Its Prom Night with The Smiths

The Smiths - "The Queen Is Dead" (1986) - Sire Records

Hello Friends,

Its prom season and you know what that means!  All the cool kids are going to the prom and at we're stuck at home listening to The Smiths! 

And now I know how Joan of Arc felt...

The Queen is Dead is the third full-length released by Manchester, England's favorite sons, The Smiths.   Angst and awkwardness aplenty!  Throw in some drag queens, some Oscar Wilde, some mother fixations and a healthy preoccupation with death & dying and friends, you've got a Classic!

Life is very long, when you're lonely! 

Side One is home to such britpop classics as "Frankly, Mr. Shankly", "I Know its Over", "Never Had No One", "Cemetry Gates" and the title song.

Side Two includes "Bigmouth Strikes Again", "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side", "Vicar in a Tutu", "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" and the classic, heartbreaking and death-obsessed ballad, "There is a Light that Never Goes Out."

To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die...

What is often overlooked in discussions about The Smiths is their great musicianship and ability to arrange a song.  Mentioning The Smiths immediately conjures an image of their iconic, foppish, baritone frontman, Morrissey.  But listen to this album while paying special attention to the things going on around Moz and you're sure to be impressed.  There's some amazing Johnny Marr guitar parts and nifty instrumental and vocal effects on almost every song.  And every song on this album is pretty amazing.  There's not a stinker in the bunch!  We even like "Vicar in a Tutu"!
  

Has the world changed, or have I changed?

FUN FACT: The cover art for The Queen Is Dead was designed by Morrissey.  Its a still from the 1964 French film, L'Insoumis.  Oui Oui!

RATING: 5 Take Me Back to Dear Old Blightlys out of 5