'The Queen Is Dead' @ 25 - The Independent

Honestly, the finest record ever. An epic opening, brilliant storytelling in each and every song, a wonderful flow of the album and some of the finest Smiths' tracks ever. Bigmouth Strikes Again, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, and Cemetry Gates? What comes close? (except nothing). I marvel at people who try so very hard to claim "Morrissey's solo work is better than the Smiths". This record is so good, and Johnny's writing and guitar work are so amazing, that The Smiths being better than Morrissey solo is not open for discussion. It isn't opinion; it's fact.
 
I don't know anyone who was around for the Smiths who thinks solo Morrissey is better. In fact, most of them weren't too impressed with Morrissey's solo work after Viva Hate. I happen to think his solo stuff is good (was good, I should say) but come on it's got nothing on the Smiths.
 
A cultural milestone indeed. TQID was released on 16 June 1986 in the United Kingdom by Rough Trade Records and 23 June 1986 in the United States on Sire Records. I can still remember going to the record store (ask your parents what that is) when it came out and lovingly looking at the gatefold sleeve. It was on my turntable constantly until at least the autumn. I got to see The Smiths live that August, my one and only time.

The 'Independent' article was amusing, but they couldn't resist a slap at American music namely grunge. Isn't it enough, O ye British people, that you dominated the entire 1980's with vastly superior music? Let us have our shining moment in the early 90's.
 
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Mary Ann Hobbs is a walking holocaust c*** of a woman
 
my comment "It isn't opinion" - whoever questioned that comment, don't be so literal. I realize that it actually IS opinion, but I was emphasizing how strongly I felt. Trying to make a point of how very good The Smiths were, and Johnny Marr especially. And my friend who went to the record store... I loved record stores... they saved my life. LUCKILY, in California, we have a record shop in 2011 that was as good as they were in the 80s! Amoeba Records. I'm lucky to live by two locations and to be able to visit the Hollywood store 3-4x a year. The only difference is how vinyl now is at a premium. Vinyl album in 1986? $5.99. In 2011? $28.99 (typically). Sure many are import-only, which justifies that up-tick in price, and sure some are 180-gram or even 200-gram vinyl, but still...

Apart from that, Amoeba has new CDs, new vinyl, import CDs and vinyl, and used everything as well. Buying CDs from Wal-Mart or BestBuy is souless when you're lucky enough to have a place like this.
 
This album changed my life. Thank you Morrissey and Johnny Marr.:guitar:
 
its all bollocks and I aint doing full stops no more the best smiths albums are thus. The Smiths or Strangeways. Im jump
ing the gun because I havent actually reaad anything yet but so what?
 
Morrissey SOLO is 100 percent better than the Smiths for the simple fact that Morrissey continued and Johnny was a quitter. The Smiths were good, but Alain Whyte and Boz have written songs just as good as any Smiths song. But you get these retards, and I do mean retards, because most Smiths/Morrissey are in fact retards, anyway, you get these people sitting in coffee shops, starving themselves and resting in some f***ing band that NO ONE will ever like, pontificating about, "Oh yes, Dahhhling, The Smiths were way better. No, I never went to a Smiths show and I'm a vegan and I don't wear deodorant and I was molested and Daddy wouldn't pay attention to me and I lived a hard life in the suburbs and my parents didn't give me a very big trust fund (only a 100 grand) and it was hard, the parents paid for EVERYTHING and now they won't give me a dime, so what if I'm 49, and no, I have no clue who Stephen Street is..." (which, by the way, is the real genius behind The Smiths and Morrissey's early solo work - Street had his hand in every single thing that Morrissey and Marr did...that was great), anyway, the retards continue, "...Yes, I was born in 1986, but I listened to the Smiths from my mother's womb, whom attended the concert, and I also caught glimpses of Morrissey whilst looking through her linty belly-button." Yes, they go on and on. In San Francisco, in Manchester, London, Los Angeles, yes, The Smiths were way better than Morrissey SOLO. f***ing retards. A. They aren't even COMPARABLE, and it's stupid to do so. B. Morrissey WAS THE f***ING SMITHS, so comparing himself to himself is just boring. Stop walking around saying The Smiths are better than Morrissey SOLO, all it says, out loud is, "I AM A f***ING PRETENTIOUS QUEER IDIOT." I'll say this. I HAVE been to Smiths concerts and I can honestly say, MORRISSEY was BETTER during the Kill Uncle Tour and Your Arsenal Tour and Wolverhampton that ANY Smiths show ever was. So, drop it.
 
Morrissey SOLO is 100 percent better than the Smiths... think you'll find you're wrong.

Street had his hand in every single thing that Morrissey and Marr did...that was great) think you'll find he didn't. Not everything. go check.

Morrissey WAS THE f***ING SMITHS, think all Smiths songs that were original were credited to Morrissey (words) Marr (music)

MORRISSEY was BETTER during the Kill Uncle Tour and Your Arsenal Tour and Wolverhampton that ANY Smiths show ever was. I suppose you weren't there Salford '86 then? As for Wolverhampton wasn't about half the set comprised of Smiths material? Performed with the Smiths apart from Johnny Marr.

Bye bye
 
I love Morrissey and I love his lyrics. However, Marr was everything. Street and Reilly - especially on Viva Hate - tried to copy Johnny Marr. Your Arsenal was so great because Morrissey finally stopped trying to be like The Smiths. That was it's appeal. Finally...his own sound.

And while I'm not an idiot or queer, I AM pretentious. If I weren't, I'd be listening to Maroon 5. And I think a better definition of an idiot would be someone who announces he was born in 1986, and then follows it with I've seen the Smiths like and Morrissey on the Kill Uncle Tour. You sexless dolt.
 
I don't get a person who claims all Smiths fans are skinny vegans in coffees ops...yet, not only do you know about this site, you post on it! f***ing jack off.
 
I love Morrissey and I love his lyrics. However, Marr was everything. Street and Reilly - especially on Viva Hate - tried to copy Johnny Marr. Your Arsenal was so great because Morrissey finally stopped trying to be like The Smiths. That was it's appeal. Finally...his own sound.

And while I'm not an idiot or queer, I AM pretentious. If I weren't, I'd be listening to Maroon 5. And I think a better definition of an idiot would be someone who announces he was born in 1986, and then follows it with I've seen the Smiths like and Morrissey on the Kill Uncle Tour. You sexless dolt.

go back and read the comment, stupid.

marr was everything? then why has no one even heard of marr, outside smiths/morrissey fans?
 
I don't know anyone who was around for the Smiths who thinks solo Morrissey is better.

I've followed Morrissey since 1985 - and I prefer him solo. The Queen Is Dead is a great but ever so slightly over-rated record. People do like their rose-tinted glasses.
 
go back and read the comment, stupid.

marr was everything? then why has no one even heard of marr, outside smiths/morrissey fans?

Because he got lazy, sat around for 15 years doing session work and taking drugs with Bernard Sumner, then decided he wanted a solo career and was left with no choice but to jump on the wagon of every 'cool' modern band that would have him. None of that takes away from the fact that he was the absolute core of The Smiths. He just got lazy, that's all.
 
No one outside of Smiths fans haven't heard of Marr because of his career afterward. No one is disputing who went onto more success. I'm saying that songs like "Bigmouth...", where the first Half is on acoustic guitar... The music for "How Soon Is Now"... Addictive and all Marr. How Soon Is Now is what it is because of Marr's inventiveness. Or do you believe that people find it so appealing for the lyrics? I'd say both, but largely the music...
 

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