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One of the most celebrated albums in rock history, pressed on vinyl for a new generation of listeners. The Queen Is Dead is the third studio album by Manchester’s The Smiths, originally released on 16 June 1986. Produced by Morrissey and Johnny Marr, with engineering by Stephen Street, the album blends indie rock and post-punk into something entirely its own.
With its unique blend of musical styles — including jangle pop, British Invasion, music hall, rockabilly, and punk rock — it quickly became a British sensation and established The Smiths as one of the biggest bands of their era. The album opens with the blistering title track before moving through some of the band’s most beloved songs: the wry swagger of “Bigmouth Strikes Again,” the literary charm of “Cemetry Gates,” and the devastating romanticism of “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out.”
The Queen Is Dead spent 22 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number two, and was later certified Gold by the RIAA in the US. Wikipedia Rolling Stone ranked it 113th on their updated list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, while NME named it the greatest album of all time in their 2013 list.
Morrissey and Marr’s creative partnership is at its absolute peak here — a perfect storm of sharp wit, lush guitar work, and emotional depth that has never aged a day.
Tracklist:
Side A: The Queen Is Dead / Frankly, Mr. Shankly / I Know It’s Over / Never Had No One Ever / Cemetry Gates
Side B: Bigmouth Strikes Again / The Boy With the Thorn in His Side / Vicar in a Tutu / There Is a Light That Never Goes Out / Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
