'The Queen Is Dead' named as the Greatest Album of All Time by NME - nme.com

The Smiths' 'The Queen Is Dead' tops NME's list of 500 greatest albums of all time - www.nme.com

Excerpt -

A list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is published in this week's magazine, which is available digitally or on newsstands from today (October 23).
The Smiths' 1986 LP came top of the list, above albums by The Beatles, David Bowie, Pulp, The Stone Roses and Pixies. You can read the full rundown in this week's issue.

Wonder if this news will appear on TTY?

Ta for link.

P.

 

[Anonymous]

AFAICT, the acts with the most entries are:

1. David Bowie (10)
2. The Beatles (7)
3. Bob Dylan (7)
4. PJ Harvey (5)
5. The Smiths (5)

Please correct me if I've missed someone, though.

 

[Uncleskinny]

Nice to see Grace, and my favouritest album ever - Surfer Rosa - in the top 100.

P.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, at least we can be certain of one thing: God does not exist. He wouldn't bestow such talent upon such a horrible, deplorable human being.

Morrissey deserves to die alone. In poverty. Without friends.

Hahahaha, speaking of friends: even Even Alain Whyte ran for the hills after a few years with good old Mozzer. What a douche bag he is. Morrissey that is.

Viva Mike Joyce! Good for you sir. I wish you would have gotten it all!

Can the mods please just ban this animal as he is disgusting in the extreme.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, one thing's for sure,any album with Jesse Tobias on it will never make a "best albums list".

 

[Anonymous]

You're lucky if it's Led Zeppelin. They still play Whitesnake. You're right about the classic rock format. These housepainters that were working outside for a month or so would play classic rock and it could have been the same mix tape that someone recorded in the 80's. It wears you down. If you are forced to listen to it for very long you can't help but reevaluate your taste, and suddenly Aerosmith (1975 version) starts to sound really good because you're comparing it to Kansas or something.

What I meant is that The Smiths are as far from what is new and fresh as The Beatles were in 1986. We're in a musical environment where Lil Wayne and Skrillex are superstars. I personally do not listen to any new bands that play guitar-bass-drums and I'm old. I'm sick of it myself. Led Zeppelin took the genre as far as it could go. If you want blues-based rock you don't have to go further than Hendrix, The Who, etc. Everything after that copied it or was a reaction to it. Actually, I was really excited when New Order released an album of outakes, and they are fairly standard instrumentally speaking. But that whole concept of a band based on the ideal bass-drums-singer-lead guitar, like the Rolling Stones or the Yardbirds has been done, and people think electronic music sounds the same, but try listening to an Allman Brothers live record sometime. People think Stevie Ray Vaughan is a genius and all he did was imitate Handrix.

What's really sad is that in the United States, the radio formats "Classic Rock" and "Oldies" have essentially merged in recent years. I've stayed away from Classic Rock for years because--like most learned people--I grew out of Led Zeppelin, ACDC and hair metal in high school. I'd be OK if I never heard a Led Zeppelin song ever again, let alone 20 times a day. However, I've always loved Oldies radio because I love rockabilly, doo wop, and early 60s girl group tunes especially, but a few years ago they stopped playing most anything before the late 60s/early 70s. Now 80s hair metal is considered "Oldies." It's sickening.

I've never heard the Smiths or Morrissey on the radio in the United States. I first learned about Morrissey when he played on the Craig Kilborn show back in 2004.

 

[Anonymous]

Everybody hates you -> you spend your time doing this -> everybody hates you.

I don't hate you. In a twisted way I like you. You're too obviously unhappy to be genuinely hated.

Hmm I'm guessing that he is 35, still lives with his parents, has never had a meaningful relationship with anything and likes to play Minecraft.

It always amazes me why people who don't like Morrissey would invest time and energy in Morrissey based website. This world really is full of f***ing pathetic idiots. That bloke who thinks he is Mark E Smith is another one (my God, he really is an enormous twat). It is just desperately sad. I guess that is why there is an increase in special needs education.

 

[Irish blood Irish heart]

I can still remember catching the bus into town to buy it, then the journey home looking it and reading the lyrics, jumped off the bus legged to my room and put it on the turntable !!!!!!!!!!! BOOM !!!!!! (Hiroshima style) LIFE CHANGED FOREVER. That's the power of music, haven't felt it since but I was there. So anyway thank you Morrissey, Johnny, Mike and Andy, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
"Oh its childish and its silly"


Benny-the-Butcher

I almost choked on my deep fried mars bar, benny you said something nice about morrissey. Will wonders never cease?

 

[Irish blood Irish heart]

Well, at least we can be certain of one thing: God does not exist. He wouldn't bestow such talent upon such a horrible, deplorable human being.

Morrissey deserves to die alone. In poverty. Without friends.

Hahahaha, speaking of friends: even Even Alain Whyte ran for the hills after a few years with good old Mozzer. What a douche bag he is. Morrissey that is.

Viva Mike Joyce! Good for you sir. I wish you would have gotten it all!

Eric Hartman = Eric cartman, stop trying to be your idol, this isn't South Park. Are you just like cartman? Overweight, no friends, spoiled as a child by your single parent mother who has carnal knowledge of all the men in your small dipshit town, does this sound familiar?, is this you?

 

[Anonymous]

I almost choked on my deep fried mars bar, benny you said something nice about morrissey. Will wonders never cease?

No need to choke IBIH, credit where credit is due ! (Its not that difficult to be honest) Its just a real shame that our ' Bi-sexual/ Homer-Simpson-ist' or whatever the label is today, can't understand it and follow my lead.
Being mature and acting your age ! Its great ! If only he and others on here could do the same and say nice things about Mike, Andy and Johnny !!
Like I said previous "Its childish and its silly"

Benny-the-Butcher

 

[Anonymous]

There was a queue outside the store waiting for opening time. A few at the back were getting a bit nervous they'd miss out. As each person left the store the first thing they did was take it out of the bag and open the gatefold and stand there in awe. I love the internet, but I really miss those days. Until the day of release only Bigmouth and Vicar had been heard on the Whistle Test, and from memory that was several weeks before, or seemed it.

By the time Strangeways came out I had a decent relationship with the guy who owned the local independent and got a promo copy on the Friday before the Monday release. He gave me a quite flimsy, almost transparent bag, and you could clearly see what it was. On the way home I wandered into Our Price and was accosted quite quickly by the manager and other members of staff demanding to know where I had got it so early. They were quite aggressive, but a swift "mind your own business" saw them skulk off. Of course, I was as delighted that they'd seen it as they were annoyed.

Going to buy Strangeways was a total different experience ! Same bus journey to the same record store but very sombre !!! Again I legged it home to put it on the turntable and listened to it thinking I would never hear this album played live by the four of them !
The piano intro on "Last night I dreamt" always takes me back to this memory ! Oh I'm rambling now please forgive me.


Benny-the-Butcher

 

[Justin Playfair]

Can the mods please just ban this animal as he is disgusting in the extreme.

Or at least ask him to put some clothes on his avatar.

 

[HandThatRocksTheCradle]

One of the Anonymouses said this now moves The Smiths into the "classic rock" slot . However, if you turn on a radio station here in the States that plays classic rock you will never hear a Smiths tune . Never . It is only the college or alternative stations that play (once in a while) The Smiths or even Morrissey . Funny how they are missing such great music while Led Zepplin plays for the 10th time of the day .

Which is why I stream college radio on my computer When they play Morrissey and The Smiths nestled with Ray Charles, I know I am home.

 

[Guernie]

Yes ! I love the mix of artists that comes with college radio. I often wonder is it just play what they like or what people call in for ? The "normal" radio that is piped into my car seems to be on a huge tape reel that repetes every 12 to 14 hours . . I swear. I hear the same selection, in the same order ! Switch the station and guess what ? The same song is on again !

 

[Qvist]

You're lucky if it's Led Zeppelin. They still play Whitesnake. You're right about the classic rock format. These housepainters that were working outside for a month or so would play classic rock and it could have been the same mix tape that someone recorded in the 80's. It wears you down. If you are forced to listen to it for very long you can't help but reevaluate your taste, and suddenly Aerosmith (1975 version) starts to sound really good because you're comparing it to Kansas or something.

What I meant is that The Smiths are as far from what is new and fresh as The Beatles were in 1986. We're in a musical environment where Lil Wayne and Skrillex are superstars. I personally do not listen to any new bands that play guitar-bass-drums and I'm old. I'm sick of it myself. Led Zeppelin took the genre as far as it could go. If you want blues-based rock you don't have to go further than Hendrix, The Who, etc. Everything after that copied it or was a reaction to it. Actually, I was really excited when New Order released an album of outakes, and they are fairly standard instrumentally speaking. But that whole concept of a band based on the ideal bass-drums-singer-lead guitar, like the Rolling Stones or the Yardbirds has been done, and people think electronic music sounds the same, but try listening to an Allman Brothers live record sometime. People think Stevie Ray Vaughan is a genius and all he did was imitate Handrix.

My point is that the more acceptable a band is to NME or Rolling Stone magazine, the more irrelevant they are to contemporary culture. They have become part of the establishment. They do not shock.

Personally, I love the record and think it deserves whatever it gets for what it's worth, although I think New Order is better than The Smiths, more innovative, more versatile, and I love the lyrics and the vocals, but then some would take points off there. If I had to choose one band to hear for the rest of my life it would be New Order, not The Smiths.

Well, I love New Order too, but seriously - you love the lyrics?! I think it was Garry Mulholland who (aptly, in my opinion) summed up the Bernard Sumner approach to lyrics as "Oh, that will do". I can't think of a single New Order lyric I would consider as better than "not downright embarrassing". They seem to mainly be there to provide an excuse for singing.

- - - Updated - - -

Can the mods please just ban this animal as he is disgusting in the extreme.

What would be the point? He could just post as another Anonymous.

 

[Qvist]

The NME was "The Bible" in the 70s and 80s, you bought it every Wednesday (or Tuesday if you worked in the City or West End) and you listened to John Peel every night (or got your little sister to press the record and play buttons together on your cassette/radio if you were out that evening), that was how you knew what was going on in the pre-internet days. It's writers might have been less than devoted Smiths fans, while the albums and singles appeared in the top ten in the end of year lists they were never No. 1, but the readers always voted them top and it was far superior to Sounds (metal and Oi) and Melody Maker (pop).

Morrissey put together a compilation CD for them in 2004 so obviously he'd forgiven them their trespasses of 1992 but then they'd soiled themselves again in 2007. I stopped buying around the mid-90s when they gave the front cover to Elton John, a clear sign that they'd lost the plot.

At one time, the publication was jestingly referred to as the New Morrissey Express, they had a strong following there, didn't they?

 

[Buzzetta]

Apparently NME stalks Morrissey so much for both good and bad, they forgot to listen to other music. Great album? Definitely. Greatest album ever made? Not by far.

 

[Orson Swells]

AFAICT, the acts with the most entries are:

1. David Bowie (10)
2. The Beatles (7)
3. Bob Dylan (7)
4. PJ Harvey (5)
5. The Smiths (5)

Please correct me if I've missed someone, though.

Well, I suppose Morrissey has 6 albums in there if you include Vauxhall.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I love New Order too, but seriously - you love the lyrics?! I think it was Garry Mulholland who (aptly, in my opinion) summed up the Bernard Sumner approach to lyrics as "Oh, that will do". I can't think of a single New Order lyric I would consider as better than "not downright embarrassing". They seem to mainly be there to provide an excuse for singing.

I won't try to make a case that the lyrics are great. They are vague and impressionistic enough that you can read different things into them, generally speaking. That can be a good thing. I know I've listened to the same songs many times and had the experience where the lyrics suddenly did seem to apply to something that was happening in my life at the time. Occasionally they are an excuse for a vocal part. I won't argue. I personally like most of the lyrics and I do like singing along. But I was really starting in a place where I know I would have to defend the lyrics. I know it's considered their weak spot. I like this, for example...

I've lost you [x5]
I've lost you [x5]
I've lost you [x5]
Not trolling, I swear.

and this
When I was a very small boy,
Very small boys talked to me
Now that we've grown up together
They're afraid of what they see

 

[celibate]

The NME was "The Bible" in the 70s and 80s, you bought it every Wednesday (or Tuesday if you worked in the City or West End) and you listened to John Peel every night (or got your little sister to press the record and play buttons together on your cassette/radio if you were out that evening), that was how you knew what was going on in the pre-internet days. It's writers might have been less than devoted Smiths fans, while the albums and singles appeared in the top ten in the end of year lists they were never No. 1, but the readers always voted them top and it was far superior to Sounds (metal and Oi) and Melody Maker (pop).

Morrissey put together a compilation CD for them in 2004 so obviously he'd forgiven them their trespasses of 1992 but then they'd soiled themselves again in 2007. I stopped buying around the mid-90s when they gave the front cover to Elton John, a clear sign that they'd lost the plot.

I'm 48 , I was 18 in 1983

FYI

'and they say he's metall'...they won from the Melody Maker

 

[Peterb]

Nice to see Grace, and my favouritest album ever - Surfer Rosa - in the top 100.

P.

Are you a Pixies fan Peter? (may I call you Peter?)
What do you think of the reformation?
I find it all a bit dull, like a tribute band.
I treasure them from first time around.