Meat Is Murder

Decent. Nothing exciting

It's a unique sound but I don't really care for Morrissey. The album was a bit all over the place. Prefer a rawer punk sound.

Je découvre tranquillement le groupe et l’apprécie de plus en plus. La version US de l’album ainsi que les rééditions UK entre 1992 et 2011 incluent comme pièce no 6 How Soon Is Now?, ma meilleure pièce des Smiths. Le reste de l’album n’est pas aussi fort que cette pièce, mais les guitares de Johnny Marr sont intéressantes. Probablement pas le plus accessible des albums des Smiths. L’ajout d’effets sonores est aussi intéressant. Pièce préférée (ajoutée sur la version US): How Soon Is Now? (Probablement la meilleure pièce du groupe) Pièce préférée sur l’album original: Meat is murder

Solides Album wobei keiner der Songs an ihre größten Hits herankommt. Johnny Marr und Andy Rourke liefern wie gewohnt ab während sich Morrissey zwischen gesanglichen und lyrischen Glanzleistungen und unerträglich sein bewegt. Highlights sind für mich Well I Wonder und I want the one that I can't have.

Peppy little thing. Great beats decent lyrics.

There was a time when I couldn't stand The Smiths, but these albums - the albums of the 80s anyway - really hit for me now. Morrissey's voice still hits me as whiny and he doesn't seem like that great a guy nowadays, maybe. But I kind of love how tight the music is and how sloppy the lyrics are. It works for me.

Putting aside what a blooter he is, I simply don't like Morrissey's voice. Some of the music here is pretty fun, but struggling to hear quite what all the fuss is about. Never really given The Smiths a chance before because I've always considered them for soft lads. And, eh, not bad, but not mindblowing

Don't kill me, but I've yet to go all-in on The Smiths in my life and I'm not sure I ever will. I don't dislike them. Not at all. But I haven't had that eureka moment yet with this band, for whatever reason. I want to! I dig the voice, like the guitars, and could listen to "How Soon is Now?" on repeat. But whenever I've tried to listen to a whole album... the songs just don't completely win me over. : ( And speaking of singers who have pissed off their fans with their politics, how good are "Holy Wars" and "Hangar 18" on that Megadeth album? I could chop the thing off right there and it would get 5 stars from me. Unfortunately, I don't think there's anything else that quite reaches the level of those two, but still... freaking love how the guitars sound on that record. Maybe 3 and 1/2 stars?

The title alone makes me not want to listen to this. The music itself is fine. I think I like this more than The Queen Is Dead overall, even though The Queen Is Dead has higher highs. Still not enough to push it to a 3.5.

In line with what I’d expect from The Smiths / Donovan - fast strummed high guitar parts, solid singing that hangs out on the dominant of the chord most of the time.

Classic Smiths. Not really my bag, but still enjoyed listening. Some songs seem to sound the same.

ok sound

Great guitar work, but the actually songs seem quite bland to me, especially compared to The Queen is Dead.

How do I review this without offending all the cool cats? I found The Smiths whiny when surrounded by their music in Manchester as a kid. Now i've had a break, I can appreciate it more.

But does Murder is Meat?

A couple interesting sounds here or there, but nothing memorable.

Good, but not great

halfway through this album, these brooding pastel new wave rocks got whiney and a bit annoying. Not my favorite Smiths record. 2.75/5

It was alright. I was not familiar with any of the songs.

There is something wrong about the title, so I had to stop and think awhile. Then it occurred to me:- the description is factually incorrect. Murder is an action (verb), whereas meat is a product (noun), so you can't compare the two together. Therefore a more realistic description would be "meat is a dead animal". Or to flip it around, killing is murder. But I guess that header doesn't have quite the same impact. Nice guitar sounds though.

It didn't annoy me as much as I expected, but nothing stood out as great either.

Not bad. Didn't listen much to the lyrics, but melodically quite enjoyable. 3.5 I'd say but rounding down because I'd rather play their other album.

Very recognizable vocals by Morrissey, but overall the album doesn't convince. It felt to me like the songs did not really have a very recognizable identity and the whole album was just one (slightly whiny) giant blob.

Oké album. Maar niet echt memorabel. 'savour the flavour of murder' is wel een toplijn

I'm not really familiar with the Smiths beyond some cultural references and the song "This Charming Man". Album was fine. Didn't really surprise me, pretty much what I expected.

Dreamy vocals at times. I like the account of rhythms.

I’m not sure how I feel about morisseys voice, but this album was perfectly fine. I don’t have much to say about it other than that it was completely acceptable in terms of sound and lyrics

Hahaha ok I know the Smiths are iconic but I wasn't quite able to appreciate this as much as I should I think. Still some really important 80s sounds (guitar) and classsssssic 80s vocal style. Also last song and the album name are hilarious -- imagine pitching that to your entire band? "Ok what do you think if we write the last song and name the album about being vegetarian?".... Ill have to come back to some of their hits to be converted.

Enjoyable and musically interesting! I'm glad I finally gave the Smiths a go. I liked it but not sure I would listen again, hence the 3 for now.

A good album, but not one of my favorite Smiths albums.

A couple of classics

Great vibe/background music, not my typical taste but a good listen with some good licks and tabs

interesting 80s sounds

God guitar. Udemærket album. Har aldrig været den store fan

Altrock/punk med mening. Morrisey er for fed. Det samme med Marr (legende). Album der både mestrer og bryder med klassiske dyder. 3.5

indierock, fængende, sprød guitar, lyrisk

Never been much of a Smith's or Morrisey fan. This is the best of the bunch for them in my opinion, but that's really just a "taller than Micky Rooney" award.

Nothing exceptional for me but I did enjoy the background listen. 3.5

I enjoyed re-listening to this album, more than previously. Felt that it works as a whole album, rather than any standout tracks. Good guitars, good lyrics.

A singular band with a singular front man, there’s nobody quite like The Smiths. Highlights - Marr’s playing is superb (and got even better over the years), Lowlights - Morrissey’s schtick gets a little weary over a whole album; his songwriting improves too with later albums - more wit, less sentimentality (and the tunes improve too).

I know what the Smiths are about and don't mind them, but these vocal lines are really strange... cool but strange. It doesn't always fit though. A fair bit of the time it sounds like he's singing to a completely different song. This is the sort of thing I wanted to like a whole lot more than I actually did. 3/5.

Meh

not bad but quite forgetable at many moments

I'm somewhat indifferent to the Smiths. They have some pretty great singles, but the albums can feel samey. It's groundbreaking indie but nonetheless it feels dreary and self-indulgent. Still good for a listen, and I do like the hapless heartbroken Morrisey persona. 3*

Never been a fan. Morrisey comes across as super whiney and the tracks all sound very similar.

got a bit repetitive, but not the worst to listen to

Contains none of my favourite Smith's songs. It's not bad tho. Just not as good as I'd hoped.

classic smiths - intense album lyrically - still annoys me the melodies all sound the same to me, the vocals all the same five notes over and over

Morrisey sucks.

The band is really tight and complex, they stretch out songs and keep the album chugging. Then fucking Morrissey moans all over the damn thing. Plus, 'Death for no reason is murder'? Dickhead, there is a reason for killing a cow, I make a hamburger out of it and eat it. Piss off Morrissey.

Not really for me. I can get how people enjoy it, but seriously it gets far too preachy on Meat is Murder. It’s a fair point but executed pretty brutally, just like the animals are I suppose.

Pretty good early alt rock. Great composition and great voice.

Use of non-musical audio - the falling rain, buzzsaws and cows mooing - really adds to the atmosphere that this album set out to create. I enjoyed the slight dip into more funk elements in some of the tracks, but my biggest issue is the same one I have with all albums by the Smiths - I hate the way Morrissey sings.

“I’ve seen it happen in other people’s lives and now it’s happening in mine” Barbarism Starts at Home - awesome bass riffs and guitar work. Band is tight and technical and Morrissey makes a case for his talent

I'm not a huge fan of The Smiths, but I quite liked the album. We play a lot of them at work though so it gets a bit old for me

I enjoy the smiths but only half of the songs here are worth listening to for a non-fan. The title track is Morrisey at his most preachy. This is easily the weakest Smiths album.

This album was OK. Despite the great musicianship going on, I just couldn't get behind Morrissey's droning vocals which ruined it for me.

Kein Kommentar! Is Urlaub

Malgré un nom de scène des plus generiques qui n'inspirait rien de bien interessant, comme lors de la grande majorité des albums selectionnés par le gourou Dimery, force est de constater que cet album performé par une troupe de musiciens accompagnée de Morrissey a su me toucher.

Nicht genug Zeit gehabt. Klingt interessant aber sehr 80er

The Smiths... so good when I’m happy and need to be reminded that life sucks. Actually enjoyed this flashback. Solid album.

Not bad, apparently a start to the indie rock genre. I'll take their word for it but I wonder why this album was chosen when the review started with 'while not as good as these other two Smiths albums...'

Enjoyed this more than I wanted to. Good grocery store soundtrack (also I bought steak so clearly the message didn’t work)

I listened three times and had to actively look up online why the smiths don't suck. After doing that search, I think I get it. It's supposed to be funny and sarcastic. He'll say things like "My faith in love is still devout, I might walk home alone tonight" as a biting contrast. He'll also make fun of stupid kids by sarcastically saying that writing a name on your arm means the love is real. He is walking a line where you can't tell if he is being sarcastic or not at times. Is Meat is Murder actually preachy or is it criticizing the approach animal rights people? If you look at it all in a meta way, the depth of the album expands. Well I Wonder is the worst song on the album, while Rusholme ruffians and nowhere fast are the best songs. The bass is good, but his singing is shitty. I'm certain that this band goes over better in the UK because of all the political criticism.

Das Genere mag ich, aber es plätschert so vor sich hin. In der richtigen Stimmung gerne, aber so oft landet das sicher nicht auf dem Teller oder in der App. (Der "Hit" wurde zudem wohl erst später dem Album hinzugefügt.)

I don't think I love The Smiths. The album was interesting and I like their instrumentals. I don't love the vocals.

Like this more than Strangeways, they can get a little boring/drawn-out at times, but its really good for background music. Strong 3 Saved: The Headmaster Ritual, I Want the One I Can't Have

Tough one to rate. Clearly good music, virtuoso guitar work again, great voice and song writing. Not a fan of the constant depressing subject matter and whine to the singers voice. Their kinda the first pop punk emo band, but theyre better and they are pretty much the OGs of the genre as far as I can tell.

.

Is okay. Get bored of morrissey after so long.

Fine album. Its weird that The Smiths have such a unique sound that the my first thought 5 seconds into the first song was " Ahh yes, this is such a quintessential Smiths track" despite only listen to them once or twice before

Some good stuff, not a banger start to finish.

Ok for the background. Nothing more. A bit too melancholy for me

Ruchira: It's quite dreary. Not a vibe. Ryan: The Headmasters Ritual brings you straight into the album but as it goes on and on it becomes a nauseating listen as the jangling strings and voice remain and increase in deariness over the record.

7,5

The first song, The Headmaster Ritual, was very, very good. Rest of album's alright. 5/10

Litt mye rasist og militant vegetarisme i monitor

Was good but sounded a bit samey after a while.

Fine - didn't dislike it, probably won't listen again

Ok, si veo lo que dicen. Aunque empezó bien se desdibujo para el final.

Might have been revolutionary at the time. It didn't captivate my attention.

Fun but all the songs sound the same. Hate me for it

good album

Not my favorite but a few good tracks

4/10 - Reggae music, decent but without context for the songs they gave me no emotional resonance.

The least good of a great discography

About as good as I had expected

The Smiths are an outstanding band, though I do not feel this is an outstanding album. The songs within just don't go punch for punch with many of their other albums. It's still great music, just leaves something to be desired.

Figuring out the book this thing is based on is British in origin after making the unhappy discovery that Morrissey is behind a whopping 6 of it's entries, which is clearly too much even if you set aside his recent taste for right wing nationalism. The music is fine, the ostentatious doling about MUHDUH I could do without.

Good, sad

I've never listened to the album before, but I've heard some of the tracks. I love "The Headmaster Ritual". The rest are just ok. I'd prob give this a 3.5 but I am barely rounding down to 3.

-"headmaster ritual" rocks, this is known already - i never noticed how 80's the bass and drum sound bc i was only listening to marr -"barbarism" and "meat is murder" are interesting songs,,, this album is good ok fine. its the smiths rockabilly in a good way, but still not that good.

Track 1. The Headmaster Ritual Initial reaction was positive Track 2. Rusholm Ruffians Cute bass intro. Liked melody but little variation Track 3. Meh Track 5. The Joke isn't Funny Anymore. Hopeful start. Outro too long Track 6. Nowhere Fast Upbeat. Reminds me of America and other similar bands Track 7. Well I Wonder Nice

Title track sonically was compelling but the lyrics took me out of it. An ok album for the background.

Good

not bad but nothing really notable

It is an okay album with some pretty solid protest songs on it. Not something I think that I would actively seek out but worth the listen through. My top songs would be: Rusholme Ruffians, Nowhere Fast and Well I Wonder.

Same old smiths shit. Namesake of the album song is pretty good

No idea what I was getting myself into but I didnt really expect this beach rocky jam. On the cusp of being what the timothey chalemet character listens to in a teen movie

it was fine background music

not that interesting to me

pop rock. ca passe

Insanely annoying as a person and annoying as hell as an artist

3, -1 for the existence of morrissey.

Not a fan of this one. Every song sounds the same.

Yeah so it got started, then just kinda.. didn't go anywhere.

The Smiths prove on this album that it doesn't matter what the message is if the messenger sucks. Ranging from boring to grating, The Smiths go as Morrisey goes, which musically is no place. "Barbarism Begins at Home" is particularly terrible.

Once again, Andy Rourke is carrying the whole album with the bass, and this brings the album up to a two. God what a load of wank, fuck you Morrissey.

Not terrible but also not very memorable

I like The Smiths, but I'm also not going to pretend one The Smiths song sounds any different from the other.

Not really a fan. Head nodding music

I just don't buy the jangly, weak sounding guitar sound and the vocal non-melodies that feel like the exact same from track to track. However, it wasn't generally unpleasant to listen to, so that's not nothing I guess. 2/5 - below average for my tastes

Man, Morrissey just isn't for me.

Not really my thing. Idk, I could give it a 2-3, I dont think Morrissey is really doin anything for me here.

i knew a few songs of them but never encoutered this album the first song "the headmaster ritual" was not bad, but not so cool to be on my playlist. "rushholme ruffians" has very joyish opening, not so much my thing so i skipped it. "i want the one i cant have" is..okay? something was off but i didnt quite catch what exactly. maybe it was the too much strained voice. next songs i listened not fully, the one that catch my attention was "well i wonder" with its sad opening not bad, i usually like this type of music buttt...idk. something was just not it

The awful whiny lyrics made the songs sound worse. I enjoyed the last 2 minutes of Barbarism Begins at Home because of the funky bass and no words. I mean truly every time I started to enjoy the sound of the music the words came in and made me roll my eyes.

6/10 - Ive never been able to get into the smiths Heard before? --------–- ✅ Saved a new Song? ----- ❌ Saved Album? -------–-- ❌ Will Listen Again? ---––– ❌ Album Cover ----------– Its honestly really great.

album #98 love the bass lines in this, especially in "barbarism begins at home". i wish i enjoyed the singing more, because i do enjoy some of their arrangements. unfortunately, i just can't move past morrissey's out-of-tune warbling. ꩜ average track rating: 2.1/5 ꩜ favourite track(s): barbarism begins at home, that joke isn't funny anymore ꩜ least favourite track(s): i want the one i can't have ꩜ album rating: ★★☆☆☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 991 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 47 ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 22 ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 76

It's not for me. As I'm giving the album a second listen, trying to be fair-minded, it just does not do anything for me. I can appreciate the instrumentation (guitar and drums are on point), and when I look up the lyrics to follow along, it's well written poetry. Its a prime example of the 80s Brit-rock sound. But for the life of me, Morrissey's vocals just throw it all away. His singing lingers in a way that makes it unwelcome to my ears, and there's an almost whine to his voice that I could do without. The lyrics just get stretched to fit the music, and I'm done with the songs before they've even reached the halfway mark.

Nah, not for me

Well. Different.

Noooooooo

stop whining you little off-key crooner

Meh. It's fine. Good to listen in the car - became background.

I don't really know why, but I've never really liked The Smiths. They should be right in my wheelhouse of music I would like, but they just never really caught me like they seemed to get to others. Why are all of the songs so whiny?

I liked their sound. Couldn't really connect with the lyrics.

I'm sorry its like if Kermit the frog sang edgy indy folk in a cave

I went through a Smiths phase where their sad music clicked with me. It made me look forward to my next breakup, so I'd have just the right forlorn music to get me through. That phase has pretty much gone. I don't hate this, but I didn't really connect with this morose lyrics. The guitar and bass in particular carry much of this album. I was ready to give the album a solid 3 stars. Then I heard the title Track. It is terrible self righteous garbage. Morrissey has created more suffering than all of the slaughterhouses in Europe.

Not as bad as I thought but man did it get same

Meh, as músicas são todas iguais e parece que estão a tocar no fundo de um túnel.

Music is fine but lyrics lean too much into entitled whining like Morrissey's solo work, at least he was not overtly racist yet though

I like a little The Smiths... this was too much The Smiths lol

2,5

The bass line on Barbarism Begins at Home was fantastic. That’s about the best compliment I can come up with. Still don’t get the popularity. I’m glad that this is the third and final album from The Smiths that’s included on the list. However, I guess I still have to endure the solo Morrissey efforts…

Thanks to Smiths i listened all day The Cure and New Order. All in all i liked only one song.

I already had the album *The Queen Is Dead* (1986), and unfortunately, this album is exactly the same. I didn't like that one, and I don't like this one either. It's boring, monotonous, and the vocals are very lackluster.

Musically great, lyrically grating

Pretty average Smiths album.

I understand this is a popular album. The music is so fun and layered. Morrissey is deeply annoying, though. I found him to be whining throughout rather than singing. I can’t believe this is their only album to reach number one despite so many other works of theirs being much better in my opinion. By the end of it, I appreciated it for what it is. It’s a rebellious album that perhaps speaks to its time and in some ways ours. Again, the music is saucy and I enjoyed that. I hated the singing. Didn’t save any songs to my liked songs. Except for the Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore which I had already saved previously. The last three songs were really good too, just nothing I would want to return on a non-intentional basis. —— Poem —— Meat Is Murder The Smiths gears grind, go growl god, guard us un-godly ghouls guppies grown in greed grant us greater game against the grisly grime of the governing gentry

It’s Morrissey singing that annoying way that Morrissey sings song after song.

It just kinda phased in and out of existence as I listened to it. A whole lot of not much.

Lots of reviews here mentioning how odious Morrissey became, which is fair. I have a hard time with The Smiths. They were a band I loved as a teenager and that I eventually grew out of and felt a bit embarassed by so stridently identifying with a lot of their songs. Now, a fair bit older, I appreciate them differently. Johnny Marr stands out to me as one of the finest guitarists of his generation; Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce are fine musicians as well. This is probably my least favorite of their albums musically, but a so-so Smiths album is by no accounts bad. But then there’s Moz. Even if he didn’t make his turn towards the far-right, his lyrics, with some distance and perspective, are puerile. That the first song is about a cruel headmaster sums it all up: this is all schoolboy stuff. It works when you’re around that age, but I don’t see much insight here as a now older listener.

What I learned from listening to this album all the way through is that maybe I don't like the Smiths as much as I thought I did. I did not enjoy this record. I found myself getting unhappy as I went through the songs, not really liking most of them. There of course were several that I really did like, but overall, I don't think I would listen to this again. Weird revelation. Morrissey's voice really can grate after a while. (After reading the group reviews, I wish to add: 1. I listened to the original UK version, without How Soon Is Now. Including HSIN would bring this to 3 stars. 2) Marty is right and this is not a good way to be introduced to the Smiths.)

Morrissey is such an insufferable prick. This album isn’t great. But all The Smiths albums get an extra star for being major influences to some of my favourite bands.

The music is fine but I'm not a fan of Morrissey's singing voice or style. My impression is he seems to start a lot of sentences with 'and', plus the words are almost on the same note and then drop down a few notes to finish, and once I noticed this, I can't unhear it.

I like the lyrical stylings of the smiths, of course we all respect that. But they don't stick with me and make me have the feels, which is somewhat unfortunate. I think I may revisit the smiths every 5 years and see if they resonate with age? Or maybe I needed to listen younger.

It was good, but the title track is the worst part of the album. Just rating the music rather than the message, mixing animal distress sounds into your melody just isn't a good listen.

Not to my taste. Album felt a bit boring and droney vocals made me hope for the end of the album

I find the vocals to be mixed too low, throughout, and ironically I find Morriseys vocals to not be up to snuff on songs like I Want the One I Can't Have (waiter, my soup is terrible and the portion is much to small!). Songs like Rushhome Ruffians are really a miss for me. I think after hearing the wonderful Strangeways for the project (as well as The Queen is Dead and Hatful which I am very familiar with), Meat is Murder really comes up short.

Não consigo ouvir essa banda

Gonna be honest, his voice is so irritating and offputting on this one. The music is fine, generic 80s jangliness. He sounds like a mournful seal. Droning on about how miserable he is like an affected nan-child. And god, doesn't he just fucking whine about everything? Every single fucking song, the same uninterested dirge, maybe with a yodelly bit of falsetto chucked in. Something I've noticed about The Smiths is their singles collections are brilliant, and their albums are absolutely dire. So much boring, unimpressive, generic, jangly, throwaway filler. This one is nothing to write home about, definitely not worth the hype. The best thing about it is probably the guitar work on What She Said. Also I think vegetarianism suffers from insufferable, unlikeable, melodramatic bell ends like Morrissey being their main vocal supporters. He may be objectively and morally correct about meat, but him saying it diminishes the message. Because he's such a twat.

Nothing from this album really stood out to me, except for the last song where there were animal noises that actually repulsed me. Though given the title of the album I’m sure that’s the point.

Very British sound. It was ok. I didn't mind it but was not particularly enthused about it either.

It’s fine, I guess I just don’t get it. The only track that really stood out to me was “Meat is Murder”, I love the darkness of the track. It's different than the rest of the album, but I think that's what makes it good to me.

Too political for me

Meh not a big smiths fan)

I like The Smiths but this was boring.

Dette fikk jeg ikke mye ut av.

What a boring album. Not much good to say about it, except the bass playing and the guitar playing were good. The song themselves are awful

Not their finest. And not really a Smiths fan.

Bro this just pissed me off. I don't think any part of this album is cohesive or even particularly interesting. Just nothing of much note hear, why it's on this list baffles me. This isn't even top 3 best Smiths albums, and that's not a great achievement anyway. Just ignore this, boring and pointless. Morissys vocals become more annoying the worse the music is. Only saving grace is the opening track, which is alright. And the end is fine too, not great but fine. That is the only thing saving this from a 1. Fav Track: The Headmaster Ritual

Again, nothing on here which makes me want to listen to it again. An absolute singles band, good singles at that but nothing more. Based on the other music I like this should be right up my street. It's not.

I like smiths a single hits, but a whole album is too much of the same for me

Good album, rough title track. those cow noises lmao

Subpar. Even when compared to other Smiths albums this one is boldly mediocre.

tasty murder 2.5/5

I just can't get into these guys.

Barbarism Begins at Home is a great track, and I commend the vegan slant of this album. i think more music other than The Most Annoying Punk Bands should explore these themes, they certainly have weight behind them. but maaaaaaaaan i don't care for The Smiths at all really. wake me up when they do a 6 min+ post-punk epic. deserves to be one of the 1001? sure. but i wouldn't put it on mine

Favourite track(s): The Headmaster Ritual; Well I Wonder A driving album - driving both musically (due to the reoccurring fast tempo beats and riffs in more than half of the tracks as well as the continuous meandering vocals) as well as textually (with sometimes quite unpleasant themes supported by even more unpleasant execution - looking at you, title track). The vocals are what I would imagine will either strongly draw people towards this album or turn them away sooner rather than later. While I find myself to be in the second group (maybe because I am mostly missing some clearly defined melody that does not sound like it was made up on the spot), I can still appreciate that the album is at least cohesive and to a point (or multiple, if you will).

Meh. This in just meh.

Not a fan

Their other albums are better.

Not bad, but not my thing.

not my favorite of the smiths. I like more of their older stuff :/

I can’t believe suicidal people listen to this on the reg bc it makes me wanna kms

I've tried with this band a few times, I just don't get it

couple quick notes: - I have the decency to be embarrassed about liking The Smiths and having that teenage Smiths phase - Johnny Marr is the brilliant one and Morrisey sucks - Demi Adejuyigbe's Morrissey impression won't leave my head - three Smiths albums and FOUR Morrissey solo albums is everything that's wrong with this list man - Morrissey sounds like Quentin Tarantino looks at any rate I like my The Smiths mopey and depressing, not Morrissey trying to play rockabilly, so outside of a track or two this really isn't my thing

Yeah... Not really a fan. On another note how much Morrissey does the author think is work listening to?

fine

Morrisey's voice just grates on me - make the wailing stop! This album was pretty painful. There were a couple of songs that weren't bad, but overall I didn't care for this. Also, WTF with the cows mooing on Meat is Murder? Oof. (2)

Boring compared to other smiths albums. No songs stood out on 1 listen through

I understand the broader cultural & musical impact of The Smiths—and I do respect it—but, similar to The Cure, just never could really “vibe” with the sound.

I just think that since I'm vegan I should at least gain the privilege of not listening to this album ever again

Weird British music

Never been too fond of morrisseys voice, good album though all the songs were mid but not awful

At first, it seemed like a decent album to me, but after listening to all the tracks, I was a bit disappointed… 2 stars

Fairly OK.

Bwah, eentonig

The Smiths definitely bring the nostalgia but I was never really a fan. The last track just put me off.

favs: nowhere fast well i wonder barbarism begins at home rating 1.7/5

Yet another Morrissey album. This is probably the weakest of the The Smiths albums on here (I vastly prefer The Queen is Dead and Strangeways). However, it remains an interesting listen. 7/10 [DROP]

The Smiths again

Following the release of ‘Meat Is Murder,’ the Smiths retreated to Manchester to start working on new material. Marr and Morrissey wrote at Marr's home to avoid the trappings of London and pressure from their label; Rough Trade. The next album was produced by Morrissey and Marr and is “far superior“ (as the Brits say) to ‘Meat Is Murder.’ Do yourself a huge favor and listen to the amazing; ‘The Queen Is Dead.’

I’m so damn sick of Morrissey and The Smiths, this guy takes up way too much real estate around here. There had better not be any more.

Extremely boring album. Only one song here worth listening to. I also cannot stand Morrisey's voice.

I now the band but not this album. This album has not resonated with my personal taste

Hated it

I don't know why the list feels that because an artist was influential we need multiple albums of the same artist. Especially when this wasn't even their hardest impact album.

A little bit of Smiths how’s a long way and this is already the second album recommended. Seems more of a hodge podge of songs than an album that needs to be heard. 0 songs added to playlist.

Pleasant in the moment, forgettable after finishing.

I really can't get on with Morriey's voice.

i really don't want to listen to this album. the smiths are fine but isn't this the third smiths album i've gotten? surely i don't have to listen to this before i die?

One of the most crushing feelings in the world: the feeling that you can tell, that so much effort was put into making something that just stinks like shit.

Sorry ivan, this albums sucks

Johnny Marr is an interesting guitar player but there's not very much to this record. Morrissey's cheap cringing lyrical misanthropy is so dated, it's hard to imagine a time when people were really affected by it. Most of these songs sound the same.

2.5/5

I just don't like this band. I didn't think this album was as bad as most of their stuff, but still, no need for me to ever hear this again. Morrisey's voice grates on me.

Johnny Marr is an excellent guitarist and the parts where he is doing his thing, I like. But I could never get past Morrissey's voice.

I fucking HATE Morrisey. Every single time the other guys in the band try to write something great he comes in with his stupid pining voice and his douchebag nature. He's always singing about being alone and I wonder if he's realized he's the problem. I doubt it. Favorites: That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore, Meat Is Murder

Pretty underwhelming. Not a huge fan of The Smiths to begin with

Some of these songs had a good beat, and I found myself tapping my foot or my fingers with the beat, but other than that it was…meh. Nothing really stood out. Rating: 2/5 Day 160/1089

I like music from The smiths but I didnt really like the album

Alright cool but not my fave

I thought I was going to really dislike this one. Not my era. I didn't hate it. Some of it is growing on me on several listens. Just doesn't hit me between the eyes. Some of the tracks also just sound 'off' - like right brain and left brain doesn't know what's going on in the middle. Maybe that's the point. Boppy pop in one ear and ''waaahh' high reverb off key poetry in the other. Some bands you can hear the 'band' in the recordings - i.e. playing together, despite likelihood that most lay individual tracks turn by turn. I feel Morrissey's isolation in a recording booth on this. Particularly on 'What She Said'. Can't choose a fave track yet. I like Meat Is Murder musically but the lyrics (sick face). It's a 2.5 for 'meh'. Probably wouldn't put it on again for pleasure, more like to test it out in a month's time and see how I feel about it then, having rammed it several times into my ears today. Total number tracks: 9 Fave Track: ? Short list: 1: The Headmaster Ritual, 4: What She Said 7: Well I... oh got bored. One of them has some rain on it? I liked that.

This album was OK, one or two I kinda liked and very much the Smiths - but they lose a point for the dull, indulgent title track, especially dumping it at the end.

I'm glad I didn't like this album, beacause then I'd have to admit to liking something Morrissey has done. Day saved though, I didn't like any part of this album, well, I did get a good laugh at the title track. Over the top!

I’m so sick of these generic ass UK rock bands.

Debated whether to go with 3 but going with the lower score as didn’t know any songs and can’t so any jumped out so maybe needs another listen

Never bought any Smiths albums at the time and this justifies my decision . Another instantly recognisable but forgettable album . Interesting to listen to but I shan't be going through any more of the back catalogue in the basis of this .

Easily forgettable album that just went by. Not to say this was bad album or anything but it was just forgettable. Best song was Barbarism begins at home.

Yeah, nah..

Sad boy music that I’ve always avoided cause it’s just too wah. I was right.

I don't like the Smiths voice, but I enjoyed the album in the background.

Eher mäßiges Album, hat mich nicht beeindruckt

Wszystkie piosenki są do siebie podobne, tekst się wtapia w muzykę, trzeba się wysilić żeby go usłyszeć. 2/5

Not my vibe

I really liked 2 of these

Good instrumental elements but flat vocals

Lang getwijfeld over dees, maar uiteindelijk denk ik dat de massief klagerige stem van Morrison echt te storen is. Qua lyriek super sterk, politiek en snijdend, ma de stem is echt beu.

Feel like Bonnie would like what The Smiths are advocating for here but honestly the weird animal noises just made me feel uncomfortable and most of the songs I felt fairly indifferent towards.

I can't quite get on board with the Smiths style. It also sounds like the singer's droning on and on. The instrumental is quite cool though, and have the bonus on drowning the singer out quite a bit

1-2 songs are cool but then they all sound the same , overdosed on melancholy

La's better. 2/5

Ok, not a massive fan

En tiedä. Jos laulua ei olisi, tämä voisi olla semmosta neutraalia, vähä vilkkaampaa taustamusaa vaikka vaatekaupassa. Muutama kiva kitarakohta mutta jättää vähä viileäksi.

Not really my kind of music. I actually listened to the first song a while back and realized I don’t like the smiths that much because I personally think the guy’s voice is annoying and their sound is weird. I don’t like rating negatively sometimes especially on super influential bands but 1001 albums made me as it was my album of the day. Overall my opinion still stands, but I don’t completely hate the title track meat is murder. It was alright after the mooing but I’m not gonna stop eating meat!

coolest thing the Smiths ever did I don't like their music at all. without Morrissey being the person he is I might have rounded up. music: hated. (⌐■_■)

2.2

thought i'd like it mor e

While the musicality and orchestration are compelling, Meat Is Murder is weighed down for me by its passive-aggressive lyricism and wailing vocal delivery.

mid

Now I see why everybody hates Morrissey

This is boring 80's brit indie. It's whiney, morrisey's voice is so annoying, and the rest is just lame.

Wouldn’t listen again Best song is well I wonder

This one got old quick for me. I'm beginning to think I only like the idea of The Smiths and their music is just ok

Guess it didn't reach me on the right day

Enjoyed the album, nothing remarkable tho.

The smiths first single came out when I was in first year university. Many of my friends loved them. Hearing this today I feel the same as I did then. It’s all too samey and very few stand out tracks. A few of the singles were great but they didn’t put many of them on the albums.

This was ok for what it was. Not sure it was better than the last Smiths album this list gave me. Very much of its time.

the instrumentals aren't even that bad the vocals are just insufferable they could've picked a random guy off the street to sing (and write the vocal melodies) instead and it would've been better

I might have to give it a second listen because i usually love the smiths but this one didn’t wow me

Flemme

Not as bad as some of their stuff. I imagine it would be pretty listenable as an instrumental.

GOING IN: Not fussed really LISTENED WHILE: With a cuppa FAMILIARITY: Know the artist, not the album SKIP RATE: Played it straight through REPLAY VALUE: Once was plenty DISCOVERY CURVE: Never happened ALBUM ARC: Pretty even, consistent VERDICT: Fair enough BODY'S VERDICT: Toe tapping situation FAVOURITE TRACK: --- My Rating: 2 Can't believe there are more Smiths AND Morrissey albums in this list that I must listen to before I die. Ugh! I gave this a two because it wasn't as bad as the last one.

Listening to this album drives home the point that Morrisey can sing no more than four notes. It makes listening to any Smiths album tedious.

Meat Is Murder is the only song that really stood out for me, but The Smiths are a classic

Uncompelling and bland

the lyrics are good but i’m not a major fan of this album. i did like the message of the title track though.

I just don’t like his voice! The guitar however was nice! Enjoyed the second half way more! Fav: Nowhere Fast

Another band I gave up on shortly after hearing about them. I did not like the style and the vocals. I have later learned to like some of The Smiths and Morissey songs, but this album is just not my thing. None of the songs really stands out for me, and it’s a bland experience to go through the full album. I think/hope I will enjoy their other albums more.

One of my critiques of this project so far has been a few of the odd choices included. This seems like one to me. The Smiths have two pretty unimpeachable masterpieces. This just ain’t one of them. In fact this one is one of their most mediocre. I guess I’d need to actually read the book to figure out the rationale, but I know there are loads of unsung great albums that would never get exposure on a list like this. And let’s face it, Meat Is Murder is kind of a turd.

Life’s too short to give Morrissey a proper go

- Separating Morrissey from his art is one thing, the more important issue here is separating Morrissey from Marr. - Marr makes The Smiths interesting. There are some good musical numbers here. It’s just the horrific delivery of pretentious, self-obsessed lyrics that make it so difficult to listen to. - I’m just glad to be ticking my way through this stuff. Another one in the rear view mirror.

I listened, but not a fan of this album.

feels like i'm listening to background songs with no energy

Good background music, but not my favorite.

I came to the Smiths late and eventually came to like a lot of The Queen is Dead. But listening to this (and the previous Smiths selection) reminds why I initially found them incredibly precious and tiresome.

Cool guitar

Another listen did nothing to change my opinion on The Smiths. Underwhelming

Of the Morrissey/Smiths albums we've had thus far, this is the weakest and should be cut to make room for other deserving artists who don't have any representation on this list. Morrissey/Smiths already have enough entries (and better alternatives than this).

HATE "Rusholme Ruffians" This album is very much not my vibe. I've enjoyed other The Smiths albums and songs but this was painful.

The music was fine, even enjoyable on some of the songs, but I did not enjoy the singer. His vocals sounded lazy and uninterested at best, and douchey at worst.

I was never a big fan of The Smiths (or of Morrissey for that matter) in the 80’s when they were surging and that hasn’t changed during the past 40 years. The music is ok but Morrissey’s unexcited intonation is bland at best and annoying at worst. I’m not gonna knock them too much as it’s not “bad” music, this different style and I just don’t vibe well together.

The Smiths are one of my favorite bands from the 80s and I’ll gladly tell you this album sucks. It misses wholly on most every level. Marr’s guitar is quite good on most tracks, but that’s the only standout on an album filled with forgettable songs and off key, moaning vocals from the legendary douche that is Morissey. Probably the worst Smiths album by far.

Saturday morning as I write this, slept well last night and woke up to a bit of snow falling, just a light snow enough to make the world look beautiful, but not enough that it takes any effort to remove, that perfect amount of fresh white snow. Made myself a delicious egg sandwich for breakfast, nice hot cup of coffee and settle in for some premiership, Villa v Arsenal, nice! Yesterday got away from me and I didn't have a chance to listen to the Smiths, no worries, mute the game and listen. Something I do often. Morning is shaping up nicely. Then the music starts, eh...not too bad. Then Morrissey begins singing, oh ya I remember him, I think I like him but dont remember much by him. Well I'm quickly reminded he has the most depressing voice on the planet. My amazing start to the day takes a dark turn and sadness envelopes me. I learned that Morrissey can mar the greatest of mornings. Thankfully the album is over now and all is right with the world again. This is pretty terrible.

I want to like the Smiths more than I do

It’s not offensive, but like a foggy drizzle, I don’t particularly enjoy it either.

More Smiths. Yay. /s

Nothing here for me and I'm doing it a favor at rating it a 2.

Falls a little short compared to their first album, and hard to agree with the decision to leave off How Soon Is Now on the UK and remastered editions

Was OK, some interesting stuff there but generally not a big Morrisey fan

Jingly jangly guitar indie pop with a laconic, arrogant crooner. Did nothing for me at the time, does nothing for me now.

Not good, not bad, but a hint of buns.

Sounds like a soundtrack to a 80s/90s movie set in a small village. This means it is both good in capturing a particular vibe, but also kind of falls to the background. I don't really like the singers voice, it sounds too much like whining to me, especially when the subject matter is so dire such as in the titular song. No particular song stands out to me, although everyone of them was at least okay. If I had to choose a favourite it would be "nowhere fast". Fine music to have on in the background while you're drinking a beer in the pub, but that's about it. 2.5

I hated Morrissey before it was cool. Putting aside some of his awful views on immigration and the likes, I just could never understand the fascination with The Smiths or Morrissey. A lot of people who liked the same music as I did, were big into The Smiths, and I could never understand it. Well, in the spirit of broadening horizons with this project, I tried to give The Smiths another chance. Johnny Marr is an exceptionally inventive guitarist. Aside from his work on The Smiths, when he joined Modest Mouse for "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank", he added a new dimension to their (already great) music and eleveted their sound to something epic. And he brings some interesting sounds to this album too. But, as much as I like Johnny Marr, I don't like him enough to endure Morrissey. His crooning and warbling, in his posh nasally tone, ruins everything that could otherwise be enjoyable about the music of The Smiths. He's insufferable, and as a result, so are The Smiths.

Good music, good lyrics. Morrissey's voice is unbearable for me. 2/5.

Fist through and through listen of the Smiths, and despite trying to cast aside my conscious and unconscious biases about Morrisey, I find his dreary yodelling too much to bear. Can't knock Marr and the rest, but fuck me - it is like trying to eat a potentially nice sandwich in the rain.

It’s like reading a whiney post online that doesn’t have punctuation or a coherent thought like this one and Morrissey can eat it

Barbarism is a banger in a album that lacks other great Smiths songs. I'd do with The Queen Is Dead instead. Thanks.

5/10

meh, British political rock. Kinda whiney

I never particually cared for smiths, still dont.

I’ve lost track of how many Smiths/Morrisey albums I’ve had to endure from this list. Shit’s probably messing up my algorithm. Anyways, I don’t like Morrisey’s voice and not a big fan of the bands overall sound either. As for this album, no stand out tracks, it was all meh.

A third Morrissey album? I feel like that Michael Scott meme where he's screaming, "No! God, no! Why?!" To be fair, it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. I find Morrissey's whiny crooning a bit unbearable at times but I love the guitar sound and can hear how The Smiths have been influential. And I even really like, not just tolerated some songs like "Well I Wonder" And I'm sure there will be people who read this review and just think I'm not giving The Smiths a chance because Morrissey is insufferable...I actually know little to nothing about his character, although I am aware people don't like him as a person. No prior knowledge made me dislike The Smiths; I was actually looking forward to the first album by them that I was assigned, but it turns out, after two Smiths albums and one Morrissey solo album, I do not like this music very much at all.

I like the Smiths, I do not like this album. Not sure why this is here ahead of The Smiths or The Queen Is Dead.

The iconic sounds of the Smiths is undeniable on this album - Marr’s guitar really shines through as always, for instance - but ultimate the song-writing and vocal delivery from Morrissey falls flat, leaving the album feeling pretty underwhelming. “Well I Wonder” is a particular high point, but the other tracks don’t leave much of an impression. It’s definitely the weakest Smith’s album I have come across to date.

For quite a while Spotify was trying to make me a Smiths fan and I kept resisting, I don't want to start this again so I did use a private session for Spotify. This album is pretty meh and that long song is unbearable.

Albums by The Smiths are always a bit tricky. Such an incomparably good singles band, but your tolerance for Moz will determine how well the albums play. Which is odd for me - I like several solo albums a great deal more than any Smiths album, but when Marr was locked into a sound, he was redefining or creating genres, sometimes several within the same song, such as The Headmaster Ritual. Unremarked upon by and large, the seeds of Morrissey’s future rockabilly fascination are already blooming here, although the way they function on Meat is Murder is more as filler. Meat is Murder also suffers (or triumphs) with 2 long songs, alongside 2 others that nearly crest 5 minutes. This is the Smiths albums challenge in a nutshell - their singles largely clock in at less than 3 minutes, get in, get out. Contemporaries - foes? - The Cure could crank out 70 minute albums and I wouldn’t want a second cut from any of those, likewise New Order’s remixes, but here...

I'm sorry!

Music was good, I don't like Morrisey's voice (or his politics, and I'm guessing if I knew him personally, I wouldn't like his personality either)