moz

This poll would generate some great discussion on this Smiths' site. Please visit!

Hatful of Hollow? It's my favourite, but they're all so great that I am torn.

Fountain Reeler

You, sir, are a total cock.

Your own belief in the importance of everything you say is incredible...it appears that you view yourself as some sort of "authority", when in reality you are a figure of fun and loathing here.

It is a truly wonderful thing to visit the chat room and find Colleen, bobmozza and Slum Mum redding everyone about what an arse you are while leading you to believe that you are forgiven and loved...marvellous stuff.

Still, poor Asian boy...

Ciao bella.

your post is not offensive but the response to your post is, the Mod got it wrong

I would say that Hatful and Louder than Bombs trump Viva Hate. Bona Drag would run close. But of the proper albums, Moz was never better than Viva Hate.
    One of my complaints about the Smiths is that they never put out a definitive album. Viva Hate, for me, beats any Smiths album.

I completely agree with Belligerent Ghoul- "Viva Hate" is pure perfection- and when it came out, I really didn't expect how spectacular it would be! I took that tape all over London! I agree also with Belligerent Ghoul regarding the songs, "Everyday Is Like Sunday" and, "Late Night On Maudlin Street"- two absolutely PERFECT songs. It also proved, for the most part, that Marr was not needed to create such a masterpiece! I find "Viva Hate" to be perfect in every way. "Suedehead" is also an example of Morrissey's genius. The man knows exacly what he's doing, and he hit one ( with the help of Stephen Street anf Vini Reilly out of the park with "Viva Hate" A perfect album in EVERY way. Also, Anton Corbijin's snap of Moz's really resembles a portrait. The BEST solo work Morrissey has ever accomplished. Belligerent Ghoul, you hit the mark totally on this! You have extremely good taste! :0) I was blown away by the arrangements, courtesy of Vini Reilly- beautiful guitar work. Belligerent Ghoul, you are right on the mark with "Viva Hate"! :)