The Queen Is Dead

I didn 't single out anything special for myself

More honkeytonk: Vicar in a Tutu https://youtu.be/ke2nucbxP1E

vazelinnal elmegy

没有什么亮眼的地方。

Ronnie Specter’s wall-of-sound meets New Wave in this technically proficient album. Morrisey’s at times atmospheric and always emotive vocals are great, as is the percussion. Still, I personally did not find many of the songs themselves enjoyable at all despite the obvious talent involved and I prefer other Smiths albums to this one. To each their own; certainly worth a listen.

3.5. Rounded down because Morrissey is an insufferable twat.

Overall pretty good. Stand out track for me is Big Mouth Strikes Again and Vicar in a Tutu. I’ve liked Big Mouth ever since I heard it in a snowboard movie as a teen. I just find the production to be ahead of it’s time using heavy vocal modulation, it’s jarring for the decade. Not being a fan of Morrisey and more so Smiths fans makes it hard for me to really enjoy this album though.

Why this is consistently considered to be one of the greatest albums to ever be released is simply beyond me. The first half features only one great song and by “Never Had No One Ever” I’m always about to call it a day. Luckily the second half puts on a show and almost manages to save the day with a couple of extremely well-crafted songs by Marr. But in the end I think it all comes down to wether or not you find the character of Morrissey interesting enough. And I just don’t. Best: The Queen Is Dead / Bigmouth Strikes Again / There Is a Light That Never Goes Out Worst: Frankly, Mr. Shankley / I Know It’s Over / Vicar in Tutu

I'm still processing "best album ever" information. I like some songs - There is a light..., some girls..., so on. Actually, I Like the Smiths, but in small doses.

It's well enough established in this project that I hate the Smiths in general and Morrisey in particular. I'll allow that some of the music is not bad, though not quite good enough to rise above the mopey, sententious lyrics and Morrisey's ur-emo delivery. I am a little cheered to learn that all his royalties from my unwilling plays are likely being paid to the disgruntled former drummer.

Always start off not liking the song, but will always have something to hook me or keep me engaged, more interesting than enjoyable however.

Pleasant listen. Everything I expected from the Smiths. 3 stars.

This is the second Smiths album in a row that this system has recommended, and while I gave the first one ("Strangeways") 5/5 I just cant recommend this one as highly. 3/5 its got a couple of solid tracks.

Little same-y across the album, kinda whiney but the musicianship is good

Hardly any guitars in the mix - again, bass guitar sounds great. Good songs, a couple are pretty ordinary. Wasn’t my thing at the time.

Good album for having some music in the background; it's easy on the ears, but missing really good compositions. On the other hand, there hardly is any really bad song to be found. The Queen Is Dead is the best track. 3/5

Fun album. All the songs sounded much the same to me but enjoyed the lyrics

From what I remember the album was okay but I am having a hard time recalling the sound. I am either not paying attention or I am just getting old

They were never my favourites, too unhappy, but there are some great tunes here if you can look past the wanker out front

Ok British sound

Ergh my gawd, Morrissey actually writes some interesting lyrics. Fighting through the gladwrap of pretentiousness is hard, but a shadow of Everest or at least Mt Ainslie awaits.

Oh, Morrissey, you sound so good but everything now is tinged with your later-in-life bitterness and weird racism. So I'm detracting a point because I just can't get past it.

Not really for me; not a fan of the voice and singing style as well as the overall sound. After listening a second time it got better, hence it´s gained a star.

I liked the production and grooves. The really unique delivery of the singer often sounds like singsong narration rather than melody. Sometimes that's cool, but it's a little much for a long listen, even on this short-ish album. The lyrics are also really literal and expository rather than esoteric and poetical. It's strange feeling: to be surprised, by the thought, that this is unusual!

not bad, I can’t say that it’s just fantastic, but I liked a few songs, I plan to learn more about them

Will stick with my review from chat. I Never really liked Morrissey, and never listen to the Smiths. Having listen to the record now, it’s not that I don’t like it, is that it really doesn’t stand out for me in anyway. I think of it up in something that I had love in the 80s, I could still see enjoying it. I don’t think it is aged poorly. But I don’t think it has a lot it really invites me to watch explore more his music.

Very sorry that he was going through it. Gotta say though, not very much for me. I know it's over is so slept on and the best song on here. Strong 3

Pop tranquilo con una voz inconfundible. Melodioso y con algo de ritmo

Ok. Too repetitive.

nice album tranquilo y algunas buenas para viajes

Ik ben fan van The Smiths. There's a Light that Never Goes Out is een van mijn favoriete tracks.

Lekker luchtig en die stem blijft fijn. Wel voor m'n gevoel een beetje een Smiths-overkill in deze lijst.

Meh, was ok. Couple of good songs. 5/10

Liked it more than the Morrissey solo album I had before, but not by a whole lot.

Ok, kinda whiny singing, good music.

Probably my favorite Smiths album but I'm so burnt out on them from Morrissey's overrepresentation on the list that I'm not sure I can muster anything more than a 3.

One of the more popular The Smiths albums. Unfortunately the more I hear of Morrissey the less I like him. It's "good" but I can't anymore... "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" is still their best song though, still like that one.

very good 80s brit pop

Overall I liked it but I didn't love it

a bit repetitive but a couple enjoyable songs

3 stars for "I know it's over". The rest is nothing I'd come back to, but this one really hits hard.

So this was a listen. Great music, strange lyrics, an 80's album thru and thru.

Den tror jeg lige man skal høre tio noget mere. Den er god men springer ikke ligefrem i ørene endnu.

It has that 80s sound. It was a little eccentric but it was a relatively short album.

6/10 Very vibe. thats it

There were a few tracks I enjoyed and was kinda dancing along to while making myself lunch. In fact, one of the songs I had previously liked, probably from a spotify radio or my discover weekly. There are some interesting tones and effects on the instruments throughout this record, and I think that aspect is the primary draw for me. I totally get why people would love this, especially back when it came out, but it didn't really do it for me.

Big Mouth Strikes Again is probably The Smiths' best song (and yes, that includes How Soon Is Now?), but Frankly Mr Shankly is probably their worst.

okish 3/5

Some girls are bigger than others indeed...

27th December 2021 Listened in the morning back in the UK whilst clearing up and doing bits and pieces! Morrissey works through his mother issues in entertaining style.

A couple of great songs, otherwise fine, but not something I'd come back to.

alright soft/alt rock album, much political content that im not really aware of

I can see why this is influential and I like some of the tracks but I don’t think it’s something I’ll come back to frequently.

Tell you what, Morrissey should have been a fortune teller. He foresaw the queen's death. Mind you, that's treason- it's a good job he wasn't born 500 years ago or his head would be on a spike by now. And I bet even that wouldn't be enough to stop his whining. Joking aside, it's not a bad album but not a particularly good one either.

Tough one. I love big mouth, and I like the bopping feel of some of the songs. But the slightly off key moaning/mumbling just isn’t for me. The Smiths are more than three stars, but not today.

It's hard to rate this album - it's certainly influential and there are a couple of great tracks like \"Bigmouth strikes again\" and \"There is a light that never goes out\", but then there are terribly stupid lyrics (\"Some girls are bigger than others\") and mopey lyrics (\"Never had no one ever\"). Also, I don't care for Morrissey.

Vähän tylsä ja pitkä levy ilman suurempia tuntemuksia.

A few really good songs- There is Light, Boy With the Thorn, Bigmouth. The Smiths don't make bad songs and same goes for this one although Frankly Mr Shankly is teetering on the edge. Either way, there's a good reason the Smiths have like 500 compilation albums and a couple of them are what most people who are casual Smiths fans know them by. The hits are great, the rest of it is average.

Decent album - i love there is a light that never goes out, but no other real standout tracks.

I'm kind of surprised that this album (and the Smiths in general) is so popular. It's not bad by any means, but it's pretty unspecial to me and just has SO many plays!

it was better than i’d thought, the singing was a little droopy and monotone but i did like the music overall. some of it was really spread out unnecessarily, but it was good.

Solid, full of hits

Sorry. I'm not a massive fan of The Smiths.

I wanted to hate this. Instead I was just mildly annoyed. Best track: There is a Light that Never Goes Out

Great voice. Good sound. Indie rock.

The Smiths are dated now and Morrisey being Morrisey and all, they've caught some flack. This album doesn't hold up as much today, but spoke of the times and was influential to so much of the later and current music we have now.

Overrated. Good, not great.

Acquired taste the Smiths. Not for me.

Didn't enjoy because of Morrissey although there were one or two catchy numbers.

Bigmouth Strikes Again is definitely my favorite song on this album

Second Morrissey in a week, and my first album from The Smiths. It's well done, but my favorite. I can see a bit of influence on later, heavier bands that I like, like Pop Will Eat Itself.

Pretty good considering the lead singer is a shit racist.

Nunca le había entrado a The Smiths, conocía solo unas pocas rolas y apenas ubicaba a Morrissey por su mala reputación de cancelar conciertos al último momento. La verdad es que no me parecío nada malo musicalmente hablando. Algunas canciones son incluso pegajosas y entretenidas. Mi único punto bajo es que la voz de Morrissey no es de mi total agrado y de hecho me parece que hace intencionalmente ese tono tan nasal que es característico pero que a mi gusto satura el oído. Sí me deja con un par de rolas que puedo volver a escuchar y si sale otro disco de ellos no lo vería tan mal.

Good music, mot my music

I didn't think I had the mental fortitude to push past a voice that sounds like British Homer Simpson huffing helium, but alas here we are. First of all, I fucking hate the racist assclown whois Steven Patrick Morrissey. His outright criticism of conservative Margaret Thatcher was epic in the 80's, but now his support for anti-Islamic politicians and rhetoric concerning minorities is disappointing to say the least. Before all this came about, I merely hated his self-righteous overly dramatic buffoonery. But the hypocrisy and asinine behavior is some next level shit. The fact that Morrissey still somehow buoyed by ardent supporters and fans is pretty gross. As for The Smiths, truly, the only saving grace and engine behind the band is guitarist, Johnny Marr. U2's guitarist, The Edge is often referred to as 'the rich man's Johnny Marr' and that's fitting seeing how U2 has sold a combined 175 million records over time while The Smiths has sold less than 10% of that number. However Marr's jangly Rickenbacker / Telecaster sound is unmistakable and immediately identifiable as the sound of independent 80's music from Britain. It's hard to enjoy The Smiths because of the asshat who is inextricably linked to this band. However, I did get a chuckle when I read today that The Smiths, after being offered Oasis-style money for a reunion tour in 2025, was gladfully accepted by Morrissey while simultaneously ignored by Johnny Marr. Or, so Morrissey claimed. Marr responded to Morrissey on social media "As for the offer to tour, I didn't ignore the offer - I said no." In context of 2024, the title of this album. The Queen is Dead is obviously referring to Steven Patrick Morrissey and good riddance. In another parallel universe, this album plays better, it's not contaminated by British Homer Simpson huffing whippits with David Duke, and inevitably scores higher than a three.

Heads need quiet spaces to appreciate this album. Pretty good and inoffensive

Not a bad listen. Has good moments

Like the second song Kind of slow rock Chill and easy to listen to Good vibes Short album

If it's my current vibe you know sad and kind of not understanding the value of life it's pretty good I didnt listen to it often.

Album art: 2 meh

me pareció un poco tipico album pollavieja que los boomers siguen viendo como obra maestra exceptuando tres o cuatro canciones que estaban bien y me gustaron ademas he de admitir que la voz del cantante me estresaba un poco

I think there are other more interesting singles from them but not a bad album

Thought it was okay. Some good tracks, but still don't like The Smiths.

Yeah, this was alright. I like the style but I didn't think it was anything really special.

Personal experiences sprinkled throughout the album. Songwriting at its best.

I've never really given The Smiths any time, I know the classics but that's it. I never really felt that they were my kind of thing, but after listening to this I do get it, can see how people do rate them and connect with them. Kinda arty, lyrics are about struggling with the paradox of life. Gonna rate it 3 cos I do appreciate it but I'd need to give it more time to appreciate it fully, probably rate it higher if I listened to it more. 3/5

De gekende nummers springen er een beetje uit. Aangenaam verrast van het eerste. Maar na een tijdje is het toch wel telkens hetzelfde liedje dat je hoort.

Some big classics, but not completely for me.

pretty cool

Most of the songs are good but it's a tough listen all at once

By the time this album was released, I was growing weary of the Smiths, and especially Morrissey’s whining vocals. Guitarist Johnny Marr says that this is his favourite album but it could be because this is their last album, I think, and artists tend to become embarrassed of the earliest more sophomoric works. Bigmouth Strikes Again is one of my favourite Smiths songs, fabulous guitar, and There is a Light that Never Goes Out, based on the number of cover versions out there, has staying power, not to mention a hilarious chorus. The rest, meh.

He really wants his mom to know that he can feel! Bigmouth is pretty groovy but it sounds like he's saying Big mac I think this is a good album but it's just not my kind of music

Bass sounds good, compressed and lots of delay on the guitar. Totally 80s haha!

I like the Smiths when I listen to their songs on their own. The song writing on this album is interesting but it wasn't my favorite album.

I've never really been a Smiths person. I do like the production quality of the album.

pretty solid rock music. worth diving into this bands disco further

First time listening to the smiths. Pretty solid

7/10

La neta es que musicalmente no es TAN malo.

I really only like one song by the smiths.

Starkaste av dem 4 jag redan hört. skoent ljud och en solklar 3.5

Didn't really enjoy it as much as I thought I would. At some points it approached the Piper-At-The-Gates-of-Dawn absurdity, but never seemed to have the courage to cross that line, which left the weirdness feeling awkward rather than fascinating. A few very good tracks, through.

Emo for the win!

Not my type of jams

😊

I can only take so much of The Smiths but if I had to listen to one album this would be it

Good. Sounds like The Smiths. Enjoyed it but didn't leave a mark.

Cemetery gates fav 3/5

This one probably deserves another listen

Favorites: The Queen Is Dead, Frankly, Mr. Shankly, Bigmouth Strikes Again Gets droopy after first two tracks.

Good but boring

Better than I expected

Not great, not awful.

Morrissey is a prick but points for being formative to my teenage self

Vocal work is atrocious, there’s an Eminem lamp shading tactic - but even if you admit you can’t sing you still can’t sing. Instrumentation is incredibly repetitive, As in every song is the exact same song repetitive. It’s not even a good song they’re regurgitating. Lyrics are good actually which is my only takeaway. I quite liked the namesake surprisingly. Little to no syntactic complexity, though the songs do blend well for the whole album ( again if only for being the same ). Solid 2/5

Eh, not really for me, but I understand why people love them

Morrissey is such a goddamn whiner, I could barely finish this, but There Is A Light That Never Goes Out is a fun listen

6/10 - Could never get into the smiths Heard before? --------–- ✅ Saved a new Song? ----- ❌ Saved Album? -------–-- ❌ Will Listen Again? ---––– ❌

It was ok, I feel almost neutral about it. The lyrics are just so bland, and I fear the singing is very whiny.

Heard before?:✔️ Will listen again?:✔️/❌️(individual songs) 2.5

pretty good, but Morrissey is so whiny it is distracting.

Weirdly don't like this as much as I used to

I know it’s over is een prachtig nummer. De rest vind ik een beetje irritant.

College frat party jumping around dancing. Goth, British, moody vibes. Not for me.

Johnny Marr dropped to 98 pounds during the recording of this album, running on nervous energy, brandy and cocaine, serving simultaneously as guitarist, co-producer, de facto band manager, and logistics coordinator including van hire. He later said no one could touch us, that this was the peak of the Smiths' career. He was right about the music and apparently had nothing left over for meals. The album's working title was Margaret On The Guillotine. It was changed to The Queen Is Dead, taken from a chapter of a Hubert Selby Jr. novel. Both titles tell you everything about where Morrissey's head was in 1985 and neither of them is subtle, which is on brand for a man who fired his bassist by leaving a note on his car windshield that read Andy, you have left the Smiths. Goodbye and good luck, Morrissey. Andy Rourke passed away in 2023. Johnny Marr specifically recalled watching him record his bassline on the title track, saying he would never forget it. Morrissey has not been quoted. There Is a Light That Never Goes Out almost was not on the album. Johnny Marr did not think the guitar part was particularly interesting. Morrissey insisted on keeping it. History has proven Morrissey correct, which is most annoying and I will not be dwelling on it. This is the third Morrissey adjacent album to receive 2 stars from me. Wild Beasts got a 2 for sounding like discount Morrissey. Vauxhall and I got a 2 for being full price Morrissey in an expensive coat. The Queen Is Dead gets a 2 for being genuinely the best thing Morrissey ever made, which means Johnny Marr starved himself down to 98 pounds on brandy and cocaine to make an album I am giving 2 stars, which is the most I can offer and more than Morrissey deserves. 2 out of 5. Both stars belong entirely to Johnny Marr. Please eat a sandwich.

Definitely not for me.

Not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Still bad though.

What a back loaded album, but no need to listen again

Fun lyrics, but music feels pretty standard fare.

You know… I just still don’t get it.

The Smiths fucking suck

Mid

This just isn’t for me. The whole thing felt like a waste of time, I don’t get what people enjoy about this. I feel nothing when listening to this, just washes over me and I can’t connect with any of it. Maybe I will come to enjoy this someday but today isn’t that day. 2 stars because it was brief and not a chore to listen to

This is actually one of my favourite Smiths albums, containing one of my favourite tunes (There Is a Light That Never Goes Out). You kind of know what you're getting with one of these - a bit depressing, a bit existentialist, a bit (a lot) woe-is-me, but wrapped up in irresistible riffs and memorable songs. This would get a 4, but it is of course subject to the MATT (Morrisssey is A Twat Tax), an automatic 2-star deduction for his mere presence, so it gets a...

I liked Morrissey a lot more when he didn’t take himself so serious. His lyrics are similar to reading out loud from a middle school girls diary. It’s oddly appealing at first, but after a while, you start to wonder if he’ll ever reach his 20’s.

"Pretention" doesn't come close enough. If you're going to be this much of a navel-gazing ass, your songs need to be better.

Didn't really like this much. The singers voice is unique, but I didn't hear the Smiths songs I've liked before on this album.

like a good album but i don’t like

Baš jako ne volim Smithse. Dosadni su za umrijeti. Ovaj album nije iznimka. 2/5, 3/10

i think the smiths are vibey but only when you dont pay too much attention to the lyrics bc then they make you sad

The Smiths are one of those bands that everyone seems to know of, but don't know a lot about. This album definitely points me directly into the evolution of public affection, which would later become live. So I understand firmly why this album is on here. I wanna love it, but I don't. I know I like some Smith songs just none of these.

Jangle pop and indie rock built from bright, intricate guitars, nimble rhythm sections, and melancholic vocals feels like being guided through a beautiful botanical garden by someone determined to explain why every flower is secretly dying—witty, distinctive, and at the start entertaining, though soon monotony sets in.

Bigmouth Strikes Again

The Radiohead effect

Mediocre. Really hated the last song. Yes, some girls are indeed bigger than others and some girls mothers are bigger than other girls mothers. Terrible lyrics.

>Releases an album talking about how the queen is dead >Freddie Mercury dies 5 years later Coincidence? Yeah probably

just not something i'd choose

I expected better from this album. Outside of There Is A Light That Never Goes Out and Bigmouth Strikes again, this project was so profoundly boring. Hell, even the two aforementioned songs would've been better of without the rest of the album around to drown them out. Morrissey's voice is interesting for exactly 3 minutes at a time.

Some girls are bigger than others; some bands are better than most. Not the case, here.

It’s like a brilliant guitarist made a great album and then someone said ‘what if we also added maximum sighing.

Such a morose album. After a song like "Some Girls are Bigger Than Others" how could there have been any doubt of Morrissey's sexuality?

Didn't really click with me. I like the vibe of it and could imagine bicycling through a park in London listening to it. The guitars are nicely written, the drums are good, and some of the reverb sounds great. My main issue is that while things are definitely changing throughout the songs, they don't change in a drastic enough way for me to stay engaged. A lot of the tracks felt dragged out because the progression was too subtle for my taste. I can hear the hooks, but they don't feel like modern hooks that immediately grab me. I understand why the album is respected and influential, and I can appreciate the craftsmanship, but it never really had a big payoff for me personally. 2.5/5 for enjoyment, 4/5 for respect.

Not what I like. I even think it’s an overrated band and don’t deserve the fuss that they got

Meh.

I tried getting into The Smiths because they do have some catchy songs here and there. But I listened to every album multiple times trying to force it and I just can’t get there. Something about the majority of their music is boring, depressing, self-indulgent. This particular album didn’t have any songs that stuck with me.

Trevligt. Monotont

Confirme que me aburre esta banda, me duerme. Me encanta el rock británico pero a estos es como que les faltó tomarse un energizante. Me da lástima porque siento que sería una banda que me encantaría pero no

very much not my thing, eagerly anticipated the end.

- Ok I see what people mean when they say the Smiths are depressing and british - Not too many thoughts on this one

Nothing really stood out to me.

Post-punk and indie-rock are some of my least favorite genre's. That's what you're getting here. This album is not so bad as to be unbearable, but it's not very good. I'm not adding any tracks to the playlist, but I at least found "Frankly, Mr. Shankly" amusing.

Not great

Wah wah wahh

The Smiths and Morrissey were a pretty big band in the 80's. Morrissey was interviewed often on MTV and my guess it was due to the fact that he was British and was very arrogant. The Queen is Dead is typical of the Smiths and is not a lot of fun to listen to since it is so melancholy. If you weren't depressed before you started listening to it, you might be by the time it is over. I wonder if Johnny Marr would have had a different lead man if he would have been more famous and well known. Other bands from the period that are similar with a little more pep include The Church, Echo and the Bunnymen, Love and Rockets, and Lords of the New Church.

this album does have two things going for it: one, it has alain delon. nice. two, the album does eventually end. double nice.

I could not connect to this at all.

Some of these songs are pretty alright until the singing starts.

whiny mopey fascist whines over rock music: more at 11. i truly do not understand the sway that morrissey holds over people. it's Fine and Listenable, though not in a way that overly sticks out to me, but it's just dull. on some tracks his vocal style works and others it doesn't, yet above all else i can't shake the feeling that this is really boring music for depressed people. and just to be clear, there's a lot of music for depressed people, but this is like "dude you couldn't even be depressed to something good???" tier. "ahhh i'm really depressed; let me put on the smiths" get a job.

The only good thing about Morrisey is that no matter who you are, you too can hate Morrisey! Unity in Morrisey hatred! People always tend to say to look past Morrisey and at The Smiths as a whole but if I do that all I see is a maybe slightly better then mediocre 80s English Rock band in a period where there were so many mediocre English Rock bands that you really need more then that to stand out. The moaning-singing on some of these songs get really under my skin, I guess the guitar work here is pretty good? Idk this made me feel nothing and all the songs sound the exact same. 2 Stars is probably about right.

Pretty boring and uninteresting. Nothing about this album moved me. Bigmouth strikes again is the best song on here.

not such a fan of the smiths

Very dull and boring alternative rock

Never a big Smiths fan. Lots of friends loved them but couldn't get into them. A couple good songs and that's it. Still this is their best album.

They better stop putting this damn band on here. This was literally no better than the last album. The 2nd star is for There is a Light That Never Goes Out and for all the heavy lifting it did for depressed internet teens 20 years ago.

So... I don't love this album (band). I can see having it on in the background and not getting stabby about it. Not a fan of the lyrics. I don't know how I feel about the singing.. I don't love it but there is something about his voice that reminds me of Gord Downei. They music ok but kind of forgettable as the bass, rhythm and bass kind of don't ever do anything that take centre stage. Especially the lead guitar. Reminds of The Edge how it just kind of lingers around the song and never takes the spotlight. If anything, I like the bass lol

Ok, I guess. I can understand why I never got super into this band. I wasn't so performative back in the day. I mean, "I know how Joan of Arc felt" or some such crap? Come on. And it was over before I knew it.

Täysin mitäänsanomatonta musiikkia. Sopii täydellisesti taustameluksi.

Fuck I hate the Smiths, more to the point I loathe Morrissey. Not only is he a complete trash human but his voice has ruined modern music. So many bands I think I might like are ruined by their Morrissey-like crooning that make me want to rip my ears off. I am not sure I have ever listened to a full album of Morrissey's but here goes. Really digging the music, would be nice if I could just turn off his voice. It's that dark wave goth guitar driven instrumentation that I really love in other bands like Siousxie and the Banshees or Bauhaus. I do feel like Morrisesy's voice is a bit more restrained, at least on this first song which is a good thing. Okay, there's the Morrissey I know and hate, it just feels like he is trying to over-sing and do vocal gymnastics which completely takes away from the music for me. It really feels like he makes every song all about him. I understand why this album is on the list but listening to it does not change my opinion of him. I will admit that The Smiths are miles better than anything else Morrissey has done, I still hate it but will give it two stars because the band put out some good music even if he is singing over it.

Liked it, but not loved it

This is the personified sound of what it feels like when you want to go outside but its too rainy.

Eighties album from Stephen and the boys

Fuck I don't like Morrissey. I'm walking into this album with the preconceived notion that Johnny Marr will be the only highlight to get me through it. ...ok. Start the album. Yup.

não gosto muito do morrisey nem dos vocais dele

Meh :/

god

Whenever I think of The Smiths, I think of Beavis and Butthead watching Morrissey

Not a Smith fans.

Normally, I have a really hard time hearing and understanding lyrics while I'm listening to music. This album? I could understand the lyrics. And the lyrics were weird. And then I realized that the lead singer is Morressy. He's a weirdo and I don't particularly like him. And he screwed over some of his bandmates when The Smiths broke up. Not cool. The music is overall pretty nice to listen to, and while I can understand the lyrics better than other singers, I don't like the vocal quality his voice has. It sounds like he's singing out of his nose. I get that's his thing, but it's not a thing I enjoy. Maybe I'm being harsh because I don't like the man behind the voice. IDK. Sidequest thought: As a Mormon teenager in the 90s, I went to a summer camp called EFY at the BYU college campus, and I found a couple of friends. They were obsessed with The Smiths. I was not into that type of rock and hadn't really listened to them much. I tried getting into them, it just wasn't for me. I was more into Grunge music, especially since I was living in the pacific NW near Seattle, the birthplace of Grunge. Anyway, I wonder what happened to those guys. It was years before social media and nobody had cell phones yet, so I can't even remember their names or faces.

i can see why someone would like it but i didnt

La voz no pega

During the first few songs I thought I was going to have to listen to a whole album of drawn out depressing songs in Morrissey’s off putting voice. Turns out the beat got better, but his voice did not.

Morrissey is like nails on a chalkboard for me. I’ve stated before that I’m no fan of The Smiths so I tried to let this play in the background while I focused on other tasks. Couldn’t do it. A couple of the songs started their intro and I thought “oh! This might be a decent song” and then Morrrisey’s voice came through and I was done. After 40 years and two albums from this project, I’m still unswayed that this band is any good.

The Smiths are the most depressing band I've ever listened to.

I wish I liked this album more but I just don't. I am not a big fan of Morrissey's corny, self-deprecating, and yearning lyrics and I find the pacing here to be jolted and slow. This album reads much better as a collection of singles as opposed to a coherent piece, which sucks because I actually really like the performances turned in by Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke. For every lane this record tries to occupy, I can think of several other albums I would rather spend my time listening to. If a relatively short album loses my attention by the end of track 7, I can't faithfully say that I like it. I find this album to be boring and uninspired, but it is more so just not up my alley than it is a bad record. Favorite track: I Know It's Over

5 für das Song Writing, 1-2 für das Writing, nichts für die fucking Seufzer ständig. Das ist wie Caspar David Friedrich - kunsthistorisch krass relevant, führt zu Nationalismus, kann ich nichts mit anfangen

One or two songs we’re interesting but in general, not something I’ll listen to again.

Gets whiny.

Boring post-punk and indie rock.

First time really listening to The Smiths, didn't like the album. 1 or 2 songs are good, the rest is bland

Musically boring, and lyrically stupid. Half the time I was listening to this, I kept thinking “there’s no way these are the actual words, this is beyond dumb”. I’ve never liked Morrissey or The Smiths, and this further solidifies that opinion

Probably my favorite The Smiths album I've heard on this list so far. 2

Best review: "I ate a giant burger after listening to this. Take that Morrissey!!" Morrissey sucks and this album is nowhere near as good as what The Cure offers.

Melancholy. Repetitive? The songs were a bit slow and hazy at times. I can’t say I’m the best audience for this album. It screams 1980s. 2/27/26 (10 songs, 37 mins)

I was looking forward to this one. This is one of those bands that I was not into contemporaneously but that everyone raves about. After all, this is why I signed up for this— to listen to albums that are not in my wheelhouse but are widely acclaimed. So I was a bit disappointed. It was ok, the bass stood out, but besides “there is a light…” there weren’t any bangers like I was expecting.

I just cant get into the new wave sound of the smiths. There were a few songs I liked on here but I wouldn’t add them to any mix. I love Bowie but not the gothy new wave. But all my emo bands drew from it so I’m glad it exists.

Meh.

Fine, not really many strong feelings about it

Pretty good. His voice didn't bother me as much as I thought it would.

Oh God, I cannot stand this dude's voice.

No standouts

Is this the worst thing I have ever heard? No. The music itself is actually quiet catchy, but Morrissey’s voice is so dreary after a while.

Little maudlin, no?

Jangly

All the positives of the album are dragged down by Morrissey, and I say this in the most "Separate the art from the artist" way possible. On most tracks I cannot stand his melodramatic wail, and he often tries so little to make sure he's singing along with the beat that it borders on being on-pitch spoken word, and not in a good way, Jim Morrison of The Doors does a similar style much better. Johnny Marr and the rest of the band do an admirable job providing the trappings for the general sullen yet upbeat post-punk that the Brits best invoked in the era. Favorite Track: "Cemetry Gates" Least Favorite Track: "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others"

As an American, the longevity and consistently high quality performances of British rock singers has always been something of note. Which is why it came as a bit of a shock to me when Morrissey more or less ruined this album for me. Like, I pray I never listen to him wail over the end of I Know It's Over again. I don't think I've ever consciously listened to The Smiths before, but I'd heard of them. I knew they were pretty influencial to the rock scene across the pond. I can understand why, as there's a lot to appreciate from Joyce's drum fills on The Queen is Dead and Never Had No One Ever to the ironically upbeat Cemetery Gates. Marr kinda shreds across a lot of the album to a variety of vibes and tempos, and it feels like a contemporary indie album (especially on say Bigmouth Strikes Again). But I really cannot stand Morrissey's vocalizations. I don't think it helps that The Queen is Dead, the opening track, is probably the worst offender. But I find him to be such a detraction from more interesting instrumentals on basically every song.

I've never cared for The Smiths, but I've warmed up to a lot of 'post punk' rock music in recent years, so I went into this with an open mind. "Cemetry Gates" and "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" were my favourite tracks, and I liked "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others". That said, I did not enjoy the overall album. The vocals were slightly grating after a while, and while the music is good, no particular chord stuck with me. "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" is a generally good song, but bloody hell have I heard it plenty over the years. A 2.5 rating would be more accurate, but since people who like this hate everything I enjoy, I'm not going to be generous :p

Meh, it was a 3 untill it started turning country. Wont remember it in a month

Only slightly better than Meat is Murder, but by a long shot not good enough to enjoy.

While I don't dislike Morrissey, he does get a bit on my nerves. I listened to the album on sort of autopilot, but noticed the music a few times just due to it poking just over my irritation threshold.

No my thing, but catchy in a weird way. Very sleepy and depressing. Question why this is a must listen to album and so critically acclaimed. No songs added to playlist.

I feel like I should like The Smiths more than I do. “There is a Light…” is wonderful but overall not an album I’d listen to often

First, full disclaimer, I think Morrissey The Person is a ginormous dickhead. It's extremely clear that he's descending into becoming a bitter old man who is angry about his lot in life, treats his fans like shit if he can't be arsed to play a show and generally thinks he's better than everyone else... and they're the least of his transgressions. I am now attempting to ignore all that and focus on Morrissey The Singer. I don't particularly like Morrissey's voice but he's not awful - it's very grating over a full album though. The actual instrumentation is much better than the vocals in my opinion, but much like Talking Heads, I get that for fans his voice is 80% of the attraction. Johnny Marr deserved better though. My highlight is probably The Boy With A Thorn In His side (the fact someone has transcribed the outro "lyrics" on Genius made my giggle). Ending your album with a song about boobs is probably the low point. This should be a 2.5. Rounding down because of the annoying voice. 2/5

Unique indie rock style that you can very much tell hails straight from the mid-‘80s.

*Might need a relisten* Heard some Smiths before. But this just didn't connect with me. 2/5

2 good songs, rest nothing special

I never really got into The Smiths and this album has done little to change my position.

It started out good but then became very repetitive. Then you have to consider Morrissey is a bigoted fuckwad.

Morrissey really grates my nerves. Excellent guitar work though.

It's not as horrible as Morrissey's solo albums

As always, I should theoretically love the smiths but they always leave me cold

Smiths are not my jam but I do appreciate them

If there’s one thing worse than hearing Morrisey’s dreadful droning voice, it’s listening to his inane and repetitive lyrics. “Frankly”, “Shankly”, “mothers”, “others” - it seems like the way to write a Smiths song is to find a single rhyming couplet and then just repeat it over and over and over again.

Better than Meat is Murder, but lyrically pathetic.

Morrissey is insufferable. Apparently the guitarist is doing some crazy shit but Morrissey never shuts up long enough for me to hear them. The songs don’t leave any space and are just jam sessions with Morrissey’s uninspired melodies.

A band I could never get into beyond the singles and this doesn't change that at all.

not of fan of the smiths but i love 500 days of summer and perks of being a wallflower

I can't deal with any more Morrissey. What a miserable sounding man he is. Makes every good song worse, and every average song terrible. I don't understand the hype around this album or band, but it's not the worst thing I've listened to so gets a 2.

I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like this having heard The Smiths songs fairly regularly in my younger years when my brothers binged on them. I surprised (*) myself a little. Musically they're pretty decent which I hadn't noticed before. Unfortunately the musicalilty is spoiled by Morrissey's whining singing which makes my ears shut down so I miss the music. Surprised - as in I'm rating it as 2 when I was sure it was going to be a 1.

Morrissey is what it would be like if all of my pet peeves assumed human form and started lecturing me about my diet

Bleak

3/10. I'm glad it's over. Parts we're kind of good but I suspect only because they've permeated music culture. I think the important things is that the band likes it. Good for them. Good for them. This was one of those albums that I had to resist the urge to skip songs, and check how much was left. This was a long 37 minutes.

For every animal Morrissey doesn’t eat, I eat 3. Fuck you, Morrissey. Man, I do not enjoy anything with Morrissey’s voice in it. Smiths, if they ever existed in a Morrissey-less form, would be great. But he just sucks so hard. It's like the rest of the Smiths are over in a corner doing cool stuff, and Morrissey is across the room and just refusing to sing anything to actually follow what the music is doing, seemingly overjoyed to sing the same meandering melody at the same trudging cadence with the same mincing vocal inflection over and over and over, ad infinitum. Again, fuck you, Morrissey, you poncy bitch. Also, Robert Smith rules. He's everything you wish you were. 2/5

Really uninteresting! Usually there's at least one song I like to make it a 3, or perhaps something else neat, but this is just... all the same, and it's not even a very good same. It is ok.

After hearing all about Morrissey being a shit person, I'm glad to know that his singing also straight up blows. I won't have to justify liking The Smiths today! Unfortunately much of the instrumentation here goes really hard; shoutout to Andy Rourke bringing some killer bass. Standout: Cemetry Gates • Bigmouth Strikes Again • There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

I hate using the term overrated but someone please, please, PLEASE tell me what there is to see in this album for someone who did not grow up listening to it. First and last songs got my attention and then it was like I spent 30 minutes listening to the same song over and over in between.

Vocals are not very imppresive-bad at times(whiny, annoying), instrumentals are groovy, lyrics are interesting and very varied in terms of quality(some good lines, and some questionable). (Not a huge fan overall of The Smiths but okay album)

Not my favorite.

I don't like the Smiths!

J'ai eu un peu la flemme d'écouter celui ci. Pour moi, les smiths rentrent dans la catégorie de groupes que les mec sexistes qui se croient super dark, deep et différents écoutent (radio head, pink floyd ect). Le genre de gars insupportable qui te dit "Oh t'aime cet artiste ? Nomme 5 chansons dans l'album démo quand le groupe n'était pas encore au complet. Oh t'aime pas cet artiste ? C'est probablement parce que tu l'as jamais écouté correctement, t'écoute des artistes qui disent pas des trucs profond après tout". Des Smiths, je connaissais que "Please please please" et "Heaven know I'm miserable now" (hilarant ce titre d'ailleurs : moi aussi je cherchais un travail, j'ai trouvé un travail et dieu sait que je suis misérable maintenant). Cet album m'a étonné quand même. Je m'attendais à tomber dans un gouffre de dépression rock alternatif chiant mais il faut croire que j'ai pas la vérité absolue ! La première chanson était très cool, surtout l'intro avec ce sorte de sample. Même les chansons tristes sont très belles. Pas étonnant que deezer me dise que leur chanson la plus populaire sur cet album c'est "I know it's over" cependant. Je pense que les gens aiment les Smiths parce que justement leurs chansons tristes sont très bien faites et qu'elle les touche. Je trouve que la musique est très belle cependant. Et d'ailleurs je me suis rendue compte que je connaissais le refrain de "Bigmouth strikes again" et "There us a Light that never goes out". Il n’empêche que je ne peux pas prendre des paroles aussi self dépressive de la part d'un homme, c'est mon côté misandre, ça me fait rouler des yeux et danser à la fois. "now i know how joan of arc felt" non je pense pas que tu sais ce que ça fait d'être une femme de 19 ans brûlée au bucher parce qu'elle est une femme. Et les paroles très triste me font un peu marrer j'avoue "If a double decker bus crashes into us" ?? Hilarant. Je réitère cependant que j'aime beaucoup la sonorité du groupe. Chanson préférées : Never had no one ever, Cemetery gates

Frankly Mr. Shankly...that felt like it was never going to end.

Ihan on musiikkia, mutta ei mikään jäänyt mieleen sen suuremmin. Paitsi viimeinen kappale on ihan höpö. Some Girls are Bigger than Others, mittee.

Meh. The beat is sometimes ok but dull lyrics and mopey vocals. Not my cup of tea

152 Splotify jura que me gusta The Smiths porque cada vez que me toca escuchar un disco de ellos lo tengo que intentar escuchar como 3 veces para terminarlo.

Meh

lame. annoying. depressing. Just bland proto-emo. So frickin whiny. Although some of the songs had riffs that reminded me of better songs. Cemetry Gates intro sounds like Sea of No Cares so thats neat.

And if a double decker bus crashes into us ... we would not have had heard this gem before we died.

Oh no. Not him again. The band is okay, I just don't understand why or even how they worked with Morrissey. Annoying voice, annoying views. Possibly paints roundabouts. I saw an article about him and "can you separate art from the artist" using him as an example. Well, I thankfully wouldn't ever have that dilemma, because I'd never choose to listen to this.

"Some Girls Are Bigger than Others". Oh you don't say...

I can't. I won't. Something about these songs give me the creeps.

32/1001 First listen. Another band where I find out the reason why I’ve never heard them before. Another album of good music but bad singing. That voice is just wild at times. Well it’s not for me anyway. It’s not a bad album, in fact it’s almost good but I’ll pass on this one. 4/10

Not a fan of the Smiths

3eme et dernier album du groupe proposé par le générateur. J'avais un peu apprécié 'Meat is Murder' (3/5), mais pas vraiment 'Strangeways, Here We Come' (2/5) ni les 4 albums solo de Morissey (tous notés 2/5).. Dans ce nouvel album j'apprécie la basse (+1), et la batterie dans les morceaux plus rapides (trop rares malheureusement). Mais l'accompagnement est gâché par le chant que j'ai vraiment du mal à supporter. Pas de seconde écoute pour moi. =>2/5

Frankly, Mr Shankly was cool but the album put me to sleep

So I listen to an album a day, or catch up when I miss a day or two, when I'm at my desk job. This album is really putting me to sleep 😴 which is a problem when I have to be alert in a high demand desk job (too many people calling and walking up to me for help). This is not the album for that kind of environment. Probably would be better if I were drunk as fuck.

It's got an art poppy vibe, with the 'refined' vocal sense and slightly hypnotic melodies. However, it feels very same same across the album, I didn't feel any push and pull in rhythm or melody. I suspect it's one for those who listen to lyrics

2.7

It's The Smiths. I don't particularly like them, but the album was fine.

ThI only thing I liked about this album was the song names.

How can anyone listen to more than one track of Morrissey at a time?! REALLY not my thing.

good sound I've always liked morrisey voice. just maybe not my vibe currently.

Classic, but one I've struggled to find a way into. Just doesn't land an emotional punch for me.

I can't stand Morrissey's voice and find the Smiths unbearably pretentious. Some of the music is pretty good, though.

I can't separate the Smiths from Morrissey, so this review can't be objective. I just don't understand the fascination people have with this pretentious twat. Nope

I simply can't with the wailing. Best album of all time? Lunacy.

Oh goody, another Smiths album. How many are there on here?! Why were they so popular?! Alright I listened to it, and I keep coming to the same conclusion, their music is good, even the lyrics are decent. I enjoyed this one more than the meat is murder album, but I don't like his voice. I thought last album it was a weird effect or filter, no he just sounds like that. So I'm moving forward with the knowledge that I don't like Morrissey and enjoy the band. Because the bass lines and guitar in this is good. Time to look up Smiths covers and test this hypothesis. Frankly, Mr Shankley was a high point for me. It has a solid fart joke in there.

Oh boy. More-issey - again not into his style. Meat is Murder is better but it’s all eh. 3.2

not great

Não consigo achar nada de interessante neste disco, nem muito menos nesta banda.

Not a fan of heard them randomly a couple more times after I listened to this album, and I still did not like them l.

Not as boring as the morrisey albums.

I feel like all the songs just blended together. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t particularly like it. I like the instrumentals on several songs, but I felt like the singing didn’t match the vibe of the music. Baker loved the drums though.

I liked a lot of the instrumentals in the songs, but I couldn't really get over the vocals - just weren't doing it for me. Some catchy songs, but overall it was pretty weak.

I honestly forgot I was listening to this halfway through the album. It’s someone’s ~cup of tea~ but not mine. There wasn’t a song that really stood out, I just feel like it was there for background music. Not bad, not my favorite.

eh, alright

Dull

Generic

Still don’t really get the adulation. Loses a point for Morrissey being a cock.

Meh like some

I cant stand Morrissey and his whiney lyrics and voice. Maybe you need to be British to fully get it. But to me hes just another dude with decent music behind him who cant sing or stay on time

Boring

My first DNF. It’s not on Spotify, and dear lord it was not worth the extra effort to listen on YouTube. It’s rare that an artist or group lives up to its reputation but this is an incredible exhibition of complaining over middle of the road jangly guitars. Blergh

Just kinda vibey 80s, but not really memorable.

Overhyped navel-gazing from a real asshole. Cemetry Gates is kinda a bop, tho.

The Smiths have never really clicked for me and this continues that trend. I don't like Morrissey's voice. The band doesn't play anything particularly interesting that stands out to me. Meat Is Murder and multiple Morrissey albums are already on the list, is more necessary?

Nothing to it for me. May be one of those acquired tastes. I have always heard about the Smiths and was interested to listen. Did nothing for me.

Although a very good introduction of their music, failed in overall acceptance. A niche band

Never really got into the smiths and Morrissey's behaviour in the last several years has done nothing to persuade me to change my mind

Rather boring.

I used this album as an excuse to actually hear an entire Smiths album, anything Morrissey typically has a half a song duration period for me. I can understand a lot of the artistry in the strings, and probably need a second or third listen to start appreciating the lyrics fully. Still, as I expected, personal and biased opinion, not very impressive.

Not my music